Billystix and the Pendulum Cast
Dear Mr. McDaniel,
I regret to inform you that I find it necessary to return my recently purchased Billystix spiral rod, and subsequently am requesting a full refund. I must stress that while I have discovered no problem with workmanship or material (which are superb), nor have I found the product in lack of advertised performance in qualified hands, I must take exception to the ability of just any fisherman to improve his casting and fishing performance using your products.
To wit, using the "Stix-Stinger Surf Spiral", upon which was professionally mounted an Accurate Boss Magnum TwinDragâ„¢ 270 reel, loaded with 15# monofilament, tipped with 50# fluorocarbon and terminated with a new pulley rig, finally affixed with a 4 oz. weight and #10 circle hook, and laced with a fresh dead shrimp (for realistic effect) I went to a local, but rarely used, private airport to practice. I must strongly suggest at this point that you take heed and affix, in a prominent and strategic area on your rods, a warning that your products should only be used by experts and professionals, and that all amateurs and shore-fishing wannabe's must be properly supervised prior to being unleashed on the unsuspecting public! A license should be required to own and operate your products in a public place!
But, I'm getting ahead of myself - back to the story at hand and the purpose of my letter. Having read your warnings on your website concerning several hundred yards of clearance, I proceeded onto the currently empty airfield to practice the 'Pendulum Cast' as described in Lesson #3. I guess I should not have turned off the graphics on my web browser, otherwise I wouldn't have hauled my $5,600 grandfather clock onto the runway. The best cast, with a full windup on the clock, with the pendulum arc set to maximum, was a paltry 3' 7". To say that I was disappointed would be a major understatement! Assuming that something was terribly amiss, I loaded everything back up and headed to the house to review your website to see what I might have missed . On the way home I passed by Academy and picked up your brand new "Billycast" video. After viewing your video I sheepishly wheeled the grandfather clock back into the living room, mumbling something to the wife about having taken it to be repaired at the clock shop.
Returning to the airport with a new appreciation for the finer points of the pendulum cast technique (I really wish you would change the name of this cast to something not so confusing to the uninitiated,) I proceeded to assume the proper stance to begin the cast.
I think that it was very unwise for the military's Delta Force to schedule an exercise in an urban area without warning local residents beforehand - more on that later.
I began with the fully rigged setup, including the fresh dead shrimp (which I had to replenish by now,) practicing the backswing. Did I already mention that seldom used airfields are favorite hunting grounds of the Peregrine Falcon? Apparently the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department are acutely aware, as I now am. I report to the federal magistrate for my court appearance in two months. I never knew that fresh dead shrimp were part of the Peregrine's diet! After signing the citation and donating my 2 pounds of shrimp for the falcon's recuperative stay (luckily, I had the foresight to file the barbs off of my practice hooks,) I continued my practice. It took a while for me to get this pivot thing down correctly.
It is no fault of Billystix that I am not athletically endowed, nor inclined to ballet, so I won't hold your company accountable for the rear windshield, with the integral antennae and defroster elements. Leaving the weight embedded in the windshield, I proceeded to walk away, allowing the line to free spool off the reel. At the end of the line I moved an additional 50 yards from the vehicle. I retrieved the line and terminal gear, laid the rod down and walked the 350 some-odd yards back to the car. I then got into it and drove over behind a hangar about 600 yards further away (a most fortuitous action, as you will see.)
With the 950+ yards of free space all around me, I proceeded with my practice session. It should be noted at this point that use of a properly constructed helmet with face cage is recommended for rank amateurs, or at least padded weights without the holding wires. However, with all the other injuries I was soon to sustain, the puncture wounds pail in comparison, and the scars won't be that noticeable. After a quick trip back to Academy for a fencing helmet and associated padded uniform I was ready to go with Step #2 of the pendulum cast.
Realizing my inadequacies in the area of coordination I opted to try for short lobs. Having used the highly touted Rocket lube and aftermarket Teflon impregnated bearings in the reel, I continued to get massive bird's nests with the 15# mono. Against all sage advice to the contrary, I chose to reload the reel (for the 7th time of the day, I might add) with one of those new super-braids, about 20# test, I vaguely recall. This, unfortunately as we will see, totally eliminated my backlash problem. My first full power cast nearly spooled the reel - EUREKA! - success at last, I thought. Until I noticed that the line was curiously and rapidly piling up around my ankles.
You can't begin to imagine the velocity that can be obtained by a ballistically friendly lead shape returning to Earth straight down from about 290 yards of elevation. At my mid-to-late 40s age, the ability to rapidly focus on an incoming target at that velocity, straight out of the high-noon sun, leaves something to be desired. Also, when you have on a Kevlar helmet, it's not a wise thing to cross your arms over your head to provide additional, but highly ineffectual, protection. Two and a half hours later, after having the blood drained from the massive hematoma on my right arm, I returned to continue doing battle (little did I know!).
Having now temporarily leased an unused high-bay hangar for my launch point, I aggressively re-engaged the lessons. After 20 or so casts I was finally able to remove the earplugs, put in place to somewhat mollify the constant ear ringing caused by high velocity lead bouncing off the bare aluminum ceiling of the hangar. I n almost no time I was able to consistently cross a 100 foot wide strip of tape laid out 75 feet from the front of the hangar.
It was beginning to be sunset, and with the sun behind the launch hangar, I decided to mount one of those Redeye lights to the tip of the rod to enable monitoring of my backswing. As I continued practice I realized that I no longer needed to focus on the backswing, but on the terminal gear. Ergo, I elected to attach ol' Redeye to the casting weight - a most unfortunate decision, as it turned out (remember Delta Force?)
By now, I was achieving 100 yards in casting distance consistently, and had improved my aim enough to shorten up my target tape to 50 feet wide. It was now time to put it all together and perform a full windup pendulum cast. I would be remiss at this point to fail to mention that I also suffer from vertigo. Rapid pivoting about a single spot induces severe disorientation for me. It was also at this precise time that Delta Force decided to make their unannounced entry to the airstrip. Of course, being just after sunset they were using their FLIR (forward looking infra-red radar) to navigate. Just guess what was arcing through the air across the runway that now held the FLIR's unyielding attention...
Myself, being temporarily discombobulated by the rapid pirouetting pivot, punch and pull maneuver, was facing the opposite direction of the cast, and had inadvertently slipped my wrist between the braided line and the rod in front of the reel.
Simultaneously, the FLIR attraction to ol' Redeye caused the flight of Cobra helicopters to dive right into the trajectory of my cast. I can personally attest to the unbelievable strength of these new super-braids, especially in the heaviest weights. As the line became entangled in the main rotor of the lead chopper, with my wrist still firmly positioned as it was, I took an unscheduled flight out of the hangar. While many people profess to seeing their lives flash before their eyes in times of great stress, all I saw was the balance of the flight of 4 other Cobras every time I circled around the tail of the lead chopper. It provided little relief that the 4 other pilots were crossing themselves in a religious manner every time I went by. Eventually, the lead chopper pilot was able to regain control of his craft and land it, right where my car used to be. It didn't aid my condition any that as the main rotor wound down, so did my height above the tail rotor. The super-braid finally contacted the still rapidly whirling tail rotor, becoming entangled in it also, at the same time abruptly changing my plane of travel by 90 degrees. While the fencing helmet and padding probably helped my survival, the acute contact with the ground for the next 15 or 20 revolutions didn't improve my outlook on urban military activities. I still have nightmares of that SLAM-DRAG-WHIP-SLAM-DRAG-WHIP!
Between the upcoming fine for endangering and minimally injuring a Peregrine Falcon, leasing the hangar, cost of the protective equipment, main and tail rotor bearings for a Cobra fast attack helicopter, and being threatened with incarceration for interfering with a major military operation, I can no longer afford to pursue fishing as a relaxing past-time. Besides, my health insurance carrier won't continue my coverage if I don't promise to never pick up a fishing rod again.
Once I am able to bend all joints again, I will be packaging up your rod for return to you. I apologize for the scratches and dings to its surface, but I do not feel responsible, as the Delta Force operation was not conducted with full knowledge of local authorities.
You have an excellent product, but appropriate warning should accompany all deliveries.
Sincerely,
Ivan T. Fish
