How far can you cast?

[Hardyreels]

A real good exchange of thought going on here folks, I reopened the poll.............I didn't realize it had stopped taking data last year

[caseywise]

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

A real good exchange of thought going on here folks, I reopened the poll.............I didn't realize it had stopped taking data last year

i cast as far as i need to

casey

[kayo]

Never measured it.

[FlyFlinger2421]

Actually I have measured my casts recently at the park. I was checking three different rods that I had purchased with two goals in mind: First, how far could I cast with each of them and second how much effort did it take?
One was quite a bit inferior to the other two on both counts. It just felt kind of noodly and not as "crisp" as the other two.
I'm not too concerned about how far I can cast but this is a good example of how measuring your cast can be of use to even an average caster such as myself.

[webrx]

the poll is how far "can" you cast, I selected 70 or 80 feet, and I "can" cast that far, actually on a few occasions I have cast the entire fly line, but not frequenetly. I however do not "routinely" cast that far, nor are conditions ideal enough for me to cast a full line when I am out fishing. I can routinely, and with some accuracy, cast in the 50-70 foot range. If the poll question were how far do you routinely cast, or how far can you cast and still hit a dinner plate sized area, then I think the poll might have a little different outcome and I think there would be more in the 50-70 range.

d

[FlyFlinger2421]

As webrx and others have indicated, how far one "can" cast has little practical meaning in the context of actual fishing. There are simply too many other variables of importance such as accuracy, overhead obstructions, wind, and (at least in the case of dry flies) delicacy of delivery.

[bennypapa]

Why would you need to cast past your line into your leader?

[FlyFlinger2421]

Benny, you need to explain that one for me!

[Diver Dan]

Originally Posted by Rip Tide

Some time back I attended a casting seminar with Bob Clouser
It was his opinion that it's important to be able to cast 80'
It was also his thought that anyone who said that they could cast further in a fishing situation was full of horse manure
(This guy's a gem)
He further stated that those who maintained that it wasn't important to be able to cast this distance only said so 'cuz they couldn't

Don't shoot me, I'm just telling you what he said

....There were only two of us out of about 20 in the seminar that could cast the 80' distance
No one cast further.

He may be a Gem and I think the Clouser may be the best fly ever invented but on this one "It was also his thought that anyone who said that they could cast further in a fishing situation was full of horse manure" I know he's full of manure. I've done it and I watch my Canadian buddy do it all the time. As far as the 80' thing goes, my most common comment on distance is "Most casters will never cast more than 80 feet." 80' seems to be the common wall. Still like him though.

On a side note I have heard people say you can't effectively hook a fish past 80' either. It may have been Clouser that said that as well. I'll admit I loose more out past that, but I get a lot of fish out there anyway. Last Fall almost all of them were past that. I was using my spey rod and most fish were well past a hundred. If I thought for a second that was true I would not have bought a 17' 11wt. blank and a Carron Jetstream long belly line. I won't be able to cast inside a hundred with that thing.

Originally Posted by bennypapa

Why would you need to cast past your line into your leader?

I assume you mean backing. How about fish on the other side of where you are and you can't wade out far enough. How about fish feeding on the surface in water to far out and deep enough for you to get to without a boat. I can think of a lot of reasons. I think one of the reasons I get so many fish is that I don't have the "I can't catch that fish" cells in my brain. If you are determined you can get a lot of hard to get to fish. By the way I did that last summer with a really nice Smallmouth that kept hitting stuff on the surface way the heck out in the river. It was awsome. Made my whole month.

I think my best answer would be "I can cast all the way to the fish"

[s fontinalis]

I can usually cast from here, to under that tree, or that rising fish down stream, or across the river to the other side.
Never measured in distance, but i always can cast to where i need to get my flies.