In recent days, I have watched a few different fishing tournaments, as well as a variety of fishing shows.
Then, I couple that information with the days that I have spent on the water fishing and have come to the conclusion, that distance casting - as seems to be emphasized by some rod builders seem to be far from the typical fisherman's day.

i.e. over the years and having read the hundreds of posts on this forum, there seems to be an awful lot of topics that talk about casting distance. This term is used to quantify some of the rod building techniques that are being used today.

But I really wonder that for folks who fish frequently, ever really use the extreme distance capabilities that are built into some of the rods and reels today?

Sure, there are specialized segments of the fishing world, like Surf Fishing, where you are trying to lob a lb sinker as far into the surf as possible and a few other specialty types of fishing, but for the average fisherman on his /her average day of fishing; how often does one really make any sort of distance cast?

I certainly know that from my personal experience where I fish mainly from a boat, I virtually never do any sort of maximum distance casting. On the other hand, casting accuracy is very important to me for many different techniques that I use on a daily basis. That also appeared to be true for the majority of the folks fishing on fishing shows, as well as those folks competing in contests. i.e accuracy appeared to be the really important item of concern when it came to casting.

Now, having said that - does it make any difference in the build of a rod whether the final user is more concerned with distance, or accuracy? I wonder.

Does any one have any thoughts about a build style or technique where a particular build would favor accuracy over distance on a rod build?

Just wondering.

Roger

Roger,

In my logic, accuracy is a function of the person holding the rod. If they can't point the rod in the right direction, or use the correct release point, what is done with the guide train won't make a hill of beans. For an experienced caster, it seems to me that the requirements of fish fighting capabilities and distance casting work together to make for a more accurate rod. By using enough guides to distribute the load paired with the smallest lightest guides that will stand up to the task will constrain the line path enough to handle the accuracy. Build techniques that reduce the mass and inertia of a rod will allow it to damp quickly after the lure is released also serving to constrain and control the line, as well as provide a more efficient rod that requires less effort to cast the same distance.

I suppose the point that I'm trying to make is that the many of the same parameters that contribute to casting distance will also contribute to casting accuracy. About the only place that they would differ is in the number of guides. If I were to build a rod purely for casting distance, it would likely have a few fewer guides than one built for accuracy.

Joe

I guess it depends upon the type of fishing you are doing? From my experience as a fly fisherman and fly rod builder, you better be able to cast long distances for Northwest Steelhead, but for trout, not so important!

One of the drivers of the increasing use of Spey rods, is the ability they give you to cover lots of water in the big Steelhead rivers.

I don't think you can build for accuracy - the lure or line goes travels in the same direction that the rod tip is traveling upon release.

A rod that casts well at long distances, generally casts well as shorter distances as well.

..............

I always get immense value from Joe's posts. I agree with what he has to say.

Phil's post is more along the line of what I was going to say before reading anything. I find a lot of freshwater fisherman concentrate on what they can see. They are casting to a particular spot. Often the fish they are after are not easily spooked from this "structure".

There are a lot of different situations in other waters. Sometimes there is nothing in particular to cast towards. All you can hope to do is cover as much water as possible. Then you have the fish that are easily spooked and can spot you before you spot them. Distance in tough casting conditions can be everything. This is often saltwater shallow water fishing. We are talking about the need for the angler to take as much care in his clothing as a turkey hunter.

I wonder if you trout guys could comment on something? Are steelhead much more wary than a rainbow trout? Also would there be any difference between summer and winter run in this regards? I suspect, given the fantastic fishing instruments that steelhead rods are, that they are challenging fish to catch.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russ, Steelhead are not called "The fish of a thousand casts" for nothing! To try and answer your questions: Native Steelhaed and Native Rainbow Trout are both extremely wary, one no more so than the other. Hatchery Rainbows are another story! The difference in Summer & Winter run has more to due with water clarity then the fish themselves. Water temperature also has a big effect on Steelhead fishing, very cold water and they are not going to move very far after your fly, you need to place it almost right in front of their nose.

In my estimation, their is nothing that I fish for that is more wary then, native Rainbow Trout in high altitude waters that are Gin clear and shallow! That is because all their predators come from above, like Ospreys, Eagles,and Bears and the instinct to flee from any above movement or shadow is deeply ingrained.

Long winded answer!

I try to build it to where you can cast it a decent distance easily. I'm not necessarily concerned at how far I can throw it. I'm more concerned at how smooth and easy it is to cast. Of course if the casting distance is really short, I will make the necessary adjustments. I find when the rod casts smooth and easy, distance is not an issue.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

I do a fair bit of my lure fishing from the bank of a lake/impoundment that's maybe 250 yds across so casting distance is critical. That said, I would hazard a guess that 60% of the bites come when the lure is more than halfway back from a 60yd cast!
Back to the question of rods built for accuracy vs distance - On all rods I've handled whether they be factory built or customs, I've NEVER cast a rod and felt "Hey! This is such an accurate/inaccurate rod." Most times, the first impression is how easy the rod loads with the standard lures we use and how far it casts. Next comes sensitivity and balance etc. Just my $0.02. Cheers!

Thanks Phil. I always thought muskie were considered the "The fish of a thousand casts". Clear and shallow water always equals the need for finesse and stealth. Ever try bonefishing?

As far as accuracy....well I always admired those that can feather a spinning reel and deliver the same accuracy one can with a baitcaster. I guess my casts with a spinner have a different trajectory or something but I just don't seem to have the same depth perception with one.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Russ, yes I have fished for Bones a lot. And long accurate casts are the norm. Especially like casting on Christmas Island! I tell the newbies I take there to "practice casting 60 to 80 feeti in a 20 to 25 mph wind to a fish they cannot see!"

Big walleyes at night in shallow water on cranks. You better be casting a distance.

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

Joe pretty well nailed it!

From a bass anglers perspective;
If you build identical rods, one that easily casts 120 ft and the other that maxes out at about 60 ft.
And during the day most of your casting is in the 50 ft range. It takes close to maximum effort to get the 60 footer to cast that distance and minimal effort to get the 120 footer to cast that distance.

An angler will inherently be more accurate with a rod that casts longer distances with less effort.
Especially during those days of a thousand casts to a thousand different targets, for a few reasons

1- It just stands to reason that less you have to focus on distance allows you to focus more on accuracy
2- It is easier to be more accurate when not expending maximum effort to reach the target
3- As the day wears on; expending less effort tires the arms out much less, being tired makes it harder to be accurate, or to focus on accuracy when they ach so bad you just want to go home.
4- During multi day tournaments it is much easier to be accurate on days 2 and 3 when you’re not sore from the previous days casting efforts.
5- Efficient rods make for efficient casting, which allows an angler to learn how to be an accurate caster with less effort.

I have never met a competent angler who would willingly settle for one rod that would not cast as far as the other.

on the crystal clear flats of steinhatchee in 2 ft. or less of water where i fish for redfish, distance is paramount. early and late i use top water plugs, spoons when the sun is up.if you don't get your lure a long way from the boat youdon't catch fish. reason #2, if you don't cover a lot of water with long casts your chances drop drop in proportion. not only can they see you before you see them, but any sound will spook them.so here the farther the better. now having said that,in the winter when i fish for gator trout in the deep holes i rarely cast more than 40 ft.. and noise don't bother them. so it all depends on when where and for what you fish for. thats why we build so many differend rod styles.

Nice to see posts by builders who understand what they do and why!

Everyone has pretty much hit the important points, anything you do to make a rod more efficient will not only increase the casting distance but will also increase the accuracy.

If you are talking about watching the 2012 classic, sure it was held in a 2ft deep muddy stump field, not a lot of long distance casting required. But go back and read comments by Alton Jones from the classic, he was able to get his boat into a super shallow backwater and once he got in there was no way to maneuver the boat and he attributed all his success to the ability to make super long casts to spooky fish in shallow water. Watch a tournament from Clarks Hill, Murray, or Kentucky Lake and I guarantee you will see everybody in the tournament trying to make the longest casts possible. Clarks Hill and Murray are lakes I compete on a lot, they are classic Blueback Herring lakes, they have clear water and fish that are constantly roaming chasing schools of bait. You end up sitting on a point or shoal trying to make super long casts with top waters or swimbaits to what looks like the middle of the lake, and when the fish come up 140ft from the boat you don’t want to have a rod that maxes out at 100ft. On KY Lake or lots of other places modern electronics have drastically changed the fishing so more people are fishing offshore structure instead of beating the banks. If you are fishing deep diving crankbaits a longer cast allows your bait to get down deeper and stay in contact with the bottom longer, if you can’t make long enough casts you will never get down to these fish.

I'm thinking maybe the question "When is casting distance NOT important" would have created a pretty short thread! I have had the extreme good fortune of being in the "fishing biz" at almost every level for almost 30 years and that tenure has afforded me opportunities to fish a wide variety of species in lots of situations in fresh and saltwater. The importance (and advantage) of long casts wins hands down (IMO) in more actual fishing situations than any other factor. Even a rod that pays no attention to power or load distribution can serve most purposes well since the average fish is not the Behemoth we build for. Steve hit the nail on the head. A rod built for distance can cast an "average" distance with the flick of a wrist. Maximum results from minimal effort only comes from a rod built to launch a lure as far as possible. And, even if you don't use it often, you've got range in your pocket if you need it for a big boiling fish in the distance or a prime stick up you want to fish before your buddy. A day filled with minimal effort casts assures enough strength for a toast at the end of the day.

This question gets asked every couple of months around here, once you get down to the motivation for the question it always comes down to 2 things, they either prefer shorter rods, or they prefer the classic look with big guides, full grips, and foregrips.

I would be curious to know how you build a rod to make it more "accurate." I hope no one will say "you build on the spine" as anyone in bass fishing knows you end up casting on more than one axis. Many more. You might go left one time and right the next, overhand once and then sidearm twice.

To make the rod more accurate, you first mount a laser target finder on the rod.
Then you mount a gps on your lure.
Finally, you mount a lure launcher in front of the reel seat to insure that you have adequate lure velocity for the lure to safely reach the target.

The important thing for the fisherperson is to keep the area targeted with the laser finder.

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Really -
How far are we from having that done to our rods, with all of todays technology?

A few years ago, we would not have believed what is currently available on the market today.

Be safe, and have an accurate day fishing.

Roger