How do you gauge success? If from a numbers point of view then yesterdays event at Sportfish might seem a bit disappointing, if from a casting and instructing day then I believe it was one of our best. I believe the forecast of the hottest day of the year probably put a lot off people coming. Yes it was a hot one but luckily there was a nice SW breeze coming straight down the lake to keep us from frying. It also meant that our back casts were into smooth air rather than into the turbulent air we can get when the wind has to go over trees and bushes. Turbulence can play havoc with back casts.
Those of us instructing had the time to give some real help to aspiring distance casters, and the club now has a few who have great potential.
There were some amazing casts in the competition as well. MM will confirm this when he posts the results, each event was hotly contested right up to the last cast. We even had an appreciative audience that whooped and hollered and clapped when a really good one went out. I have to say I particularly enjoyed that aspect. I will have to make sure we whip the audience up to a frenzy at future meetings. The encouragement was brilliant, thanks guys and gals.
And there were some outstanding casts to applaud. New member Tom Festing threw over 128′ and James Evans wasn’t far behind with just over 125′ in the seven weight contest. Tom would probably have done better but he just loves casting so much he can’t be bothered to allow many to actually land and record a score!
Tomo and I had a good tussle in the five and I managed to pip him with my final cast.
As many members know, my real passion is full line casting. The club records for these events are world class. We can now add a nine weight event, a reintroduction to cater for the salties among us. Yesterday was the first time we cast it. We are limited at Sportfish to just the full line events, there are insurmountable insurance problems because of space, so the nine was re-introduced here to help fill the void.
The BFCC used to cast eight and nine weights in the old days. I don’t know what the records are, it doesn’t matter because at least three of us smashed them into oblivion. I believe we all held the record for a moment or two until, the next guy cast. The over all club record was not created until, literally, the very last cast of the day when 15 year old Joe Avery-Harris did a truly amazing 143′ to win the event by about four feet. Gutting and astonishing at the same time. Well done Joe.
The full line event records are now held by a 15 year old, a forty year old and seventy something year old. Hence the title.
All Badge winners deserve congratulation but Don Andrews deserves special mention because he is a left hander and the wind wasn’t kind for lefties but perseverance and a slight alteration to the course was enough for him to nail his 30yd. badge.
The BFCC, where there is hope for everyone.
Mike H
