[Funnel30]

I'm using a 9' 6wt right now with what I am assuming to be slow to medium action. I went fishing today at a lake and found that I just wasn't able to get the distance I wanted. I was fishing from shore by the way and my casts were 30ft at the most I would say. So is this lack of distance a result of my casting style and do you think I just need improvement or should I be able to cast further with this rod. Granted nobody can see my casting style but I just think that I should be able to get more. Would a fast action rod help? Thanks

[tie one on]

There are many reasons that this maybe occuring.

1. What type of fly line are you using ? ( WF, sink tip, shooting head, etc.)

2. Is the flyline on the rod the right weight class for the rod ? (6WF or 6DT)

3. What size of fly are you trying to cast ? (small dry or large streamer)

How long have you been flyfishing ? If you have a concern that your cast my not be what it should be stop by a local fly shop & ask them to view your cast, they might be able to give you some tips.

Asking these types of questions & receiving great answeres is what this site is all about. Never fear to ask.

Tie One On

[fshfanatic]

A faster action rod will give you more distance for the most part. This is not to say a slower action rod wont give you distance. However, with a slower action rod you have to "wait" for the rod to load before starting your forward motion. If you fail to wait, disctance will be decreased greatly..

[Funnel30]

Its a Wf line. I am pretty sure its the right line, the fly shop I purchased it in is pretty well known so I would hope they would get the line right. I think the problem that I am facing is the "waiting." I think its tough to wait for 40ft of line to load up on a slow action rod. Now typically I don't fish lakes so normally I don't need the distance but I was just curious if there were any solutions. Thanks for the help.

[Curtis]

Originally Posted by Funnel30

Its a Wf line. I am pretty sure its the right line, the fly shop I purchased it in is pretty well known so I would hope they would get the line right. I think the problem that I am facing is the "waiting." I think its tough to wait for 40ft of line to load up on a slow action rod. Now typically I don't fish lakes so normally I don't need the distance but I was just curious if there were any solutions. Thanks for the help.

Instead of trying to carry a long line in the air when lake fishing, I would advise you to strip off about fifty feet of line or so. Start false casting until you have about twenty feet in the air and then on your forward cast, keep the tip pointed diagonal from the water and let the line pull itself out. This is called shooting line and is much easier then trying to keep all that line in the air, especially when you are usually so close to the waters surface when fishing a lake from a tube or whatever you are using. I have found that slower action rods are great at shooting line too as they have that deep flex that puts a lot of energy into the line and releases over a longer period.