[trev]

Although ive been fishing for over 40 years in lake,river,and sea and can cast a fly line as well ,it isnt until the end of last season that i took up plugging for bass which i have found will often require the maximum distance you can get with your chosen lure and even with all those years of casting behind me i find that when going for distance with something like a large chugbug/mag popper that even though i feel i am doing the exact same action cast after cast after cast,i will have some casts where i nail it and the lure flies into the distance ,the next cast the lure gets a bit sideways after about 5yds and doesnt fly properly and results in losing 20yds of distance,and sometimes it goes totally out of shape and drops half distance. I read threads by some of the more experienced lure anglers and even they refer to some casts that they "really nail" so just wondered is there some magic formula to make more casts the "nailed" ones or do most people have a mixture of distances when casting the same lure? I realise that wind has an effect but i still get a mixture of distances on a calmish day. The lures i mentioned are not the most aerodynamic of lures but are a good weight and are the lures which work in this area. Is it just something you have to accept with these larger surface poppers and do you get a higher proportion of nailed casts with slimmer divers?
cheers Trev.

 

[Keith White]

maximise your arc, get your drop length right for each lure and use the left hand to deliver the final rights to the cast.
Difference can be amazing. Accelerate all the way through the cast and then STOP !

 

[trev]

maximise your arc, get your drop length right for each lure and use the left hand to deliver the final rights to the cast.
Difference can be amazing. Accelerate all the way through the cast and then STOP !

interesting............ so the drop length is adjusted individually for each lure? which must take alot of time to work out and to remember.Would that drop length also then change again if you changed rod but used the same lure? Often your drop length can be restricted by physical obstructions but i will give it a go on more open ground and try your other sugestions also. Have tried the left hand punch at the end already but still get the odd duff cast, if at first you dont succeed..................................
cheers Trev.

 

[Keith White]

interesting............ so the drop length is adjusted individually for each lure? which must take alot of time to work out and to remember.

more weight range than individual lure.

within a few casts you pick up the feel and adjust accordingly.

 

[Ben Field]

Like Keith says, you'll find that each lure does vary a bit, so there's no real rule to follow. I also think that lure length can dictate the best drop. Longer lures tend to need a longer drop for maximum distance. Some need a short, sharp punch, while others (like the longer 175mm and 200mm jobs) slightly smoother, longer sweep.

 

[Mike Kennard]

I have noticed a number of times that lures with weight transfer systems don't travel as they should. I think it is down the keeping the start of the cast smooth to make sure the transfer system locates properly. Sometimes it almost seems to 'bounce out' and the lure tumbles or doesn't fly straight. Keep it smooooooooth.

 

[Mark Gibbon]

Very good/brave question

If only I had been brave enough to ask this question last autumn.

I had been really unimpressed with my new lure rod which alot of people were claiming to be amazing. So inconsistant were my casts even though everything felt the same.

Then one day I cast with a very short drop which went against all my other rods and wow! (glad I didn't through the damn thing into the sea after all).

Still have the odd tumbler but my fishing has become alot more enjoyable.

 

[Keith White]

just a few tips...

softer the tip, shorter the drop

shorter the casting arc, shorter the drop

don't cast with your strong hand

It's the rod that casts, not your arms so why try. Just throw it instead.

 

[Paul Croft]

just a few tips...


don't cast with your strong hand

So are you saying that if you are right handed you should cast with your left?

 

[Rob F]

Not exactly mate, I think he means the cast is centred more around a pull with your left hand instead of just a push with your right

 

[Keith White]

Not exactly mate, I think he means the cast is centred more around a pull with your left hand instead of just a push with your right

Exactly. class 1 lever action.

 

[Alan o' Neill]

I myself am new to lure fishing and i'm amazed at the amount of people that try
for distance when fishing.Bait fishing for bass dose not require distance.Same applies to swff.
Presentation is the important part.so when do you have to cast a lure a long distance?

 

[Alan o' Neill]

I myself am new to lure fishing!When bait fishing for bass (where I fish) you don't need a long cast.
When swff you don't need a long cast.Presentation is the key in both situations.
When do you need a long cast lure fishing?

 

[trev]

I myself am new to lure fishing!When bait fishing for bass (where I fish) you don't need a long cast.
When swff you don't need a long cast.Presentation is the key in both situations.
When do you need a long cast lure fishing?

I agree to a degree as i have caught all my bass with bait at 35-40 yds out and never needed a big cast (where i fish which is a flat. clean ,sandy and shallow mark) but with lure fishing i am going to new terrain for me, very shallow reefs where the first 30-40yds are too shallow and you know that there is a big ledge 60yds out and need to get out way beyond it to work it properly ,areas with heavy weed for the first 50yds ............there are plenty of places where you need the distance to get amongst the fish.Equally there are plenty of places where you dont need any great distance and the fish hit you 10-20yds away,so its usefull to be able to get the distance if required.

 

[keith Ogden]

Many marks don't need a long distance cast but the more ground you can cover the more chance of finding the fish .

 

[Keith White]

Many folks often don't realise that long casting and casting OUT don't have to mean the same thing.

 

[Marty H]

Many folks often don't realise that long casting and casting OUT don't have to mean the same thing.

How very true, alot of the time long casting can mean you can work a piece of structure from completly diff angles as you can get at it from those angles when its far away with a long cast. Hope that makes sense, an example might help.

Your on a finger reef with gulleys either side, the next reefs either side of the gulleys are a good 50yrds away. You have a nice rock/feature in front of you about 30yrds out that you can run lures either side of and around the front but you cant run square across the back of the feature as its blocked from you and your convinced thats where the fish are. A long cast will give you the option of moving to one of the reefs to your left or righ and casting out across the back of the feature and letting you run the lure along the seaward side of it the way you wanted.

Marty