What Is A Long Cast?

[jtesch]

What do you all think is a truly long cast for bass fishing tackle. I've been seeing comments like 70 yards and I have to think that's a crazy long cast. I'm no rookie and I throw hard and I think 50 yards is pretty long. I cant bring myself to go outside and measure long casts in the yard. Neighbors already see me practicing pitching in the yard in the winter and think I'm insane

[RoLo]

What Is A Long Cast?

 

A 'long' cast is any cast that overshoots your target.

 

Roger

[Teal]

A long cast for me means casting at either max distance for from a much longer than normal distance to target or a targeted area. I don't really want to put a number on it, but 40 yards or so is pretty far and is in the area of a long cast for me. I don't need to cast a mile, just far enough to get a deep crank in the srike zone or to cover enough ground with a lure to pin point where I need to be.

Really anything over 25-30 yards is a long cast for me

[tomustang]

I have never had a chance to go out and try testing distances because I'd rather go out and fish

[Brian Needham]

if it lands in a fishes mouth.... it was just long enough

[Raul]

When you say: " man, I 'm dang proud of how far that bait went " that's a long cast.

[crankcaster100]

A really long cast is when your lure breaks off

[mjseverson24]

honestly for me it depends on what your using... only a few of my setups are really designed for distance (mostly the crankbait rods). so with these a long cast is 45-55 yards is really about as far as i want to cast to have a good chance at landing a fish... that being said a 70 yd cast is doable if you have the proper equipment... 

 

Mitch

[WRB]

Football field has accurate yard strips. You can take a tape measure and mark 50 yards, then mark 50 yards with a sharpie pen on you line using the measured distance. Then next time out casting on the water check the line mark to determine how far you actually cast with your standard bass tackle and lures you use.

Very few bass anglers can cast 50 yards, I don't know any bass who can cast 70 yards on the water. Casting a lead weight down a paved street is like hitting a golf ball down a paved street,they tend to bounce further that way.

You only need to cast far enough to catch bass, the further away the more difficult strike detection and hook setting becomes. My average cast with a jig is about 30 yards, sometime 40 yards depending on how spooky the bass are behaving. At night a long cast is about 25 yards, usually shorter because the bass are less wary.

I have hooked crankbait bass and swimbait bass with 3' of line out next to the boat after making a 40 yard cast.

Tom

[jbsoonerfan]

Long casts are often poor casts and over exaggerated. I was fishing with a buddy this past weekend and the wind was really blowing. I threw a lipless crank and it caught some wind and went a long ways. My buddy said "geez that went far" To which I replied "yeah, hope nothing hits it because I won't be able to set the hook"

[Inglorious Basser]

What is a long cast..... "It is a cast that goes long".

[SirSnookalot]

Casting 70 yards or more is very doable, but I highly doubt it using bass equipment and bass lures.  Even if one had wind aided rare 70 yd cast, you may not get good enough hookset to keep the fish buttoned.  Just guessing I'd say most of my bass casts are 20 yds or less.  

I think many tend to over guess it, like saying a fish stripped out 40 yds of line, that's 120' and that is a long way.

[flyfisher]

5' longer than the cast i just made.  Distance to me is only important when throwing cranks or swimbatis.

 

Mst people overestimate the lenght of their casts like they do the weight of their fish.  My fly lines are in the 90'-110' range and i rarely if ever have the need to cast into the backing.  My normal fly line casts aren't generally any different in length than my conventional casts.  Accuracy trumps distance.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

100' is what I consider a long cast when testing rod builds. Is more distance possible? Sure, under the right circumstances. A lure of certain weight, density and profile will only fly just so far no matter how hard you trow it or what reel the line is attached to. Accuracy is where it's at 90% of the time.

[MarkH024]

5' longer than the cast i just made.  Distance to me is only important when throwing cranks or swimbatis.

 

Mst people overestimate the lenght of their casts like they do the weight of their fish.  My fly lines are in the 90'-110' range and i rarely if ever have the need to cast into the backing.  My normal fly line casts aren't generally any different in length than my conventional casts.  Accuracy trumps distance.

I agree 100%, with the exception of maybe fishing weightless plastics in a very clear shallow lake. Distance is good there.  People in general are terrible at estimating distances and weights. To have an eye like that and be right more than 90% of the time is a gifted talent.  Anything over 30-35yds casting is plenty long.  

[frogflogger]

Periodically I'll measure a regular cast on my lawn - it's always a sobering experience.

[bigbill]

Examples, I can make long accurate casts past the action in the pads. This way I'm not spooking the fish. I cast past them and about 5' to the right or left of the action. I can see the bass ambushing the baitfish in the pads. I slowly work my topwater spook near them. Using this quiet presentation suttle can pick off the bass one by one.

I hooked a 6lb.1oz. Bass by drawing her out of the pads into the open water. This gal took me on a date by giving me a tour of the place twice. She fought harder than the normal fight. I thought she'd be bigger with a fight like that. But she weighed 6.1#. My problem was while she was in my hand the big Rucus in the pads continued. More than one bass feeding in the pads. This is why I cast softly at times. We don't want to spook the fish if there is multiple bass.

Longer casts from shore can pay off, but.....

Now there is also a downfall to making longer casts too. If she is a bigger fish at that distance you can control the action by keeping her head up. She is also free to dive at will. Once she gets tangled in the deep weeds it's all over. I lost a new state record this way. I'm standing 3' above the water on the shore. I have a bird's eye view of the action. I seen her smack my lure silly, then pass it, then take it. She broke the surface and exposed some of her length. I set the hook and down she went. After 15 minutes it was time to call it over when my line snapped.

The year before my buddy hooked the same bass, in the same spot, down in the weeds she went too. He broke his rod while trying to keep pressure on her to get her up.

My point is with making long casts we can win or lose. After a certain distance the fish has more power and control because of her size and strength. Up close we have the edge and at a long distance the fish has the edge.

The fish will use any close structure to tangle your line into too. Even pulling them up vertical in the heavy weeds from a boat can be challenging too.

Now I try to make most of my longer casts in the open water.

[jignfule]

A long cast is when your lure hits you in the butt (think about it)

[WRB]

The 2 places a bass can't see well is behind them and underneath them, lures approaching in those directions can spook them.

Tom

[.ghoti.]

My benchmark for a good cast is from the edge of my backyard, across an empty lot, to a sidewalk. I measured it. It's 110'. For finesse setups, I use a 1/4oz popper with the hooks removed. For heavier power rods and reels I use a 3/8oz practice plug. If I can hit the sidewalk, or get close to it, after servicing a reel, I know there's nothing wrong with it.

That is a long cast. Less than 40 yards.

[.ghoti.]

I should have added: most 75 yard casts are just like most 5 pound bass. They ain't.

[aavery2]

A long cast for me is somewhere around 40 yards. Lots of variables but day in day out 40 yards is a good cast.

[jtesch]

My benchmark for a good cast is from the edge of my backyard, across an empty lot, to a sidewalk. I measured it. It's 110'. For finesse setups, I use a 1/4oz popper with the hooks removed. For heavier power rods and reels I use a 3/8oz practice plug. If I can hit the sidewalk, or get close to it, after servicing a reel, I know there's nothing wrong with it.

That is a long cast. Less than 40 yards.

Since your close to me (DILLIGAF is so south side) maybe we could get together in the backyard and practice pitching and long casting. Maybe even a backyard fishing Olympics. That should send my neighbors over the edge with me