are super long casts worthwhile?

[wbassrogue]

i understand in a tournament setting,covering water etc..it makes sense.

i dont fish tournaments, but going back it seems the vast majority of bass i catch are within 15 yards of the yak/canoe/boat

its entirely possible I am missing strikes on long casts, or coincidence.

 

i should say i almost never fish topwater, unless you count dragging over pads.

whats everyone else experience with long casts?

[MartinTheFisherman]

I think the further the cast the better, for shore fishing. 

[wbassrogue]

yeah bombing from shore, something moving..but of the bass ive caught id say only a handful have been taken from over 15 yards...5 out of 100? maybe not even that.

 

on the other hand, from shore my best fish have sometimes came from underneath my feet virtually, fishing ledges etc.

[the reel ess]

I spend a lot of time pitching jigs to targets and I couldn't do that well much beyond 15 yards. But there are certainly times when you'd want to cover as much water as possible.

[MickD]

SMB fishing with tubes in clear water (Sag Bay/St Clair) less than 8 feet depth often requires very long casts, IMHO.  But yes, often they hit close.  Some get spooked by the boat, some do not.  One time I had a SMB at the boat, my cousin was getting the net, and I saw another bass.  I told him to drop his tube over the side, he did, and immediately had another on. Both over four pounds.

 

I remember times having the boat anchored and fan casting very long distances downwind after having covered the water in close, and catching more fish.  If I had moved the boat down, would I have caught them anyway?  I don't know, but why move if you don't have to.  I think there is a place for very long casts.

[Brad Reid]

From a kayak or canoe, many boats too, for most presentations a relatively shorter rod is the answer.

 

My favorite rod I talk about all the time is a 5'6" M powered spinning rod for finesse. I never leave home without it.

 

But, for power presentations and certainly from an open bank, or making long casts parallel to the edge of grass, a long casting rod will simply put your presentation in front of more fish. Open water casting, too.

 

We'll know soon enough I suspect. Now that longer rods are permissible in some tournaments? If someone like KVD ever gets dialed in with a 9'6" rod, the rest of the competitors will be competing for 2nd place. A power angler will cover more water, also be able to work diving lures deeper.

 

Brad

[A-Jay]

Fishing big smallies, in clear water, especially when they are shallow(er) getting the bait as far from the boat as I can, has paid off for me time & time again.

 May not be necessary in every situation, but there are times where I believe it was the difference between fun sized & trophy brown bass. 

Seems to be of particular importance when throwing topwater.

 

A-Jay

[jimmyjoe]

   I use long casts to reach targets in the river. Yes, I miss some hits because of the stretch of mono, but I try to keep tension on the line once I get the lure moving. That helps me get a good hook set on mono. Superlines improve that a lot. This is my first year really concentrating on lakes, but I find that they're the same. There are always targets just a little ways further out, that most shorecasters can't reach. They're usually pockets or man-made habitat. It feels good to get some nice fish at the end of a looooong cast when that's the only place producing. And the last reason for long casts is overcasting. When fish are spooked, cast way over them and bring your lure into them in a more controlled manner.

   I regularly cast long. I can, so I make use of it. As everyone else has said, sometimes the fish are at your feet. But sometimes they're not, too. You have to learn to suit yourself and your conditions.     jj

[frogflogger]

While not always necessary I've never found a drawback to being able to make long accurate casts. For me spooks, frogs buzz baits, swim baits all profit from long casts

[MickD]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

May not be necessary if every situation, but there are times where I believe it was the difference between fun sized & trophy brown bass. 

Great minds. . .

[813basstard]

Clearer or calmer the water, long, accurate casts help for sure. Or when they’re schooling and you don’t want to spook them.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Long casts for me just off hand Id say 8 out of top 10 of my largest bass have hooked into passed 100 feet. Im shore bound mostly and Im picturing casting only 45 feet at my favorite little lake, that wont cut it, wouldnt get lure to so many good spots/areas. I can think of a number of spots past 100 feet that I could call a honey hole they produce routinely. There are times getting to reach particular honey holes requires the wind blowing from certain direction. 

 

[scaleface]

There are times where long cast are needed . Trying to reach feeding/schooling fish , getting the most depth from a crankbait are the two instances that pop into my head .

[NYWayfarer]

Yes they are in certain circumstances. A super long cast might get you to a dropoff that you might have only been able to reach by boat. Topwater baits also benefit from a super long cast.

[Koz]

Fishing the banks I use both short and long casts.

 

When I'm fishing parallel to the shoreline it's always shorter casts because I don't want to hook up far away and then scare away every single bass hugging the shoreline cover as I reel in my catch.

 

When casting away from the shore I'll just about always bomb a cast out there so I can cover a lot of water. There are exceptions when I'm casting to a target i.e. structure or baitfish boiling on the surface.

[Dens228]

Covering water with spinnerbaits, swim jigs, cranks, etc then yes.  

Pitching or casting to specific spots with plastics, also jigs, etc, no. 

 

When I fishing a flat that could have bass anywhere on it I'm casting long and looking for fish.  When I'm fishing a blowdown, or a specific point, or a small underwater hump, no so much. But there are times when I'll cast well beyond my target to bring it past. 

 

So the short answer to whether long casts are needed is.................yes   AND   no............lol

[Dwight Hottle]

Long casts cover more water and keeps your lure in the zone for a longer time. Absolutely worthwhile especially when searching for fish.  

[GreenPig]

Alot of bass follow lures a while and don't commit til they feel like the have a bait that  can't escape. Lures retrieved to a boat can be trapped at the surface or lures being retrieved to the shore can be trapped with little chance of escape. I've had many bass follow my bigger swimbaits aways to crush it within feet of the boat. 

[928JLH]

Yes depending on what you are using. Finding bass in massive grass flats can be tricky especially during summer. They are usually concentrated in small areas. Bombing top waters in the morning and evenings to cover lots of water is effective. Sometimes getting that extra distance throwing big glide baits and swimbaits will get them to commit before they see you and turn away.

[Krux5506]

It really depends what you're fishing. Like others have said, if you're fishing clear shallow water with easily spooked fish then yes long casts are imperative. I do prefer long casts when I'm fishing something like a Ned rig. 

[WRB]

My average casting distance is around 120' or 40 yds some up to 50 yds during day light bright shy conditions on lakes with very good water clarity. Same lakes at night or low light conditions the casting distance is rarely over 30 yds. If I am fishing vertically rarely casts more then 10 yds. 

Long casts using deep diving crank baits or swimbaits keep the lure in the zone longer.

Long cast using jigs and worms reduce strike detection requiring a lot of concentration and practiced skill to detect strikes and achieve good hook sets., If you can't do both don't make long casts. The only reason I make those longer casts is necessity to get strikes from high pressured wary big bass during daylight.

Casting accurately is a important bass fishing skill regardless the distance, it's all about control and keeping in contact with the lures.

Tom

[Paul Roberts]

3 hours ago, wbassrogue said:

i understand in a tournament setting,covering water etc..it makes sense.

i dont fish tournaments, but going back it seems the vast majority of bass i catch are within 15 yards of the yak/canoe/boat

its entirely possible I am missing strikes on long casts, or coincidence.

 

i should say i almost never fish topwater, unless you count dragging over pads.

whats everyone else experience with long casts?

Depends... as usual. I still resent that word.

 

We catch fish close under our rods, the boat, the surface, for several reasons: detection, change in lure speed/depth, and the vulnerability a lure or prey item shows as it approaches the surface, the shoreline,  or some other barrier. 

 

But long casts can be a big help at times: Reaching fish, spooky fish, getting lures deeper, and covering water. However I only use them if I feel I need them, for the reasons you mention and the advantages shorter, more precise, casts often provide.

 

So, long bombing casts may make us feel like we are accomplishing something -like "covering water"- but, that is often not the case.

[Choporoz]

I was fishing deep bottom-oriented bass this weekend.  I switched rods and added weight just for distance.  Just adding 10 yards meant I could cover much more real estate.  The trade off was that if there was any breeze, I needed a much tauter line than I wanted in order to feel bites.

[Boomstick]

I can think of two scenarios where a long cast is especially beneficial.

1. Shore fishing where you can't get to that deeper spot.
2. Deep diving crankbaits. It takes a little bit of casting to get that crankbait down to its max depth. If it reaches it's max depth halfway to the boat then it's already on the way back up to the top, giving it very little time at that target depth.

[FryDog62]

3 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Long casts cover more water and keeps your lure in the zone for a longer time. Absolutely worthwhile especially when searching for fish.  

I agree as well... with one caveat.  I have a tendency with baitcasters to overthrow at times, and this can lead to the line going out rapidly only to stop suddenly 20 yards out resulting in the line snapping and the lure going another 80 yards never to be seen again.  I launched a Vision 110 two weeks ago and learned a $25 lesson not to have too much Caffeine in the morning

 

So yes, cast long and smoothly, but don’t try to throw a runner out at home from the warning track..!