AAA State Dry Casting Championships.
AAA runs the State Dry Casting Championships each year in October for teams of club members and for individual club members.Seniors teams can have seven members, with the top six scores to count. Veteran’s teams can have five members, with the top four scores to count. Ladies and Junior teams can have four members, with the top three scores to count.
The events run are:-
1. Double handed accuracy, one round of eight casts. Scores for this count for both the team’s and the individual competition.
2. Artificial bait, two events of two casts each, two casts for the team’s score and two casts for the individual’s score.
3. Up to 56 gram level line, one event of two casts for the team’s score.
4. Up to 112 gram level line, one event of two casts for the individual’s score.
The overall scoring works on a percentage system. The person with the best cast or score is given 100%, and then every one else isgiven a score which is a percentage of that best score. To work out the winning team, the members’ percentages are all added up,and the team with the highest percentage is the winning team.
The Dry Casting Competition is run under the Dry Casting Rules for AAA, (WA Division) Inc. This version was adopted at the January 2005 AAA WA Delegates’ Meeting
AAA National Dry Casting Championships.
Western Australia sends teams to the AAA National Conventions and Dry Casting Championships which are held every second year.
009 National Dry Casting Championships. were held at Wallaroo on the “Copper Coast” South Australia in March 2009. Report and results are in National Drycasting Archive
2007 National Dry Casting Championships. were held at Phillip Island, Victoria in February/March 2007. Report and results are in National Drycasting Archive
2001 National Dry Casting Championships. were held at Kangaroo Island, South Australia in March 2001. A report and results are in the National Drycasting Archive
Dry Casting Records
The best results for competitions in Western Australia, or by a qualified resident of WA in an approved National drycasting competition, are listed in Drycasting Records, with the Australian National records for comparison. Applications can be made on the Dry Casting Record Application Form
Dry Casting is long distance casting and accuracy casting with double handed and single handed fishing rods on a grassed area,where conditions are easy and the distances and the accuracy can be measured, unlike when casting into the water where thesecan’t be measured.
Dry casting is a sport, but most importantly, it is a means of learning and practicing the skills which will make you a much moresuccessful angler when you go fishing, because you will be able to cast long distances and cast accurately.
We’ve all met the difficult situations where the water is rough, the wind is strong in your face or side on, you need to land thesinker in a sand hole near reefs, cast a bait in front of a school of fish, avoid tangling with the person next to you, theperson next to you is casting a bit further and catching all the fish, and so on. With the right gear and skills, you can fishalmost anywhere and in any conditions.
You don’t need any special gear to start dry casting. Many people use their regular fishing gear, particularly for the accuracycasting.
Distance Casting.
AAA distance casting is with “level line”, which means the same breaking strain line is used right down to the casting weight, andstrong shock leaders are not used. Any breaking strain line can be used, but lighter line means longer casts. Level line promotesthe development of technique and a smooth casting style, while shock leaders allow much heavier weights and the caster’s strengthto be used more.
Weight categories are up to 112 gram (4 ounce), up to 56 gram (2 ounce), and Artificial Bait, which includes a 100mm lengthof 13mm wooden dowel to give wind resistance like a bait.
Distance casting is into a “V” shaped lane, so still needs to have quite a bit of accuracy. The distance is measured to the pointwhere the weight finishes within the “V” shaped lane.
Accuracy Casting.
The double handed accuracy target is a cone 500mm in diameter and 300mm high at four different distances ranging from 30 to 88metres for men, 30 to 61 metres for Ladies, Juniors and Veterans, and 20 to 36 metres for Mini Juniors.
Two casts are made at each of the four different distances. Scoring uses a tape with twenty five marks each 250mm apart startingat the centre of the cone. Hitting the cone is worth 25 points, landing between the marks at 250mm and 500mm is 24 points, 500mmto 750mm is 23 points and so on down to 1 point for landing between the last two marks. The tape can be swung in a full circlearound the cone for the measurement.
Single handed accuracy casting uses a rod which is held in one hand. The target is a cone 600mm in diameter and 200mm high attwo different distances ranging from 20 to 40 metres for men, 20 to 30 metres for Ladies, Juniors and Veterans, and less forMini Juniors.
Two casts are made at each of the two different distances. Scoring uses a tape with ten marks each 300mm apart starting at thecentre of the cone. Hitting the cone is worth 10 points, landing between the marks at 300mm and 600mm is 9 points, and so on downto 1 point for landing between the last two marks.
Your Invitation to Dry Casting.
Can you cast 100 metres? You can do it easily with help from us. We had a Mini junior who set casting records of 100 metres for 112 gram, and 97 metres for 56 gram at the age of 12. And he was not big for his age.
The Surf Casting and Angling Club has dry casting every month, and any members of the fishing public who would like to see how it is possible to cast such long distances, and also how to cast accurately, are welcome to come to the next one. Please contact the club about coming to a dry casting day as a visitor. (Some conditions apply, contact the club for details and to request an invitation.)
We can show you how to get the best out of your own fishing gear if you would like to bring it along. We can give advice on different rods and reels and show how these can go together, and also let you try out casting with different rod and reel combinations to find one that suits your fishing needs and your size and physical strength. This is important for the ladies and juniors, and those of us who aren’t as young as we used to be.
Our visitors always get a lot of useful and practical tips, and often add ten to thirty metres to their casts on the first day – and, no, we don’t catch many fish at drycasting, but those skills certainly help when we go fishing.
After the competition and the lessons for the visitors, we get together over a sausage sizzle and soft drinks, and talk about anything to do with fishing and casting.