How To Guide – Make Your Own Casting Ball

Having sea fished several years ago I was always well served with an overhead thump, but now I see this simply doesn’t cut it. I won’t be littering the fields near my house with leads however; I will begin improving my casting technique using a “casting ball”. In this case it is a hockey ball. These come in at 5 3/8ozs which works out as an almost perfect casting weight. There may be some slight timing issues as the ball has a much larger surface area than a lead and bait may have, however I do need to slow down while casting to improve my technique.

Making a casting ball is incredibly easy, you will need;

• 1 x Hockey Ball
• 2 x Big Game Swivels
• 1 x Length of 50lb+ Braid
• 1 x 3mm Drill Bit or Screwdriver
• 1 x Electrical Tape

1. Take the 3mm Drill bit or screw driver and pierce a hole through the hockey ball
2. Tie the braid to one end of one of the swivels
3. Tape the braid to the drill bit or screwdriver (it is easier with either a drill bit or baiting needle) and pass it through one eye of the big game swivels then back through the hole and through the ball.
4. Pass the drill bit through one eye of both swivels until there is only enough braid remaining to tie a uni knot (5 turn grinner) around all the strands of braid at a swivel, making both the casting ball secure.

You now have a perfect casting weight to practice with, which won’t plough into the ground on cast completion. I have 2 a neon Orange and neon Pink one so I can see them as they land and as I retrieve them over the field. Be wary of any dogs who may be entering the field as you retrieve. They want to chase/retrieve these balls as I found out!