Casting distance

[Hawgin']

I am embarrassed to say this, but I am 29 and have just started fishing within the last year. I have mostly been fishing spinning set ups, and just recently bought a few baitcast reels. I've been working on my casting and have overcome most of my backlash issues thanks to the advice I've read on here. The problem I am having now is that I can't seem to get as much distance on my casts with the baitcasters as I can with my spin reels. I currently have both my baitcasters on 6'6" medium action rods. I mostly fish ponds/small lakes from the bank, so improved distance would be a benefit to me. Any suggestions on how to improve my casting distance would be greatly appreciated.

[pig n jig]

Maybe its how your adjusting the reel to eliminate the backlashing.What type of reels do you have and maybe we can figure something out.Alot of times the rod length and guide position can determine how far you can cast as well as the reel , but lets try to figure out the reels since its the thing we can change to help your situation. P N J

[zooker]

casting distance has many variables. inculding lures,line size,wind. for example same rod same line a 1/2oz spinner bait will not cast as far as a 1/2oz lip less bait. -ratltrap- the spinner bait catches the wind.
line diamater if you like mono fine. not all mono is created equal. stren, trilene,ande,ect.. are 3 differant diamaters at the same pound test. ande being the thinest. this means the thicker the line the more wind resitance it has the shorter the cast.
rod lenth also verys your distance 7 foot rod cast farther than a 6'6'' rod will. ever wonder why a surf rods come in 14-16 foot? here is why, the longer the rod the farther the cast.
reel set up can also shorten your cast. but there is a fine line between backlash and long cast. finding this line takes alot of casting and many basklashes..

zooker

[Hawgin']

It is a BPS pro qualifer reel (I believe 6 bearings), with 12 pound BPS excel mono that they put in it free on purchase. I've been practicing with a 1/2 oz casting plug. I currently have the brakes set at about 50%, and I have the spool tension set so the plug drops at a slow rate. I have it on a 6'6" megacast graphite rod. I know a better set up will get me better casting/fishing performance, but I don't want to spend a lot of money on it until I can learn the "basics" and see if I like a baitcast set up. I'm not sure if baitcast reels tend to have a shorter casting distance. If so I can get used to that, but again I am still fairly a novice at all of this.

[dodgeguy]

if you want to cast far with a baitcaster you need a line that is super limp.either use cajun red cast or power pro braid.limp line is less likely to backlash.you also need a rod with a tip that loads easy.most medium to medium heavy are ok.like the guys are saying,there is a fine line between backlash and distance.first of all when you cast a baitcaster you should cast with your wrist and not your arm.the harder you try to cast the more likely you wil backlash.this is because the centrifugal force is greater when you force a cast with power and you insta-lash.secondly a reel with a good centrifugal brake or one of the top end diawa magnetic brakes will cast further than a reel with a cheap magnetic brake.i have my centrifugal brake set so that it controls any backlash when you first cast and my spool tension is completely backed off.i use my thumb instead.this takes time to get to this point and doesn't happen overnight.if you are using a stiff line then it may never happen.decreasing the spool tension let's that spool spin as long as it possibly can thus giving you longer casts.and last but not least,the main advantages of a baitcaster are lure control due to using your thumb and winching power due to design.a spinning reel will cast further with good line in most cases than a baitcaster.a baitcaster will give you much more accuracy once you become proficient with one.good luck dude!!!

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

There could be a number of reasons for the lack of distance. Zooker touched on a couple-I can chunk a 1/2 oz. Rat-l-trap a country mile but can't throw a 1/2 oz. buzzbait near as far.

Try using a bell sinker instead of the plastic casting plug when practicing-you will be able to get more distance and less backlashes.

If you haven't already, take a look here:

http://pages.infinit.net/fishing/bait101.htm

Great site for initially setting up a baitcaster.

[dodgeguy]

good article rebb!!!

[Raul]

You can´t expect to make mile long casts if you are new to baitcasters, besides rod length, line diameter, casting technique, lure weight and lure aerodynamics the setting of the mechanical and centrifugal/magnetic brake is very important but in order to gain more distance you have to lower the settings something that will cause backlashes to occur when you haven´t educated the thumb. Practice is the only way you can acomplish longer casts, if you don´t practice you don´t tame the beast.

[pig n jig]

Hawgin', The pro qualifier is a good reel.I hate all bass pro shop lines,They retain too much memory,but that is just my opinon after buying it, I used it as backing until it was gone.The heavier the weight = the less pins you need out as a rule.The reason is you don't need to load the rod tip up or cast as hard to get the weight under motion as you would a lighter weight.Try setting the reel with 2 pins out opposite of each other on the spool and then set the spool tension knob so the practice weight doesn't fall fast to the floor when the spool is released, you want the lure to crawl slow at best, most times I set it so you have to help it fall to the floor , then cast it a few times and adjust the spool tension knob to get more distance out of it as you get comfortable casting it at the previous settings. If your using the yellow casting plugs, tape a worm weight on with electrical tape, they're lighter than what the package said they were.If you use the red Bass pro shop plugs, I use the 3/4 oz. plug,again the 1/2oz. plug collects too much air and it doesn't cast real well.I have reached 162 feet out in the yard with the red 3/4oz. weight.That is farther than I would ever cast a lure to fish, so if you get 120 feet or so you have got it set pretty good, it will still be farther than you can get a reliable hookset on a fish using 12lb. mono.I hope this helps, P N J

[Fishie]

Get some reel magic it will increase your distance also.

[Rodman_Rob]

keep in mind, baitcasters aren't designed for distance unlike a spinning reel. everybody else covered everything else there is to cover.......practice practice practice.