Casting Distance

[HopBack]

I bet Jifigz can put a lot of you to shame with an 8wt CGR running Cortland peach. I’m a pretty bad fly caster anything over 30 ft but I don’t need to be good when I’m fishing 20 ft wide mountain streams.

 

[jifigz]

I bet Jifigz can put a lot of you to shame with an 8wt CGR running Cortland peach. I’m a pretty bad fly caster anything over 30 ft but I don’t need to be good when I’m fishing 20 ft wide mountain streams.

I appreciate the compliment, but that is actually Cortland Fairplay I run on that L.L. Bean Streamlight reel for my river rig. For being about 5 or 6 years old, that Cortland Fairplay casts and fishes great for smallmouth.

I've gotten my money out of that CGR. I paid about $50 for that thing many years ago. It has hauled in hundreds of fish for me, and I've really put it through its paces. Last summer, I had to glue the handle onto the blank because it was becoming really loose.

 

[Swattie87]

I bet Jifigz can put a lot of you to shame with an 8wt CGR running Cortland peach. I’m a pretty bad fly caster anything over 30 ft but I don’t need to be good when I’m fishing 20 ft wide mountain streams.

This is basically me too. I’m very accurate on small streams and have a decent array of small stream trick shots in my bag. But get me on big water and I’m really only accurate enough to be dangerous out to about 40 feet. 50 tops. And I probably CAN throw 65 or 70 feet or so, maybe a little more if underlining the rod as I often do on big water, but at those distances the presentation is so bad and difficult to manage that even if accurate, it’s gonna spook or otherwise put off the fish to the point I’m not going to catch it anyway. If fish are rising, and I can’t wade closer to that particular fish for some reason, I just pick an easier fish to try to catch in that scenario.

 

[HopBack]

I appreciate the compliment, but that is actually Cortland Fairplay I run on that L.L. Bean Streamlight reel for my river rig. For being about 5 or 6 years old, that Cortland Fairplay casts and fishes great for smallmouth.

I've gotten my money out of that CGR. I paid about $50 for that thing many years ago. It has hauled in hundreds of fish for me, and I've really put it through its paces. Last summer, I had to glue the handle onto the blank because it was becoming really loose.

Oh I forgot, there’s no way you would have splurged for the peach! 🤣🤣

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I typically wade as close as I can without spooking the fish. But not really sure. I am a horrible caster though.

Too much tight line "flipping" will make you a horrible caster ;-)

This isn't true. You're a fine caster. I, on the other hand, am not a great caster. But, as bad as a caster as I am, it's really MENDING that I suck at! And I'm fully supportive of the "wade as close as you can without spooking" approach.

I hide my deficiencies by being a "small stream fly fisherman"

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Oh I forgot, there’s no way you would have splurged for the peach! 🤣🤣

Dude-the main rod I fish with is a CGR. 7'5" 5wt, and more than likely, I have Fair Play on it 🙃 I even have a Cortland Crown II reel to match.

Cortland rules.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I bet Jifigz can put a lot of you to shame with an 8wt CGR running Cortland peach. I’m a pretty bad fly caster anything over 30 ft but I don’t need to be good when I’m fishing 20 ft wide mountain streams.

Yeah exactly. I'd say, 30-400 feet, if I see a trout feeding, I'm FAIRLY confident I can hit it. Start getting into the 50-60' range, yeah I'm gonna go for it, but I'll muff it up probably 50% of the time. Beyond that, I'll still make an effort, and sometimes get lucky, but most times-it's just a chit chow.

 

[jifigz]

Dude-the main rod I fish with is a CGR. 7'5"

I wish they still made the CGR's in 8 weight. Redington doesn't make the Butterstick in an 8 weight anymore, either. Orvis still sells the Superfine glass rod in 8 weight, and I have thought about picking one of those up. I like my other Superfine a lot.

 

[ryansheehan]

I can hit a target and get a good drift from 80 feet just like you. I wade 40 feet closer and make the cast as far as possible. 60 percent of the time, it works every time.

 

[wildtrout2]

I think accuracy trumps distance, at least on the small mountain freestones I fish.

 

[Swattie87]

I can hit a target and get a good drift from 80 feet just like you. I wade 40 feet closer and make the cast as far as possible. 60 percent of the time, it works every time.

I like your math.

 

[jeffroey]

I lawn cast and practice out to about 50' with 4 & 5 WT lines. I strip 18-24" of weed wacker line off my spool, tape them into rings, and throw them around my back yard as targets. I'm okay in relatively ideal conditions at that range. Realistically I rarely cast more than 30' on the water.