Personally I like to lay my rod down on ground, grass, wharf depending on where I am keep the line tight with as little weight as possible ( I'll wind it as tight as I can and then turn the spool by hand to get it very tight and straight ), stay along side the rod and watch for the tip to move ( I have worked out the perfect time to strike through years of practice[ started fishing for them aged 10 ] ) look for the tip to move a little more than just a twitch ( or the wind ), I have a very good strike rate to bites , I use a 1000 reel on a 2-4kg rod with 6lb braid and 8lb leader and I only u