How Far Can You Cast?

[Goose52]

I often wondered how much distance I was REALLY getting when tossing 5/8oz lipless cranks. So, I measured out 100ft and 150ft distances using a 50ft tape measure in order to determine the "practical IPT" of the reel. I hooked the lipless crank to a peg at the "0" line, hit the clutch bar on the BC reel, walked out to the 100ft marker, then counted crank revolutions back to the 0 line. The reel (a 26" IPT rated / 6.4:1 ratio) took 47.75 revs - a "practical IPT" at 100 ft of 25.13 inches.  Then walked back to 150 ft and reeled in - 75.3 revs - a 23.9" practical IPT at 150.  This is with 10lb test line (a higher test line [larger diameter] will somewhat lower the practical IPT).

 

Then on the water while fishing - I count the revs to retrieve the bait.  In still air, a very good cast is about 70 revs.  My max cast is 75-76 cranks - right at 150 feet OF LINE OUT.  Since you have a bow in the line as the bait splashes down, the actual linear distance is somewhat less - from 10 to 20 feet less. So, my best effort, max cast, with a lipless crank is from 130 to 140 feet.  Of course, you still have to get a hookset when you get out this far...

 

Obviously, casting on land at known distances will give you the best measure of your actual distance - but calculating the "practical" IPT of your reel/line combination at your max casting range allows you to determine how far you're getting out while in a fishing situation.

[Brian Needham]

Sir, there are no fish in the trees.

 

 

of course there are.......Limb Bream and the elusive OakBass! lol

[Dwight Hottle]

This was actually a quote from a professional florida captain down in Marko Island fishing the 10,000 island area. Any time someone casted into the mangrove trees the guide would say "sir there are no fish in the trees" The second time some dodo casted into the trees the infamous captain would say, Sir there are no "friggin fish in the trees. Anyone dumb enough to cast into the trees a third time was totally humiliated by said guide in very obscene language.

[SirSnookalot]

Playing golf in the 50's on public golf courses there were no yardage markers on the course (maybe a 150 yd marker) and no hand held electronic measuring devices, players were able to dial in yardage pretty good.  The depth perception is totally different on water, I don't have any idea how far I cast from a boat or from shore.  A popular distance seems to be about 30 yds with average type equipment, I can buy that.  I know from my own experience as well as observation that using a 10-12' surf rod, thin profile lure like a diamond jig distances of 100 yds and more are attainable, I've seen not much difference between casting and spinning.  I've seen talk on surf forums of 100 yd casts and no one seems to debate it.

[JellyMan]

Idk... 50 yards? Never really crossed my mind.

[Loop_Dad]

  ^{Does anyone think there is a difference in casting distance between and casting setup vs a spinning setup, with the same lure?}

 

For me, there's a huge difference. I can really wack the cxxxxp out of it with casting set up and get the distance. But with spinning set up, I am hesitant to swing it in full force, it shows in the distance. It's something about my index finger holding the line and weight when I back swing that makes it awkward for me.

[RyneB]

i pry top out 35-40 yds. If I have a 3/4 Redye on my cranking rod. I don't do much deep cranking, so long distance casts are not crucial to me. 

[slonezp]

I don't know how far, but I do know this. I got my Revo's back from DVT and they cast further and smoother than when they were new. Fact is, any cast that doesn't hook a fish is just practice.

[CountBassula]

probably 20-30 yards without breaking a sweat. my new Chronarch on a 6'8" Crucial casts like a dream with 3 breaks on and spool tension adjusted to let the lure drop slowly when the spool is in free spin. This way I also get ZERO backlash. If I want to cast further, I keep 3 brakes on but remove all tension from spool using the knob next to the cranking handle, then my swim fluke will fly FAR, but the spool is backlashing more than i'm comfortable with and have to slow it down as the lure approaches the water. In this configuration I can probably push 40 yard mark.

 

Now, on my ocean surf rig with a 2oz pyramid weight and a dead fish on the hooks I can really make it fly using pendulum cast, I would say farthest I've ever was able to cast was pushing 70-80 yards... but nothing beats soliciting some help from a surfer buys on the beach, you ask them nicely and they'll paddle your lure few hundred yards out :-)

[scrutch]

120 yards is regular for me.... Did you know that back in '82 I could throw a pigskin a quarter mile?

[wakeeater]

i can cast my lucky craft sammies the furthest.  then the ol' lipless cb.  i would be i can wind up & sling the sammie a little over 40 yards.  everything else is under 40 probably.  heck, i loaded a 7ft ML spinning rod with 15lb braid & a 10 foot flour leader so i can cast my wacky worm ( when rigged up with a trick worm & super light weight or none at all)  around 20 yards.

[shanksmare]

Well there is distance casting and then again there is ‘real distance casting’. I used to often fish the early morning east tides at the Cape Cod Canal for striped bass. I used to walk down the service road to an area where a rip formed. Evidently this was a favorite area of Ron Arra, who would ride his bike to the area and fish alongside me. Ron was a 5 time National Surfcasting Distance Champion. The tackle utilized for distance competition was not suitable for fishing. The gear consisted of ultra stiff 13’ Zziplex rods, reworked (no level wind) and super tuned Abu 6500 reels, 12 lb mono with a 50 lb shocker and a 5 ¼ oz lead weight. They used a casting technique known as a pendulum cast. Ron was credited with a 758’ cast in competition and over 850’ in practice. He is reputed to have once cast across the Cape Cod Canal (at a distance of over 860’) with this distance tournament tackle.

Ron also designed a line of surf rods for Lamiglass which combined the attributes necessary for distance with those necessary for practical fishing.

Don’t expect to cast a lipped crankbait on a seven foot rod to the century mark (100 yards). The lure must be aerodynamic and heavy (1 or 2 or 3 ounces or more). The rod must be long and stiff with a fast action.

Ron would cast a Gibbs Polaris popper weighted to weigh around 5 ounces, with an 11 1/2 ‘ Lamiglass rod of his design, with a Newell P220 reel and 25 lb test Stren mono a long,  long way. So far in fact that I wondered what he would do if a large striper inhaled his plug at the end of a long cast. It appeared he had only a few turns of line left on the reel.

In my experience the length of the rod had more influence on casting distance than any other factor.  My 10’ surf rod would cast noticeably further than my 9’ surf rod.

So if you want to cast a long way get an aerodynamic lure like a Zara Spook or 1 ounce Rattletrap, a long stiff rod (8’), and lighter line (braid should excel here) and have at it. You probably will be able to reach out to 75 or 80 yards, maybe more.

Of course the disadvantages of fishing at that distance probably far outweigh the advantages.

[CoBass]

120 yards is regular for me.... Did you know that back in '82 I could throw a pigskin a quarter mile?

But could you throw it over a mountain? Uncle Rico was classic.

[Sam]

Lucky, a few observations on casting.

 

1.  Reels are designed to give maximum performance based on the number of yards for each specific line test. Not having enough line on the reel may hinder its performance. And be sure to turn off all magnets on the side of the reel.

 

2.  Accuracy is more important than distance. Of course, if you are just chugging away and want to cast as far as you can without concern for hook setting power, balance the reel's specs with those of the rod as noted in 3 below and away you go.

 

3.  Use the lighest line and heaviest bait and sinker weight the rod will accommodate as printed on the rod.  Loosen the spool and drag. Cast overhead as hard as you can. Spend next twenty minutes removing backlash. So go outside and tie line to a tree or bush, etc., and walk away and then stop when you are far as you want to go holding the rod and reel in your hand and place one or two strips of Scotch tape over the remaining line on the spool. This will stop the backlash from going deeper.

 

You may also want to use a lighter rod such as a medium in lieu of a medium heavy or heavy. Just check the line test and bait and weight specifics and decide if you need a heavy, medium heavy or light rod. I will suggest using the heaviest rod you have.

 

4.  Go in your yard and tie the line to a tree and then pull on the line after you have gone as far as you wantto cast it to stretch it. Then lay the rod and reel on the ground and walk back to the tree, chair, etc., and  untie it without a bait or hook on the end and reel it back onto the spool running it through your fingers to put some pressure on it.

 

Then rig it with the bait and weight of your choice.

 

5.  Spray your line guides with silicone or KVD Lure and Line Conditioner or Reel Magic.

 

6.  Then go into your yard and start casting overhead slowly then faster and stronger.  Walk to the bait when spooling the line on the reel after each cast to avoid line twist when reeling in the line. When you have done this three or four times you are ready to rear back and heave that sucker as far as you can. You can cast like the guys who fish saltwater off the beaches. Hard overhead casts. And you will have to decide if you want to tie the line to the reel so if you do hit the end of the line the reel will not be damaged or the line break off when the reel comes to a screeching stop.

 

7. Be sure you have oiled the reel, its pawl and line guide. Do not use greese. Use oil. Put greese inside the reel if necessary or have your reel serviced before you use it to cast as far as you can. A clean reel that is freshly greesed and oiled by a professional will really help your distance.

 

8. Be aware of where you are when casting. Not kidding. I have actually thrown myself into the water when casting into a pond. I heaved that sucker as hard as I could, lost my balance going forward, and away I went. Lucky for me no one was around and my keys and phone were in the SUV. I laughed for a few moments, got up, reeled in, and did it again. And be sure there are no plants or trees in the area. If you get the bait snagged on your hard cast you will have one heck of a backlash and you could damage the rod.

 

Good luck and let us know how far you can cast.

 

[Sam]

I am a Licenced Land Surveyor and measuring distances is my business. Everyone, and I mean everyone, believes they can accurately measure distances with their "eyeball". The reality is that almost no one can.

 

When I first moved to NJ I was required to take NJ's hunter safety course to get a bow hunting licence. On the 3D course, everyone was given a card to write down their estimated distance to 10 targets at various distances along the course. The result was very telling. All distances were less than 40 yards (the effective range of a hunting bow). Out of 10 participants, no one was correct on any of the distances within 5 feet and only once did 2 out of the ten agree on the estimated distance. This was quite a humbling experience for all and especially me "an expert at measuring". In fairness to the participants, the targets were purposely arranged on pretty steep slopes and the purpose of the exersize was to show us that we will usually misjudge the distance somewhat. BTW almost all distance estimates were too long.

 

And as to the casting distance champions. The equipment they use can't be fairly compared to what most of us fish with. I don't have any rods over 12 feet long in my box and very few 6 ounce lures. JMHO

 

Ronnie

 

Ronnie, ever try to measure across a river or stream? You never get it close.

 

At our American Legion crab feast we set up a golf ball shot across the Historic James River.

 

The north bank looks about 75 yards.

 

It is a lot more than that. Many guys can't hit the far bank and they say they can hit a golf ball 300 yards.

 

I agree with your post 100%. Good observation.

[sharpbbd]

I decided one day, after reading an article that KVD can cast up to 70 yards to go across the street to the local HS football field and give it a shot. I tied on a strike king 6XD to try and replicate his cast. I was using a Skeet Reese 7' cranking rod and Quantum Energy PT 5.1:1 gear ratio reel with 12 pound fluoro. After casting I laid the rod down and walked to my lure. With no wind blowing on this day my furthest cast measured 51 yards. The average I figured was about 42 yards. I then picked up my Quantum tour edition 7.1:1 on a Abu Garcia Veritas 7' with 20 pound fluoro and put on a 1/2 ounce jig. The furthest cast with this was 38 yards and the average was about 32. So I know exactly where I stand. Spinnerbaits I know won't go nearly as far.

[A-Rob]

Maybe I've made the perfect cast and sent it out 50 yards with the wind at my back and all conditions perfect.

I bet typically my casting distance is 30 something yards

[stew6371]

All the way to the fish.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

An NBA court is 94 feet long 31.3yds wonder if I could lob a Spro frog from endline into far hoop.

[WhiteMike1018]

I always wondered how far I was able to cast a lure (more for the purposes of knowing how much line to put on a reel after putting filler on).  Last Fall I was casting all the braid (just to the end) I had put on my A-Rig combo.  I thought before I took all the braid off that reel and put on more, I would see how much line that truly was.  I placed a portable line counter on my rod and used a line counting reel to wind up the braid (I wanted redundancy with the two line counters).  I was surprised to learn that I was only casting out approximately 96 ft (one line counter read 96 ft. and the other read 97ft.).  I felt like I was Bombing that A-Rig and in reality, if I stood on the end zone line, I could just cast over the 30 yard line.  The good news is that I don't plan on ever using more than 50 yards of line on a reel (and those 150 yard spools I can use to fill 3 reels).  I know in the past I was putting on way more line than this (I guess I was delusional of how much line I was really casting out). 

 

Has anyone else ever measure how far they were really casting?  I would like to see how my results corroborate with others.

 

only casting 97 feet?

 

I feel like this is pretty far. A major league baseball mound from the playe is like 65 feet.

[WhiteMike1018]

An NBA court is 94 feet long 31.3yds wonder if I could lob a Spro frog from endline into far hoop.

 

 

   

[Lucky Craft Man]

only casting 97 feet?

 

I feel like this is pretty far. A major league baseball mound from the playe is like 65 feet.

 

Yeah, I was surprised I was that much of a sissy as well.  I could have sworn I was throwing it farther, but actual measurments don't lie. 

[MarkH024]

only casting 97 feet?

 

I feel like this is pretty far. A major league baseball mound from the playe is like 65 feet.

60 feet, 6 inches.

[MarkH024]

Despite all this interesting talk about distance.........accuracy is where casting really shines.  That's what I *** about the guys fishing at the pro level.  I'm sure there are a handful here that are pretty darn good with accuracy. Some of these pros can light a match stick with their baits if it where sticking out of a dock edge.  

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I've got a bit of "oompff' to throw behind a big swimbait with a rod that loads up and absolutely launches a bait and I still can't get more than 50 yards, max.

 

Give me a pyramid weight and it might be a different story but not much. Never caught a fish on a pyramid weight either.