Successful berley surf casting tips part 3

 Most people associate the use of berley as something done from a boat or off the rocks. Veteran surfcaster, Bruce Basher, reveals a unique way for surfcasters to deploy berley to their advantage…

This month, as promised, I will look at a couple of ways to get berley out into the surf zone using methods I’ve not seen published before. Both methods will get your berley out in quite large quantities.

The first delivery system usually starts life as a ‘spud gun!’ In reality, the correct term for this type of gun is a ‘coaxial piston cannon’. Do not confuse this unit with those diabolically unreliable and weak gadgets that use some kind of aerosol as a propellant. Those units offer no consistency in the force of the explosion; the ones I’ve seen would drop berley with gay abandon all over the place, so you’re just as likely to draw fish away from your baits!

The cannon I have made uses compressed air as the propellant and deposits big slugs of berley consistently into the area I have cast my bait – perfect for attracting fish to your bait.

In deference to Managing Editor, Grant Dixon, I have christened my cannon ‘The Berley Chukka 2’ (it’s a long story).

The Berley Chukka 2 manages to drop berley ‘slugs’ out to about 100 metres virtually every time, using only 40 pounds (18kg) per square inch of pressure. (I can safely use up to 100lb per sq/in, but don’t see the point in firing a berley slug well beyond anyone’s casting range!)

Rather than filling this whole article explaining how to make one, I suggest consulting Mr Google and typing ‘Coaxial Piston Cannon’ into your search engine. You’ll see many different ways to make these units and, as I said before, most are used as spud guns.

Whatever option you choose, it is critically important – as far as safety goes – to use high-pressure PVC pipe and fittings for the construction. When lowpressure pipe shatters, it can form jagged shards similar to glass, so you wouldn’t want a face full of the stuff!

While on the subject of safety, the berley cannon is not something to fool about with. If something can fire a big frozen berley slug the distances that these can, it should not be pointed at someone under any circumstances.

Needless to say, the berley slugs should be a similar diameter as the cannon’s barrel – the closer the better. My berley slugs are 37mm in diameter and 80mm long. As frozen berley floats, I add a couple of stones to the berley mix when making them.

Another good tip is to make sure the berley mix has a good quantity of fish oil in it. This will not only attract fish, but also helps stop the berley slug sticking to the mould. If they do stick, just leave them in the sun for a couple of minutes (see photo on following page).

To help locate the slug as it’s pushed in, I have glued a small section of the nextsize- up-diameter pipe onto the barrel’s end. Just make sure you use good quality PVC glue for the whole construction phase – you don’t want a build-up in pressure to ‘pop your end away’, that’s for sure!

Using air pressure as the propellant has one disadvantage over the aerosolfired units, though. You need something to create that air pressure, whereas the aerosol type needs only a spray can.

A foot-operated tyre inflator pump certainly does the trick, but after a long day you’ll have one very tired leg.

Consequently, I use a dive cylinder and regulator fitted with a motor-vehicle tyre inflator. These safely contain 3000lb per square inch, giving enough air for many good shots of berley. As long as the cylinder is still within test, it can be refilled at any dive shop.

I haven’t tried them yet, but I imagine those portable tyre inflators you see on TV (‘Air Hawk’ I think they’re called) would do the trick, too. In fact, the more I think about it, they may very well turn out to be the best option. A spare battery wouldn’t go amiss though, especially if you have a major berley session planned.

There are several compact 12-volt air compressors on the market. Quite a variety can be found in shops specialising in 4WD off-road equipment. I suggest carrying a spare 12-volt battery to use instead of running the risk of flattening your vehicle’s battery.

The accuracy of compressed air means you will have more control over how the fish feed. For example, if you’ve been pushed out of a hole or channel by the incoming tide, simply adjust the air pressure a little each time to lead the fish out of those areas and over to where your baited rig has been repositioned.

Even if the current is not favourable, small baitfish will find the berley quite quickly. As they feed, they send out signals that are picked up by the lateral lines of larger fish. There’s nothing like a feeding frenzy to bring others from far and wide to partake in the unexpected bounty.

Now, I’ve just checked my word count and find I’ve run well over being able to tell you about the other Big Boys’ Toy this month. Consequently, the title for next month should be something like, ‘The Berley Bomber’ or ‘It’s Raining Berley’!