# Casting With Tommy & Afaw



## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Went to Emerald Isle for a nice relaxing week of vacation and while there, thought I would contact Tommy for some casting assistance. Tommy was very accomodating and we set up a time to meet on Sunday afternoon at the airport and throw a little lead. I brought with me my Abu Blue Yonder 6500 CT and my favorite casting rod, the Fusion. 

Now, I would qualify myself as a 'lazy' fisherman, lazy in the sense that I am not too concerned with my casting distance as I can get the bait out there about 100 yards or so as needed to get to the fish but getting more distance is always a plus (and not having to listen to Crawfish and NTKG rag on me about my casting is even better!  ) and so, Tommy and I went to work. 

After watching Tommy unload a couple of casts over 800'  , I set the benchmark for my own casts with my first one going 322'. Tommy politely asked me my goal for the day and I laughed quoting him the 'lazy fisherman' story. He just smiled and said he had one in mind and would tell me later. We worked on my basic stance and throwing motions for the Hatteras and OTG casts. My distance kept going up...upper 300's, low 400's, upper 400's and finally over 500 feet  (503 to be exact)! Thought I should quit for the day after that one and Tommy then told me after watching me throw initially, his goal for me was 500 feet for the day. This is by no means the limit as there is definite room for improvement and refinement. 

If any of you ever get the chance to work out with Tommy or attend one of his casting seminars, I STRONGLY recommend you do it. He was very positive and patient, broke down the casting motion into executable steps and explained the reasons for each. Slight adjustments here and there made all the difference.

As I mentioned, I used an ABU 6500 CT and my Fusion and then switched over and tried out the AFAW Beach rod that Tommy happened to have with him. What a FANTASTIC rod!!! Don't get me wrong, I swear by my Fusion, but this AFAW is one great rod!! It has all the backbone you would ever want, they're light and have a soft supple tip that would definitely help with bite detection. Bottom line.....After throwing it, *I WANT ONE!!!* Folks, these rods throw a *TON* and are *SCHWEEEET!!! *

Tommy, thanks again for your time, patience and expertise!!!


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

500', very impressive , congrats.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Milt,

The pleasure was mine



I saw in your first cast that little intangible ....

You HIT the rod. It was great to see you improve with almost every cast. To go from 322' to 503' in an hour and a half was very impressive. That is an increase of 64%

   

Just keep working on the fundamentals and you will see the numbers keep on rising. Be very careful here, casting can be as addictive as fishing in it's own right..... :fishing: 

I have been hearing a strange sound coming from the other room. Thought it might be a ghost (ooops wrong thread lol) but finally figured out it was that last AFAW Beach calling out.....

Milt, Milt, Milt

I thouroughly enjoyed meeting and casting with you.

Tommy


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## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Good job bud.. keep it up.. you're already passing Al like 100 ft. Congrats on your PB.


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## EugeneChoe (Aug 11, 2006)

go milt go!! one day ill get over 100 feet


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## AL_N_VB (Apr 3, 2002)

> I have been hearing a strange sound coming from the other room. Thought it might be a ghost (ooops wrong thread lol) but finally figured out it was that last AFAW Beach calling out.....
> 
> Milt, Milt, Milt


LMAO!!!

Do it Milt! Lemme know if you wanna hear more on the other AFAW deal.




> you're already passing Al like 100 ft


keep it up Crawdaddy- I'll be washing all them wheels this upcoming fall/winter .....


Congrats Milt! Who woulda thought you could cast a Greek 503'?


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Tommy said:


> Milt,
> 
> The pleasure was mine
> 
> ...


Tommy, the pleasure was all mine and so was the shock of throwing 503'.  You're right, casting is a blast, I can see how it is very addictive. 

Funny, I keep hearing that same sound here.... 



Nserch4Drum said:


> LMAO!!!
> 
> Congrats Milt! Who woulda thought you could cast a Greek 503'?


LOL...Al, only you buddy, only you....I thought I saw a sheep out there   

Thanks for the encouragement guys!!


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

Was that a nice little green abu 6500 CT (mag elite)? You know the one...Please do not say yes...


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

HuskyMD said:


> Was that a nice little green abu 6500 CT (mag elite)? You know the one...Please do not say yes...


heh heh heh...I'm not saying a word....


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

*I can't wait..*

Tommy, when I recieve my package from Ron I'll be contacting you...


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

kmw21230 said:


> Tommy, when I recieve my package from Ron I'll be contacting you...


Let me know and we'll set a date.

Tommy


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## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

*Not a heaver by any means.*

But with with a new 5.3:1, and having to mag it, I started slow. Pulled a mag and did it all over. Down to 1- 1/4" mag and that's where she'll stay. Started at around 70/75 yards, slow and easy like. Then as the reel got looser, I'd let it out a little more. Around 100/110 yards before my back got to bothering me. But, that was probably the best I would have gotten anyway due to two things: #1- A 11" rod ain't gonna do but so much. #2- But the most important thing was this: I am probably repeating the same technique over and over and all the bad habits that goes with it. Don't thing any body can throw but so far, even if they chunk for 6 months, as long as they throw by themselves. Convinced that you gotta have someone watching you and see your mistakes. wdbrand.


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

*Tommy*

I got the dvd today. I can't wait to get home and review. Thanks again!!


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

I'm glad it arrived safe and sound.

A couple of observations from the footage,

As the lesson progressed your left arm extension went from almost non existant to excellent. The effect of adding the left adds more power to the cast than most people realize. You became much more comfortable adding rotation and were still able to "hit" the rod at the end.

The only negative I saw and an area that you can work on is staying grounded during the cast. When you plant that left foot, PLANT IT. A little push back on the left when you plant it can help stop the forward momentum and allow you to maintain contact with the right foot. Also, think rotational energy, not forward. More hammer throw than baseball pitch.

Tommy


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## Fishbreath (Nov 11, 2004)

Thanks Tommy,  I'll take those observations to heart. I was also thinking about the step and plant of the left foot and working on that along with more pronounced extension and pull of the left arm. 

More rotation = gooood


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## HuskyMD (May 19, 2000)

well, if it was the reel I sold you, I'm glad it's finally getting used so that it can shine. I never casted it over 100 yards (that's as far as I cast...)


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