Increasing casting distance.

The longer rod will help, but switch to mono. The weight of the PP when wet
will surely affect your distance.

"CR" wrote in message
om...
I want to increase my casting distance with light lures (1/16th oz),
using a spinning reel. I'm using a 5' 6" ML rod with a Symmetre 2000
reel and powerpro 10/2. I have 2 ideas. One is to spool my reel as
full as possible. The other is to switch to a longer rod (maybe 6'
6"). I suspect many of you will recommend the longer rod, if so I have
a question. Most 6' 6" rods seem to be rated M or higher. Will a M
action rod work with really light lures? Should I get a ML 6' 6" rod?
I was thinking of the Berkely Bionix (50$ at Walmart).

Thanks!

Chuck.

Filling the spool "as much as possible" will just cause problems..Using
mono and a longer LT/ Med Lt rod may help but you can only do so much
witth light lures.. a little car wax on the end of the spool might
help..





I fish therefore I lie

(AJH) wrote in message ...
Filling the spool "as much as possible" will just cause problems..Using
mono and a longer LT/ Med Lt rod may help but you can only do so much
witth light lures.. a little car wax on the end of the spool might
help..

Just did a little test. I compared 6 lb trilene xl to powerpro 10/2. I
was able to cast a 1/16th oz jig, 6 parking lot lines with the
powerpro and 7 with the trilene. My math tells me that's about 17%
more distance with the mono.

Okay -- but why? First, lets look at a few things. Line weight -- the
heavier the line, the farther the distance...as an exagerated example,
compare how far your can throw a dock line on your boat with how far you
can throw your power pro.

Next, let's look at friction --- usually, a mono or flouro will be
smoother than Powerpro so less friction -- UNLESS the mono comes off the
reel in loops or twists which cause more contact with the guides.

But mostly: how is your form? How much do you load the rod on your
back cast? How do you stop your forward cast? What kind of trajectory
does your lure have as it moves away from you? All those components
probalby affect your total distance more than the brand of rod or size
of reel (within reason).

Golfers and fly fishers spend hours practicing their form.....

Also, practice with a 1/32 lure and get it as far as you possibly can.
When you switch to the 1/16 you'll be amazed at the added distance.
CR wrote:



Just did a little test. I compared 6 lb trilene xl to powerpro 10/2. I
was able to cast a 1/16th oz jig, 6 parking lot lines with the
powerpro and 7 with the trilene. My math tells me that's about 17%
more distance with the mono.

Fritz Nordengren wrote in message news:yOxvb.70989$Dw6.360193@attbi_s02...
Okay -- but why? First, lets look at a few things. Line weight -- the
heavier the line, the farther the distance...as an exagerated example,
compare how far your can throw a dock line on your boat with how far you
can throw your power pro.

Next, let's look at friction --- usually, a mono or flouro will be
smoother than Powerpro so less friction -- UNLESS the mono comes off the
reel in loops or twists which cause more contact with the guides.

I think that's the key here. The mono is much slicker than the
powerpro. Both seem to be about the same limpness.

But mostly: how is your form? How much do you load the rod on your
back cast? How do you stop your forward cast? What kind of trajectory
does your lure have as it moves away from you? All those components
probalby affect your total distance more than the brand of rod or size
of reel (within reason).

Golfers and fly fishers spend hours practicing their form.....

Good point.

I switched to 6lb mono. It definitely casts farther. Enough to make me
switch. It takes some getting used to. If I tighten the knot
incorrectly the line curls up. And you can't use a snap hookset, it
has to be a long steady pull.

Thanks!

Chuck.

"Charles B. Summers" (Comcast) wrote in message
...
The longer rod will help, but switch to mono. The weight of the PP when wet
will surely affect your distance.

Charles, I don't think PowerPro absorbs water any more than mono does. Certainly not enough to have
an effect on casting distance.
--
Steve
OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Charles B. Summers" (Comcast) wrote in message ...

The longer rod will help, but switch to mono. The weight of the PP when wet
will surely affect your distance.

I swear it seems that my distance actually goes up significantly after
a few casts. Maybe the wet line goes through the reel easier. Or maybe
its my imagination. I wonder what is considered to be a good distance
for 1/16th of an ounce? Maybe I'm already getting about the max.

The reason you are seeing an increase in casting distance as the line gets
wetter is a decrease in line resistance thru the guides. This will apply to
mono as well as super lines.
Also the better that the guides are will help in reducing said resistance.
JMHO!

--
Dave Norton
Millennium Rods
"CR" wrote in message
om...
"Charles B. Summers" (Comcast) wrote in
message ...

The longer rod will help, but switch to mono. The weight of the PP when
wet
will surely affect your distance.

I swear it seems that my distance actually goes up significantly after
a few casts. Maybe the wet line goes through the reel easier. Or maybe
its my imagination. I wonder what is considered to be a good distance
for 1/16th of an ounce? Maybe I'm already getting about the max.

I used to spend three months every year casting 1/16 oz and 1/32 oz jigs for
White Bass. With the right set up you can make fairly long casts. My
favorite rod is a 71/2 foot Cabela's spinning rod, either Light or Medium Light
action. I can't cast well with a rod that's too limber. Most so called Ultra
Light rods don't have enough backbone to give you the necessary "snap" to
really shoot a light lure out there. I've used 8- and 9-foot rods and they
can cast very well, but my arm and wrist get tired way too soon to suit me.

Which line? I like 4 lb. clear mono or 8 lb PowerPro. I agree that a larger
diameter reel works better than the tiniest of ultra lights, but also believe
that there is a point beyond which a large diameter is counter-productive. I
haven't actually measured the old Mitchell 300 spool, but I think it's about
the right diameter.

It's true that filling a spool to its ultimate capacity can add a little
distance to your cast. The first cast, that is. Maybe even the second and
third. But sooner or later, the line will come off in a pile of
uncontrollable loops and the resulting tangle will make you wish you'd payed
attention to the owner's manual and stopped the line when it got about 1/16 of
an inch from the lip.

Also -- you might take a look at which lure you're using. A small plastic grub
on a jig will give you more casting distance than the same jig head tied with
feathers or bucktail -- especially if the jig is overdressed. The grub is less
wind resistant and it also has some weight of its own which helps load your rod
and carry the cast.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com

Rob wrote:

I used to spend three months every year casting 1/16 oz and 1/32 oz jigs for
White Bass.

I use a lot of little stuff for LM and SM bass, as well as crappies. It's one of
my favorite ways to fish.


Most so called Ultra
Light rods don't have enough backbone to give you the necessary "snap" to
really shoot a light lure out there.

Steve Huber recently built me a 7 footer for this application that is just
phenomenal. I find myself using it for drop shotting as well as for the little
jigs it was intended for.

Which line? I like 4 lb. clear mono or 8 lb PowerPro.

Mono. the stretch actually helps in landing fish on light line. most any
nn-fluorescent mono will do for me, but the Yozuri hybrid is my favortie.

I agree that a larger
diameter reel works better than the tiniest of ultra lights,

I typically use a spinning reel on size larger than normal.


Also -- you might take a look at which lure you're using. A small plastic grub
on a jig will give you more casting distance than the same jig head tied with
feathers or bucktail


Once the feather/hair get saturated, the casting distance will be comparable.
Even greater for marabou.




RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing