Ihave a 9 ft. 5 wt. rod that i can cast about 25 ft. Some one gave me a new 7 wt. sink tip they found at a estate sale.Would this help in my casting distance.Fishing for panfish and smaller bass in a couple of small lakes from the banks
bamafan Is this a misprint 25 feet with a 9’ 5wt. ???
If it isn’t I’d try to get out 30’ so the rod is loading…and right there you’ll have 5’ more 
i guess it is a misprint a little bit . this 9ft is new to me i’m new to fly fishing sort of and am not a good caster .i went out on the lawn just now and i was able to get out about 40 ft fairly accurate this time
Good for you…now as to the 7 wt sink tip…IMO you should work on your casting stroke and not go to such an overlining…learn to load the rod with the proper line…you can always play around with underlining or overlining after you have a reasonable casting stroke…
You should get hold of a casting instructor, or at least someone who can fly cast to show you some of the mechanics. ounce you catch on you’ll find that it’s not that hard at all. But definitely seek out some instruction…Bud
bamafan, you’re on your way…stick with what you have and keep practicing…let the rod and the line tell you when to make your move…25 ft to 40 ft means with some more practice you’ll start getting the idea of how to get more line out there if you need to. Accuracy first, distance will come. Welcome to the fray.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
25’ to 40’ is more than enough distanse for most fly fishing. Don’t get discouraged it will come. If you really need longer casts learn the double haul.
Greg
Just keep practicing. I started one year ago and couldn’t do more than about 25-30 ft with a 6wt. I now can get a 4wt out about 60 ft!
But like it was said for most stream fishing 40 feet is more than plenty. I do a lot of pond fishing now and being able to ‘getting out there’ sometimes is beneficial.
I say to stick with the 5 weight for now.
And possibly get a lesson on casting.
Maybe even a book.
If you can cast 25-35’, you’re covering the vast majority of your fishing opportunities. When on streams, I rarely find a need to cast beyond 30 feet or so. On lakes, I seldom cast pst 40 to 45 feet. I can cast farther but it’s rare I need to.
I kind of compare it to hunting. I can hit a deer at 400 yards with my Remington 700 30-06. However, I’ve never actually felt a need to shoot one that far away. Same with fishing, I can cast 60-70 feet with decent accuracy, but it’s rare that I ever find a need to fish that far out unless i’m just showing off or playing around.
Jeff
thanks for the help guys,i’ll keep on praticing .i don’t know any one who flyfishes ,but i’ll try to hook up with someone from the local TU chapter for help
I’d get help first, Instead of practicing the wrong things and starting to commit them to muscle memory.
That’s when casting habits get really hard to break is when they have been committed to muscle memory. :shock: 
bamafan;
Have you read Fly Fishing 101 yet? There are some great tips on casting in the Archives.
Should you ever get up my way (about 3 hours north) I should be able to hook you up with a friend that is a certified casting instructor. He has helped me kick 35 years of bad casting habits.
The usual mistakes are these:
Pulling the rod back too far and not waiting long enough before forward casting.
If you are cheap like me. Go to the public library, they probably have or can get a video tape. The best thing I ever did to help my casting [which still isn’t anything to write home about] is go to the Shallow Water Fishing Expo and watch and listen to Left Kreh. That was about 30 years after I started flailing at the air.
I haven’t done it but if you have access to a video camera record your casting in the yard and compare it to the instructional tape.
Relax when you are fishing, it’s not really a contest, remember what you have learned about mechanics. I know when I get lazy or rushed my casting goes to pot.
Fly fishing [in my small mind] is about having a good time, forgetting the stuff that make your blood pressure rise and good mental health. It’s cheaper than a shrink and more fun.