Due to new trees being planted at Kings Road playing field, I have relocated our casting sessions to a new site in Dorchester. The Sandringham Sports Centre has a small fenced off football pitch which we have kindly been given permission to use for our sessions. Situated at the end of Armada Way, there is ample parking in the main car park, but there is a short walk across the playing field to get to the area we will be using.
It will be easier to drive around to Diggory Crescent, DT1 2SP and park on the driveway to the field. There is enough parking for 4 or 5 cars, plus some parking on the road. Although, I don’t want to get in the way of the residents there. There is a footpath that seems to cross the pitch diagonally but that hopefully won’t be a problem once we have some signs put up on the gates. As soon as the weather starts to look up and the ground is less muddy, I will set some dates for our newer members to come along and learn the fine art of casting and how to do it safely. This part of your training and will go towards your level one pass certificate. For those that don’t know about the casting sessions, I have adapted some tennis balls that we use to practice with. They just happen to be very similar in weight to a loaded method feeder and not quite so lethal as 30 grams of lead flying through the air at 90mph… Juniors will learn about the various parts of the rod and reel, how to assemble them, and a little about tying knots. We will then walk you through the 8 steps of casting which, hopefully, will become a kind of mantra that you will be doing subconsciously in the end. If the session goes well, we may get a chance to look at how we use a line clip to limit casts for more precise casting to islands and other features that may hold fish. All you will need to bring is a feeder rod and reel if you have them and something to sit on. Equipment can be provided upon request. Casting sessions tend to last from 1 to 2 hours. I will try to get at least one session in before the Junior events kick off at the end of March. Juniors Sec…