Average Length Of Casts For Bass? The Reason For My Sore Shoulder

[hoosierbass07]

 

 

 I have a question for everyone.  What is the typical length of your casts when you make a cast with your spinning reels and baitcast reels?  And, how many feet or yards out is your lure when your lure is first bit/grabbed by a bass?  

 

 I've been having a problem this spring and I think I zeroed in on it.  I bought a 78 pound kayak for kayak fishing.  I've been fishing out of it this spring and summer.  But I noticed my right shoulder is usually sore after I'm fishing.  Sometimes really sore and I have to take a couple of aspirins.  I have been blaming the 78 pound kayak when I lift it out of the truck bed and carry it five or ten feet to waters edge and back after I'm done.  I'm right handed so my strong arm is my right arm. I usually lift the kayak with my right hand/arm doing the main lifting and my left had/arm doing the support.  

 

 A couple of days ago I decided I would use my left hand/arm to do the main lifting and my right hand/arm doing the supporting, when I unload/load my kayak.  Really, I've been trying to use both hands/arms evenly so the weight is distributed.  After doing this twice I noticed my right arm/shoulder was still getting sore and my left shoulder was not getting sore at all.  Also, I recently realized that my back has not been getting sore at all either.  

 

I've been taking video of my kayak fishing trips and noticed something last night when I was viewing a couple of my videos - I have been making extra long casts!  Also, I've been trying to use heavier soft plastics and casting them further and further away.  

 

 Looking back, I think nearly all the bass I have caught, either bank fishing or kayak fishing, have come close by.  I don't think I have every caught a bass after I have thrown a lure way out there and reeled it in.  

 

 Another thing I noticed is I'm in the habit of not letting my rod cast the lure out there.  Instead I use the power in my right arm to make a lure go far and not the rod.  I don't want to abuse my rods.  The ones I use most are medium spinning rods.  When I put on a heavy long worm I don't whip the rod back and forward, I pull the rod back slowly and then toss it forward.  I think this is putting bad stress on my right arm/shoulder.   

 

 I sort of feel bad about this.  The last month or so I have been blaming my kayak and myself (being weak or something) for my sore arms.  But all along I think it has been they way I cast.  I spend around two hours each trip in my kayak and my back has not got sore once.  My left shoulder barely gets sore either even after some good paddling.  But my right shoulder - sore!  

 

 I'm thinking I need to stop making useless casts and let my rod cast it out for me instead of me doing all the work.  

 

 

 

 

[livetofish28]

HMMM so you solved the problem yourself? Whats the question?

 

            Tight lines 

 

               Andrew 

[hoosierbass07]

HMMM so you solved the problem yourself? Whats the question?

 

            Tight lines 

 

               Andrew 

 

 

 

What is the typical length of your casts when you make a cast with your spinning reels and baitcast reels?  And, how many feet or yards out is your lure when your lure is first bit/grabbed by a bass?  

[livetofish28]

I normally make long casts and adjust the boat to the target. the farther away from the fish the least amount of chances to spook said fish 

 

       tight lines 

 

           Andrew 

[Tylertut]

I usually make as short of casts when possible in my kayak. The stealth of the kayak really gives you the opportunity to make shorter casts with plastics. I still throw cranks and other moving baits as far as I can.

[Montanaro]

15 to 20 feet. Pitching is my forte

[geo g]

You don't need long cast to catch fish. A flip is a short cast and probably catch more big fish then anything. Try a looping side cast, nice and easy. Just do a better job of positioning the boat. Target your fishing spots.

I sometimes have an elbow problem. A pressure band around the arm does wonders. Try a shoulder sleeve or se other product. A good drug store with these products may help. Then ease up on the casts.

[Fish Murderer 71]

Buy a real boat- one with a motor, and watch that pain move from your shoulder to your wallet...

[ClackerBuzz]

yes you just need to improve ur casting technique.  don't be afraid to load the rod tip.  let the rod do it's job--ur tip won't break.  your rod will perform best with the lure weight in the middle of it's rating (3/8oz lure usually cast beautifully on a rod rated 1/8oz to 3/4oz).  casting at the higher end of the lure rating really launches them but you have to worry about backlashes more than breakage.  the lighter end will hurt ur body and slice the lure hard like a golf swing.

i primarily use Powell rods and have been extremely happy with their tips.  you can use a 360 deg roll cast to get maximum performance out of the rod and ur body.

keep ur elbows tucked at ur sides.  you really should be using ur wrists only. the farther ur elbows get away from ur sides the more sore ur shoulders will be.

casting distance is relative to ur conditions.  in clear water you want maximum distance. in dirty/pond muck you can literally creep right on top of them.  structure fishing requires longer casts.  i transitioned all my rods to 7'6"-8' b/c i'm doing all structure fishing now.  and i have no problem still using them at ponds or in close quarters. i consider 100 ft a decent cast.  with the right set up you can comfortably cast 150 ft.  most guys i see at the lake make 50-75 ft casts.

 

[SmokeRise1]

Soft plastics, casted to the shoreline from the boat, get hit anywhere from the instant they hit the water to 5 feet from the boat. I try to bring the boat to within 50 feet or-so of the shoreline so I don't have to heave it too far, but sometimes I'll really snap it to get it out there. There are a lot of stretching exercises that can help you with your neck and shoulders and may alleviate your pain.

[roadwarrior]

25-30 yards

[Glenn]

Distance is rarely a goal in bass fishing.  Yes, there are some exceptions (fan casting a flat is one), so don't jump on me and use an exception as an example of how wrong I am.  I'm saying as a general rule, distance shouldn't be your goal.  Accuracy should be.

[SirSnookalot]

Your sore because of physical condition, your muscles are not in shape.  I'm 68 years, cast a med spinning rod with 1 oz lures everyday and most of the casts are for max distance.  Since I do this 7 days a week I never get sore or tired, nor do any of the other 70 year olds I fish with.

Pitching and jigging are using different muscles than casting for distance, I can see getting a sore and tired doing a movement that you are not used to.  I have never heard of a pro golfer or pro fisherman getting sore, they make 100's if not thousands of reps each day, they are in shape for their activity.  Getting you body in shape is the answer.

My freshwater casts are probably 15 yds, saltwater way farther, but the rod is doing the work.

[F14A-B]

My 2nd biggest LMB , was caught with maybe 14 feet of line out, 2 feet off edge of Craft... Just sayin, depends on several factors, overcasting from a Yak may just be adding stress to you're muscles .... I can't throw big cranks like I used too, I mean I can? But I will pay, my shoulder has too much wear and tear, I think you're low profile in the water is contributing to you're pain... Reminds me of repeated Archery shooting from my knees... Shooting right/ left angles... Just harder on the bone /muscle structure....

[OkobojiEagle]

If you're not already using a two-handed casting technique... try it.

 

 

oe

[WRB]

Asprin doesn't help muscle pain, try Advil! You may have slighly injurded your rotator cuff tendon.

Cast as far as you need to get strikes, bass shouldn't be wary of your low profile, quite kayak. The majority of bottom bumping lure type strikes usually occur within a few feet after the lure hits bottom. Top water and underwater faster moving lures, strikes can occur anywhere along the retrieve path.

Tom

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Clear, shallow conditions may require a long cast to get bites. I consider 100' a long cast.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

In a sitted kayak position you are getting less leverage on a cast. Upper body going to have to do more work to get same distance as when standing. You are more limited in the type of casts you do and rod placement during cast. All this puts strains on a body and each person responds differently to those strains.

[Ratherbfishing]

It sounds to me like you aren't letting the rod do the work.  Assuming you aren't using too heavy a bait, go ahead and load the rod up on the back cast.  Let it do the work it's designed to do.

[Teal101]

I flip or Pitch 90% of the time now.  If I do cast, it's usually a lob cast.  Learning to pitch has been a game changer in my fishing.  Most of my fish are caught within 30ft of me.