Poor casting?

[PANativebrookie]

I am new to fly fishing and can't seem to cast the line very far- maybe 15 yards at best. I am using an 8' 5wt Cabelas three Forks rod with Cabelas Prestige Plus II reel and 5wt line. Is this as far as I can expect to get out of the rod or is there more distance potential and I'm just not experienced yet? Thanks.

 

[surveyor06]

I used to have the same rod. I had a casting instructor, OldLefty on the board, cast it. He aerialized all the fly line so it can do it. Could I do that? Hell no. Most times you dont even need to cast that far. I would focus on the basics and not worry too much on distance right now. Make sure you can cast shorter distances well, then work on longer distance. Hope this helps.


Andy

 

[PANativebrookie]

Helped greatly. Thanks a lot.

 

[jdaddy]

An accurate 15 yard cast is going to cover 95% of the fishing you will be doing. Accurate being the key word. Over 15 yards you are likely looking at current issues that will cause a lot of problems with your drift. So to revise my original statement an accurate 15 yard cast with good line control will cover 95% of the fishing you will be doing.

 

[tomgamber]

15 yards is 45 feet...nearly half your line. Not a bad cast.

 

[gfen]

OldLefty gave me some hints when I picked a 10wt for the shore... I could consistently do 60' or so, but after that everything fell apart.

We worked on technique a bit, and it helped (yesterday, a forumite commented on how good my loops look, hah!), but the most important hint he gave me wasn't a way to increase distance, but to ALWAYS pick a target and cast to it.

Admittedly, my crippled style keeps me at around 60-70' tops, but I can consistently put a fly within a foot or so of my target at that range. I can easily cross most streams I fish with a cast, and put the fly over the riser. And its awesome when a fish takes that thing 40' away.

(not that I can hook the damnable things, but that's another thread)

So, 45' You'll be fine, just start to work on accuracy.

 

[PANativebrookie]

Roger that. I'll work on it tomorrow in the Susquehanna. Thanks again

 

[Padraic]

Casting 15yds is not necessary for fishing in PA. When I got good enough to cast that far accurately, I got over it and started wading more. I found when I got within 20' or so, my catch rate when way up.

That said, casting is an important skill. Being able to layout the flyline softly and accurately is crucial. Check out Diagnosing the Cast by Jaworski. Your library may have it, but you may find you'll need it so often buying it is a good investment. Youtube has a large number of videos to watch and get tips. Search on Lefty Kreh, Joan Wulff or other big names in fly instruction. Good luck!

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Accuracy above distance in most situations.Padriac is right on ,imho.