I have used the sidewinder for over 15 years now and I find it a brilliant piece of kit. It is extremely sensitive, shows pulls and drop back bites equally well andit isn't affected by either wind or tow, what more do you want from a bite indicator. It can also be attached and detachedafter setting up your rod but with todays thin blanks you may need to put a few turns of pvc tape round the bit where it sits to avoid slipping.I have never ever had a problem casting with it either long or short castsand no Matt you do not need to detach the line when casting.
Ihave just been on the phone to Terry Smith, the ex Sheffield tackle shop owner who designed the sidewinder for use on the Irish lochs and his design is far superior to the one that was supplied through Anglers World holidays.He tells me he has retired completely now and sold the rights to another manufacturer and he thinks they are distributed through Leeda but he assures me they are available in some shops. His design included a nut to enable the indicator to be adjusted, something the commercial one wasn't able to do.He also tells me he has some of the adjustable parts minus the actual fibre glass arm butincluding the clip in his workshop and will supply these, I have his phone number if you need it but I won't put it on here obviously.