So I got to try out boat fishing the other day. When doing so, I noticed some odd behavior when fishing a crankbait or spinnerbait on very long casts or when I let the bait sink way deep. It seemed like when the bait was out very far, I could not feel the action of the bait until it got much closer to the boat, like within about 30 yards or so. I've never had this problem fishing from the bank.

Is this a line issue, rod issue, or just typical behavior for this kind of the cast or fishing?

LC

its a rod or line issue, or both, but most likely the rod

you just dont have enough sensitivity in your setup to detect the vibrations from the lure

9 hours ago, bigturtle said:

its a rod or line issue, or both, but most likely the rod

you just dont have enough sensitivity in your setup to detect the vibrations from the lure

Hmm. I've never had sensitivity issues before with my setups. Or, at least I didn't think I was. I wonder how many bites I've missed!

The crankbait was thrown on a 6'6" MH Lightning Rod Shock Series, with 12lb Trilene XL, and the spinnerbait was being thrown on a 7'1" MH Black rod with 30lb power pro.

LC

beats me . You should be able to feel them .I  troll with a similar setup and can feel the lures with half a spool of line out . 

Maybe some how your lure fouled at the end of a long cast and it straightened up after some cranking?

2 minutes ago, sprint61 said:

Maybe some how your lure fouled at the end of a long cast and it straightened up after some cranking?

That is a possibility. It has happened a couple of times where the bottom treble hook wraps around the line on the crankbait.

LC

For me when the lure is chucked way out, I expect to get less feedback from the lure than when close in. I don't lose all feeling of the lure, but I do have less sensitivity. But with a spinnerbait, as long as I am doing a constant retrieve with a tight line, if a fish hits it I will feel a thump...there is no doubting there. It might be harder to detect with a non-moving bait like a shakey head.

It just may be that you hold the rod in a different position when you're on shore. I don't know about you, but I cast a lot farther when I'm in a boat and standing than I do from shore.  In the back of my head I'm concerned that I'll catch an overhanging branch or something and end up having to do surgery on the line.

Pretty standard affair. I remember when I first used a Chatterbait. First cast I could barely feel the thing at the end of my line but as it got closer, the thing practically vibrated its way out of my hand! I'm honestly not sure why such a difference for you from shore unless you are just able to bomb your casts THAT much farther out from the boat, which just might be the case.

On a long cast, there are a few factors that can affect what you feel, mostly related to the line. A little wind can put a bow in your line (even when it's under tension) that can greatly reduce sensitivity. Even the drag of the water on your line can reduce sensitivity. Most rods are plenty sensitive enough to feel a crankbait or spinnerbait working under normal circumstances. 

Tom