# Average casting distance



## ChannelTwo (Nov 20, 2018)

It depends a lot on the species and location you are fishing.

What are you fishing for and where?


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

ChannelTwo said:


> It depends a lot on the species and location you are fishing.
> 
> What are you fishing for and where?


Im fishing the area of Vero Beach and ft. pierce mainly. Targeting whatever is out there. I need more practice but just wanted to see where most people are at with their distances.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Rob said:


> So what is the average casting distance for saltwater, whether wading or from a boat? I am still practicing my casts and was interested in what the norm is. Thanks.
> 
> Rob


Rob, To break it down, there is how far you can cast on a lawn with leader but no fly in ideal conditions, how far you can cast out of a boat With ideal line management setup, how far you can cast wading a shallow flat trailing stripped line vs shooting basket, all above with Wind, with heavily weighted or wind-resistant fly, etc. on the lawn you need to hit a dinner plate at 60’ with a minimum of false-casts, quickly, to have a prayer


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

Seymour fish said:


> Rob, To break it down, there is how far you can cast on a lawn with leader but no fly in ideal conditions, how far you can cast out of a boat With ideal line management setup, how far you can cast wading a shallow flat trailing stripped line vs shooting basket, all above with Wind, with heavily weighted or wind-resistant fly, etc. on the lawn you need to hit a dinner plate at 60’ with a minimum of false-casts, quickly, to have a prayer


Ok. Thanks. I appreciate it. Did some wade fishing today and was averaging about 40 feet or so but not accurate all the time. Time to practice some more. I am determined to become a good fly guy


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## Rookiemistake (Jan 30, 2013)

yard vs boat too diffrent things. For some reason you can throw darts in the grass and on the boat you look like zorro .. well at least i feel that way ....go figure
Accuracy over distance for me


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

Rookiemistake said:


> yard vs boat too diffrent things. For some reason you can throw darts in the grass and on the boat you look like zorro .. well at least i feel that way ....go figure
> Accuracy over distance for me


I agree. Been practicing in the yard but got in the water today and was much different. LOL


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## ChannelTwo (Nov 20, 2018)

If you are wading...try throwing on the lawn from your knees. When wading you are much lower to the water.


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

ChannelTwo said:


> If you are wading...try throwing on the lawn from your knees. When wading you are much lower to the water.


Thats a good idea. I will try that


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## Rookiemistake (Jan 30, 2013)

Do it in the front yard though backyards are too easy to explain


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Rob said:


> Ok. Thanks. I appreciate it. Did some wade fishing today and was averaging about 40 feet or so but not accurate all the time. Time to practice some more. I am determined to become a good fly guy


Rob, once you develop some good line speed, focus on making an “O” with line hand thumb and index finger around the line to 1) feed it to the stripping guide and 2) Importantly, stop the shoot and be able to instantly Strip the fly


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

Seymour fish said:


> Rob, once you develop some good line speed, focus on making an “O” with line hand thumb and index finger around the line to 1) feed it to the stripping guide and 2) Importantly, stop the shoot and be able to instantly Strip the fly


Ok. I will try that for sure. I appreciate the help.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Rob said:


> Ok. I will try that for sure. I appreciate the help.[/. A backhand cast will come in handy too, and a very short quick flip-cast. Get your timing down first, then throw in these


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## Ken T (Dec 10, 2015)

Casting distance has so much to do with where you fish but I always tell my clients to practice to be accurate at 50 feet, minimum. Where I guide in Tampa Bay 50 feet is about the minimum distance where you may be able to fool Redfish or Snook in uniform depth skinny water. Most days I would rather have a guy who can throw 80 feet + reasonably accurate. 

I've seen far more sloppy long casts convert than perfect short casts to alert fish.

Overall I would say that someone who throws long with control has a huge advantage.

The emphasis that I place on distance is completely directed to sight fishing in the skinny water. This style of fishing is the pinnacle of the sport and it takes skill, patience and dedication. 

While you are learning and improving remember that the sight fishing is normally the end game for seasoned fly anglers.

Over time you will catch far more fish with 50 foot casts by slowly wading to the cuts where fish are laid up or stalking to fish that have their guard down while feeding.


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

Ken T said:


> Casting distance has so much to do with where you fish but I always tell my clients to practice to be accurate at 50 feet, minimum. Where I guide in Tampa Bay 50 feet is about the minimum distance where you may be able to fool Redfish or Snook in uniform depth skinny water. Most days I would rather have a guy who can throw 80 feet + reasonably accurate.
> 
> I've seen far more sloppy long casts convert than perfect short casts to alert fish.
> 
> ...


Ok. Great advice. I am still practicing my casts trying to improve them. Got a new rod and reel and am trying to throw it as much as possible.


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2019)

I do some hunting in Africa and the question about casting distance is the same as yardage for accurate shots. Ive been saltwater fishing for about 30 years and can honestly say most of the fish Ive caught are within 40-50 feet.

Yes, if you can throw 60-70-80 feet, and have your fly land at the end of the fish that eats, you’ll probably have more opportunities. But like shooting a rifle, accuracy far outweighs distance.

A good PH in Africa knows to hunt to the clients ability, not his personal ability. That means if Im shooting 2 inch groups off the sticks at 100 yards, the PH needs to try to get most of my shots to within 100 yards - not 200 or 300.

I would focus on technique first, accuracy second and distance third. As you get to where you can hit a Frisbee 90% of the time at 40’, move it to 50’ and try again. As others have said, do this with a minimum of false casts and learn to pick up and change direction without loss of accuracy.

I practice about 30 minutes per day and there’s still a lot I can learn. You’ll get pretty good if you just practice - a lot.


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## paulrad (May 10, 2016)

Greg,

Do you follow some kind of program in your casting practice? When you practice, what do you do exactly?


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2019)

paulrad said:


> Greg,
> 
> Do you follow some kind of program in your casting practice? When you practice, what do you do exactly?


Paul,

I cast my various rods with typical flies for the fish I would use those rods for. For saltwater, I sometimes stand on a cooler to add a little instability as though I was on a boat (Unfortunately, I dont live on the coast where I can get on a boat daily - yet!)

Then I place Frisbees at 9, 12 and 3 o’clock at 50’. I’ll rotate casting to each one until I am able to put the fly on the right or left side of the Frisbee as I wanted. I focus on technique so that I’ve got good line control, speed and form. (This builds muscle memory that can help you keep your casting under control when you step onto a boat and see a 150 lb tarpon swimming by and your knees go to jelly.)

Then I’ll move them out to about 60’ and repeat. I’ll do this with 3-4 rods and then call it a day.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling extra confident, I’ll spin around and use my backcast to try to get the same results. That rarely works out the way I would like it to!

I particularly like to do this on windy days.


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

Rob, you are getting some great advice here. All that I will add is this; having lessons in the beginning is VERY helpful. One of the best casters in the state is a fellow named Dave Olsen, I believe he lives down your way. Do yourself a favor and try to get a hold of him for a lesson or two. I believe the folks out of Whites Tackle in FP, know him well.


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

redjim said:


> Rob, you are getting some great advice here. All that I will add is this; having lessons in the beginning is VERY helpful. One of the best casters in the state is a fellow named Dave Olsen, I believe he lives down your way. Do yourself a favor and try to get a hold of him for a lesson or two. I believe the folks out of Whites Tackle in FP, know him well.


That is actually who set up my new line and reel. I took a class couple of years ago from him and I hadn't done much since. I am going to talk with him again about some techniques. He's pretty easy to talk with and says I can come by the shop and throw some and he will critique me.


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

You can catch plenty of fish right in close, and I would go so far as to say this applies to most species/situations. Don’t let anyone discourage you with extreme absolute statements.

With that being said, you will likely catch more if you can cast it a bit further, a bit more accurately, and get the fly to the fish a bit faster.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

sjrobin said:


> For Texas sight casting to single or pairs of fish, not large schools, from the bow of a skiff, thirty to sixty feet and usually in three seconds with the forehand or backhand (3 or 9 o'clock) without a lot of arm movement. No false casting water load the line/rod. If you can do this accurately you will feed a lot of saltwater fish.



I will second this statement. I know that here in Louisiana the fish pop up right in front of you, but the process is the same for many sight fishing opportunities. I have seen freshwater trout guys that are not used to sight fishing and have a difficult time getting the cast off quickly and accurately with minimal false casts and movement.

Check out this video from Lucas Bissett. The short casts demonstrated in the video might not apply to you, but the practice technique of hitting random targets quickly is applicable to many sight fishing situations.


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## RaspberryPatch (Dec 17, 2016)

Agree with accuracy and use targets in my practice casting. I will add to the discussion, I find my accuracy and distance are also a function of where I am. Wading in 12" of water, 36" or on top of a boat has some affect on distance, and to some extent on accuracy. Is this because the water affecting my whole body movement or just line of sight is impacted? I do not know, but I will also target practice in water to a place float out.

Going out on windy days to practice is good to. Cast into the wind.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

my advice is to focus on accuracy instead of distance. As you distance increases your accuracy follows. I spent a lot of time only working on distance as i was mostly fishing striped bass in New York. It was blind casting and i wanted to cover lots of water. I got to where I could throw 80' in most conditions with a weighted fly.
Then i started sight fishing and found my accuracy sucked. Most shots were at 50' and i could get the fly out there easy enough but it was usually off target by 2' to 6'.

I had to start over and re-engineer my casting form, starting at a short distance.

Start at 30' with no haul and just work on accuracy then start working your way up 10' at a time.

If you can throw accurate to 60' you are as good as 90% of the crowd and will do well.

Take a casting lesson with a pro it helps soooo much.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Probably 40-60'...depends on conditions for me.

Working the edges in the backwaters is VERY different than rodeo'ing tailers on an open flat.

Twice now we've gotten on tailers in very skinny open water but I didn't have the range to get to them from the skiff. They kept moving around just out of my range. I suspect those fish will need to be waded...


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## LowHydrogen (Dec 31, 2015)

If you have a stealthy boat and a good guy on the platform you won't usually have to cast too terribly far.

I practice in my yard with a pie pan. I stick it in the yard and practice casting into it, turning around and hitting it while facing different directions and casting over my off shoulder. I prefer to cast over my off shoulder rather than trying to drop the fly in my back-cast unless the wind is really kicking and I'm having to really punch the fly out.

On average my casts to fish are under 50' probably closer to 40'


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

Seymour fish said:


> Rob, To break it down, there is how far you can cast on a lawn with leader but no fly in ideal conditions, how far you can cast out of a boat With ideal line management setup, how far you can cast wading a shallow flat trailing stripped line vs shooting basket, all above with Wind, with heavily weighted or wind-resistant fly, etc. on the lawn you need to hit a dinner plate at 60’ with a minimum of false-casts, quickly, to have a prayer


I guess I don’t have a prayer


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Fishshoot said:


> I guess I don’t have a prayer


Do I know you? 
You sound a lot like a guy I use to share a boat with... 

When I left Florida end of 81 I thought I was a hot dog caster. Been fly fishing for just under 20 years at the time. Had epic failures as well as a few days on the water I still dream about.

I did do some saltwater wade fishing in those days. If you want to cast more than 40' wading and minimize false casts you can hold 3 or 4 loops of line with your lips  so only the bottom of the loops are touching the water. I don't think there were any "casting baskets" in those days but for me it would not have mattered as I would have not used one any way. They do seem to work though.

Where you start and stop the rod tip determines how the line loop forms and double haul increases the lines speed. I had all that down pat back in the day as I could cast my 7 wt 70 feet and my 10 80 feet.

I had good casting days and then some less spectacular days. It wasn't until I started throwing a shooting head on northern California coastal rivers that I learned that I needed to pay closer attention to my timing waving the rod back and forth. Once I became aware of this really minor change my long casts (full lines and shooting heads) became so much easier and with less effort.

As your experience grows you will have days when you can drop a fly right on top of a fish and get a grab, other times when you miss a shot by 10' and the fish changes direction, plop it down with what you think is a near perfect cast and the fish bolts...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I can cast all my fly line in the yard and keep every bit of it in the air but on the water brings a whole new set of issues especially off the poling platform fishing solo. 40-50 feet is great on the water for me, I don’t get much time on the casting platform.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Ken T said:


> Casting distance has so much to do with where you fish but I always tell my clients to practice to be accurate at 50 feet, minimum. Where I guide in Tampa Bay 50 feet is about the minimum distance where you may be able to fool Redfish or Snook in uniform depth skinny water. Most days I would rather have a guy who can throw 80 feet + reasonably accurate.
> 
> I've seen far more sloppy long casts convert than perfect short casts to alert fish.
> 
> ...


Ken T, we are on exactly the same page. Very well said


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## Mike Geer (Nov 22, 2018)

There are a ton of successful fly fisherman that cannot cast over 45 feet. But, if you can cast accurately between 20-60 feet you will exponentially improve the number of fish you will catch.
Then you can work on quick casts. So, the above mentioned poster is correct.

Mike


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Greg Lyles said:


> I do some hunting in Africa and the question about casting distance is the same as yardage for accurate shots. Ive been saltwater fishing for about 30 years and can honestly say most of the fish Ive caught are within 40-50 feet.
> 
> Yes, if you can throw 60-70-80 feet, and have your fly land at the end of the fish that eats, you’ll probably have more opportunities. But like shooting a rifle, accuracy far outweighs distance.
> 
> ...


Greg, agree with most of your post. Will split hairs with you on the shooting analogy: shot placement is Critical as is bullet performance at distance. Wounding is unacceptable, thus staying within your accuracy distance is both ethical and safe. Position-related comes into it. Sight-casting to single PhD flats fish, in crystal clear water over hard sand for example, does not require pinpoint accuracy so much as ability to quickly get a cast out in front to intersect the fishes vector, and in time to get that fly to the bottom. The occasional shot at 40’ in this scenario is the exception that proves the rule that most shots are in the 60-90’ range, generally down wind quickly turning to cross-wind and quartering into the wind. Perhaps line speed would be analogous to a high BC bullet in this case. Seymour


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Fishshoot said:


> I guess I don’t have a prayer


Nope. Lmao


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Rob said:


> So what is the average casting distance for saltwater, whether wading or from a boat? I am still practicing my casts and was interested in what the norm is. Thanks.
> 
> Rob


Rob, one other thought : the backcast is typically the downfall and to strengthen it there is nothing better than shooting a bow.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

Fishshoot said:


> I guess I don’t have a prayer


Your chances may be limited but if you can get the fly out quickly and accurately to about 45 feet you can catch fish. Even in the Keys. I just taught a guy to cast a little and I'm not remotely a good teacher but got him to where he could get it out about 40 feet pretty quickly and he had some success down in the Keys over Thanksgiving.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2019)

Seymour fish said:


> Greg, agree with most of your post. Will split hairs with you on the shooting analogy: shot placement is Critical as is bullet performance at distance. Wounding is unacceptable, thus staying within your accuracy distance is both ethical and safe. Position-related comes into it. Sight-casting to single PhD flats fish, in crystal clear water over hard sand for example, does not require pinpoint accuracy so much as ability to quickly get a cast out in front to intersect the fishes vector, and in time to get that fly to the bottom. The occasional shot at 40’ in this scenario is the exception that proves the rule that most shots are in the 60-90’ range, generally down wind quickly turning to cross-wind and quartering into the wind. Perhaps line speed would be analogous to a high BC bullet in this case. Seymour


Guess it depends on the species of fish and the conditions. If you can cast 90’ over crystal clear water but the fly lands behind the fish as he’s moving away, accuracy just became much more critical than distance. At that point it doesn’t matter if you can cast 200’ - you missed. At the end of the day, all of this is pretty academic. As long as we’re having fun and catching fish it beats being at work, right?


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## paulrad (May 10, 2016)

Greg Lyles said:


> ...As long as we’re having fun and catching fish it beats being at work, right?


Yesterday, I had two nice opportunities on reds. I was pretty happy with myself because both times I made really good casts - both very well placed. For one reason or another I just didn't catch either fish. 
...versus...
Today I caught two reds on the fly while just blind casting. 

Interesting thing is that I enjoyed both...but for different reasons. I was certainly happy to catch the fish today, but I think I was actually happier with the two casts I made yesterday even though I didn't connect.


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

paulrad said:


> Yesterday, I had two nice opportunities on reds. I was pretty happy with myself because both times I made really good casts - both very well placed. For one reason or another I just didn't catch either fish.
> ...versus...
> Today I caught two reds on the fly while just blind casting.
> 
> Interesting thing is that I enjoyed both...but for different reasons. I was certainly happy to catch the fish today, but I think I was actually happier with the two casts I made yesterday even though I didn't connect.


Paul, this is an interesting statement. I think it is a fascinating sport that we love, when going home without putting a fish on the boat (yet making GREAT casts that don't produce) is more rewarding than landing a fish that we stumble upon. Only fly fisherman could understand how true this is.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

redjim said:


> Paul, this is an interesting statement. I think it is a fascinating sport that we love, when going home without putting a fish on the boat (yet making GREAT casts that don't produce) is more rewarding than landing a fish that we stumble upon. Only true fly fisherman could understand how true this is.



True.... although (even though I only fly fish) I would change "fly fisherman" to "sight fisherman". You are absolutely right though. 

After seeing so many refusals from good/great presentations, as a sight fisherman, it makes you wonder how you ever caught a fish blind casting.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

redjim said:


> Paul, this is an interesting statement. I think it is a fascinating sport that we love, when going home without putting a fish on the boat (yet making GREAT casts that don't produce) is more rewarding than landing a fish that we stumble upon. Only fly fisherman could understand how true this is.


One of the best days I've had on the water recently was a day where we got 30-40 shots throughout the day but didn't connect until the end of the day after stepping down leader size to 10-12# range. The fun was in finding the fish and finally cracking that day's code...all for one epic eat.

Conversation with the wife used to be like...
Her: How was your day?
Me: Good. Found fish...lots of shots...
Her: Catch anything?
Me: ...lots of shots

She's finally learned...now its like...
Her: How was your day?
Me: Good. Found fish...lots of shots...
Her: Nice. Go take a shower.


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## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

crboggs said:


> One of the best days I've had on the water recently was a day where we got 30-40 shots throughout the day but didn't connect until the end of the day after stepping down leader size to 10-12# range. The fun was in finding the fish and finally cracking that day's code...all for one epic eat.
> 
> Conversation with the wife used to be like...
> Her: How was your day?
> ...


Lol. That’s kinda how my conversations with my non fly fishing buddy goes.


Minus the go shower part of course.


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

This thread had morphed from casting distance to casting practice so I'd like to add something that I wish I knew when I just started out.

If you will be doing any sight casting, which has been talked about here, I think it would be helpful for you to practice casting starting with the fly in your hand. I spent my first year working on distance. My second year I worked on accuracy. Now, in about my third year, I am trying to also practice my distance and accuracy from the ready position.

I have been in many situations wading or on the bow where I think, "wtf, I KNOW I can make that cast!" What happened? I figured out that if I practice casting to a bucket at 50ft and I make the same cast for 30 minutes, I am only practicing for one scenario. When it was time to make a 50 ft cast starting from 0 ft, all of a sudden it was harder to get the line out, judge distance, cast well, have the appropriate casting stroke to match line out, etc.

So now, in general I practice that 50 ft cast, but I also practice casting starting with the fly in hand, quick casts, 20 ft casts through 90 ft casts, various flies, all wind speeds, all wind directions, back casts, off shoulder, side arm, distance without looking back, distance with looking back, no haul short shots, no haul long shots, crouching, kneeling, sitting, handstands, cartwheels, etc. I also try and practice some of the 5 fundamentals of casting in each session. If it's not a specific drill then I try to at least be aware of what they are while casting.


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## sevenweight (Sep 3, 2015)

Lots of great advice here!

One small item that made a big difference for me in taking it from the yard onto the water is to keep my eyes on the target throughout the cast while practicing. In other words, unless I’m working on something that requires watching my loop, my eyes are riveted on the paper plate or other target the whole time the way they need to be when sight fishing. (Since I fly fish alone 99% of the time when fly fishing, I don’t have someone to keep me zeroed into a moving fish.) I realized at some point that my stroke was changing depending on whether I took my eyes off the target for an instant.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Casting practice...yup...its great when your neighbor has a magnolia tree...just grab a half dozen or so leaves (preferably off the ground) and spread them out haphazardly from about 30' to 70'...then spend about 30 min randomly throwing at them without choosing your next target until the fly lands on your current target. Sometimes you'll have to pick up, haul, and reach further. Sometimes you'll have to strip in quickly to pick up for a shorter shot. Challenge yourself...


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## Henry Lee Fowler IV (Jan 11, 2017)

You'll surprised at how many "spooky species" that you'll catch 10-30 feet off the bow, if you remain still and keep quiet. Good accurate casting to approx 50ft will serve you really well. My average for carp is 15-35ft in a target zone about the size of a soft ball on an average day, golf/tennis ball on bad days when they are spooky.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Greg Lyles said:


> Guess it depends on the species of fish and the conditions. If you can cast 90’ over crystal clear water but the fly lands behind the fish as he’s moving away, accuracy just became much more critical than distance. At that point it doesn’t matter if you can cast 200’ - you missed. At the end of the day, all of this is pretty academic. As long as we’re having fun and catching fish it beats being at work, right?


Greg, pondering your assessment, let’s agree that your “miss” could be attributed to 1) poor accuracy 2) too damn slow getting the shot off 3) failure in the calculus of hang-time, fish movement speed, wind speed and direction, current ie:judgement. Often described as “a little rusty”, a perishable skill. Train this on the water, and realize that it is performed best at the subconscious level. Getting beyond the academics is where the fun lies, so hell yes, Right. Seymour


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2020)

RaspberryPatch said:


> Agree with accuracy and use targets in my practice casting. I will add to the discussion, I find my accuracy and distance are also a function of where I am. Wading in 12" of water, 36" or on top of a boat has some affect on distance, and to some extent on accuracy. Is this because the water affecting my whole body movement or just line of sight is impacted? I do not know, but I will also target practice in water to a place float out.
> 
> Going out on windy days to practice is good to. Cast into the wind.


Try to cast with the wind coming from all directions. The wind blowing into your casting side can be one of the most difficult situations to deal with. Learn off shoulder casting and also learn how to use a backcast as a finished cast.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2020)

crboggs said:


> Casting practice...yup...its great when your neighbor has a magnolia tree...just grab a half dozen or so leaves (preferably off the ground) and spread them out haphazardly from about 30' to 70'...then spend about 30 min randomly throwing at them without choosing your next target until the fly lands on your current target. Sometimes you'll have to pick up, haul, and reach further. Sometimes you'll have to strip in quickly to pick up for a shorter shot. Challenge yourself...


Practise is great, but if you don't have someone to watch and critique your casting, you may be engraining some bad casting habits. Try to find some sort of mentor whether it be at your local flyshop [that's why you support them] or maybe you have a local fly club. A lot of clubs have casting lessons or at least people that can point you in the right direction.


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

mike_parker said:


> Practise is great, but if you don't have someone to watch and critique your casting, you may be engraining some bad casting habits. Try to find some sort of mentor whether it be at your local flyshop [that's why you support them] or maybe you have a local fly club. A lot of clubs have casting lessons or at least people that can point you in the right direction.


I grabbed a tripod for my iPhone and can either send the videos to a CI or try and figure out what’s going on myself. Nothing really beats in person instruction but the video has been a big help.

I use the app called HUDL and can send video directly to the instructor. The footage can be slowed to 1/8th speed. Then he marks the videos with red and yellow lines and can add commentary.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2020)

brokeoff said:


> I grabbed a tripod for my iPhone and can either send the videos to a CI or try and figure out what’s going on myself. Nothing really beats in person instruction but the video has been a big help.
> 
> I use the app called HUDL and can send video directly to the instructor. The footage can be slowed to 1/8th speed. Then he marks the videos with red and yellow lines and can add commentary.


That's a great alternative to live coaching! Isn't technology wonderful?


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## Fishtex (May 10, 2014)

Mark your line with a sharpie at say 50-60 feet so you know what you have out there, work toward getting comfortable with that mark at the end of your rod, and then maybe add 20 feet and another mark. Once you get past 60 feet with no trouble you are on your way. BTW, don’t think you’re going to throw a 5 wt 70 -80 feet or more with your average rod, not saying it can’t be done but.....


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

Seems like a decent amount of YouTube videos I see of people on the bow casting to sighted fish are ones where there’s too much false casting going on. They might eventually get to 60-70 feet, but it shouldn’t have to take four or five false casts to get there. Extra false casts = missed opportunities.


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

Rob,
40' is a good distance to catch fish. I have caught many in this range. Just remember wherever your rod tip goes so goes the fly line. Try to keep the tip level when loading, this will keep more line in the air. Double haul and don't be afraid to let your fly hit the water when loading. You should be able to lift 40' of line off the water on a WF Floating line and cast to any spot you want. You are really wanting to be able to cast 60' easily and 90' to 100' when trying. Just keep practicing and like golf try not to think about it too much. Start out with a short amount of line and get comfortable with that then go to more line.


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2015)

Thank you everyone. I need to get it back out and practice again. I got frustrated and put it on the shelf for a bit. I’ve been using a clutch 8 weight rod. Seems ok I guess. I just need to practice more and not overthink it. Lol


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

Try different fly lines. Short and heavy heads perform differently than long headed lines. Something like SA grand slam is a good compromise line, works well enough for short shots and can reach out better for distance than a short and heavy like an outbound/Titan type might, at least that’s my experience.


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## numbskull (Jan 30, 2019)

mike_parker said:


> Practice is great, but if you don't have someone to watch and critique your casting, you may be engraining some bad casting habits.


This. ^^^^^

But few of us ever do it. Much easier and more fun to keep buying new expensive rods and lines while lying to ourselves (and buddies) about how far we can cast.


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

Work on perfect practice, building each cast from the ground up (literally). Start with placement of your feet, then rod position, then line slack, then the best backcast you can muster (watch it over your shoulder), then moving the rod and line forward at the right time, then the tiny thumb/wrist dink that forms the loop and then following the line down to the water.
Finally, stop and evaluate your performance of each part and the result overall. Do not flail. Stop and consider carefully what you just did and did not do. After your careful consideration, try again.

All those are separate skills to pay attention to and to work on improving. Each move has a distinct purpose and a distinct time when it should happen. Breaking the cast down into its components and rebuilding the process over and over gets you improvement.

Don't practice too long. Stop before you get so tired your perfect form suffers. As you progress, try different positions and angles, different distances, wind from different directions, delivery on the back cast, side arm, etc. The possibilities to improve your casting are pretty much endless. Don't give up when things aren't going well. Everyone throws a bad line at some time or another. The more you practice, the fewer bad lines you will throw.

And on edit -- learning self diagnosis is important. Its one of the things that lets you progress. And/but a good coach can shorten the time it takes to get there.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

A lot of good advice on practicing above. As for the original question, 20-60' will cover just about every situation in flats fishing. Yes there are times when conditions and spooky fish necessitate 80'+ casts to get a good chance of getting an eat but, if you can't consistently make accurate 80' casts it really won't matter.
The best casting drill I've done for simulating casting from a skiff at a moving fish on the flats my buddy came up with:
-Stand at the ready to make a quick cast with your eyes closed
-Have a friend throw a frisbee and call it in the air "fish at 2 o'clock"
-When you hear his words, look up and make the cast to the frisbee

The real challenge is that the frisbee is still moving so you have to figure out casting to where it is going to be, not where it is. You can simplify it a bit by letting the frisbee land and have your buddy call clock position and distance when it lands. Make sure you video your casts. Watching slow mo replay can really help identify what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right.


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## Stormy Monday (Mar 27, 2019)

A key factor in your description is how deep are you wading? I'm mostly up north, but I get around a bit. Usually I wade knee deep or less, and at that depth I can throw about 80' with 3 false casts. I always use 3 false casts, if I deviate I screw it up. I can throw that 80' all day, I practice by using tennis balls as targets, but I can't throw 90' if my life depends on it. Now if I wade in over my knees that distance diminishes quickly. I've been in sternum deep and really had a tough time getting to 60'. This is with a std line, not a shooting head which is a different thing. The deeper you wade the higher that beach behind you gets, the harder it is to get distance.


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

kjnengr said:


> I have seen freshwater trout guys that are not used to sight fishing and have a difficult time getting the cast off quickly and accurately with minimal false casts and movement.


Corey, when did you become a freshwater trout guy, sounds jus like you (just busting your chops). 

Actually this thread has been refreshing, usually when someone ask about casting distance there's a ton of replys saying that distance isn't important, it's all about accuracy, yada yada. The truth is, while accuracy is of course important,, if you can cast 60 feet on the lawn in good conditions, you MIGHT be ablte to make a reasonable cast at 35-40 feet in the wind on a boat. Developing and improving your casting ability is always a plus. To be able to consistantly cast at distance, you have to develop good form, and that helps at all distances. 

Work on your double haul, adjusting the timing of it a little can often have a big impact on your cast. Watching someone on the front of the boat flailing becasue they are trying to haul before the rod has started to load is frustrating.

As others have noted, work on getting the cast off quickly with a minimal amount of false cast. Trout fishermen have the luxury of usually casting at fish that are holding in a seam or behind a rock, giving the time to false cast and take their sweet time delivering the fly. On the flats fish are moving, by that 3rd or 4th false cast the fish is usually gone.

One last thing that will help you catch more fish is to develop the ability to deliver the fly well on the back cast. This doubles the amount of water you can quickly cover from the front of a boat. If there is a fly fishing club anywhere near you, you can usually find folks more than happy to help you with any or all of this.


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## karstopo (Nov 28, 2019)

Work on inside 30’ shots. Those are pretty common, especially in less clear water. Harder than it sounds because the angles change more rapidly (think movement at edge of wheel versus near the hub) and the shot tends to be very perishable, with the fish’s inevitable spooking at the boat. 

Getting good at the close in stuff will probably net you more fish than being great at extra long range shots.


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

redchaser said:


> Corey, when did you become a freshwater trout guy, sounds jus like you (just busting your chops).


I received an alert when this thread popped back up and someone liked my post. After rereading my previous posts, I thought to myself, damn do I resemble that remark.


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## Seymour fish (May 13, 2018)

Stormy Monday said:


> A key factor in your description is how deep are you wading? I'm mostly up north, but I get around a bit. Usually I wade knee deep or less, and at that depth I can throw about 80' with 3 false casts. I always use 3 false casts, if I deviate I screw it up. I can throw that 80' all day, I practice by using tennis balls as targets, but I can't throw 90' if my life depends on it. Now if I wade in over my knees that distance diminishes quickly. I've been in sternum deep and really had a tough time getting to 60'. This is with a std line, not a shooting head which is a different thing. The deeper you wade the higher that beach behind you gets, the harder it is to get distance.


Stormy, excellent point about wading depth and casting distance. Seymour


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## jackson man (Aug 13, 2020)

paulrad said:


> Greg,
> 
> Do you follow some kind of program in your casting practice? When you practice, what do you do exactly?


Good question, unless you know what you're doing or have someone watch you while you practice, you'll end up practicing a lot of bad habits that will actually hurt your progress as a good caster.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

For those of you who wade and don't use a "gizmo " to hold your line...
you can hold some of the line by loops with your lips 
May sound weird but it keeps the bulk of the line out of the water and pulls free no problem from your lips as the line shoots. You can also hold a couple smaller loops in your hand.

I've never practiced casting on my knees but have cast sitting on a five gallon bucket.
Learn to do the basics without having to think, (10 and 2 positions) start and stop of the rod and getting that timing down pat.
Cheat and turn your head and watch your loops until you get the "feel".
You'll get better distance with 'tighter loops" and especially casting in the wind.
Double haul on back and forward casts. 
If you do it long enough you'll be making a 30 foot cast, see a fish at 50 and change so smooth people will think that's just the way it's done...


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

I'd work on your double haul and make sure it's spot on. Lefty Kreh's Longer Fly casting is the best $15 you will ever invest.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

redjim said:


> Rob, you are getting some great advice here. All that I will add is this; having lessons in the beginning is VERY helpful. One of the best casters in the state is a fellow named Dave Olsen, I believe he lives down your way. Do yourself a favor and try to get a hold of him for a lesson or two. I believe the folks out of Whites Tackle in FP, know him well.


 David works at the White's Tackle on Cardinal Drive in Vero Beach. He does lessons.


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## tailwalk (Nov 20, 2016)

One of the best casting drills I was taught involves a bit of setup but it's effective.

Get yourself some targets, frisbees, cones, wooden fish, whatever, and set them up at three or four distances from a central point where you'll stand. So let's say you have a target at 3 o'clock and 30', at 6 o'clock at 60', 9 @45 and 12 @80'. Set it up at whatever distances you are comfortable with but vary them.

Now stand in the middle facing one target, say the 12 @80. From the starting position with fly in hand make a cast to the target with three or less false casts. Reset and without turning, do the same to the 3 o'clock target. And then the 6, then the 9.

Now turn to face the 3 o'clock target and repeat the drill. Then facing the 6, then the 9. Use back casts when appropriate.

At the end of one cycle of this drill you will have completed multiple casts at varying distances and angles, along with wind directions.

Often I find the quick short casts to be more challenging than longer ones. So while being able to dump a whole fly line sounds cool, control is far more important than pure distance in my experience


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

I'll take accuracy over distance any day. Then speed to get the fly in front of the fish.

Eliminate as many false casts as you can. I rarely have more than one or two back casts when I am fishing for reds. Bones, permit and tarpon may take three, but no more than that. 

Each recast to a fish usually drops the likely hood of an eat by half.

Get it out there quickly and accurately before they ever sense a thing. Eats will great improve.


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## redchaser (Aug 24, 2015)

coconutgroves said:


> I'll take accuracy over distance any day. Then speed to get the fly in front of the fish.
> 
> Eliminate as many false casts as you can. I rarely have more than one or two back casts when I am fishing for reds. Bones, permit and tarpon may take three, but no more than that.
> 
> ...


While your points are all spot on, delivering the cast quickly and accurately with a minimal amount of false cast requires being able to load the rod well, and develop line speed quickly, which are attributes of successfully casting at longer distances. You may never have to actually cast at a fish at 80 feet, but developing the ability to throw long requires good technique and form that will help with accuracy and serve you well at shorter distances too. And of course if you're having to cast 40 feet into the teeth of the wind it will require the equivalent of that 80 foot cast in more forgiving conditions. It never hurts to improve your skill.


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## Mike Geer (Nov 22, 2018)

We can all catch fish within 40 feet, and that length seems to be attainable for even beginner casters within a reasonable period of practice. This distance does not require perfect form, double hauling, back casting, etc. But I try to teach feel of your rod loading which usually takes place at 40-50 feet unless someone is using a slower rod (which I recommend). If someone can begin to feel the rod load then they can self correct and they can usually cast to 60-70 feet in a fairly short period of time with the addition of a double haul. Without proper loading the double haul is useless.


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## AZ_squid (Mar 14, 2018)

If I can offer any advice that hasn't already been given.....which is pointless now for the OP since this thread is already pretty old, but learn to double haul while you're learning to cast. Learning to cast a fly rod is already a dynamic process, add it in while you're learning and it won't be this big mythical hurdle once you start to understand how the rod feels during a normal cast. I taught my girlfriend like that and she picked it up right away as just part of the fly cast, she's already a way better on the bow of the boat after 3 months than most of my trout fishing buddies who have been fly casting for years.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

AZ_squid said:


> If I can offer any advice that hasn't already been given.....which is pointless now for the OP since this thread is already pretty old, but learn to double haul while you're learning to cast. Learning to cast a fly rod is already a dynamic process, add it in while you're learning and it won't be this big mythical hurdle once you start to understand how the rod feels during a normal cast. I taught my girlfriend like that and she picked it up right away as just part of the fly cast, she's already a way better on the bow of the boat after 3 months than most of my trout fishing buddies who have been fly casting for years.


Completely agree - teaching a double haul to an established freshwater caster is more difficult than teaching someone completely new to fly casting. I've taught a few people new casting the double on the first day, first lesson actually.

But, I teach people to reduce and try to eliminate false casts. One part of this is water loading - it is a key, underused tactic that can knock out two or false casts. I able to pick up 30 to 40' of line, shoot another 10 to 15' behind me, and add the same on my forward cast. One back cast, 60' to 70' cast. Easier to type than do, but once I show people this, they learn it quickly.

One other misconception is tight loops. They look pretty, and have their time and place, but actually can work against you. The double haul and tight loop has a lot of stored energy that comes out on the water when that line hits. I like to open the cast and roll it out super lightly. Spend any time fishing for super picky fish and this tactic is essential. Now I didn't come up with this myself - one of the top permit guides in the game showed me it - told me my tight cast was great an all, nice for a magazine picture, but was actually not good for catching permit due to the energy in the line. I took his advice pretty quickly... . Now some can argue it is how you handle the presentation, but I find myself using much less energy and getting the fly in front of the fish 3 to 4 times faster with this casting method.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Reducing false casts (and water hauling) was a huge step forward in my success when it comes to sight casting at reds / snook around here.

It made a damn near impossible task marginally successful as I got better at it.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Greg Lyles said:


> Paul,
> 
> I cast my various rods with typical flies for the fish I would use those rods for. For saltwater, I sometimes stand on a cooler to add a little instability as though I was on a boat (Unfortunately, I dont live on the coast where I can get on a boat daily - yet!)
> 
> ...


Have a friend throw the frisbee or hulu hoop and try and drop the fly on it with one false cast


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