Casting & Accuracy

Some time ago, friends asked how did I cast those tiny bait out that far? Being a die hard angler, I gave a long answer that pretty much filled up the time while waiting for a fish to bite. Now, why would we need to cast longer distances? We need to cast far, for some of these reasons:

1. We're surf casting from the beach or rocks, sending the bait out further, hence deeper waters gives us better chances to hook bigger fishes.
2. Some fishes, for example, Tilapia, would nest only in a specific area or spot. If you are a land based angler & the spot you are fishing at is not reachable, you may have to cast far & accurate to reach it.
3. In highly pressured waters, some fishes are shy & refuse to come near the banks, so you got to cast your bait out far to reach them.

In my fishing experience, casting baits & the resulting distance is influenced by many factors.

Weight - Basically, the conventional fishing system of using rod, reel & line is to facilitate casting of bait out to a practical distance using a piece of weight or sinker. It could be a piece of stone, an old spark plug or even a piece of junk metal. It doesn't matter, the heavier the rig, the more energy it can store when propelled at high speeds, the further it will fly out before gravity pulls it down into the water & then sinking all the way to the bottom. But then, you won't want an over-sized sinker because it will (1) spook the fishes and (2) you could potentially damage your tackles & may result in injuries.

Basic bottom rig

Aerodynamics - If your lure or rig is very simple & streamlined, meaning, not much branching of jagged, protruding objects & such, it will cast further due to less air friction. For example, casting a basic bottom rig with groundbait shaped into a ball weighing 20g will cast further & more accurate then a similar weighted Sliding sinker rig. Why? The answer is (1) on the basic bottom rig, there is nothing else behind the bait that would cause air friction then perhaps the line itself. (2) on the sliding sinker, the bait is already creating air friction, followed by the sinker at the back. (3) on the sliding sinker, bait & sinker have dissimilar weights, they will cause the flying rig to swing off balance in the air creating even more friction. 

It's not only in the air but when a rig with poor aerodynamics hits the water, it will spin in a clumsy manner  resulting in tangles & compromising the presentation.

Balance - When you have a sinker attached to the rig & the bait itself carries some weight, casting the rig would cause it to wobble & spin in an awkward motion. This will impact your distance & accuracy as the wobbling rig caused by bait & sinker going in opposite directions, will go off-course, creating air friction during flight. This is the reason why some rigs are infamously difficult to cast straight & most of the time end up spinning sideways. Keeping rigs simple, minimizing tackles & balancing the weight of the bait and sinker would contribute to less wobble.

Line quality - If you need to cast far & accurate, braided line is the way to go. They are much thinner than monofilament lines & have less friction. But then, not all braided lines are suitable for distance casting, some have an external coating to give abrasion resistance but indirectly causing it to have the characteristics of monofilament. Choose non-coated braided lines for best results.

Rod & Guides - Having high quality rod guides is paramount to ensure smooth running of the line. Whenever buying rods, I look for those with SIC guides (Silicon Carbide) rings. The inner rings must be perfectly round, this contributes to least friction on the line. Another factor here to mention is the strength & action of your rod. Even for coarse fishing, I would normally choose rods designed for casting unless I'm fishing with very light weight rigs. Use rods with plenty of backbone strength but is light, thin & having Fast action. It is also a known fact that longer rods contributes to longer casts. For fishing in waters that requires me to cast baits out to a distance of more than 20m, I would normally select 6.6ft to 7ft long rods. As a side note: Longer rods also helps with better fish fighting control.

Reel - Spinning reels spooled with monofilament lines used to be a bane for distance casting. The design of spinning reels itself doesn't lend too well to distance as the focus is more on holding lines well & minimizing tangles & birds nests. Some resorted to using conventional reels or bait casters to get around this problem. Modern spinning reels have come a long way & improved by leaps and bounds. Some of the newer models has specially design spools for distance casting too. Eg. Shimano's 'Line propulsion' system. Another factor worth mentioning regards to this topic would be the diameter of the spool. Larger diameter spools contributes to less friction when line is going out so less energy is wasted. Choose also spools that are made from a single piece of stamped metal as this will have a smoother surface, which, again, contributes to less friction.

Technique - You've got the best fitting rod & reel, well balanced rig & bait. You've got everything right but your casting technique is wrong, then it's all for nothing! I've fished with many people, through observations, I notice many employ wrong casting techniques which either resulted in botched casts which is less than satisfactory or resulting in a clumsy flight into the blue yonder & landing somewhere else far off coarse. Casting technique is crucial if you want to present your bait accurately. Although I won't acknowledge myself as an expert caster, I do regularly practice.




2-hand Overhead Cast - This is perhaps the most popular technique employed. It's easy to learn, accurate & well balanced. It works just like a medieval catapult machine. The technique employs both hands in the cast, depending on your handedness. It works well in relatively spacious spots, with no overhanging tree branches on top.

1. Dominant hand holds the reel foot with trigger finger on the line, while the other hand holds the rod butt. Raise the rod up over your head & stretch to about 45 or even 90° behind your back.
2. Let the rig & line settle till it stops swinging. Look to the back, make sure there are no obstructions behind, eg. other anglers, branches, grass & etc.
3. While holding in that position, look in front & make a visual note of where you want the bait to land, take aim.
4. Now you are ready to cast. This is where most anglers screw up! Pay attention to the swing, it's not power but the swinging motion & timing that contributes to the distance, accuracy & flight. Once you get the swing right, then you work on your power. Doing it faster, more power increases distance.
5. The swing involves (A) your dominant hand pushing the rod forward, like straight punching while (B) your other hand pulling the rod backward.
6. The timing to release line with your finger is also crucial. Too soon, your rig will fly too high and not much distance. Too low, your rig couldn't pick up energy. The optimal time or 'Angle' to release the trigger is between 315 to 340° in front of your head.
7. Hold the rod tight with both hands during a cast. Don't switch hands or do anything funny during a cast as it can be dangerous as well as compromise the cast.