Why so big on distance?

[pabrookie94]

I have a simple question that I'm sure isn't a simple answer....why are so many fly fisherman concerned with distance casting? I see it everywhere, power tapered lines, extreme tapered rods, distance this distance that.

I have been fly fishing for about 10 years now which although isn't that long, I'd say that's long enough to get a general sense as to how far the average cast will be. Most streams in PA you could literally high stick the far bank and although there are big rivers throughout the country mending, drag, and the hook set all become infinitely more difficult at say 80'.

So why is it that people are so concerned with this midge sized factor of actual fishing?

 

[bigslackwater]

I think it's one of those things where when you need it, you want to be able to do it. It's kind of like me and four wheel drive. I have always driven a fwd vehicle because I have that mentality of needing it to get around in the snow. I may never even engage my 4wd this year, but I feel good knowing I can if I need to!

 

[dryflyguy]

Great answer by slack water! I just bought a new truck a little over a year ago now. And really debated whether to get another 4WD or not. I did. And the way last winter turned out, it was well worth it.

Back to the gist of the OP - I think a lot of it depends on your style of fishing. I like to fish large streams - the Youghiogheny, Delaware, etc. And there are certainly times on that kind of water, when long casts are needed.

That said though, I would agree that on most PA streams, I don't need to cast over 30 feet or so

 

[pabrookie94]

I do understand the 4wd point however, a 4wd truck doesn't really affect its 2wd performance other than say gas mileage. Distance rods and lines I would assume have a very negative effect on short range accuracy and effectiveness. Correct me if I'm wrong in saying that.

 

[BrookieChaser]

pabrookie94 wrote:
Distance rods and lines I would assume have a very negative effect on short range accuracy and effectiveness. Correct me if I'm wrong in saying that.

That's not been my experience. Like in most anything timing is everything.

As for why to cast distance, that's simple, not to spook fish.

 

[SteveG]

I don't think it's the fly fisherman concerned with it, but the manufacturers. It's simple marketing, create a desire for what you're selling.

Fwiw, powerful rods aren't necessarily a detriment in the right hands. The friend I fish with the most uses a very fast powerful rod, with a shooting type taper. Yet, he can delicately present small nymphs on very calm water (at all distances) to spooky fish because he's good at casting. I prefer true medium action rods, and attempting to cast his rod is hilarious if not utterly embarrassing.

 

[krayfish2]

Can anyone explain the drawback to casting longer distances? Your question makes me want to ask if you've ever fished a stream larger than 15' - 20' wide. If not, you'd never see the realistic need to cast 40he , 50' or 60'. The Letort is a small stream where you may need to throw a dry 50'. How about a trout fisherman that goes for musky and bass?

Ok, maybe you won't double haul it to a fish rising 70' away this year .....and....... I won't roll cast 6' this year but we are both still fishing. Don't sweat it and buy the gear that matches YOUR needs.

Lastly, every take someone fishing and then had this conversation with your buddies afterward:

Buddy 1 - Oh hey, did you ever get over to Secret water X ?
Me - Yeah, I took a guy from the forum and my neighbor. That was a long day.
Buddy 2 - What, did you guys fish dawn to dusk?
Me - No. Neither of them could cast 20'. They couldn't reach 90% of the fish. Long day.

Conversation never heard:
Buddy 1 - Did you get out to secret spot X with those guys?
Me - Yeah. We fished from dawn to dusk. They were great casters and could reach every fish.

 

[tomitrout]

Why? Because there's a lot more to the flyfishing world than your average PA trout stream and as such, the marketing and product being sold reflects this. Trying to reach the far bank of a western river with your hopper while the wind is blowing is a fair bit different game than flippin' a green weenie in the riffles of the Breeeches...

Also, if you can effectively add another 10-15' to your cast, that's 10-15' further away you are from spooking that fish. How many times have you taken 'just one more step' closer to your target only to spook it and not even get in a single cast? Personally, I'd rather stand back comfortably and cast than end up crawling around on my hands and knees trying to be stealthy..

 

[pcray1231]

I'd agree with the previous two in saying that:

1. Yes, it's a major advantage in many types of fly fishing.
2. No, it's not an advantage, and can even be harmful, in many other types of fly fishing.

Some of us do one or the other, many of us do both, but even so, we're using different setups for each case. This is why 1 setup does not cover it all.

I don't buy the spooking fish argument. The places where you're worried about spooking fish, you do want to cast further to prevent it, but realistically these are situations where it's naturally a 10 or 15 foot cast and you are trying to make it into a 20 or 25 foot cast. The situations where you want to open up with 60 feet or more of fly line is generally BIG water situations, with the goal of getting a fly somewhere you can't reach by wading, or simply to be able to cover more water.

It's rarely needed by me, but I do get the desire to cast further in river, lake, or saltwater setups. The part I don't get is that the long-distance marketing extends down to 3 and 4 wt rods! And of course, go to a fly fishing show, and watch someone try out a 2 wt, and what do they do? Line up and cast it as far as they can. I just shake my head. With that rod, how does it feel at 10-20 ft? Beyond that doesn't matter.....

 

[tomitrout]

And of course, go to a fly fishing show, and watch someone try out a 2 wt, and what do they do? Line up and cast it as far as they can. I just shake my head.

Why shake your head? When I'm trying out a rod, I wanna now how it works across the full range....would I plan to fish a 2wt at 60ft? no. Does trying to throw 60' of line with that 2wt tell me even more about that particular rod's behavior than a typical 20' trout stream cast? yes.

So when I'm trying out a rod, you can be darn sure I'm gonna see how well it works across the entire spectrum. And besides, throwing a long line is fun....

 

[pcray1231]

My point was that if you're going to compare rods, compare how they feel at typical fishing distances, rather than at the end of their range. If you wanna test the range, then test the close extreme too! I've nymphed without ANY fly line off the tip, lol. So for every 60 ft cast I make in the pond I should also be making a few "just leader" casts, all the while keeping in mind that 10-25 ft is probably where it'll get 90% of it's work.

Now, a collection of 9-11 ft 7-8 wts may very well typically fish at 60 ft, and if comparing said rods, by all means, that's how you should test cast them.

But the guy with a collection of 7-8 ft 2-4 wts compares at 60 ft, what feels the best there is unlikely to be what feels best at the more typical fishing distances of 10-25 ft that those rods are supposed to be designed for.

And this is how we get true 5 wts labeled as 3 and 4 wts. People mentally "want" a 3 or 4 wt but when they test cast at 60 ft, the mis-labeled 5 wt feels the best, as it's effectively underlined with the "matching" 3 or 4 wt line! It's a sales tactic. And it works.

And then they get streamside and find out this rod, which is truly a mislabeled 5 wt, loaded with 3 or 4 wt "matched" line, doesn't feel so great at 10 ft. At short distances, it's actually now woefully underlined, but they don't know that, afterall, the ratings match, right? They just think it's a dud, and there's a mental hurdle to overlining that many just don't surpass. And that's how we get true 5 wt lines labeled 3 or 4 wts. Another sales tactic. Finally someone hands them a line and says, here, try this. "Well, I'll be, this line is fantastic, and made my dud of a rod into a performer!"

Then all the rod and line manufacturers do that to compete, and you're back where you started. Cept now what used to be called a 5 wt is now called a 4 wt. Till someone takes the next step. Eventually we get guys talking about their 1 wt rods with 1 wt lines, when it's pretty much what used to be called a 4 wt outfit.

Ah well, so it goes. If it works for them, great.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Agreed, tomitrout. I'm never going to cast my whole line on a 2 or 3wt, but I want to know the rod can handle it.

I have no idea how far I can cast. I can't cast the whole line, I know that, but I do know that casting farther requires you to learn better line control, and that is never a bad thing.

 

[krayfish2]

I'm with Pat on shaking my head at manufacturers as well as buyers. When I see a post from a guy that fishes small water....the kind you can jump across. In pictures of their fish you see the rod. Someone asks and the poster responds: "Its a 9.5 flex Helios, 7'6" in 3 weight". I'm not an expert but struggle to find a reason you'd ever want a rod like that to catch 7" fish. I wouldn't flex until you had 35' feet of line out of the tip.

You definitely do see the full line attempts in the casting ponds at the show. I'd air it out too but I pretty much gave up fishing waters where I can throw a rock and reach the far bank.

 

[pcray1231]

kray, you and I differ on our favorite waters, and that's fine. To each their own. Big water to me is Penns, and I can throw a rock across that. Letort/Spring Creek type water is "medium". As for small, heck, I've fished a few where I can not only jump across, but stand with a foot on each bank.

But FWIW, what I want in a small stream rod is line SPEED. Obviously, yeah, it's gotta load at close distances. But you need to be able to throw tight loops. Lots of overhanging branches, small windows in brush to toss through, etc., and you wanna be able to do that from as far away as possible. And "finesse" doesn't enter the equation, these fish are spooky if they see you, but they're dumb as bricks as far as the drag and presentation end of it.

Generally that equates to overlined short broomsticks for me.

The soft action stuff has it's place, but it's generally on bigger water, in low water situations, where you can be throwing midges and tricos and junk like that to ultra picky, heavily pressured fish with a smooth surface on the water. On those same waters, in other conditions, if deep nymphing or tossing streamers or something, yeah, I go back to liking faster actions.

 

[krayfish2]

:-o :-o

I'd probably want the exact opposite of what you wrote.

 

[SteveG]

Not to get too off topic. But for anyone interested in rod actions/line ratings, read up on the Common Cents System.

 

[Swattie87]

"Big time distance castin' is for macho holes with a death wish." - Point Break (the original one).

 

[moon1284]

Why cast for distance?

Chicks dig the long ball.

Casting far has advantages and the guys who can cast a whole line obviously have good casting mechanics. I can't think of one person that can cast far but can't accurately cast in close.

I like more moderate rods for all applications, this is because of the tippet protection and fish fighting abilities. I could definitely eek out more distance with a tcr, but I can cast pretty further than I need to with the rods I use.

 

[FiveWeight]

Why is it good to have the ability to go long? Because the distance you can cast is all in proportion to the water going over the top of your chest waders. It just always seems that the flotsam of tree brush or snag where a bruiser of a Brown is sipping caddis on a regular basis is right there on the hairy edge of water going down yer chest and the distance one can cast. Most of the time its the 15/20ft stuff but on some of the larger waters we have here in the Commonwealth Its nice to really be able to reach out. Love'n me some speed shooting heads! Like a rocket! LOL

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Distance is less important than accuracy. My first lesson in fly casting. Put a practice fly in a pie plate at various distances.
Distance on big water? or in the salt. GG