You can get even more distance than what you have already manged by transitioning to a good quaility braid like Power Pro, Tuff Line, or Spider Wire.  The diameter is much thinner and you can tie on a leader of mono or flouro if the water is clear with a uni to uni know.  The diameter is much thinner and the stength is much better too.  It's great for breaking loose from snags too if you are shore bound and not losing your lure or bait, just bend the hooks back and keep fishing!

To get more distance, I'd back the setting off some. Thats the first step. Secondly, when casting load those Rods up! They can handle it. Will just had to re-educate your thumb to feather the spool.

He knows how to do all this already. He is looking for some kind of trick.

bigbarry Posted: Monday, May 11, 2009 5:15 PM
Joined: 3/2/2008
Posts: 379

i have been using a bait caster for years, but because of physical limitation i have sold my boat and fish only from the bank and sitting on a chair.  i am getting about 40 to 45 yards per cast but would like to get to 50 yards plus !!

any ideas ???????????  or am i just trying for "the pie in the sky"

thanks in advance

and

god bless

barry

life member 2005

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass http://delawaretrophybass.com

It seems the only thing left to do is get a longer rod, which will increase your casting distance.

Out of curiosity I did a little experimenting today. I took my baitcaster down to the local pond along with an armless lawn chair. Casting an F7 Rappala on Fireline 10/4 with a Shimano Cruxis and a Cabela's Fish Eagle II rod. Standing up I was consistently 10-15 yds longer on my casts than I was sitting. BTW, didn't catch any fish sitting or standing! Tom

LOOKS LIKE THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE DESIRED DISTANCE IS TO NOT SIT DOWN.  GOOD GOING SOLVING THE MYSTERY TOM. I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT SITTING DOWN MAKES THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE, BUT 15 YARDS IS A BIG DEAL.

It must be something with weight transfer, the same principle is at work when throwing a ball. Maybe a stool would be a better choice? Just trying to come up with something that works for BB. Tom

That is pretty smart Tom. A stool seems like it would work if he can do that.

Northeast Bass Fishing For Trophy Bass http://delawaretrophybass.com

I think that is the first time I have ever come up with a solution to a problem by gettin ON my xxxx! Tom

I've got a trick, but I rarely cast any farther than 50 yrds. It's a fly fishing cast. Start your cast wind up with the rod pointing straight out infront of you. Whip your lure back to load the rod tip and now whip your rod forward to complete your cast. You should get more distance.

Sounds like it should work.

I've tried a variation of a Happy Gilmore baitcasting style and to an extent, it works. LOL's

You didnt say the bait your useing.Try a jig or lipless crank bait.Spinnerbait and billed crank bait will have alot more wind drag when casting.

Those are plenty good reels, not cutting your distance as much as other things. One thing I will add to all the great advice above is even if new reels, have them "Super Tuned" by a reel expert. Even if you opt for special gear kits like Dave mentioned, it pays to super tune. I added way more casting yards than I needed. That removed all noise from my reels, too. The idea is to polish all moving parts involved in casting until friction is practically eliminated. Stick to extra thin reel oils, save reel grease for cranking gears only.

If you are lobbing 1 oz lures then a fast tip rod is fine. A fast tip robs distance from lighter lures simply because no rod flex energy is added to the lure. Dave covered that in those links. The lighter the lure, the softer the rod action ought to be. Lightest casting lures need all the rod whip you can provide. Note "casting". Getting too light for baitcast rigs calls for spinning or spincast rigs.

I have very little time to spare messing with my boat, so like you fish more from shore lately, usually in the shade under a bridge. Work on something I'll try to describe. When casting nobody behind you should see your hands while casting. They need to remain in your lap, no more than breast high, especially when sitting in a chair. Learn to mostly rotate your wrists, allowing maybe a mere 6" displacement of your forearms. Snap the rod behind your shoulder, then snap the rod forward, putting high stress into the rod. You should add dozens of yards and increase accuracy. If you continue lobbing the rod with mostly arm motion, you are not employing the capabilities of your rod towards supplying kinetic energy, whatever brand or type rod you have. i will point out you won't get much added energy with a stiff rod, a reason for going lighter on tip flex. Rod POWER isn't a factor, except for ability to haul a fish aboard by rod strength alone.

Longer rods are best for distance, but I've found the best rod guides add about as much smoothness and distance. I like them a bit larger than typical on store brand baitcast rods, and closer spaced, so far a great reason for using custom rods. I prefer ceramic rings, the ones like an inner tube in shape on the inside, the line passing over a rounded surface. I still have some flat-ringed guides on some "store-bought" rods that are OK, but will likely be replaced.

Jim

In answer to the PMs I'll add to my last post since probably several readers got confused.

Whipping a good quality rod will not snap it to pieces if you are using the recommended line and lure weight, and haven't done somethings like cracking the rod in a truck door jamb or stepped on it. Modern rod blanks can take it. If you are afraid there's some damage on your rod then don't do this, but don't figure on the rod holding up under a big fish load either. I still use a few favorite rods over 20 years old this way, and one old glass rod I use for crankbaits. I was an overhead "lure lobber" most of my fishing life until I saw some pro anglers cast this way. If you have to don't hesitate to use both hands. Using both will add power and distance.

You can hold the rig out at arm's length if wanted (not necessarily in the lap), and learn not to move your arms hardly at all. Or go ahead and let your arms move. The object is to put as much snap into the rod as possible. It's a real shoulder saver for folks with ruptured rotator cuffs like me. I CAN'T lob a rod more than a few times, but figure I'd out-distance anyone lobbing the same lure. Sometimes I snap the rod sideways or some other way depending on how a boat partner is casting. It did take a lot of practice in my lawn to learn this, so no, it doesn't come easy. Pitchin' didn't come easy for me either. Your casting thumb must be educated, as mentioned earlier. It must skim over the spool constantly while the lure is in the air. I use both brake systems in my reels, changing settings whenever I go to another weight of lure. Most of my reels are the original (discontinued) Shimano Curado, the best I've ever used. I bought up a lifetime supply and had them super tuned.

The rod should bow up on the backswing, then reverse bow direction on the forward pass. The fly casting model mentioned above is similar. The power is in the bows. At the end of the forward pass the bow tip should stop aimed at the target. The lure should not rise higher above water than your rod tip. It should travel parallel to the water surface, spearing air like a bullet. Using the thumb, stop the bait above the target. Learn to have the lure slowed way down by then, let the line kill the forward momentum for minimum splash. The first major benefit I found was splash down was much more controlled than lobbing a lure like trying to put it in orbit. When a lure is falling under it's own weight from an altitude it is going to make a big splash. Not good for bassin'. If it is only falling a foot or two it won't make as big a splash.

Jim

A little about spool tension.

With a particular bait tied on loosen the spool tension knob until this happens: Release the spool with rod held out, very gently tipping the rod tip (about 1/4 oz of force or less) so the lure starts a controlled steady fall. It ought to fall about as fast as a spider can make a web line, slowly but evenly dropping. The spool must stop spinning the instant the lure stops on the ground. FOR THAT BAIT you have the tension set correctly.

You will then be ready to cast. Start off with easy distance without tangling line, gradually increasing as you gain skill. By the way, the same casting technique applies for other rigs like spinning and spincast rods. You need a clean well maintained reel and quality limp line. Practice on land. If starting over the water you are likely to lose a lot of lures, as until your thumb can control the spool correctly the rod snapping can easily cause line or knot failure.

Jim

For you folks that don't know OBA (Jim)...he used to contribute to MANY good Topics here on the Forums.

After the software change back in Nov 2007...he was lost for a while.

It's good to see him (you Jim) on here again...as you have given SO much knowledge to we anglers on here in the past.

Thanks for sharing your experiences my friend.

I can't take credit for most of what fishing knowledge I have. Hey, a lot of it has come from reading you, Dave! Thanks for all that research and link-sharing.

I rubbed shoulders with no doubt several hundreds of fishermen while a forester/park ranger for 35 years, receiving and passing along a lot of techniques in those campgrounds, in boats, at the ramps, and other places all over America. Many were pros willing to share however much I had time to take and give. Typing it all out these past years has sealed it all in my memory all the better, learning way more stuff than I could try out. Telling however much people wanted to hear while shopping our marina store taught me a lot too, though I was glad to be able to sell my shares and aim closer to retirement. It would be impossible to separate out what I've learned taking part in these online discussions. They make you think. But probably the most enduring knowledge has come from time on the water doing what I've learned to do.

Jim

Pegsguy wrote

Standing up I was consistently 10-15 yds longer on my casts than I was sitting.

I'd expect that would be similar to shooting an arrow level to the ground while sitting, then standing to get a few more yards. The higher the shooter, the longer the arrow is in flight, all other factors being equal.