Fan Casting

[Texas Hawg Hunter]

Fan casting is a staple for me and I mostly fish from shore.  I am interested to hear how other people do it.  Specifically, how far apart do you tend to make each cast?  Also, how many "sweeps" do you do before changing technique, lure, or location?

[Catch and Grease]

Depends on what I'm fishing, how active I've found the bass to be, what lure I'm using, time of year, etc etc... In some cases fan casting can mean the difference between an okay day and an amazing day, for certain types of cover and situations I think its a must.

[Ozark_Basser]

The only time I really fan cast an area from shore is around points. Fan casting makes fishing a bit too robotic for me anywhere else. The rest is just target casting pretty much. 

[Catch and Grease]

For things like frog fishing matted grass fan casting can be a great thing...

[Matthew2000]

I usually don't do it at all find a weed line and keep casting to it. Switch lure if your not catching anything after like 10 minuets

[SirSnookalot]

I always fan cast from shore whether it's in the surf or freshwater fishing.  Too many variables to follow a set script of how many casts to a certain spot or how long a time I devote in an area before moving. 

[Senko lover]

From the bank it's a no-brainer. It helps you to be thorough and cover all the water that's there. I'll cast as far as I can and I don't create a geometric half-circle, but I try to be thorough. I will fan-cast an area once if I'm using a soft plastic, and multiple times if I'm using a reaction bait.

[shanksmare]

I rarely fan cast while fishing. Why? Because it is generally a waste of time. I usually key in on pieces of cover (logs, bushes, weeds, rocks, etc.). I will often make multiple casts to these pieces of cover usually varying the angle of retrieve. Points can be prductive since there is often current around them. I will frequently fan cast around points if they look promising (wind driven current, cover, etc).

Since I'm fishing from shore I may have to make long casts to reach this cover. I usually don't work my lure back to shore. I work it around the cover and burn it in for my next cast.

I use the same approach for surf fishing. I rarely waste my time taking a step or 2 and fan casting an area. I look for white water which indicate bars under the surface, points which usually have current associated with them, inlets, rocks, baitfish,etc. So I might walk a mile down a seemingly featureless sand beach and only stop to fish at 3 or 4 rater small locations.

These techniques work well for me, your mileage may vary!

[Felix77]

I tend to hike an area and do 3 casts. One straight out and two at angles which cover as much as the edges until I get a bite. After that I tend to pick it apart with a more thorough fan cast "pattern".

[nascar2428]

When I fan cast, I usually use three lures, two passes for each lure, each cast spaced about three feet apart. No success, time to move on.

[Texas Hawg Hunter]

When I fan cast, I usually use three lures, two passes for each lure, each cast spaced about three feet apart. No success, time to move on.

 

Short and to-the-point.  Thanks!

[papajoe222]

I like to alternate sides and work my way center 9-3,10-2,11-1 and finish at 12:00. That will cover an area fairly well before I move ten yards or so down shore. I'll do two casts to each position if I feel the fish are in a neutral mood.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I like to alternate sides and work my way center 9-3,10-2,11-1 and finish at 12:00. That will cover an area fairly well before I move ten yards or so down shore. I'll do two casts to each position if I feel the fish are in a neutral mood.

That's pretty much what I do as well

[lectricbassman]

I like to alternate sides and work my way center 9-3,10-2,11-1 and finish at 12:00. That will cover an area fairly well before I move ten yards or so down shore. I'll do two casts to each position if I feel the fish are in a neutral mood.

X3

Its probably in my head but i feel that alternating sides keeps from spooking the fish as easily

[ClackerBuzz]

don't forget the vertical aspect.  nothing better than working a lure 'uphill' back to the bank.  i love letting a spinnerbait hit the bottom and slow rolling it uphill...only to bump a 12" ledge and have a bass hammer it. keeping ur rod tip low while the lure is 100 ft out keeps it on the bottom.  slowly raise ur rod tip as you get closer to shore to prevent it from hanging up.

also works great if you can cast over the entire weed bed and slow drag a weedless shaky head till you feel the first sign of weeds. stop, shake and wait for them to creep out of the weeds and ambush it. or cast a chatterbait past the weed bed and rip it off the tip of the first outer wall.

[Bankbeater]

If I am fishing a crankbait then I fan cast. I usually cast down the bank on both sides and then move toward the center out in front of me. If I am fishing a jig or t-rig then I target cover that I can reach from the bank.