Question does anyone use the wallis cast, i am having trouble getting a good distance on the cast, i use a Sean Lindsley Perfection Barbel 2 piece split cane rod and an Adcock Stanton reel with a 2oz weight, would i have to get a new rod with a higher test curve to gain a bit more distance? any info would be great.

I am probably NOT the one to advise on this, being still very much a novice with a centrepin. Tried using the Wallace cast ( which I had previously thought must have been something you do with a fly rod), and had some inconsistent success. Only tried it so far with float set ups. I managed on occasions to get 2 out of 3 casts to work. I don't think you need to modify the rod you use.
More practice needed, this is not something I found came easy. A barbel on a pin remains an ambition.

Drynetter ( and others) are more useful with the device. Hopefully they will add their input.

It's a bit easier to see how it's done, here's a few links for the basics.



Practice is the key, don't be put off by the odd tangle here and there. Keep at it and it'll become second nature.

You'll need enough weight to get a decent cast, but as you gain in confidence and your application improves, you'll get away with with lighter set ups.

Hope this helps, there are numerous other videos on youtube about it too, some are more helpful than others.

So what are the Wallis advantages?

1) It looks as if it is far quicker to execute than drawing out multiple loops?

2) Can you gain much more distance? How far are we talking here? It all looks very gentle in the second video, as if the cast is quite short?


It looks something like the cast I have been doing. In as much as a sheep looks a bit like a cow. 4 legs near the corners.

I have not been holding the lead: is that necessary, or just a purist thing?

And I have not been "controlling" the line with my finger.

Seated version possible?

There are probably too may different variants on this to be truthful, I always thought that the drawing loops of line was the definitive cast (Wallis).

The one I use is similar to the one shown. Probably more or less the same as yours JayZs. Again it's difficult to judge the distance of cast that can be achieved, dependent on what your using on the cast and how you apply the principles. Controlling the line when the cast hits the water is pretty much a definite thing to look at, overruns on the spool can lead to a whole host of problems. (Trust me on that one). I don't hold the end tackle either, maybe that's a purist thing too.

I very much doubt that a pin was originally designed to be fished at great distances. There are far better tools for that job.

Cheers Mark. Overruns need no introduction to me! Controlling the line as the float hits the water....stop the reel: fair enough.

The video seems to indicate the use of he forefinger to control the line during the cast too. That one struck me as odd, for the line would have to be sliding around the finger and therefore losing distance? Surely one idea of the Wallis is that there is free, uninhibited line available to follow the float? A forefinger is not an ideal pulley.


Confession: not used the pin snce February. I quit whilst ahead, with fish on the bank...for the moment at least.

Once the cast is on its way, I think that you'd only need to use the thumb on the drum as a brake. I don't use the forefinger. I may give it a go, but I'm unsure what you'd gain by doing so. More things to go wrong I'd have thought?

Regardless, they are a fun bit of kit to have in the armoury. The direct pressure of the thumb on the drum acting as a clutch is a little different too. It's all down to personal preference how you use them, no one way is right or wrong no matter what's written.

I like using mine on stillwater for margin stuff.

Originally Posted by drynetter

It's all down to personal preference how you use them, no one way is right or wrong no matter what's written..

Agreed entirely, although, from a historical point of view, I would tend to define the Wallis cast as the cast as done by Wallis, and not any of these many variations. I wondered which variation was the real Wallis.


And i found: taken from
The fabulous famous FWK Wallis Cast by Phil - Article - PurePiscator.com
the following:


To be perfectly frank, I don’t consider that FWK really did "invent" the Wallis cast. Nor do I think he would have claimed to. In reality, he was simply an outstanding exponent of "The Nottingham Cast" and his chapter in the aforementioned book is titled "The Modern Light Float Cast from the Reel – Nottingham Style" and this style of cast evolved from first emergence on the Trent in the 1850s. The Wallis Cast is not so much an invention as a variation.
It was in 1904 that Wallis won the International Casting Tournament freestyle float casting event. Using a David Slater (of Newark) rod and Slater’s new improved "Wallis Zephyr" centre-pin reel, Wallis flicked a 1 ½ drachm load 235 feet. I conjecture that this feat set off an association of the name Wallis with the Nottingham cast that grew and grew until it became inseparable from "Wallis Wizard" and "Wallis Zephyr" and became "The Wallis Cast".

It is one of my ambitions to hook and land a barbel on a centrepin, so reading that Wallis threw a weight such a distance may provide me with an inspiration to go for it on my next barbel trip.

Thanks for the info, John....

I've recently acquired a centrepin (Ikonix) and have to admit to rather liking it. The first session I used 6lb line and a float rod, and managed to cast right across the Goyt (not a huge distance, admittedly). I've now put 10lb (could do with finding a source for spare spools...no luck so far) and will try for a barbel, either rolling meat or just a normal leger. I caught a nice chub from the Dorset Stour with it a couple of weeks ago, and enjoyed the whole experience.

Overruns when using a 2oz lead are a bit of a problem though, as I found out, and timing is critical.

Like you I can't see any point in using the finger to control the line during the cast, for the same reason you mention.

Paul4 from BFW makes rods with an extra eye at the butt end, so more line can be pulled through when casting.....

__________________
Cheers,

Rich

Originally Posted by Richard Parsons

Paul4 from BFW makes rods with an extra eye at the butt end, so more line can be pulled through when casting.....

You could always add an extra rod ring yourself of course. Mind, I found it hard to find someone who sells rod rings these days. Does no one build their own rods anymore?
Edgeley Sports had some rings, but it looked as if they were all salvaged from other rods. Found it quite hard to find one to replace the broken ring I had.