Corpusfishing.com

[osolost]

I am curious as to how much casting distance you are getting from your fly rods. I know with my baitcasters I can cast quite a bit but with my 7 wt fly rod I feel fortunate breaking 35-40 ft. I am currently using 9 wt forward line and I am thinking of going to an 8 wt rod for more distance. Opinions??

[putawaywet]

If you can get your double haul mastered (which I have not) you will greatly increase your distance and make wind (almost) a non issue.
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[osolost]

I think I can double haul it fairly decent....I am just looking for an average target range to shoot for. I was thinking about 50 feet...but that may be a tad bid excessive for a fly rod. I don't know.

[Gartooth]

Oso-

With practice and good form you can eventually cast 80 - 90 feet. A handful of folks can cast much farther than that. Learning the double haul is crucial if you want to work the wind and get decent distance. The double haul increases your line speed and is essential for saltwater casting.

One important thing about being able to make long casts is that it makes shorter cast (40 feet or so) much more routine. I would estimate the average cast at a red on the flats is around 40-50 feet. Of course sometimes they are much much closer, other times farther. The position of your cast relative to the wind is perhaps the biggest obstacle in gaining distance and accuracy.

You mention you have a 7wt but you are casting a 9wt line. Are you casting the 9wt line on the 7wt rod?

Casey
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[osolost]

Casey,

Thanks for the info. You answered my question exactly. I can cast the 50 feet with no problem. And you are correct on the wt of the rod. I am using a 7 wt Pflueger rod with an Okuma Integrity reel. The line weight is 9 wt weight forward. I have been practicing the double haul and can get it pretty consistant. I am thinking of getting an 8 wt rod but am thinking it may be too big for reds but it may be big enough for this wind that we have.

BTW has anyone tried using a fly rod of a pier? I was thinking of taking it out when the kingfish come in closer.

Fish on,
JME #1

[Paulo]

I am no expert but unless your rod is very fast (stiff, bends at the tip mostly) you may want to try a 7wt line or at most an 8wt. If the rod is slow (bends from the middle to the tip) it may not have the power to speed up a 9wt line. Yes the heavy line will let you feel the rod load but the rod may not be able to overcome the heavy line. Unless you can get some line speed the larger diameter line will not shoot far into wind. If you can get line speed the smaller diameter line will do just fine in a good wind. I also find I spook less fish with a 7wt line.

[RPool]

Gartooth and Paulo are right on the money. One way to learn the double haul is to start with a single haul on the fore cast. As Lefty Kreh points out, you do not need to pull the line very far, just a quick tug to load the rod as you begin the forecast. With time, you'll be double hauling and never thinking about it. There is one rule when sight casting - "he who false casts the least, usually wins". Weight forward lines still have a front end taper, but I trim it off and tie a on short piece of 30 lb mono with an Albright knot that ends with a perfection loop in order to do loop-to-loop connections with leaders. With 15-20 feet of line outside of the top guide, I can load the rod, double haul and shoot in one motion once I see a fish. My guess is most reds are taken with 30-40' casts, max. Tight lines.

[lagunaflyoutfitters]

all good advice. one thing will make a difference and that is quality of your rod. on the flats, unlike a trout stream distance and accuracy make a large difference and translate into more fish hooked. i would go as good as you can afford. if you get serious, temple fork makes a very good rod for the money as does diamondback. the pricier rods are all good but not necessary. even a single haul will get you 70 ft with a little practice. accuracy and fewer false casts catch the most fish.

[SaltWindandFire]

[Gartooth]

Long casts are often required for species like bonefish but not usually for reds. An exception would be when you can see the fish but can't stalk any closer due to an obstruction, or when a fish is moving away and you got one shot. Fun to make a long cast then.

The advantage of having the skill to make a long cast is that it usually makes the more common short casts much easier and more accurate. This becomes important when the wind is cranking and a 40 footer seems more like an 80. There are plenty of folks who catch reds with very little experience or casting skill. When the fish are plentiful, you get short shots, when they are lean, you got to take the shots you get. Sometimes they are long ones.

Redfish are NOT hard to spot at 50 ft unless you're in Galveston.

OSO- You probably will get a little more line speed and distance if you go ahead and put a 7wt line on that 7wt rod.

Good Luck,
Casey
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Synthetic weed

[hogheaven]

Agree with that distance cast are pretty. For redfish, you really just need to practice on quick and acurate cast. most cast will be well with in 50 feet.
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James 4:14

[Big John]

Nick has recently released a BREAKAWAY FLYROD!

If it compare to normal flyrods the way his spin and bait casting rods do, wow - look out!
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[lagunaflyoutfitters]

when you are on the sand esp, a 60 to 80 ft cast will catch fish when others will not because the fish can see you as easy as you see them. speed and accuracy in the short game. the longer and accurate you can be the more fish hooked.

[biggreen]

Using a 9wt line on a 7wt rod will cast good at the distances your getting. The rod is going to be overloaded (too much weight) when more than 30' or so of that line is past the tip. Drop you line weight down to a 7wt and you'll get more distance out of the same rod. A new spool of line is cheaper than a new rod. (new rod is more fun though)
later, biggreen

[Jay Gardner AKA snookered]

biggreen, good advice and I like the way you think