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Long Distance Casting
Here's one maybe we can have some fun with.
Learning to fly fish in Michigan, I rarely had cause to cast much more that 60 to 70 feet. Almost no one I knew ever double hauled or worried about long casting techniques. But when I started doing salt, I found 60 feet was a short cast and 80 to 90 feet was more the norm, some over 100 feet. Now I never dreamed you could cast a whole fly line and shoot backing to boot, so I never learned.
Since my great salt revelation, I have found that long distance casting is normal in many places and double haul is the only way many people cast. I have found that people on bulletin boards from NZ and UK consider 100 feet as sort as a rite of passage and there are even 100' clubs. They put great emphasis on distance.
Now I am sure many of you west coasters are familiar with this and even have casting clubs for long distance competition. But I have not seen it around here.
My question then, is this. Am I living a sheltered existence and all of the rest of you out there can go out and double haul 100 feet of line? Or throw a whole line and shoot another 20 feet of backing? Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings if you say I'm a wimp.
Bob Bolton
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Re: Long Distance Casting
If the fish are only, say, 35 feet away, why would you worry about distance shooting? It's fun to shoot the whole line, even to the backing, but unless you're going to fish the salt, I'd say accuracy is more important.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
This is where I fish. I don't think a 100' cast will fit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ut/stream2.jpg
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Re: Long Distance Casting
I credit Woodperson on the VFS board for this post....I wish I had made the
post
"Anyone who says that they have never tried to reach a fish that was @ the
limits of their casting range is a baldfaced, lying fisherman..."
A big Yeah to that.
And any fly fisherman that says they would not like to be able to cast 90'
is kidding himself too. (but not fooling me), Tell me you would not do it in
a fishing situation, tell me that you don't want to work that hard on your
casting, but don't tell me that deep down you would't like to be able to
walk up to a 5 weight in the parking lot and pop the backing knot out of the
rod with a little snap when it comes tight.
There is nothing about being able to cast long that hurts one as a fisherman
that I can tell."
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Re: Long Distance Casting
I fish saltwater most of the time.
If I concentrate (and the planets are all aligned just right) I can cast a full line.
I find though, that more often that not, a distance cast of 50 to 70' is more in the range of where I will most likely be able to hook and land a fish
Maybe I'm an underachevier, maybe I don't get out enough.
I'm not going to worry about it.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Call me a liar then Jerry. I fish many streams, but they all look like the picture I posted. I feel better about doing some tricky cast that put the fly right where I was looking. Especially if I get a take when the fly lands.
I used to be a golf pro. I was never a long ball hitter. I was very accurate though and would beat the long ball hitter on a regular basis.
I see no value on casting beyond a distance that you can see the fly. Unless you're using lures...sorry..streamers.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
the continual argument,,, "I would rather be able to cast accurately than long". I only can assume that means they are incapable of doing both; and imply that one can not do both. Most I find who can cast a long line actually know enough about line control that accuracy is not a problem. There are those who enjoy limiting themselves by only casting short, that works for them, but not me.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Actually <not to boast> I can do both!! Took a few lessons from this guy who dressed funny ... and I can wing it out there real good!! Do the short casts too, cuz that's where my fish are ... usually. :wink:
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry
I credit Woodperson on the VFS board for this post....I wish I had made the
post
"Anyone who says that they have never tried to reach a fish that was @ the
limits of their casting range is a baldfaced, lying fisherman..."
A big Yeah to that.
And any fly fisherman that says they would not like to be able to cast 90'
is kidding himself too. (but not fooling me), Tell me you would not do it in
a fishing situation, tell me that you don't want to work that hard on your
casting, but don't tell me that deep down you would't like to be able to
walk up to a 5 weight in the parking lot and pop the backing knot out of the
rod with a little snap when it comes tight.
There is nothing about being able to cast long that hurts one as a fisherman
that I can tell."
You are really off base. Look at gramps post. For some of us a 60 foot cast would put out fly out of the water by 40 feet on the other bank.
The only real skill most of us need is to be able to cast 40 feet without a full backcast, with a bush or trees behind us, and to be able to do a spey cast on a single handed rod. This would not even apply to gramps.
Now yes, while I can double haul, I can only cast about 65-70 feet with a 5 weight, and think it would be cool to "rip out a 5 weight in a parking lot and cast 100 feet or throw the whole line plus 40 feet of backing". Most of the MEN here with testosterone would probably agree. I dont know about the women folk as they are more practical.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
bdesavage, if you live a sheltered life, then so do I. In fact, I am not ashamed to admit that I had never even heard of the double haul until I found this site. As others have said I honestly never had the need. Yea, there were times before that I couldn't reach fish with a single cast from where I was. My solution? Walk closer to the fish. Since I have learned that there is such a thing as a double (or even single) haul, I've tried it often on still water and it is a lot of fun. For a while I could cast a decent cast (not a good judge with distances by sight) but I'd guess around 70-80 ft., but I couldn't get a decent hook set with that much line out. I was so used to just a little tug or a little lift of the rod tip and a good enough hook set. Finally a few weeks ago I did hook and land a nice little 2lb LMB from a pond on a double haul cast. It was lots of fun, but took forever to reel all that line back in too. I usually stick with the typical 20-40 foot casts and still manage to catch fish. HHMMM, go figure!
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Re: Long Distance Casting
too confrontational.
gotta have fun.
may not need to cast that far, but fun to be able to.
cast to your fish regardless of distance.
accuracy counts.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Distance is great.
To get good at it, it takes practice and disicpline. And THAT leads to 'skill'.
However, it is up to each of us to decide if we want to invest that 'practice and disipline' in the pursuit of the 'skill' of making long casts.
You can decide that you don't need to be able to cast that far, or even HALF that far and still enjoy fly fishing.
Nothing wrong with that.
You can decide that you really DO want to learn to lay a fly out 100+ feet accurately, spend the time to learn to do so, and be justly proud of that 'skill'.
Nothing wrong with that either.
What is 'wrong' is either side of this issue thinking that how far you can 'cast' has any bearing on how 'good' a fly fisherman that person is. There are outstanding casters out there who have trouble catching fish. There are folks who have trouble casting 30 feet who catch lots of fish. One doesn't necessarily equal the other.
I know that those who 'can' double haul and pitch a 100 foot cast easily will tell everyone that will listen that if you just do 'this' and learn 'that' it's 'not hard'. Folks learn at different rates, coordination and physical abilities differ wildly, and many folks have ingrained 'bad habits' that while 'wrong' for the pure cast are now second nature to them and are very hard to 'unlearn'. Not everyone CAN get it, at least not without a lot of that disipline and practice.
For some, it is NOT easy to simply learn. And, as we get older, it can get harder.
I know it's hard to believe, but many folks find taking instruction, practiceing something, and trying to 'learn' a new skill to be hard work and not in any way 'fun'. Many people have serious trouble taking any criticism, especially in a group setting, and are self conscious about looking 'bad' as well. Hard for these folks to even consider taking any kind of casting course unless they have the money to get private instruction.
For many of us, fly fishing isn't all our life is about. It's something we like/love/enjoy doing, but we have other things we have to spend time on as well. Work (I know it's a four letter word), family, even (shudder) other hobies than fly casting. Some folks would prefer to spend 'extra' tying flies or building rods rather than practicing the cast.
So, if you want to cast far, learn to do it. It really isn't 'hard' if you have the drive and determination to take the instruction and practice applying it. If you are happy with your fishing as it is, then don't sweat it.
Nothing wrong with either approach.
Good Luck!
Buddy
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Re: Long Distance Casting
AMEN BUDDY!
Excellent post. I agree 100% with everything you said. 8)
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Bob,
Sure there are advantages with being able to cast more than 100 feet but they are in techniques that can be applied to much shorter casts in certain situations. What's the sense of being able to cast 100 feet or whatever distance if your fish are 1/2 that distance and you can't come close to putting the fly where it has to be? There's casting for: A)Distance; B)Competition; C)Showing Off; D)Accuracy; E)Necessity; and F)Fishing. The first 3 have nothing to do with the sport of fly fishing. I'm sure there are those who will disagree but this is just MHO.
Deezel
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Bob,
I doubt I could get to the 70 ft. mark. I dunno, I've never tried. I fish small spring creeks and around 30' max, if that.
I do do some bass fishing and pike/muskie stuff but anything more than 50 ft is rare there. I can do that alright w/a dbl. haul but seldom need to try for more.
Maybe I should seem just for the fun of it....I have a son who "reaches out" a lot. I've just never tried.
Jeremy.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
I enjoy casting and working on my casting [u]almost[u] as much as the fishing and I can tell you I would love to be able to cast to the end of my line and I envy those who can. That being said, I don't need anymore than 60', roughly, to reach my quarry 95% of the time. I will cast huge distance one day, but I'm not in a really big rush...at least not until I see a big fish 100' out from me.
Brad
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Re: Long Distance Casting
No matter how far you can cast there will always be a fish 5 feet farther than you can reach, whether it is 10 feet, 100 feet, or 200 feet. Reaching him and catching him are two different things.
:shock:
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Re: Long Distance Casting
I'm not a great doublehauler but I wish I were....folks that can tend to use it on almost all casts [I'm told]...and are able to expend less energy on even short casts...making long sessions of casting [fishing] less fatiguing.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by J Castwell
the continual argument,,, "I would rather be able to cast accurately than long". I only can assume that means they are incapable of doing both; and imply that one can not do both. Most I find who can cast a long line actually know enough about line control that accuracy is not a problem. There are those who enjoy limiting themselves by only casting short, that works for them, but not me.
Well, not true in my case. I worked hard in California to cast a long distance. Maybe not 100 ft, but not too far off. When I got to Colorado I never saw a need for long casts. Even on the bigger rivers. Well, big for my area anyway. Since I didn't need long cats, I dropped to a 3wt and never say to myself "I need to cast longer than this rod can do".
I've said it many times. I see no sense in casting a fly farther than I can see it on the water. Keeping in mind I have poor vision.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Hi,
Our club had a casting clinic with a friendly competition as well. The competition involved a series of accuracy tests and a distance component. My 3 best casts were all about 61 feet, within inches of each other. Most rivers I fish I never come any where close to needing to cast that far. However, if I'm fishing a lake, the further I can cast the longer my fly is being retrieved along the bottom and so the longer it is in the zone. Also, there are some pretty large rivers that, on occasion, I also fish. One of my most memorable fish landed was on the Rangitieki, and in a nice riffle above Te Awa camp a rise would start each day just before noon. On the far side of the river was this one fish that always seemed to be the first one to start taking off the surface. There was a tricky set of currents to deal with as well as this fish sitting just beyond my casting range (this was a couple years ago, so my best casting wouldn't have been 60 feet, probably closer to 50 or so). However, we had some pointers at the club the week before, so I was practicing while on the river. All weekend I fished this riffle, took a number of nice little fatties (ave 1.5 lbs). All weekend this fish was mocking me. However, I continued to practice what I had learned at the club, and finally, on the last day, I was able to place a fly where I wanted in order to get the drift, and sure enough, I could see him turn and grab it. Like all the others, this one was a nice rainbow of about 1.5 lbs, and wasn't even the biggest fish of the weekend. But it was the most satisfying.
Since then, I have noticed that there are always fish just beyond my casting distance.
- Jeff
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Not to brag,,,I can cast a whole line and some backing to boot when and if I want/need to. Double hauls are fun!
That's All I have to say.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
"That's All I have to say."...Chris , I doubt that :P
"Not to brag,,,I can cast a whole line and some backing to boot"...IMHO you are....but since you can.. that demands some respect on this forum 8)
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Ducks, you know me too well.
It's not all I have to say, But it is all I think I should say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksterman
"Not to brag,,,I can cast a whole line and some backing to boot"...IMHO you are....but since you can.. that demands some respect on this forum
Thanks 8) :D
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Brag when you can cast the whole line without a double haul. :lol:
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Chris,
I am genuinely impressed. Out of 100 anglers, how many do you think can say that?
Bob Bolton
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobinmich
Chris,
I am genuinely impressed. Out of 100 anglers, how many do you think can say that?
Bob Bolton
100 could say it.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Gramps,
"say"
Nice touch there. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Long Distance Casting
This should be a valid question...based on the Title of this thread.....
How many of you when you throw out these distances...actually measure the distance????
Now throwing a whole line doesn't require measurement..[but some lines are longer than others but who cares at that point :lol: ]...Chris I believe you...when one is into backing ...they are..
I mark my lines @ 30 and 40 ft for several reasons and when practicing... measure distances...[some folks talk about aerializing lines....]
If you want to be honest with yourself and fellow fisherman ....actual measurement should be a part of the deal 8)
How big was that fish you just lost :(
Just some thoughts I have as I read some posts...who knows without disclosure...
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Re: Long Distance Casting
great post...
personally, I wish I could cast 100+ feet for those rare times I fish salt but I can't...I'm usually good for about 70' when the planets align and there isn't any wind and I don't have to worry about trees behind me...in fact, sometimes, I wish my accuracy was better (yesterday I was just "off" on everything). But then again most of the places I fish rarely require a cast much longer than 40', with the exception of one backeddy, where a 50-60' cast would be nice but there's also a high back behind with bushes on it...
I always seem to have problems with the timing of the haul...anyone got any tips? I don't really have the time to get out a practice a ton but do manage to get a little practice in now and then since we live pretty near a park.
Randy
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by clarkman23
great post...
personally, I wish I could cast 100+ feet for those rare times I fish salt but I can't...I'm usually good for about 70' when the planets align and there isn't any wind and I don't have to worry about trees behind me...in fact, sometimes, I wish my accuracy was better (yesterday I was just "off" on everything). But then again most of the places I fish rarely require a cast much longer than 40', with the exception of one backeddy, where a 50-60' cast would be nice but there's also a high back behind with bushes on it...
I always seem to have problems with the timing of the haul...anyone got any tips? I don't really have the time to get out a practice a ton but do manage to get a little practice in now and then since we live pretty near a park.
Randy
I taught myself to double haul. I used to give gold lessons, and my method was to always break it down to learning one thing at a time. it was easier than trying to do too much at once.
So, for the double haul I broke it down to single hauls. I worked a whole week on just doing a single haul on the back cast. Just kept doing it until I didn't have to think about it anymore and the timing and muscle memory were set in my brain.
Then I worked a week on just a singlr haul for the forward cast. Same thing until I didn't have to think about it.
It was then easy to just put the two together and let muscle memory do it's thing.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
??????????...so Pete ....you do a single haul on the forward cast and a single haul on the back cast???????
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Same 'ol points... different thread! ;)
Most who can cast 100' worked their way up to that by perfecting casting at shorter distances (like what Castwell said)
To get at the 100' cast things come into play that serve you well at all distances.
If you have to tuck a back cast into a 4' gap in the trees behind you to get that fish that's 45' away you ain't doing it with a wide and sloppy loop.
If you need to make that simple 35' cast but the wind decides to howl at 25 knots on the nose, you ain't getting there, on target, with a wide and sloppy loop and without good linespeed.
Tucking a cast under an overhang when there is no room to swing the rod for a sidearm cast makes knowing how to tighten your loops come in handy.
In warm and salt water fishing long casts are more effective.
If one simply expends less energy when fishing all day with casts no longer than 40', thank knowing how to 'castwell'. :)
Casting is an integral part of this game, why not do it the best you can.
There really is no downside to casting well but there sure are plenty if you don't. Besides, practicing your cast if more fun that hitting a bucket of balls... cheaper too!
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Almost perfect, Jackster,....till you got to the golf part :wink:
Lest some of you think I'm making light of his post....I think he nailed it....without the golf part :)
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksterman
??????????...so Pete ....you do a single haul on the forward cast and a single haul on the back cast???????
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Re: Long Distance Casting
What's kinda unbelievable about this whole thread is people telling OTHER people how they should be able to cast on their own waters; what they should be satisfied with; what their needs are; and what the should enjoy out of fly fishing.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blood Not
What's kinda unbelievable about this whole thread is people telling OTHER people how they should be able to cast on their own waters; what they should be satisfied with; what their needs are; and what the should enjoy out of fly fishing.
What I find unbelievable are people who basically try to say casting well isn't worth it.
Everyone should find their OWN joy. When fishing isn't possible, casting still is. Some find it just as relaxing and rewarding too.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksterman
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksterman
??????????...so Pete ....you do a single haul on the forward cast and a single haul on the back cast???????
If I want to double haul? Yes.
Wasn't that obvious in my post?
"It was then easy to just put the two together and let muscle memory do it's thing."
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Re: Long Distance Casting
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild One
I hate posts like this. Every forum has someone who does it too.
Stupid post.
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Re: Long Distance Casting
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gramps
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild One
I hate posts like this. Every forum has someone who does it too.
Stupid post.
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