Of all the questions I’m asked, the one that comes up most frequently is “What can I do to catch more fish?” And the answer to this question is relatively easy; improving your casting distance… it’s really that simple. Covering water quickly and efficiently with long probing casts is by far my best strategy for catching numbers of fish and here’s why.
Power-fishing techniques like spinner baiting, rolling a spoon, blind casting top water plugs, or even swimming a jig are much more effective with greater casting distance. It’s all about the math, these tactics allow an angler to average about 70 presentations per hour or about 500 plus presentations in an average fishing day. If the angler can achieve an additional 20 feet on his cast, that will equate to just less than 2 miles of extra water covered in a day of employing power fishing techniques! Can you imagine having a near 2 mile advantage on your fishing partner; especially considering that the strike happens most of the time in the first 33% of the retrieve… “Getchu some of that!”
Now you need to know “How do I achieve that extra 20 feet of distance on my cast?”, below are a few tips that will help you gain a casting distance advantage.
Rod length is very important, I use a 7’6” spinning or a 7’ casting rod that has a fast action with a light tip… this set-up loads the rod up perfect for a super long cast while power fishing. Slower action rods do not generate enough rod tip speed to get a casting distance advantage. A general rod physics rule is the longer the rod the greater the ability to make a longer cast… with a shorter rod a more accurate cast can be achieved but distance casting suffers quite a bit.
Reels also play a vital role… I have found larger spools on spinning reels like Daiwa’s TDA Advantage and Coastal 3000 let more line per loop come off the spool during the cast with less friction overall which allows for a much longer cast. Here is a simple comparison between a larger spool and a traditional sized spinning reel spool. The larger spool will average about 8” of line per loop coming off during the cast where as a traditional spool allows only about 6”… that little 2” advantage is 25% more line coming off the spool with less friction giving the cast more distance.
High quality line also factors into the equation… super lines (braided line) can really enhance your casting distance. Super lines that are higher quality because of their six and eight carrier manufacturing process are rounder, limper, thinner, and even have better finishes on the line for less overall friction. These types of lines have higher costs but are definitely worth the extra money… they can easily add an additional 10 feet to your cast.
Naturally keeping the wind at your back and leaving enough line outside of your rod tip to properly load your fishing rod also helps with gaining greater casting distance. By combining all these tips most anglers should see a significant improvement not only in casting distance but in the number of fish they are putting in the boat. Keep’em bent!
-Capt. C.A. Richardson
Absolutely. It’s something I teach too. “The better casters are the better anglers.” Wind-aided casts are something I also suggest, particularly with the very light jigheads I like to have people throw. “Set up” upwind of the fishing location and not only does this maximize the casting distance, it’s also better for working a lighter lure back in a more realistic fashion. I call it “bow” on the line from wind blowing crossways on the line that’s out of the water. Not such a big deal with a heavier lure but kills the lure action with lighter jigs and lures.
Great article C.A. !
Good points. Another important factor is the lure itself. A spoon or aerodynamic lure casts a lot further than a spinner bait or crank bait. Also the weight is obviously important also.