How far should I be casting?

[Chamelion]

Hi all,

Recently purchased a 12' Silstar Crystal Power Tip and a Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500A. It's currently spooled up with 30lb braid and the spare spool will probably end up with 15lb mono.

I practiced some casting yesterday as I have not used a surf rod in a long time. I don't know exact distance, but it was taking 70-75 handle rotations to retreive my little star sinker.

Is this likely to translate into a useful distance once I'm fishing out on the beach? I guess I need to consider that I'll lose some distance to the bait and wind.

Cheers,

Matt.

[mikeyh]

Hi Matt,
if you are really keen on measuring you can find a quiet local park and let fly...mind you you will doubtless get comments from the local smartarse about the large snapper he landed in the park the week before etc.
If you know what the retrieve rate of your reel is and you know how many turns of the handle you can also get a good idea.

Realistically out on the beach with wind (usually in your face on the east coast) and bait (particularly if large like a whole pilly) you will find that your distance really suffers...but it depends on the conditions at the beach at the time and what you are chasing...I have caught large whiting, dart, flathead within 20m of the waters edge.....but if the only decent gutters are 80m out and that's where the fish are - thats where you have to be.

Some things that were shared with me many years ago from Ross Garven ( previous Aust casting champ) to help maximise distance is to shorten your leader to 30cm max when using large baits like pillies; use the largest sinker your gear can comfortably handle...and practice your (different) technique(s) to see what gives you the best results. At least on the beach there is usually heaps of room to play around. You could also use the WA style grapnel sinkers that hold the bait against the sinker until it hits the water....I think I mentioned them in a post a while back. Good luck...Mike

[deepfried]

They are great tips from mike and they work. Like he said the fish arent always out the back. But when they are i use the lightest line i can get away with, down to 14lb fireline and still use 60g metals. I also keep the leader as short as possible even though a lot of people say you should use a long leader down onto the spool. Technique is a lot like driving a golf ball. Start smoothly, powering into the cast and try not to have your bait or lure moving from side to side before hand. You want your bait/lure moving in the direction you want to cast. I could go on but i am no pro. If you google distance casting techniques you will find heaps of info. Just forget pendulum casting though, to freakin hard on the gear we use.

Scott

[PNG1M]

Scott,

For beach fishing (tailor and the like):
What leader material do you use? Would you recommend nylon or that fleurocarbon shock leader stuff (like seaguar)? What poundage leader would suit a 20-30lb braid main line? And how long are the leaders you usually use?
If you were using bait, would you use a heavier gauge trace between the swivel & the pilly or the same material as what the leader is?

Too many questions...!

[Horse]

It was quite interesting to see how short a lot of my casting was. After hearing how far the serious casters are capable of reaching, the visit to a local park was rather a humbling experience. My main spin stick seldom reached 95m and could not crack the ton when chucking a 65gm Raider and my 12' Silstar Traverse X gave me another 30m or so when matched to a 4oz Snapper lead but miles short of the standard distances quoted by many fishos.
Your 75 turns should equate to well over 75m. Try to vary your weight and do a bit more practice. Make sure you tighten your drag when throwing heavier weights and wear a bit of tape or bike inner tube in your finger to stop the line cuts and hold the line firm

[Chamelion]

Thanks guys :) My reels specs quote it as 1.22m per turn, but wouldn't that be with an empty spool? Line on it would increase that a bit?

Matt.

[Just_chips]

They are great tips from mike and they work. Like he said the fish arent always out the back. But when they are i use the lightest line i can get away with, down to 14lb fireline and still use 60g metals. I also keep the leader as short as possible even though a lot of people say you should use a long leader down onto the spool. Technique is a lot like driving a golf ball. Start smoothly, powering into the cast and try not to have your bait or lure moving from side to side before hand. You want your bait/lure moving in the direction you want to cast. I could go on but i am no pro. If you google distance casting techniques you will find heaps of info. Just forget pendulum casting though, to freakin hard on the gear we use.

Scott

Without getting too far off topic, I use a leader that gets onto the spool when I cast slugs for tailor as I have cast a few slugs off the line when the leader knot has let go under the extreme pressure that it gets placed under when trying to fire out a long cast with a 60 gram slug on the end.

Kev

[deepfried]

For beach fishing (tailor and the like):
What leader material do you use? Would you recommend nylon or that fleurocarbon shock leader stuff (like seaguar)? What poundage leader would suit a 20-30lb braid main line? And how long are the leaders you usually use?
If you were using bait, would you use a heavier gauge trace between the swivel & the pilly or the same material as what the leader is?


Hi PNG1,
At the moment i am using 40lb Trilene XL. I dont really have a preference for brands it was what was sold at BW. I use nylon because if fish poppers a lot. If i used pillies more often i would use FC. I think 40lb though would be a minimum for most guys chasing Tailor, i have heard of guys using 80lb with bait. If i use barrel sinkers for lures i use wire around 50lb but only about 12" then 40lb leader. I like a leader lenght of around 3' or less. Just enough to go through the first runner or 2. When using pillies i still use the 40lb, it the heaviest i have. It would have to be a huge fish to take a full set of gangs and hit the leader but others may disagree. Google tailor rigs and you will get a heap of different opinions and ideas. I dont use a leader before my swivel, i'm basic, just sinker on main line swivel leader gangs. But like i said i dont use bait that often. Others may be able to help more with that.


Without getting too far off topic, I use a leader that gets onto the spool when I cast slugs for tailor as I have cast a few slugs off the line when the leader knot has let go under the extreme pressure that it gets placed under when trying to fire out a long cast with a 60 gram slug on the end.

Yeah that happens from time to time but for me the extra distance you get with a short leader is worth the odd metal now and then. I use a double uni from my braid to the leader. I find i loose more metals from them hitting the rocks as i pull them in which eventually cuts through my knot to the lure. I have started using snap clips and this has all but fixed this problem.

Scott

[deepfried]

It was quite interesting to see how short a lot of my casting was. After hearing how far the serious casters are capable of reaching, the visit to a local park was rather a humbling experience. My main spin stick seldom reached 95m and could not crack the ton when chucking a 65gm Raider and my 12' Silstar Traverse X gave me another 30m or so when matched to a 4oz Snapper lead but miles short of the standard distances quoted by many fishos.


I would like to see with my own eyes some of the distances mentioned by some. Putting aside the guys that cast at tournaments with specialist gear i doubt that many would be getting out much further than you did using the same gear as yours. If you go to rod over 14' with the right reel etc fair enough but who wants to use that for spinning.

Chamelion,
Not sure if those specs are with a full spool or not. I do know that Emblem pros are awsome for distance.
Scott

[PNG1M]

Scott,

You mentioned that when fishing with bait you'd put the sinker on the main line, then tie the main line straight onto the swivel. Then the trace comes after that.

So, if your main line is braid wouldn't the sinker cause wear & tear on it by sliding up & down etc? And what knot would you use to tie the braid directly onto the swivel?

[rockfisho]

Hi

Its also important to note that the pro casters who get 200 metres or so use specially made rods which, in general, are not made for fishing at all, only purely for land casting. for distance casting, just make sure u are releasing the weight at 45 degrees, this will make a perfect parabolic arc and improve your distance dramatically.

cheers

Owen

[struktcha_man]

Thanks guys :) My reels specs quote it as 1.22m per turn, but wouldn't that be with an empty spool? Line on it would increase that a bit?

Matt.
Sounds like a bit much.

[deepfried]

So, if your main line is braid wouldn't the sinker cause wear & tear on it by sliding up & down etc? And what knot would you use to tie the braid directly onto the swivel?

I dont notice a lot of wear on my main line ( braid ). Not to say it doesnt happen but in an afternoon of fishing it will hold well enough. To tie my main line to the swivel i use a palomar knot. Give it a go for a while, it keeps things simple and if you dont like go back to braid to leader swivel etc.


Sounds like a bit much.

Hey struktcha_man read the specs forthe Emblem. 122cm is right. kick a$$ reel just a bit heavy for what i do. Great retrieve rate and a spool that casts a mile.

Scott

[Chamelion]

She's a bit of a fatso alright, but I snagged the rod and reel for $200 combined on clearance, so I'm not going to complain. :)

Matt.

[deepfried]

Thats a great price Matt. I would be happy with that.

Scott