How to cast centerpin using BC Swing cast

After seeing me cast a centerpin on the river, many anglers always ask me how to cast centerpin using BC Swing cast, a simple and elegant centerpin casting technique.  The BC Swing cast is a centerpin casting technique when learned can be used in almost any centerpin fishing conditions.  There are two prerequisites for learning to cast centerpins.  One, make sure you know how to grip the centerpin rod and reel.  When holding the centerpin rod make sure the reel touches the bottom of your palm.  It should feel like you are gripping the rod and the reel.  And make sure one of your fingers can easily stop the reel from spinning.  You will it to control the speed of the reel and as a drag when you hook onto a fish.  Also, make sure the butt of the rod is long enough so you can anchor it between your body and arm.

The second part is to find the lure weight on the rod.  When learning how to cast centerpin using a BC swing cast it helps to use the maximum amount of lure weight, and in some cases even overload the lure weight on the centerpin rods.  This will help load the rod faster and in turn, will make it easier to cast.

How to cast centerpin using a Centerpin BC swing cast versus the Wallis cast

There are two popular techniques use for casting centerpin rods and reels, the Wallis Cast and the BC Swing Cast.  The trick on how to cast a centerpin successfully is to slowly start the reel spinning, the initial spin, and further along the cast the reel needs to increase it’s spinning speed steadily.  If the initial speed is too fast it will backlash and the lines will get tangle, also known as a birds nest.  Or in the centerpins case, an eagles nest.  Both the Wallis Cast and the BC Swing Cast achieves the slow reel spin and steadily increase.  But they have two completely different ways of achieving this.

The Wallis cast, the older and more traditional centerpin cast, creates the slow initial spin by stripping fishing lines off the reel during the start of the cast.  Thereby creating the slow initial spin.  This creates a slack in the line which helps with the cast. But it does require both hands to cast.  On the other hand, the BC Swing Cast, a newer technique develop in British Columbia for centerpin river Steelhead fishing, only requires one hand to cast.  It uses the backswing to create initial slow reel spin and the forward cast to steadily increase the reel spinning speed.

The BC Swing Cast which many find superior to the Wallis cast requires the caster to release the reel and line during the backcast as if casting backward.  And as the caster precedes with the forward cast the weight of the lure will load the rod while at the same time slowly increase the speed of the reel spinning, which prevents backlash.  The BC Swing Cast is easy to learn and is more convenient than Wallis cast.  Which makes it the best technique for people who wants to learn how to cast centerpin. And when people learn how to cast centerpin with BC Swing Cast they will use the cast in almost all water condition.