Casting plug
Also called practice plug, casting weight
A small rubber or plastic weight with no hooks, tied on for casting practice on grass.
It weighs about the same as a typical lure, so it loads the rod the same way, and it has nothing sharp on it. That lets a beginner learn the timing of the cast in a yard or a park, away from water, hooks and anyone's ears.
Most kids' combos include one for exactly this reason. Practice in a yard with a hula hoop or a bucket as a target is more useful than an hour on the bank, because the reps come much faster.
Adults benefit too. Learning a baitcaster on grass costs you nothing but time when it backlashes, and it is far easier to work on spool tension and brake settings when you are not also managing a hooked lure near your feet.
A plain sinker of the right weight works if you do not have one, though a proper plug is softer and less likely to chip a driveway or a window.
Put a target on the lawn and cast at it. Twenty minutes of that does more for accuracy than a full day of blind casting at a pond.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use casting plug and show it on real gear.
Casting plug is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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