Casting Distance
- Thread starter Ewanflyfish
- Start date
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.
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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
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Oh I forgot, there’s no way you would have splurged for the peach! 🤣🤣
The_Sasquatch
Well-known member
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
Well-known member
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
Well-known member
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.
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
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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
Well-known member
I think accuracy trumps distance, at least on the small mountain freestones I fish.
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I like your math.
jeffroey
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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.
salmonoid
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Maybe 50 yards or so? Take the reel off the rod, place it in your hand, get a running start and overhand throw the reel with the line in it. Still working on accuracy.
I fish small streams, so half the time, it feels like I do more dapping than casting.
I fish small streams, so half the time, it feels like I do more dapping than casting.
wildtrout2
Well-known member
Me too, and I find myself roll casting a lot of the time.
Trout fishing, somewhere around 50' to 60' (maybe less) depending on currents I have trouble setting the hook, so why cast further? Accuracy is way more important than distance - need to get that fly right over the trout. Which also requires mending if you want any length of drift at all. Mending and accuracy both get tougher the farther you go. Plus, fish are often near the edges. One fall I took my TU chapter to junction pool. It was a drought year so West was 1200 cfs and cloudy and East was 100 cfs and clear. The fish were concentrated along the seam between the two on the cloudy side maybe 40' from shore and about 12" deep. I was catching pretty regularly so tried to get other guys into fish. Of course they all waded out waist deep and tossed their flies to the middle of the river even after they had seen me cathcing fish standing on the shore. More often or not you will wade through fish if you charge out waist deep.
Saltwater is a different thing. Even here casts over 60' aren't always needed and wind can really add or subtract from effective casting. Then there is still the accuracy thing. Sometimes you just cast to the current seam or depth break or whatever and hope. But in shallow water may need to put a soft landing a few feet ahead of a cruising fish. Tough to do with a hero cast. Typically stripping flies so still maintain contact even at distance; not many mending situation in saltwater.
Saltwater is a different thing. Even here casts over 60' aren't always needed and wind can really add or subtract from effective casting. Then there is still the accuracy thing. Sometimes you just cast to the current seam or depth break or whatever and hope. But in shallow water may need to put a soft landing a few feet ahead of a cruising fish. Tough to do with a hero cast. Typically stripping flies so still maintain contact even at distance; not many mending situation in saltwater.
Oregon_OwlII
Active member
That's a good toss. Were you a shot put champion at one point in your life?
I'm able to hit, accurately, the fish that are rising.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
This ain't me I'm talking about, but currently I'm reading "A Fly Rod With Soul" by Per Brandin about E.C. Powell, the famous bamboo rod-maker. His son Buddy Powell could hit 220 feet with one of his dad's 9' 5+ oz. bamboo rods... 😵
As for me, I cast whole line a few times with a few faster rods while goofing off, but I mostly fish moderate action rods and I don't fish anywhere where a cast that long is even remotely necessary.
Besides, I have it on good authority from past experience that if I needed a 100 foot cast, the fish would move exactly one foot away from me...
As for me, I cast whole line a few times with a few faster rods while goofing off, but I mostly fish moderate action rods and I don't fish anywhere where a cast that long is even remotely necessary.
Besides, I have it on good authority from past experience that if I needed a 100 foot cast, the fish would move exactly one foot away from me...
