Casting

[The Great Wallsendo]

leaving the immortals out of the equation I would say:

mark knowledge
bait
rigs

once you have the first weighed off to some degree then it becomes bait and rigs then distance

a lot of marks this side of the Tyne (North) do not require distance casting which is handy for the joe schmo normal angler as it puts the chance of a decent fish within their grasp

ideally I would also love ALL the time in the world to go on the beach figuring out the lay of the land but again most of us are workers and operate within set times

that's another beauty of fishing club matches as you have to try and eke out fish in situations and places that may not be ideal and are therefore learning all the time

[Cod,cod,cod!]

If the fish aren't where you're puting your bait then u wont catch them!

....Doesn't matter how good your bait is!

...and at night it doesn't make a difference how far u chuck a bait as long as you are competent.

The other thing to remember is, that these 'Top anglers' when standing next to you can get a good pasting...doesn't matter If he has snake whites and the biggist crab u've ever seen! All to do with where the fish are feeding and having luck on yourside..