# August "Primo" Livenais . . .



## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

August "Primo" Livenais . . .

From an online post about him :

"August "Primo" Livenais, born 9th. august, 1906, London England. Died 1980, Solano County. His father, also called August Livenais, owned a machining company at 1625, Pacific Ave., he was a member of the Pacific Rod and Gun Club in San Francisco. He used a rod with a 44in. Hickory butt and a 9ft. Split-cane tip, made by Lew Stoner. A duraluminum spooled reel, 6 strand Cuttyhunk line and a 4oz lead. He wrote a chapter for "Saltwater Fishing Tackle" by harlan major. He used the "South African" style of cast. He cast 506 ft. in Philadelphia in 1929. By 1934, he had cast 623 ft. 3in. Achieved 660 ft. 3 in. In 1938 at the Balloon Field of the Presidio. 705 ft. 5in. In 1940. 735 ft. 10 in. On sunday 28th. August 1949. Finally, 810 ft. 5in. In 1955."

End Quote:

I have a couple of copies of Harlan Major's book "Saltwater Fishing Tackle", published originally in 1939, my copies are 1944 & 1955.

Every time I read the chapter, written by August "Primo" Livenais, I keep wondering how he was able to eventually reach 810', 5" in 1955 with a split-bamboo rod and the reels of the time.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Tight Lines !


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

View attachment 27946


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## BritBri (Dec 1, 2015)

Some of the old guys from my area of the uk, East Anglia and Lowestoft in particular, before the progression of "modern" rods and reels, used to lay their line along the beach then fold it back along itself and keep doing this till the required amount was reached.
Then the rod was placed in the rest and a "throwing" stick which comprised of a long sturdy pole with a nail hammered into the top and the head cut off and smoothed down was inserted into a ring or loop in the line at whatever distance the said person felt comfortable with.
With this now in place the cast was executed by various methods of swinging the sinker/rig around in the air then cast out at the right moment.
It may sound funny but some of the distances reached were phenomenal to us youngsters .
Maybe this was the start of the pendulum era ?
Im sure i have read that the Backcast was developed in that area because of the shallow beaches.


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