cast distance

[Catt]

1 hour ago, billmac said:

I'm more used to casting at a target.

 

There in lies the problem!

 

Most of today's anglers are target oriented, take away the target they can't fish. This is also why they can not fish deep water.

 

Not picking on you just using you as an example. Most guys talk about accuracy being more important than distance is because they are used to fishing visual targets. 

 

It's also the reason most anglers aren't successful at night fishing...no visible targets!

[CrankFate]

13 hours ago, Flatrock said:

As silly of a question this might be, but how far are you able to cast with a bait caster... 50-75-100' ?

I realize that is a loaded question with a lot of variables, but lets say 3/8 oz with 12 # -15# mono...

200’ without wind with 12-15lb braid.

[813basstard]

7 hours ago, Catt said:

Even with my years of experience I still try to practice casting, pitching, & flipping evey day even if it's just for 15 minutes.

 

I have an obstacle course of sorts that has targets at various distances.

 

This is my extreme course!

 

Targets: Made from Styrofoam extrusion

36" diameter @ 75 yds

30" diameter @ 50 yds

24" diameter @ 40 yds

18" diameter @ 35 yds

12" diameter @ 30 yds

What kind of weight are you throwing 75 yards? That’s a poke

[Catt]

4 minutes ago, 813basstard said:

What kind of weight are you throwing 75 yards? That’s a poke

 

When throwing at 50+ yds you need at lure that is aerodynamic 

 

I was outside throwing a H2O XPRESS™ 5.5" Hollow-Body Frog Lure, 1/2 oz but not very aerodynamic, I consistently hit 45-47 yds. 

 

Rod: All Star 7' medium heavy fast

Reel: Lew's Speed Spool LFS SSG1SH

Line: Sufix Performance Braid 50#

[Further North]

I fly fish a fair amount (and gear, not a purist).

 

I can consistently throw a 300 grain line with a subsurface fly 70 ft.  But I seldom do that while fishing, only for practice.

 

Fly fishing taught me that I don't need distance to catch fish...with one exception: Fan casting over deeper water, with diving cranks being a particularly important subset of that.  I need distance to get down to where the fish be...

[Tennessee Boy]

7 hours ago, Catt said:

I fish a lot of deep water structure at depths of 25', accuracy isn't to import, distance is to maintain bottom contact.

I agree.  Here is map of a Kentucky Lake ledge.  The yellow dot is a waypoint I dropped after catching a fish on a Carolina Rig.  You can see from the map scale that you need to be able to cast 30 to 40 yards to fish the ledge properly.

[billmac]

No offense taken.  I'm not an experienced boat fisherman, but I have my first bass boat in my yard now and I'm eagerly awaiting ice-out, so hopefully I'll remedy my lack of deep water experience.

 

I'm a little curious though about the distances you are talking about.  So you're fishing 25' deep, but what does that translate into for casting?  It still doesn't seem like we're talking about an extremely long cast.

[Scott F]

11 minutes ago, billmac said:

No offense taken.  I'm not an experienced boat fisherman, but I have my first bass boat in my yard now and I'm eagerly awaiting ice-out, so hopefully I'll remedy my lack of deep water experience.

 

I'm a little curious though about the distances you are talking about.  So you're fishing 25' deep, but what does that translate into for casting?  It still doesn't seem like we're talking about an extremely long cast.

It takes a fair amount of cranking before a diving crankbait gets all the way down to its maximum depth. As you get it closer to you, it rises up. So, the farther you can cast, the longer it stays at it's maximum running depth. 

[dodgeguy]

6 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Some interesting responses here.   For at least 20 years,  I’ve been using Daiwa 105 HiLa’s for larger jigs and Carolina rigs.  With a 3/4 Carolina rig I can throw all of the line out (about 110 yards).  I have no need to cast that far fishing but sometimes I’ll do it just to get a nice tight clean spool of line.  Last fall I started auditioning new reels to replace my old Diawas.  I tried a Zillion SV TWS and was shocked to find that I could cast a 3/4 oz c-rig about 50 yards max.   That’s with the spool very loose, the breaks on 1 or 2,  and casting hard enough to give myself a hernia.  With a 1/2 oz weight and a normal cast I could hit 35 yards easily.  It’s like the breaks are designed to never let you cast over 50 yards no matter how hard you try.  The reel worked okay pitching a jig but it failed the audition due to the 50 yard casting distance.  From some of the responses here,  I’m wondering if most modern reels are designed the same way.  

 

Next up in my auditions is a Curado DC.  

Buy a Lew's and outcast them all 

[WRB]

I often cast 7/16 oz jigs and DD22 deep diving crankbaits 50 yards /150' measured on a football field into 36" hula hoops. Long cast don't need to more accurate then hitting some within 3'-4'. I do this on a nearby football field occasionally to tune my reels. Standing on the raised bow of a bass boat you gain a few yards. I can cast beyond the 50 yd line, maybe 55-60 yards under ideal conditions but try to keep it to 40-50 yds the distance standard cast when fishing jigs or  crankbaits during daytime. 

At night I can get bit at 25-30 yards, no reason to cast further with jigs and worms, crankbaits about 40 yards to get it down deep enough and run longer.

We have the annual Fred Hall Sports Show with target casting pool set up tp 50 yards with floating 12" rings at 10 yard intervals. If you can put a casting plug into each ring you win a prize, usually a rod & reel combo. Always a fun event.

Casting distance has a lot to do more with the rod. 50 yards using MH or H jig rod is much harder then using a MH or H crankbait rod of the same length using the same reel and line.

Tom

[Further North]

1 hour ago, billmac said:

I'm a little curious though about the distances you are talking about.  So you're fishing 25' deep, but what does that translate into for casting?  It still doesn't seem like we're talking about an extremely long cast.

I'll echo that...if the fish are 25' deep...why would you have to be that far away from them?

 

My experience here, in gin clear water, is that I could be right over them and still catch bunches...but I assume you're dealing with some other variable I'm unfamiliar with?

49 minutes ago, Scott F said:

It takes a fair amount of cranking before a diving crankbait gets all the way down to its maximum depth. As you get it closer to you, it rises up. So, the farther you can cast, the longer it stays at it's maximum running depth. 

Thanks Scott...that's what I was getting at in an earlier post.

 

That's why God and Shimano made DC reels...

48 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

Buy a Lew's and outcast them all 

But...Lew's are Abu Garcia...

[Catt]

18 minutes ago, Further North said:

I'll echo that...if the fish are 25' deep...why would you have to be that far away from them?

 

My experience here, in gin clear water, is that I could be right over them and still catch bunches...but I assume you're dealing with some other variable I'm unfamiliar with?

 

I'm talking fish on the bottom, not suspended at 25'. 

 

You can try getting directly over them but i wouldn't advise it!

[WRB]

You can catch bass on top of them in 10' of water and it's done all the time flipping, pitching and drop shot. 

How many giant bass are caught directly over them? Very few! Adult size bass get alarmed when a boat stops anywhere near them, giant bass simply move away and shut down any feeding activity. Bass under 4 lbs are not as wary and often keep feeding with boats nearby or over them. Casting longer distances increases your odds dramatically trying to catch big bass.

Tom

 

[Further North]

55 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I'm talking fish on the bottom, not suspended at 25'. 

 

You can try getting directly over them but i wouldn't advise it!

Help me get my head 'round that...at 25'...they can't see me, or me, them.

 

Why would it matter?  I'm asking because I have no idea.

 

I fish lakes that at 100+ feet deep with water so clear you can read the date on a dime on the bottom in 10' of water...and I can sit on top of fish at 25' and catch them all day with jig over the side of the boat, if I'm that bored...

 

I'm not being critical at all, just trying to learn.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

2 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Buy a Lew's and outcast them all 

Lose he said 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Casting longer distances increases your odds dramatically trying to catch big bass.

 

 

Yes.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Further North said:

Help me get my head 'round that...at 25'...they can't see me, or me, them.

 

They don't have to see you to know you're there.

 

There's plenty of guys that come from all over the country thinking the way you do & leave believing differently.

 

East Texas Lakes don't fish like anywhere else ?

[Koz]

22 hours ago, Glenn said:

I don't know.  Bass fishing is about accuracy, not distance casting.  So I never try to cast far.

To be fair, though, casting for distance can be an important part of bank fishing whether you can't navigate parts of the bank or you're trying to fish deeper water.

[Further North]

Just now, Catt said:

 

They don't have to see you to know you're there.

 

There's plenty of guys that come from all over the country thinking the way you do & leave believing differently.

 

East Texas Reservoirs don't fish like anywhere else ?

I guess that's what I'm getting at...

 

What works in one part of the country...separated by as little as a couple of hours...is different from what works other places...but it gets presented as though it's rock solid fact everywhere, all the time.

 

Not by you...but I'd guess you know what I mean.

 

We tend to leave fishing pressure out as a criteria...among other things.

[WRB]

What size bass are you catching in 25' of clear water sitting on top of them?

The bass feel your presence and easily can see you,the issue is those bass are conditioned to boat traffic and fishing pressure. We catch 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 lb 13" to 15" LMB sitting of on in 25' of water finesse fishing and maybe the occasional 2 1/2 to 3 lb bass if you stay long enough on a good spot during the summer through winter periods. 

The big bass are rarely caught fishing vertical, make a long cast and your results may change.

Tom

[Further North]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

What size bass are you catching in 25' of clear water sitting on top of them?

The bass feel your presence and easily can see you,the issue is those bass are conditioned to boat traffic and fishing pressure. We catch 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 lb 13" to 15" LMB sitting of on in 25' of water finesse fishing and maybe the occasional 2 1/2 to 3 lb bass if you stay long enough on a good spot during the summer through winter periods. 

The big bass are rarely caught fishing vertical, make a long cast and your results may change.

Tom

About the same, but smallies, mostly.

 

I appreciate the perspective, from the other end of the Mississippi-ish.

 

..and I don't like fishing vertical...that's what walleye fisherman do.  If I get senile, or half my brain falls out...maybe I could learn to like fishing like that... ?

 

I actually have little patience for deep water fishing at all...if I have to do that, I'll go wade a river and catch those same smallies in current in 3 ft. of water...

[Catt]

9 hours ago, Further North said:

I guess that's what I'm getting at...

 

What works in one part of the country...separated by as little as a couple of hours...is different from what works other places...but it gets presented as though it's rock solid fact everywhere, all the time.

 

Not by you...but I'd guess you know what I mean.

 

We tend to leave fishing pressure out as a criteria...among other things.

 

We hear quite often "a bass is a bass" regardless of where it's at. I tend to agree with that but what changes it's behavior is which body of water they are in. 

 

At 65 miles long the north end of Toledo Bend fishes totally different that the south end. The north end is shallower, constantly off colored while the south end is deeper, extremely clear. The middle section is different than both the north & south ends.

 

I listen intently to what @WRB says even though his out west, I also listen intently to what @A-Jay says even though he's a Yankee, & I look

 for little nuances that may apply down that I've overlooked. 

 

Is accuracy more important than distance?

 

Depends on the body of water & if you're bank fishing or boat fishing that body of water.

[dodgeguy]

10 hours ago, Further North said:

I'll echo that...if the fish are 25' deep...why would you have to be that far away from them?

 

My experience here, in gin clear water, is that I could be right over them and still catch bunches...but I assume you're dealing with some other variable I'm unfamiliar with?

Thanks Scott...that's what I was getting at in an earlier post.

 

That's why God and Shimano made DC reels...

But...Lew's are Abu Garcia...

No they are not. Different specs different parts. 

[Catt]

Casting distance just went down ?

 

That pine tree is 15' from the edge of the bayou & the water surface is usually around 6-8' below where it is now!

[bagofdonuts]

Plenty of big bass are caught flipping and pitching. but you got to neak up on them, and it helps if you can get your bait in spots others don't. My experience has been that bass that are holding really tight to cover are easier to get close to. I don't know for sure, but seems the thick cover gives them a sense of security. Cruising bass are a much different deal, you better stay way back.

I think that's why pitching and flipping works best when other techniques are not working and visa versa. If bass are not holding tight to cover and you are trying to flip, you've already spooked them. If they are holding tight and your throwing something trying to get them to chase, they won't.