I'll add a couple of comments to this thread.

First a general comment about FFF's CCI exam. Just to clarify, the exam does not just check casting skills. There are 3 parts to the exam, a written test, the casting performance portion, and the third part is the teaching portion, these are the questions that begin with "explain and demonstrate". It is difficult to pass this exam without teaching experience, but I've also seen some very good instructors have trouble with the exam, primarily because most of us don't use all of the required casts on a regular basis. For me, I had to learn the roll cast skills because I seldom use them where I fish. I can't comment on anyone's specific test but my own, however there does seem to be a little bit of "luck of draw" when comes to who does your testing and which casting skills they will think are the most important. Whether or not you want to pursue certification, learning to do the casts required for the exam will increase your versitility as a fly fisher.


Back to the original question. For maximum one handed rod distance, there is a suprising number of people that can cast 100+ feet. But from what I've seen, most casters seem to top out on their own in the 35 to 50 foot distance range on their own. Add maybe a casting DVD or help from a buddy and topping out increases to about 60 feet, but it may or may not be consistant. To get past the 60 foot range, I think there are a few things that the caster must do:

1. Learn to double haul - using both hands to cast "shares the work" and it is much easier to cast.

2. Learn good casting technique - Including loop control, good stops, timing, tracking, etc. For most of us, accomplishing this meant finding a good instructor to work with. (As far as improving distance, tracking was my biggest problem. To check your tracking, lay a rope on the ground in front of you as a straight edge and check how straight your line is when you lay down a cast. If it curves to the left or right, your tracking could be better. Be sure to check your back cast too.)

3. Practice - You have to practice your casting to get good at it. And there is a difference between practice and fishing.

Anyway there's my 2 cents.

Rex