Distance Casts

[lethfisher]

I recently had a casting lesson with Paul Arden who has some UK distance records and he got me all excited about distance casting. Now I know that it isn't really that useful in regular fishing but I want to learn to toss my whole line or close to it. I have Cortland Lazer line and it says 35 yards which is like 105 feet. Anyway I have been out practising on the lawn and I can cast about 75 feet. I can't seem to get it any further and I end up trying to power it out there which ends up in a crappy cast or tailing loops. I know people say less power is better but when I try that my backcast doesn't seem to stay up in the air very well.

 

How hard are you guys hauling on your front cast to get it back straight behind you? Also when you are doing your double haul do you let your hand travel back to your chest or all the way back up to your casting hand?

 

Do you have any tips on distance casting?

 

Thanks guys!!!

[dryfly]

Well Stephen I am the last guy to be commenting on distance casting. When I was watching Paul toss your line at NS last week I think there was one key to his tossing 100 feet of line in two false casts with our rod. You asked about the haul on the backcast. You know what struck me about Paul's casts. It was not the haul per se, but the blistering speed. (I never photographed his cast and should have.) When he was hauling back, his casting arm was tossing back at such great speed. Or at least the speed between his two hands was incredible ...as he threw his cast arm back at great speed he was also bringing his line hand forward at great speed. The result was that even tho his rod was at 3 PM (a no no) the line was moving so fast that it straightened parallel to the ground and never dropped at all because of the speed and short time between the straigntening point and forward cast. Near as I could tell it was all about speed.

[megalops]

Lethfisher, check out Lefty Kreh's book "Longer Fly Casting". He does a good job illustrating how to get more line speed.

[Harps]

Stephen,

Check out Paul Arden's site. Lots of great stuff on there and lots of "Master Casters" on the board. Ask there and you'll get a good answer, and then a ton of physics.

 

 

http://www.sexyloops.com/flycasting/contents.shtml

[bulltrout]

or just fish streams and lakes where casts only need to be 30-40 ft. max...

[Harps]

or just fish streams and lakes where casts only need to be 30-40 ft. max...

 

Its always nice to know you can get out that extra 10 feet if you need it.

 

Fish always rise 10-20 feet farther than I can cast.

[Glenbow]

Harps, that's only 'cause they know how far you can cast. My secret is that I always fish pretending I'm someone else & the fish don't know how far I can cast, which = more fish. That'll be $100.

[Harps]

Harps, that's only 'cause they know how far you can cast. My secret is that I always fish pretending I'm someone else & the fish don't know how far I can cast, which = more fish. That'll be $100.

 

That's worth more than $100. I'll let you buy me a beer the next time we meet... Many pay lots for that opportunity.

 

I just have to pretend to cast like... I think I'm the worst caster I know??

[lethfisher]

I go on Sexyloops all the time and read lots of the forum posts and it's pretty helpful. I was in wholesale yesterday and saw "Fly Casting with Joan Wulff" and it seemed pretty good. Anyone read that one?

[rhuseby]

I'm not a great distance caster but you may have to experiment a bit. I was reading an article about four well know casters, 2 of them being Joan Wulff and Left Kreh (can't remember the other names) having an informal competition to see who could get it out there furthest. They were all really close but the styles of casting were all completely different.. That said I think timing is really important. I find that when the odd cast really takes off, I can tell it's a good one halfway through the forward cast. No help for you, just a comment.

[SteveM]

I recently had a casting lesson with Paul Arden who has some UK distance records and he got me all excited about distance casting. Now I know that it isn't really that useful in regular fishing but I want to learn to toss my whole line or close to it. I have Cortland Lazer line and it says 35 yards which is like 105 feet. Anyway I have been out practising on the lawn and I can cast about 75 feet. I can't seem to get it any further and I end up trying to power it out there which ends up in a crappy cast or tailing loops. I know people say less power is better but when I try that my backcast doesn't seem to stay up in the air very well.

 

How hard are you guys hauling on your front cast to get it back straight behind you? Also when you are doing your double haul do you let your hand travel back to your chest or all the way back up to your casting hand?

 

Do you have any tips on distance casting?

 

Thanks guys!!!

Geez, lethfisher, these guys have had no good advice for you at all! I apologize for their lack of insight. Now, pay attention while Bob Loblaw

solves your problem. You have 105' of line but can only cast 75', and would like to cast it all,correct? Here's whatcha do: pull out all your

line, cut off the last 35', & re-attach to backing. Now reel all line back onto your reel & commence casting; if all goes according to plan,

you'll be able to cast all your flyline + 5' of backing. Lots of "oohs" & "ahs" from the gathered crowd, & you're a hero for the day!

You're so welcome!

No really, don't mention it!

 

 

__Bob Loblaw, Solver of Dilemmas, Quandaries, & Enigmas__

(Now on FFC to better serve YOU)

[Lawrence]

You have 105' of line but can only cast 75', and would like to cast it all,correct? Here's whatcha do: pull out all your

line, cut off the last 35', & re-attach to backing. Now reel all line back onto your reel & commence casting; if all goes according to plan,

you'll be able to cast all your flyline + 5' of backing. Lots of "oohs" & "ahs" from the gathered crowd, & you're a hero for the day!

You're so welcome!

 

 

That's awsome!

[DutchDryfly]

I know it has been done by some of the pro-casters on demonstrations. Also overlining your rod will get you some more distance, another trick of the pro-casters.

[lethfisher]

Haha I don't know if I want to cut my line but sounds like a good plan! The worst part about that was I was fishing and Paul was watching and he asked if he could have a go so I gave him my rod exactly like I was using it and he went on and cast out the whole line!

 

Next time I am out I am going to work on speedy hauls timed perfectly

[Hawgstoppah]

 

Cutting off the line = [priceless]

 

I'd be impressed if someone could cast all my 3wt line on my St croix legend ultra rod. That would knock my socks off. I can max it at about 60feet.

 

I use it where a 30 footer is the longest of the day by a long shot though. The only place I've had to fire a long cast was to some gulpers midstream on the Bow for caddis one night. **and it does set the hook good enough at 60ft by gosh**

[OneMoreLastCast]

I've been fortunate to fish with some unbelievable casters.

I was telling Toolman when we were on the river that one in particular, Mr. Swisher, commented that I'd obviously been fly casting for a long time.

I thought he was giving me a nice compliment on my great technique, I was wrong.

He said that he could tell that I never learned to cast "Properly", but it didn't really matter in someone like my case, because I'd learned how to get it out a long way or put it exactly where I wanted to.

 

He compared it to Golf's long Drivers.

When trying to go long, whether in Fly Casting or Driving a golf ball, a person has to throw some of "Perfect" technique out the window and learn what works for them.

 

I also went to a distance casting demonstration a few years ago and was surprised at how "Ugly" some of the casts actually were, but they could shoot through their backing in just a few pumps. It was pretty impressive..

 

Personally, I would take accuracy over distance, For fresh water anyways. For salt water distance would be nice.

 

With experience, you can just get closer to the fish. Plus, I rarely fish anywhere that I have enough room behind me to get a long enough back cast.

 

I'd rather be able to roll cast 50 or 60 feet like Max and others, it's more useful.

 

Don't get me wrong, I do think a person needs to practice to get distance to a certain degree. I just don't think it is necessary to get frustrated trying to match a world class caster.

I've seen a lot of small stream masters get Beat Down by the Bow because they couldn't get to the fish.

[angler]

I'm with Missin'

 

I constantly suggest to clients that being accurate (like hit a dinner plate from 30 to 40 feet regardless of surroundings and conditions not just on a field in dead calm) is MUCH more important than casting 70 feet and unable to hit a dinner table. Now in SOME situations on flowing water 70 feet or more AND accurate is really handy

 

Most people most of time catch most of their fish within 30 feet of their position

[maxwell]

this debate again eh...shooting a fullline with the use of a double haul is fairly easy...the biggest tips i can give when casting distance is power and linespeed...chris sepio had a great article in fly fusin a few issues back on shooting line and another one on the double haul....remeber as you increase the amount of line out of the tip of your rod u must move your rod fasted too generate more linespeed and those stops and starts are the most crutial in doing so. liek clive said that fellow was opening up his casting stoke too going from probably a 10 and 2 too almost a 3 and 3, i do a little more sidearm to keep that trip nymph rig of mega streamer away from my head..hauling on your line is a must when shooting line and with the combonation of a god power stroke, stop and starts and a powerful haul forwards and backwards will shoot taht line 100 feet no problem dude.....yes is does have great importance fishing flats in saltwater, lakes and hte bow and other large rivers specially in the winter IMHO