Over time I have read numerous comments about test casting fishing rods.
Comments come back and indicate that this setup casts 3 yards further than that setup. This setup casts 12 yards further than that setup.

Read and understood.

But, in the scope of real world fishing, when one takes everything into account with a fishing rod. Line handling, feel, comfort, long term usability, fishability and most important - cathching fish and landing them. Whether you keep them or not, that is up to you.

Sure it is fine to have a rod that is 1/2 gram lighter than a different rod. Sure it is fine that casts 6 inches further than another rod.

But, if these things come at the expense of easily putting fish in the boat, if it comes at the expense of day long comfort on a rod, or if it comes at the expense of managing, threading line, etc. I not sure that the casting distance should be at the top of the list.

It just seems to me, that all of these various use factors make up a high quality fishing rod. I do agree that one should build as light as possiible, as long as there is not a penalty. I do agree that one should use the guide style and type that makes the most sense for the style fishing that you are doing. But if one builds a rod, only to make it cast further than another rod, that fishes better and puts more fish in the boat, I think that that is likely a mistake.

Fishing rods are tools. I believe that a person should use the best tool for the job being done. If it means using a 7 foot medium light fast action rod with 7 guides on it. go for it.

If it means using a 9 foot slow action rod with 27 guides on it (not likely) then use it.

Bling is nice for some folks and if folks want bling, by all means give it to them. But at the end of the day, the rod is a tool to put fish in the boat and or tournament weigh in scale. Whether you can cast 100 yards with it, or 100 feet with it, use the rod, built with the blank, handle, reel seat and guides will best let you do that.

Just one persons opinion.

Be safe and fish well and long.

Roger

I test cast because I want to insure that I find any possible problems - not the customer. I use the same basic reel size and line that the customer says they use most of the time. Generally this applies to spinning rods for my builds. All the micro casting rods cast just fine.

Casting distance really matters to some folks. Naturally, it would be unwise to compromise rod integrity just to gain 6 inches in casting distance. I really don't think anyone is doing that.

Weight, balance and test casting are about all us builders can measure or tweak. If the customer wants bling he gets it. No problem.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2011 01:59PM by Chuck Mills.

Are you just expressing your opinions or looking to spur debate?

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It would be interesting to see what others have found are the biggest contributors to casting distance. Most of my fishing doesn't require casting. I'm generally trolling dead bait/lures or drifting live bait.

I have been forcing myself to do a lot more test casting lately. In fact I have made it a point to actually go fishing at a local lake no matter how heavy the build is. For me rod length is the number one factor. Next would be the line. Next is probably the reel, but not the reel size. Of course you have to use (just) enough weight to load the rod and then keep that a constant. I was surprised how much better I could do with limp 4# mono on a 1000 sized reel compared to normal (Ande) 6# mono on a 3000 reel. On the other hand 5# braid on a 2500 smoked both:)

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Alex Dziengielewski Wrote:
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> Are you just expressing your opinions or looking
> to spur debate?

Okay, I admit I was thinking that, too. ;)

Russell - In my world of bass & walleye rods, aside from a good guide train I would say braided line, and/or longer rods. When I am pitching a trap on flats I will take every yard of distance I can get. It expands the area of my search lure quite a bit. For nylon lines - the 8 footers help with setting the hook. If nothing else, I feel better if I can outcast the other guy in the boat. It does something to his head.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

Roger,

But if one builds a rod, only to make it cast further than another rod, that fishes better and puts more fish in the boat, I think that that is likely a mistake.

I may be mis reading but, What is wrong with putting more fish in the boat?


Bill

Ohio Rod Builders

Canton, Ohio

There is compromise in everything. I think it was Gary Loomis who said "I can build a rod you cannot break but, you would not want to fish with it"

Everything in life is a give and take.

Part of test casting for me is to make sure there is no line slap or any other problems before it leaves my shop. !st rule of building is to build a quality product that catches fish. If you can build it in such a way that you can get extra casting distance without compromising feel/action then why not? When I fish I vary my casts in length and fan them out. So if I get 6 extra yards it gives me more of a workable area

I just finished building a conventional rod for a guy who enters distance casting competitions. So for him distance is extremely important. And if he does well then I may get more business out of it

Roger,
Some fishing spots and situations,casting distance translates to fish landed.
I have never heard of it being a handicap in any situation.
But test casting does more than show casting distance: it shows handling issues/ ergonomics. If a rod is performing at its peak for a given type of fishing, an angler will just flat out be able to catch more fish than the same angler with a rod that does not handle as well.
There is also a marketing aspect.
When i have my sample rods sitting in a rack and some guy that comes in to get his brand x repaired, he picks up my rod and feels its lighter. That perks his interest and the next question is how does it cast? I let him take it out front and cast in the cul de sac and most guys then order one from me. I can only get a better rod through testing what works for me.
There is a rider to Ocams razor: if you cannot measure it, its not worth discussing as its just opinion.

My father is a good example of someone who looks for casting distance. He actually shipped me his rod from Niagra Falls, NY for me to put better guides on and reset their placement so he would have better distance. The rod was a pre-made fairly cheap rod and so, of course the guides were not spaced properly and weren't even the optimal size. He was very happy with the results. I could not have done that without casting the rod before and after the re-build. The test casting for me is important in relation to guide placement, especially on spinning rods. I was very surprised the first time someone showed me the difference that guide placement can make when casting. Not just distance, but also the feel of the rod etc. all changes according to guide size and placement. That's why I test cast.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

Bill,
I appreciate yours as well as the other comments. That is what I was hoping to do - i.e. stir the pot about to get the thoughts of fellows about their rods and rod building.

My main thought was simply this- we build rods for folks to enjoy and catch fish. If that means test casting great. If it means just putting the best balance of handle design, reel seat, guide size, style, number and spacing so be it.

For example - there are many rods that are never cast in their entire useful fishing life. For example rods to catch 500 lb tuna off the back of boats fishing in 2000 feet of water, with 300 lb test line and roller guides. But that still does not mean that we should still build that rod with the very best match of components to make the fishing experience for that particular person, the best experience possible.

The main point that I was trying to make with my original post was that it seems to me that many times folks get so wound up in the use of the word casting distance (not that it isn't terribly important) that they may neglect some of the other points of a rod build that are as equally or even more important.

On that same vein - I have a bit of a thing about ergonomics or the long term feel for a tool after using it for hours on end. Ergonomics, whether I am sitting in front of my computer, whether I am making the most efficient rod building bench or power wrapper possible, but also the very best feel in the handles of the rods that I build for folks who fish for many hours a day and many days out of the year.

It seems to me, that the super emphasis for this or that, sometimes gives up the long term comfort factor for the fisherperson. Folks often talk about rod sensitivity. Fine, but are you talking about sensitivity of a rod, when you first pick it up or after you have held it in your hand after fishing for 20 hours a day.

Summary - do your best to make the best rods that you can, using the components for the rod that gives the fisherperson the best possible experience. Use components that balance each other, that complement each other and that are suited perfectly for the particular application for which you are building.

Be safe
Roger

AAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN ROGER! A voice of reason; thank you sir!

Roger That !!!!!!!!!!......couldn't have said this any better !

Rick H.

rwheil@msn.com

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Interesting reading. I haven't built nearly as many rods as most of you and so far have built only for personal use (won't sell until I feel the quality is where it should be), but I test cast every rod. I even test casted a boat rod that I plan to use for fluke. The reason is I may also use the rod for blues and my largest bluefish have been caught by casting away from the crowd.

The better casting rod is definitely easier to fish, IMO. The rod that will cast further will probably be easier to cast at normal distances, since most of the time fishing is not about swinging for the fences.