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We had one to play around with at an ASF practice session. While it worked as advertised and could be a thing for novices who cant get the release working at all, there were considerable drawbacks. Some of which included having to cast with the same power each time, so if you want to cast a heavier weight or drop one in close you need to readjust it. The other big drawback for us distance casters is that you can't use any of the distance casting techniques. Even for just a "normal" cast on lighter gear i had to tighten it up as tight as I could and it could have still gone more.
 
We checked the distances with the laser and found that a normal release and using this device got roughly the same distance when using the same casting style. It was a while ago but from memory the distances were around the 100m mark, considerably shorter than what that rod would be capable of with an off the ground or pendulum style cast.
 
If you want more distance the best way is to get some tuition to get your technique sorted. 99% of people out on the beaches could add 50 to 100% just through learning a good technique. We see it all the time, avid surf fishermen who have been fishing for decades come out and with a bit of tuition and practice they all make decent improvements. 

It stands for Australian Surfcasting Federation
 
www.australiansurfcastingfederation.org
 
There is lots of information on the forum about all things surfcasting/distance casting/tournament casting. There are also regular practice sessions where we catch up, have a cast and chat.

It stands for Australian Surfcasting Federation
 
www.australiansurfcastingfederation.org
 
There is lots of information on the forum about all things surfcasting/distance casting/tournament casting. There are also regular practice sessions where we catch up, have a cast and chat.

They can easily be used with larger hooks by adding an loop after attaching the lower hook. This also sits the bait a little further back and directly behind the lead.
 
An off the ground cast is where the Splashdowns work particularly well as they don't release if the line goes slack. This is why they are great for people who are just starting to use clip down rigs.
 
If I'm using a double pully rig I usually use a splashdown on the bottom and an imp on the top. I have opened up a few imp clips when casting heavier weights (175g + squid) so I go back to a single pully for this.

The splashdown sinkers won't accept larger hooks, I believe a 5/0 Gamakatsu is about the biggest they will take. That is the smallest hook I'll use chasing mulloway and sharks off the beach, usually it's more like a an 8/0. They also look like there's too much going on with them, too many moving parts, on the beach I like to keep things simple.
 
Both the IMPs and the Gemini clips will not usually release accidentally when using an overhead thump cast or a pendulum if you keep things smooth. I usually use an OTG cast which makes things a bit trickier as everything is laid out on the sand, but if you keep tension on the pulley rig and, once again, keep your cast nice and smooth, there's no worries. If things do let go early all that happens is your cast doesn't go as far.

I was running 3lb on one of my bream outfits for a while. It was ok when there were no snags around but you really lack the ability to work fish around structure. Then there is the lack of feel, if you're working the flats or open areas with hard bodies its ok. I didn't like it when using soft plastics or bouncing a hard body around structure.

I was running 3lb on one of my bream outfits for a while. It was ok when there were no snags around but you really lack the ability to work fish around structure. Then there is the lack of feel, if you're working the flats or open areas with hard bodies its ok. I didn't like it when using soft plastics or bouncing a hard body around structure.