Surface iron casting distance
- Thread starter Pjstevko
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For throwing surface iron and you want distance I’d stick to a Trini20a. I had a few Tranx500’s and they are good to throw with less backlash’s but personally for me, I can get a little more distance with the 20a. I use 65 Maxcuatro for all my surface iron sticks with 50# mono about 15’. What I like about the Trini is the 2nd notch on the handle that feels comfortable with a bigger wind and rythm.
Next month the 540 Jig guys are having a casting meet up again in the Long Beach Marine stadium either 2/18 or 19. Details later but it’s a great place to meet other long rod dudes and try each others rods out.
Next month the 540 Jig guys are having a casting meet up again in the Long Beach Marine stadium either 2/18 or 19. Details later but it’s a great place to meet other long rod dudes and try each others rods out.
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You have the right idea about practicing at the lake. But practicing can also deeply ingrain a bad habit into muscle memory.
One of my smarter moves about forty years ago was to go up to one of the better tackle reps at a Fred Hall Show in Long Beach who was giving casting demos and ask him if he ever gave private lessons. We made arrangements to meet and I bought an hour of his time. He watched me make ten casts, and then politely but firmly straightened out the main things that I was doing wrong. It was money very well spent. Knowing how to do something is useless if you just THINK that you know how to do something. I wasn't wetting the line before casting, I wasn't holding the reel properly to rotate my hand, I wasn't starting with the right amount of line from the tip, I wasn't following through, I wasn't stopping the lure just as it lost momentum BEFORE it touched the water (thus causing spool overruns), I wasn't pulling down strongly with my hand on the butt to cast, and so forth.
Did it fix all of my bad habits? Nope. I still have to make a conscious effort to do things right, because a couple of decades of doing it wrong had pretty much seared some things into my muscles. But if I really think about things and make the effort, the results are very satisfying.
One of my smarter moves about forty years ago was to go up to one of the better tackle reps at a Fred Hall Show in Long Beach who was giving casting demos and ask him if he ever gave private lessons. We made arrangements to meet and I bought an hour of his time. He watched me make ten casts, and then politely but firmly straightened out the main things that I was doing wrong. It was money very well spent. Knowing how to do something is useless if you just THINK that you know how to do something. I wasn't wetting the line before casting, I wasn't holding the reel properly to rotate my hand, I wasn't starting with the right amount of line from the tip, I wasn't following through, I wasn't stopping the lure just as it lost momentum BEFORE it touched the water (thus causing spool overruns), I wasn't pulling down strongly with my hand on the butt to cast, and so forth.
Did it fix all of my bad habits? Nope. I still have to make a conscious effort to do things right, because a couple of decades of doing it wrong had pretty much seared some things into my muscles. But if I really think about things and make the effort, the results are very satisfying.
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- Feb 26, 2011
- 1,340
- 2,966
- Name
- Jamie
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- #1 Tackle Shop
Hi PJ,
Great question and no doubt a thread that a ton of lurkers on this site will be tuning into regularly.
It's funny, but as I explain to our customers, this game we love is called "Sport" fishing. Yet, unlike most any other sport, individual, one on one, coaches are few and far between. Coaches in every other sport will teach how to get maximum efficiency through body positioning, posture, angles, joint alignment, as well as a variety of other body and mental issues directly related to the individual sport. Watching game videos to analyze a variety of things that went right or wrong during actual combat, game or casting scenarios has been around for decades.
S.G. was right on noting he paid for and received an hour of help.. No doubt this payment was worth its weight in casting gold. Every professional athlete, be it a team sport or individual sport hire or have coaches to help them tweak their form to help them get to the next level or stay at the highest levels prior to game time.. Why don't anglers do the same??
Regarding fishing, I have a ton of customers who are out of state or too far away to come by the shop ask me to help with their casting and fish fighting techniques.. For those looking to get casting help I have them get a friend or family member or from a tripod, take cell phone video from the sides and close to behind (without getting hit) of them casting their choice of jig without hooks. I then, by phone call, can analyze their movements and tighten things up. It does not really matter if you own a longer jig stick or a shorter bait stick as form is generally form regardless of stick length. No doubt a properly balanced jig stick will help with a variety of issues, it is certainly not a requirement for developing excellent form in general.
I know there are a lot of old school folks out there who just say go out and cast.. But as others have noted, getting rid of bad habits from casting incorrectly can take a lifetime.. Muscle memory in all sports is a real thing. Thus practicing using correct form will keep the bad habits from forming and reduce the stress on your body as well as just being more fun and satisfying.
AS a Note: It is amazing how our body parts will let us know when we are doing things right or wrong.. Impingements from casting incorrectly are directly detectable thru pain, aches or just not feeling like the cast is flowing. For those of You who golf, that one perfect feeling stroke and club head perfectly meeting the ball, compared to a myriad of poor strokes are what brings us back to that silly game.. A proper golf stroke and ball strike feels effortless and incredibly exhilarating even though for many of us that stroke can be rather elusive... A proper Cast will feel very similar with the same resultant outstanding cast distance or accuracy with less energy expelled..The great news is it is much easier to cast very well than to play the evil game of golf well. However, Like golf, slowing down the cast and amount of oomph you put into the stroke will help the angler develop better technique upon which they can begin to add speed and power into the equation.
Though there is certainly no one way to skin a cat, the majority of issues I see from these videos, start at the feet. The anglers are not getting that little extra boost developing power from the bottoms of the feet, transfer the energy through weight transfer, proper alignment of their joints, and then combine that with proper use and alignment of the hands, wrists, grip, elbows, shoulders, elbows, etc. Each of these areas are where efficiency can be lost should be addressed regardless if the sport is Fishing, golf, baseball or any other sport..Additionally, for those of us who are now paying for an active life with aches, pains, surgeries, or body parts that are no longer shiny and new, a knowledgeable coach can help with techniques that take into considerations those issues that might otherwise prevent us from maximizing the enjoyment of this sport.
In truth, the greatest casters and athletes in general tend to have better or the best genetics. No, that does not necessarily mean they look like some sculpted god, rather they tend to have better hand-eye coordination and the ability for their body and mind to work in harmony with the events unfolding around them. However, that does not mean the rest of us, who are a bit more genetically challenged, like me, cannot get in the game by working harder on developing proper form, understanding and working within our limitations and practicing proper technique.
If you are interested, you are welcome to PM me with your casting videos and phone number, again from the side and back angle, away from the jig path.. It would be my pleasure to go thru with you some advice on improving your form that I do not doubt will help you not only cast further with less energy but also take a great deal less toll on your body..
As always, I do this because I love it.. There is zero obligation to purchase anything from us regardless how much time I spend with you by phone.
Have a great season and good on you for asking for help.
Respectfully,
Jamie
Great question and no doubt a thread that a ton of lurkers on this site will be tuning into regularly.
It's funny, but as I explain to our customers, this game we love is called "Sport" fishing. Yet, unlike most any other sport, individual, one on one, coaches are few and far between. Coaches in every other sport will teach how to get maximum efficiency through body positioning, posture, angles, joint alignment, as well as a variety of other body and mental issues directly related to the individual sport. Watching game videos to analyze a variety of things that went right or wrong during actual combat, game or casting scenarios has been around for decades.
S.G. was right on noting he paid for and received an hour of help.. No doubt this payment was worth its weight in casting gold. Every professional athlete, be it a team sport or individual sport hire or have coaches to help them tweak their form to help them get to the next level or stay at the highest levels prior to game time.. Why don't anglers do the same??
Regarding fishing, I have a ton of customers who are out of state or too far away to come by the shop ask me to help with their casting and fish fighting techniques.. For those looking to get casting help I have them get a friend or family member or from a tripod, take cell phone video from the sides and close to behind (without getting hit) of them casting their choice of jig without hooks. I then, by phone call, can analyze their movements and tighten things up. It does not really matter if you own a longer jig stick or a shorter bait stick as form is generally form regardless of stick length. No doubt a properly balanced jig stick will help with a variety of issues, it is certainly not a requirement for developing excellent form in general.
I know there are a lot of old school folks out there who just say go out and cast.. But as others have noted, getting rid of bad habits from casting incorrectly can take a lifetime.. Muscle memory in all sports is a real thing. Thus practicing using correct form will keep the bad habits from forming and reduce the stress on your body as well as just being more fun and satisfying.
AS a Note: It is amazing how our body parts will let us know when we are doing things right or wrong.. Impingements from casting incorrectly are directly detectable thru pain, aches or just not feeling like the cast is flowing. For those of You who golf, that one perfect feeling stroke and club head perfectly meeting the ball, compared to a myriad of poor strokes are what brings us back to that silly game.. A proper golf stroke and ball strike feels effortless and incredibly exhilarating even though for many of us that stroke can be rather elusive... A proper Cast will feel very similar with the same resultant outstanding cast distance or accuracy with less energy expelled..The great news is it is much easier to cast very well than to play the evil game of golf well. However, Like golf, slowing down the cast and amount of oomph you put into the stroke will help the angler develop better technique upon which they can begin to add speed and power into the equation.
Though there is certainly no one way to skin a cat, the majority of issues I see from these videos, start at the feet. The anglers are not getting that little extra boost developing power from the bottoms of the feet, transfer the energy through weight transfer, proper alignment of their joints, and then combine that with proper use and alignment of the hands, wrists, grip, elbows, shoulders, elbows, etc. Each of these areas are where efficiency can be lost should be addressed regardless if the sport is Fishing, golf, baseball or any other sport..Additionally, for those of us who are now paying for an active life with aches, pains, surgeries, or body parts that are no longer shiny and new, a knowledgeable coach can help with techniques that take into considerations those issues that might otherwise prevent us from maximizing the enjoyment of this sport.
In truth, the greatest casters and athletes in general tend to have better or the best genetics. No, that does not necessarily mean they look like some sculpted god, rather they tend to have better hand-eye coordination and the ability for their body and mind to work in harmony with the events unfolding around them. However, that does not mean the rest of us, who are a bit more genetically challenged, like me, cannot get in the game by working harder on developing proper form, understanding and working within our limitations and practicing proper technique.
If you are interested, you are welcome to PM me with your casting videos and phone number, again from the side and back angle, away from the jig path.. It would be my pleasure to go thru with you some advice on improving your form that I do not doubt will help you not only cast further with less energy but also take a great deal less toll on your body..
As always, I do this because I love it.. There is zero obligation to purchase anything from us regardless how much time I spend with you by phone.
Have a great season and good on you for asking for help.
Respectfully,
Jamie
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Omarkayak
I've posted enough I should know better...
- Jul 26, 2007
- 1,762
- 1,157
- Name
- Donald W. Clarke III
- Boat Name
- 11+ ft, Ocean Kayak Scrambler, P 'N' Queue Pod
No hand-eye coordination-, full body kinesthetic awareness-aided casting here, I'm like total spazmatic. Maybe explains why I can't cast 100 yards like my buddies supposedly can... 
Not withstanding the above, I go with the vertical pendulum lob, mono topshot, reel sideways during cast, and dip rod just before jig hits the water style. Length of dangle depends on action of rod and jig weight but usually to foregrip or reel. Oh, and vigilance behind you coupled with "Casting!" call beforehand.
Good fishin'!
BDC OK
Not withstanding the above, I go with the vertical pendulum lob, mono topshot, reel sideways during cast, and dip rod just before jig hits the water style. Length of dangle depends on action of rod and jig weight but usually to foregrip or reel. Oh, and vigilance behind you coupled with "Casting!" call beforehand.
Good fishin'!
BDC OK
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John Stidman
I Should Upgrade My Account
- Apr 29, 2018
- 1,262
- 1,661
- 53
- Name
- John Stidman
- Boat Name
- 26ft seaswirl striper,24 ft trophy walkaround,24ft glasply flybridge.
No lake close but I'm gonna take few that im repainting and take off the treble hook and go to the park. Throw it across the soccer field lol.
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Many way to skin a cat. I cast like this guy.
Arms out body sideways to the swing direction and switch arm position in the swing to cast. Reel can end up upside down or sideways to allow line to flow off spool.
Arms out body sideways to the swing direction and switch arm position in the swing to cast. Reel can end up upside down or sideways to allow line to flow off spool.
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Hello PJ,
I would say that you have definitely started on your way to catch your surface iron yellow.
My main suggestions ...
1 Get your body mechanics while casting dialed in.
2 Don't focus on distance at first, make sure you can consistently cast without out a backlash.
3 Practice, Practice, Practice
The 540 Slingers Club will be meeting up on February 19 at Marine Stadium in Long Beach near the lifeguard museum. If you live in the area come on out, @pukahd, myself and the other club members will give you whatever help we can.
I would say that you have definitely started on your way to catch your surface iron yellow.
My main suggestions ...
1 Get your body mechanics while casting dialed in.
2 Don't focus on distance at first, make sure you can consistently cast without out a backlash.
3 Practice, Practice, Practice
The 540 Slingers Club will be meeting up on February 19 at Marine Stadium in Long Beach near the lifeguard museum. If you live in the area come on out, @pukahd, myself and the other club members will give you whatever help we can.
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mike mitchell
I Post A Lot But I Can't Edit This
Please remember that you can't miss the water, so don't hit anything when you cast, please.
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Thanks everyone for all the advice and tips.
Jamie I really appreciate your offer to critique my casting via video and if I can figure out the logistics of filming myself I'll gladly take you up on that offer.
Jeff I wish I lived closer so I could join you guys during your practice sessions but unfortunately I live near Visalia like 3 hours away.
Jamie I really appreciate your offer to critique my casting via video and if I can figure out the logistics of filming myself I'll gladly take you up on that offer.
Jeff I wish I lived closer so I could join you guys during your practice sessions but unfortunately I live near Visalia like 3 hours away.
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Jamie is right on the money when he talks about weight change during the cast. But I find it very difficult to shift my weight during a cast from the bow of a sportboat as we approach a paddy or surface foamer. You always have to make some compromises in form when in a situation like that. You end up just doing the best that you can, safely.
One other thing that I was taught that really made a difference -- I had the mental picture of a cast all wrong. Coming from an extensive hunting background I was ignorantly thinking that the lure was kind of like a big bullet, going out and out until it finally hit the water. NOPE!
The bullet has air resistance and gravity slowly bleeding energy and pulling it down. A horizontal chart of the bullet has it very close to line of sight for several hundred yards. But a lure being long cast is pulling line off a reel, which not only quickly bleeds energy but every moment the drag from the line is increasing. So a horizontal chart of a long cast is a lot more curved, and at the end it is an "L" with a vertical drop down into the water of a few feet. That complete loss of pulling energy from the lure at the end is what encourages the reel spool to keep spinning without the line continuing to to fly out, thus making for an overrun. So clamping down hard with your thumb when you see the lure down to a few feet of the water doesn't cost you any distance at all, and prevents a huge percentage of overruns. You don't see the lure stop going out and fall vertically because you are looking at it from the end of the line. But if you wait until you see the splash, you are making a mistake.
One other thing that I was taught that really made a difference -- I had the mental picture of a cast all wrong. Coming from an extensive hunting background I was ignorantly thinking that the lure was kind of like a big bullet, going out and out until it finally hit the water. NOPE!
The bullet has air resistance and gravity slowly bleeding energy and pulling it down. A horizontal chart of the bullet has it very close to line of sight for several hundred yards. But a lure being long cast is pulling line off a reel, which not only quickly bleeds energy but every moment the drag from the line is increasing. So a horizontal chart of a long cast is a lot more curved, and at the end it is an "L" with a vertical drop down into the water of a few feet. That complete loss of pulling energy from the lure at the end is what encourages the reel spool to keep spinning without the line continuing to to fly out, thus making for an overrun. So clamping down hard with your thumb when you see the lure down to a few feet of the water doesn't cost you any distance at all, and prevents a huge percentage of overruns. You don't see the lure stop going out and fall vertically because you are looking at it from the end of the line. But if you wait until you see the splash, you are making a mistake.
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“unfortunately I live near Visalia like 3 hours away.”
I just moved from Visalia 4 months ago. I’m in Utah now so it’s 10 hours to San Diego
I just moved from Visalia 4 months ago. I’m in Utah now so it’s 10 hours to San Diego
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Always look behind you for anglers, rods and other things your jig may snag. You’ll never miss hitting the ocean, but a jig in someone is a painful really. The experienced Jake’s here will have stories to share. I’m confident of that. Mahalo
I always look behind me and say "going out" when casting from the bow with my spinning setup so I know that'll carry over with the conventional setup.
Planning a few trips for spring yellowtail at the Coronados, and an 8 day or two every year.
I rewatched a couple casting videos during rain the last few days and read up on technique a little and i think it helped.
I went down to the lake today and did some practice casting.
I was able to get my surface iron 140-170' fairly consistent.
I switched over to a 120g sniper and was able to cast it 170-200'
I'm beginning to feel more confident in my abilities and will continue to practice while adding obstacles behind me.
I went down to the lake today and did some practice casting.
I was able to get my surface iron 140-170' fairly consistent.
I switched over to a 120g sniper and was able to cast it 170-200'
I'm beginning to feel more confident in my abilities and will continue to practice while adding obstacles behind me.
How is your freespool on that gold Trinidad? If you wrap a piece of masking tape around the spool to hold the line down and spin the spool as hard as you can how long will it rotate on its own before stopping?
Poor freespool will affect casting distance. Make sure you properly adjust the bearing tension on the side of the reel. Should be slight side to side play in freespool to reduce friction.
If I do a side by side test of how long a spool will spin on its own in freespool between my gold trinidad's and my newer trinidad A's there is absolutely no comparison. The trinidad A's just spin forever.
If I want to maximize my casting distance I must minimize friction - both thumb pressure on a spinning spool as well as any friction being caused by the reel itself...
Oh, and make sure the line is wet before I cast...
Poor freespool will affect casting distance. Make sure you properly adjust the bearing tension on the side of the reel. Should be slight side to side play in freespool to reduce friction.
If I do a side by side test of how long a spool will spin on its own in freespool between my gold trinidad's and my newer trinidad A's there is absolutely no comparison. The trinidad A's just spin forever.
If I want to maximize my casting distance I must minimize friction - both thumb pressure on a spinning spool as well as any friction being caused by the reel itself...
Oh, and make sure the line is wet before I cast...
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Your current distance is fine. Now start working on accuracy at that distance. Take a second outfit and use it to cast out something that floats, a big bobber or something. Then try to pay attention to the wind and place your lure as near as you can on the upwind side. Pure distance is fun, but placing a lure where it needs to be to attract a fish is what will get you hooked up. And you will very rarely get the OK from the captain to fire your lure until the bow is inside fifty yards from the kelp or foamer.
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