I am just starting to work on the technique of pitching, and I am wondering what distance is a good one to be capable of? Right now, 25 feet is what I practice at, and can reliably keep the practice plug close to the ground and place it softly in a container.

Accuracy is way more important... I'd slowly work your distance up. Its better to be pinpoint accurate and only pitch 20 feet than just slinging the bait 50 feet away and hoping it lands where you want it.

I see your point for sure, but as I improve, what kind of distance can I expect? Can most experienced guys pitch 30 feet? 40? I am just curious...

A Pitch, A Flip or a cast - call it what you want - the objective is to present your bait in a manner that will elicit a strike.

 

When you do, it means you've done it perfectly.

 

Placing a yard stick on it may not be as important.  As mentioned Accuracy is the name of the game.

 

A-Jay

Pitching is all about pin point accuracy as stated above. Depending on the waters you fish, the way the bait hits the water could be just as important. On the highly pressured lakes we fish here in east Texas the bass can get real finicky and the more quietly you can present the bait the better odds you have at landing that fish( especially big mamma). So just as a part of practice I try to minimize the splash as much as possible by simply stopping the baits momentum right before it hits the water, sounds easy but it takes some practice to master it. Hope this helps!

I think 30-40 feet is considered a long pitch even by experienced fisherman. Depending on how spooky the fish are, sometimes I do back the boat as far from cover as possible, but often you can nose right in close and really pick it apart. Accurate, quiet presentations get bit more than sloppy, splashy ones. 

 

When pitching for distance, I back my spool tension all the way off and turn down the braking system. 

What size weight are we talking?

I pitch a 1/2 Stanley Wedge spinner bait in the spring, in the summer it'll be a 1 oz jig in grass, & right now in the marsh/swamp it's a 1/8 oz T-rig.

If it's in the back yard practicing heck I can hit 25 yds but I aint gonna try that on the water!

Yep, like others said, worry about the accuracy, that's the important part. I can pitch a long ways in the back yard, but it probably couldn't do it very accurately. 

When I first started teaching myself to pitch, I didn't know to turn down the spool tension and brakes, so I couldn't pitch far at all. I finally realized I needed to back down on them and since then I can pitch pretty far. But to me, pitching isn't a technique for distance. For every 5 feet you add past a normal pitching distance, it takes more and more effort to land the bait quietly and accurately. Pitching is for accuracy, and if I need distance, I do a "roll" cast, or short underhand cast. 

I will pile on with the rest: Precision is the key. An accurate pitch to a hard to get to spot that enters the water silently can be the difference between a pig and a skunk. If you can do this at 25' you are doing great! With practice you will learn what the maximum distance is for you. Relax and enjoy the process.

I will add one bit of advice that made me much more consistent. Pitching is like shooting a rifle or throwing a dart. Laser-like focus is key. It took me a while to figure this out. Good luck.

I think the more you practice the distance will come to you--just keep working at the accuracy part and you will see the distance come along with it

To me, pitching in the yard and pitching in the water are two completely different animals. Pitching softly into a container and pitching into water without a splash or sound are very different. I am blessed to have a pond at my house. When I was teaching myself I would take one of our marker buoys and throw it 10 feet out and pitch to it to where if someone had their eyes closed they couldn't tell I was dropping a jig in the water, and as I got better i kept moving it out a foot until now where I am about 17 feet. For me, there is no need for a pitch farther than 20 feet. at that point I will just skip it to the destination. 

 

I will add one more thing. Pitching is about accuracy AND silence. If you can pitch accurately for 40 feet but make a big splash and crash when it hits the water, then the pitch is pointless.