how do you cast the distance?

[fresnoflyman]

with my 8foot rod and my 4weight line. i can cast about a good 30feet. but on a good day maybe 36feet. but how do i get it to cast farther? do i need a longer fly rod? maybe a 10footer.... or is it my casting... i mean with the distance i cast it's doing great for me. but i'v been trying some lakes and seems like the fish are alittle farther than what i can cast. i see some guys on youtube and man they can really cast. it's just unreal...

only way i know how to do the long cast is let out some line and let if drift down then pull the line in.

or is that the distance for the 8foot rod.
any info with be great.
thanks in advance.

[rainbowchaser]

If your outfit is matched correctly and assembled correctly (Once tried to cast a weight foreward line a newbie had put on backwards) it will cast much farther than that. It is very hard to guess what you are doing wrong without seeing you cast. Start by reading this. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/cst/cst112408.php and this http://www.flyanglersonline.com/cst/cst092704.php

[flyfishfairwx]

with my 8foot rod and my 4weight line. i can cast about a good 30feet. but on a good day maybe 36feet. but how do i get it to cast farther? do i need a longer fly rod? maybe a 10footer.... or is it my casting... i mean with the distance i cast it's doing great for me. but i'v been trying some lakes and seems like the fish are alittle farther than what i can cast. i see some guys on youtube and man they can really cast. it's just unreal...

only way i know how to do the long cast is let out some line and let if drift down then pull the line in.

or is that the distance for the 8foot rod.
any info with be great.
thanks in advance.

Hello and you are in the right place to ask this question, plse take a bout 3 days and read every thing you can on this BB and site about casting.

then start again with PRACTICE +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
on the lawn or a football field, as you will be able to see your distance increasing with the time..

I will add that youtube has some great casting video s and other BB have info..

a place called Sexyloops is great for casting .. but start here first..

[D. Micus]

it will come to you, just keep practicing. don't make the mistake of thinking you need a longer or more expensive rod (as long as the one you have is matched correctly with the line). and if you are like a lot of beginners, you are probably going through the motions too fast, so slow it down. Let us know how you make out.

[fresnoflyman]

thanks alot, that really helps. i'll do more practice. it's all hook up right as in line and weight. sweet.... at lease i know now that i dont need to buy a longer rod to make it go farther im good. i'll just do more practice.
because i seen some on videos and they have rods over 10ft. it is just going way out there.
my catch are usually close by, but just for incase it might be alittle farther.

i have seen my casting has goten farther as i cast more and more.

it was just something i just had to ask and see if it was just me or if it was the limit of the rod. so it's just me for now... i need more practice...

thanks all.

[coughlin]

Fresno, good advice about watching vids and, of course, PRACTICE! Still, distance doesn't necessarily mean more success. In fact, at fifty feet or so, I suspect any hook-up is a matter of the fish doing most of the work, as I, at least, can't react fast enough to actually set the hook with that much line out. It's fun to cast a bit of distance, just another pleasure of the sport; but practice also the rhythms needed at 25-35 feet to put the fly where you want it, and this inclues learning to read water well enough to know where that place should be. Again, all part of this wonderful sport.
Coughlin

[Steven]

with my 8foot rod and my 4weight line. i can cast about a good 30feet. but on a good day maybe 36feet.

As an aside, I'd note a few things. For most people, a longer rod will cast farther - of course there are the Lefty Kreh's of the world that can cast the full line on anything.

Second, the greater the rod weight designation, the farther one should be able to cast.

Third, the action of the rod will also affect the distance. A fast rod (tip-flex) will cast farther than a slow rod (butt- or full-flex). However, you give up feel with a fast rod which makes the short game harder.

Finally, cast are measured from where you're standing to where the fly lands. If you are actually casting 30' of line, you are casting 47' (assuming a 9' leader). That's not half bad on an 8' 4 wt and is probably the maximum fishing distance anyway.

[fcch]

Hey ... Welcome to FAOL!

IMHO, ... for many casters, if they buy a 10 foot rod, hey'll cast about 2 feet farther

I use long rods to better control the line/drift, not to cast farther. Oddly, on some of the runs up here, when I know I'll be casting distance all afternoon, I'll pull up a shorter rod (9ft) ... it's less tiring, easier to stop and will shoot line better.

To cast DISTANCE, ... stop thinking distance. Let the rod work by itself. Do a good, smooth pickup to back cast and the forward part will come automatically.

Lastly, ... it is very difficult to "aerialize" lots of line. Learn to "cast" a comfortable length of line, then "shoot" the extra 10-20 feet out the guides. Takes practice and timing to shoot line, but it's well worth the time.

Have fun!!!

[James Smith]

I think you got the message about practice. After I watched Lefty Kreh take just the top section of an 8 ft rod and lay out all 90 feet of line, I decided that it wasn't the rod that was keeping me from getting that kind of distance. All that being said, I spent a year tracking how far away from me that I actually hooked and caught fish. I found that the large majority of fish took the fly at 35 feet or less. For fresh water, I think it is more important to focus on presentation and only worry about long distance when you hit the salt water and are trying to reach some bonefish that are 70+ feet out.

Jim Smith

[Bluegill222]

The shorter and/or lighter the rod, the more precise and clean your casting stroke has to be. Unfortunately, as has been said above already, practice is the only cure. The other thing that helps is to find someone to watch you cast. An observer will notice the little things you can't see or feel yourself and allow you to correct them before they become ingrained in your muscle memory as bad habits.