Tips on casting distance

[FellowAnglers1]

Need tips to cast further on spinning set up. My set up daiwa steez the one 7'6 mml with 2500s Vanquish on 10 pound braid with leader vs Friend 7'2 expride with vanford 2500 8 pound braid with leader. He usually cast about 10 to 20 feet further with same lures. Is the 2 pound difference make that much difference? I then switch it up to Megass Windbuster 7'2 with the same vanquish and got same outcome.

[Glenn]

 

[new2BC4bass]

2 hours ago, FellowAnglers1 said:

Need tips to cast further on spinning set up. My set up daiwa steez the one 7'6 mml with 2500s Vanquish on 10 pound braid with leader vs Friend 7'2 expride with vanford 2500 8 pound braid with leader. He usually cast about 10 to 20 feet further with same lures. Is the 2 pound difference make that much difference? I then switch it up to Megass Windbuster 7'2 with the same vanquish and got same outcome.

Have you tried switching rods to see if the results were still the same?  One tip is to make sure you have enough line hanging off the rod tip.  Another tip is to workout several days a week.  Some people have more powerful casts.  You need a combination of strength and speed (and good technique).

 

I used to fish with a younger guy that could literally make his rod (casting) whistle on a cast.  Never personally witnessed anyone with such a powerful cast.

 

Also some rods seem to be better than others at achieving longer distances.  Beyond my scope of knowledge.  Bulldog1935 would be a good guy to help you.

[Tim Kelly]

Line diameter makes a big difference. Also using a 4 strand or an 8 strand makes a difference. One company's 10lb test could be much thicker than another company's 10lb too, so I would compare your braid to you friend's and see if they're very different. 

[fin]

The main technique thing that gets me more distance is “loading up the rod”. That’s when casting overhead, you pause when you have the rod cocked back and you wait to feel the weight of your lure dangling from the rod, and at the moment when it feels the heaviest, you cast. Not only does that give you more distance, but the lure will travel straight and not flip flop or spin, which also increases the distance. So instead of cocking and firing quickly - ****, pause, then fire.

 

(edit: **** is censored. You can say "cocking", but not just the first four letters 😄)

 

There can be a lot of variation between two people casting the same rod. The reel has practically nothing to do with it. The weight of the line, the smoothness of the line, the length of the rod, the power of the rod and the action of the rod are the mechanical factors.

 

I second what @new2BC4bass said. Swap rods with your buddy and see what happens.

[bulldog1935]

None of my friends can load a rod, except for the few who came from fly rods.  My dad's cast is entirely swing.  My buddy Lou is swing + wrist-snap.  

Even when they bring the rod back in a rod-loading motion, they stop static so that motion is lost and doesn't load the rod.  

The last edge is follow through and elevation.  Finish with the rod tip high and aim up.  In a 2-hand cast, you pass the rod to your rod-butt hand and stretch that arm - in addition to higher speed from 2-hand swing, this final follow-through can add 20% to 30% to cast distance.  

[A-Jay]

I am semi-obsessed with casting distance - especially with spinning gear.

My style of fishing & the fishery itself demands it.

Coming from a surf casting back round, there are 3 main and often critical mistakes 

bassheads overlook when this subject comes around.

As mentioned above line diameter plays a role, but here's the big three for me.

1. Not using a long rod

2. Not Allowing the blank to load properly.  It's almost like your 'throwing' the lure through the cast.

3. (and this is a biggie) Not leaving sufficient length of line between the rod tip and the bait being casted. Let that deal hang - almost half the rod length.  May take some practice to get the timing down as you'll need to 'slow down' through at the beginning of the cast and then accelerate through it.

But when done right it's pure, effortless and super effective.

btw- totally works on casting gear as well although the mechanics are a little different, the results are the same. 

Good Luck.

A-Jay

https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=44

btw - if you go to settings on the YT video, you can change the playback speed

to .5 or better yet .25.  Makes it Real Easy to identify what I mentioned above. 

https://youtu.be/8x9A8IP3j7w?feature=shared&t=10

 

[gim]

Let the rod/reel do most of the work.  If you are trying to send it a country mile, rarely does it work out.  I compare it to a golf swing for those who understand it.  When you swing hard, usually you miss-hit the ball (or completely whiff).  When you swing easy and fluid, allowing the club to do the work, you make solid contact and get better results.

[TOXIC]

All very good advice given and none wrong.  When I was teaching clients to maximize their casts I always told them it has little to do with brute force.  Just like a baseball bat, and a tennis racket, you get more power when you find the “sweet spot” of a combo (spinning or casting).  Arm strength and technique help also when used correctly.  Snap your wrist with a spinning rod and it’s a good thing, do it with a baitcaster and you are guaranteed a backlash. 

[fin]

One factor I forgot: the amount of line you have spooled. I was testing out a reel I had rebuilt this morning and it didn't have enough line on it to cast any distance. That made me think about it. Some people even recommend over-spooling. I remember someone here talking about that, maybe it was @bulldog1935?

[Reel]

Yes, a couple of pound more can increase the diameter and shorten the cast especially if it's rough braid.  Also, long casts are not pure power.  You have to use the rod.  You can increase the distance by 5 to 8 feet using your second hand at the end of the cast for a pull on the but of the rod.  Gleen does it in the video but I'm not sure if he talks about it. 

Another way is to use a spinning reel with a shallow spool.  The line lays more evenly, with no bumps in front or back, and spins out with less restriction.  

[nso123]

4 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

None of my friends can load a rod, except for the few that came from fly rods.  My dad's cast is entirely swing.  My buddy Lou is swing + wrist-snap.  

Even when they bring the rod back in a rod-loading motion, they stop static so that motion is lost and doesn't load the rod.  

The last edge is follow through and elevation.  Finish with the rod tip high and aim up.  In a 2-hand cast, you pass the rod to your rod-butt hand and stretch that arm - in addition to higher speed from 2-hand swing, this final follow-through can add 20% to 30% to cast distance.  

I was about to say this same thing. I fly fish quite a bit and you learn to feel the rod load, particularly if you are fishing with a fiberglass rod. It helps me be able to cast my conventional gear farther. 

[bulldog1935]

@nso123 Vince Cummings Water Witch (St. Croix blank taper-shaped and polished by Vince), c. 30s Medalist.  

Of course, this was stealthy sight-fishing, leading and keeping steady while the bucket-mouth followed and flared on my cats whisker.  

[Bird]

Something else that may hinder casting distance is having your leader to long.

 

I try to avoid letting the leader knot from entering the reel or otherwise you'll hear that ticking sound of knot making contact with the guides.

 

I keep it simple and make my leaders the length of the rod.

[Mike L]

All good info for you 

The only thing I’ll come back at is the usual thinking that an over the shoulder bomb cast is the only way to get distance. 
 

All things maximized…

Line diameter, loading the rod, full spool, centrifugal brake settings, long ish rod etc

A smooth 3/4 swing with an elongated follow through with a lower flight trajectory can give you more distance than you think 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[FellowAnglers1]

Thanks to everyone. All very useful tips for me. Time to get back to the lake and practice casting.

[WRB]

AJay’s suggestion having about 3’ of line hanging from the rod tip Is spot  on if you are fishing alone in a boat or nothing is behind you.

Pointing the rod tip  at the target after you release the line helps to reduce line slap going through the rod guides.

long casting distance is all about rod tip speed and letting the rod do the lure launching.

 Fly fishing the angler is casting the line and that takes learning to let the rod do its work. Spinning casting is different yet the same. To get accuracy a faster snap cast using your wrist with spinning tackle is the opposite of bait casting where you use more forearm and wrist motion. It still comes down to the rod. line, lure aerodynamics and a free following line coming off the reel.

Suggest you practice on a football field so you know the casting distance is improving.’

Tom

 

[THE_Vue's]

Put some better line on that Windbuster.  I have one and with some good line omg I am out casting everyone on shore during the walleye run.  Far casting lines,  Nanofil, YGK x8, Sunline plasma,  J braid x8, Powerpro Super slick

[A-Jay]

On 6/4/2024 at 11:02 AM, Bird said:

Something else that may hinder casting distance is having your leader to long.

 

I try to avoid letting the leader knot from entering the reel or otherwise you'll hear that ticking sound of knot making contact with the guides.

 

I keep it simple and make my leaders the length of the rod.

My leaders  (and I'm only using them on spinning gear) are all 25 ft plus.

I do this so when a big girl gets close to the boat,

the connection knot stays on the reel.

Otherwise if she makes a couple of hard runs while boat side,

which is almost inevitable, a shorter leader will be ripping back & forth through the entire guide train.

Not to mention that it's usually under a decent strain from the reels drag at that time as well. 

(No - I Don't back reel @Team9nine )

If the leader is only 3 or 4 feet, this probably doesn't apply, but I'd be retying far more often as well. 

As for restricting casting, hasn't been an issue for me but none of my rigs sport super tiny guides either.

A-Jay

 

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

My leaders  (and I'm only using them on spinning gear) are all 25 ft plus.

I do this so when a big girl gets close to the boat, the connection knot stays on the reel. Otherwise if she makes a couple of hard runs while boat side,

which is almost inevitable, a shorter leader will be ripping back & forth through the entire guide train.

 

Not to mention that it's usually under a decent strain from the reels drag at that time as well. 

 

(No - I Don't back reel @Team9nine )

 

If the leader is only 3 or 4 feet, this probably doesn't apply, but I'd be retying far more often as well. 

As for restricting casting, hasn't been an issue for me but none of my rigs sport super tiny guides either.

A-Jay

 

Not many people do any more, and that’s fine. I’ve also adopted your longer leader approach (usually 15’-18’) with spinning on my bass outfits. Took a little bit of playing with connecting knots because of the line wanting to catch that knot lying on the spool, but I’ve mostly got that worked out now.

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Not many people do any more, and that’s fine. I’ve also adopted your longer leader approach (usually 15’-18’) with spinning on my bass outfits. Took a little bit of playing with connecting knots because of the line wanting to catch that knot lying on the spool, but I’ve mostly got that worked out now.

Cool - 

I think the longer leader deal is a trade off of sorts.

But I'm hanging on to and Babying my Old Claurus just for the Big Guide alone 

A-Jay

[Recurve1]

Right of the bat you have 2 different rods, 2 different reels, and 2 different lines - so comparing apples to oranges.

I don't mean to sound snarky but if it was me I'd either wade 15' closer to target or drive the boat a little closer.

 

Also, as mentioned, I have some older rods that were quite flexible compared to modern rods (new rods feel like pool cues to me) and these old flexible rods seem to load themselves and just fling the lures out there.