effictive dry fly distance

[WBDluver]

I remembered a post were someone got pissed that another fisherman was across the West Branch fishing on the other side and thought it was his water becasue according to him he could cast 100 feet. But casting far and hooking fish are two different things. I agree with Kelly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spcFTMoH4rc

 

[tomfly]

I agree 100%

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I don't agree, but then again I like to make very long casts others can't make to that giant bank sipper on the far bank and catch it.


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[Rusty Spinner]

And yes, I can very clearly see any micro drag on my dries beyond 50 feet...


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[WBDluver]

And your talking size 28 BWO's.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

And your talking size 28 BWO's.

I don't fish smaller than 20 with dries.


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[Wbranch]

and thought it was his water becasue according to him he could cast 100 feet.

:rofl::lol:

 

[golden beetle]

This thread is like a men with small penises convention.

 

[moosekid]

This thread is like a men with small penises convention.

yes I hear that the convention was so overbooked this year that they had to relegate Rusty to the lobby. :flasher:

 

[WBDluver]

This thread is like a men with small penises convention.

and your contributing to it. So welcome to the club

 

[flyI4]

I remembered a post were someone got pissed that another fisherman was across the West Branch fishing on the other side and thought it was his water becasue according to him he could cast 100 feet. But casting far and hooking fish are two different things. I agree with Kelly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spcFTMoH4rc

Effective dry fly distance has everything to do with the spookiness of the fish. Out west, there are no fish that even qualify as spooky from eastern standards so fisherman out there are not going to have the same perspective. If the fish are spooky, being able to cast far and accurately (and hook the fish) is the difference between catching fish during the day or being the guy that has to wait until 10min before dark to get lucky on a rusty spinner to save your day. The more you try from further out the better you get at setting the hook from a distance and it takes time. That said, I do think that you try to get closer to the fish if possible when you are far out, particularly if the hatch is heavy. Reason being it takes more time to reset and cast again when making further casts, and often during a blanket hatch its a numbers game of getting as many good drifts over the fish as possible to allow him to finally chose your fly out of the masses. Lastly, as far as etiquette goes, its definitely not ok to be fishing on the bank across from someone that is fishing towards that shore but I'm not surprised that people would try to defend that type of strategy. End of the day, the guy who is standing on the bank where the fish are was once where you were and simply couldn't make the cast, so there he is with his poorly planned solution hovering over the fish like a blue heron. Well played sir....

 

[Wbranch]

another fisherman was across the West Branch fishing on the other side and thought it was his water becasue according to him he could cast 100 feet.

While I would never purposely park, or position, myself opposite another guy on the WB I wouldn't hesitate to do it virtually anywhere on the main stem.

I've never felt the need to cast 100' (probably should add I couldn't if I wanted to) but I've never felt the need to cast 70' or 80' either which I do feel reasonably comfortable doing. I might be lazy but I always looked at it as there are thousands of trout in the river and if there happens to be a couple I can't reach without a hero cast I guess I'll just go look for some that are only 20' - 40' away.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

While I would never purposely park, or position, myself opposite another guy on the WB I wouldn't hesitate to do it virtually anywhere on the main stem.

I've never felt the need to cast 100' (probably should add I couldn't if I wanted to) but I've never felt the need to cast 70' or 80' either which I do feel reasonably comfortable doing. I might be lazy but I always looked at it as there are thousands of trout in the river and if there happens to be a couple I can't reach without a hero cast I guess I'll just go look for some that are only 20' - 40' away.

Go for the hero cast!!!


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[Wbranch]

I need a tutor.

I'd be interested to know how many people who post on these forums can really throw 100' casts? I'm not talking about a one time wonder but someone who is as comfortable with a 100 footer as he, or she, is with a 40 footer.

I'm also not referring to any specialized heads and loop to loop running lines. Only a standard 100' WF line that we would usually consider a companion to dry flies in the #10 - #20 sizes.

 

[WBDluver]

I guess a lot depends on the river conditions. if it flowing pretty good and your wading, and you cant get out that far, you first have to have enough room for your backcast to cast 100 ft. if you dont, then why get pissed at some guy a half a football field away from you. Im still siding with Kelly, and thats a guy that fishes a lot bigger rivers everyday than most of us do.

 

[lightenup]

Hell, I can't cast 15 feet accurately. ...this is why I always look for a large pod of feeding fish......

 

[Wbranch]

Me too! I'm of the school of thought where closer is better and more risers is even better!

A couple of years ago I partnered in Montana with a fellow I met on another fly fishing forum. It was a large tailwater with very good tricos. One morning we were out together and he was above me and I wanted to put him onto a big pod of fish gulping the spinners.

The section of water is normally flat but this morning there were so many fish rising in a little area that the surface of the water was ripply. My partner came down and I pointed out to him where the fish were rising and he said "Do you mean down there in that riffle?" I said "Yes, but that riffle is a pod of rising fish!"

 

[lightenup]

Me too! I'm of the school of thought where closer is better and more risers is even better!

A couple of years ago I partnered in Montana with a fellow I met on another fly fishing forum. It was a large tailwater with very good tricos. One morning we were out together and he was above me and I wanted to put him onto a big pod of fish gulping the spinners.

The section of water is normally flat but this morning there were so many fish rising in a little area that the surface of the water was ripply. My partner came down and I pointed out to him where the fish were rising and he said "Do you mean down there in that riffle?" I said "Yes, but that riffle is a pod of rising fish!"

some big skeeters in that picture, lots of 'em too...

 

[WBDluver]

The Winston Rod company used to say 40 feet if the effective distance to fish dry flys. Dont know if they still do as it would not be good marketing with a majority of todays fishermen.

 

[Future Fanatic]

The Winston Rod company used to say 40 feet if the effective distance to fish dry flys. Dont know if they still do as it would not be good marketing with a majority of todays fishermen.

That's just what the salesman told YOU...
A good salesman can size up their marks quickly and well...

 

[Wbranch]

some big skeeters in that picture, lots of 'em too...

Yep, and come mid July this is an every day occurrence. Problem though too many bugs and often the fish stop feeding on the surface.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

You should always try to get as close as possible. That goes without saying. It's when you can't that you had better learn to make long casts. Not 100' long casts with a 5 weight, but 70' plus. Otherwise you're watching helplessly at those bank sippers on the far bank.


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[mudbug201]

the guy that has to wait until 10min before dark to get lucky on a rusty spinner to save your day.

Somebody say my name?

I don't know from Kelly Galloup. He makes some kick ass streamers. But I don't think he's saying "under no conditions should you ever try to make a really long ass cast." He's saying, "that's not the best way to catch fish."

On the other hand, ask Joe D what the most important skill on the Upper D is, and I'm pretty sure he'll say the ability to throw a very long and reasonably accurate reach cast. Maybe the other guides on here could weigh in on that.

The difference, like JC said, is the spookiness of the fish, but it's also how and where you're fishing. If you're up high in the bow of a drift boat on a sunny day, casting quartering downstream to a bank sipper that is a mile away in the shady margins of the river, a super common situation on the WB or Main stem, then you're better off throwing that hero cast then trying to row close. Put your oars in the water once, and you're stuck waiting another 10 minutes for the thing to come up again.

But in a different situation - a 50' or 60' cast upstream or directly across the current from a wading position - the long cast is generally useless because of all the drag you're going to get on your line and leader the moment it touches down.

Still, you see lots of yahoos like me and my cousin trying this on a daily basis on the WB and elsewhere, because the rods and lines allow us to cast that far. The worst habit I have is lining nearby, catchable targets in order to get to a probably uncatchable one that looks a little bigger further out, then getting pissed when I can't set the hook, and in the process putting down the whole pod of fish. sound familiar? I think Galloup's talking to those guys, not the experienced fisherman trying to catch a spooky fish that he knows will only be caught by a long, downstream cast.

anyway, I've definitely found that most of my hookups on any river come in a kind of middle ground where you're not too close to spook the fish and not so far as to require a crazy cast. Maybe 20' - 30'?

 

[Wbranch]

Maybe the other guides on here could weigh in on that.

I'm not a guide but I'm on the river often when guides are present with clients. Often I see clients who can't even cast 30' accurately. If I was a guide before we got 100' from the ramp I'd ask a client to show me how far they can cast comfortably. Based on their performance I would try and tailor the day to their skill level. (Even if it meant chasing a bobber for eight hours)

 

[Rusty Spinner]

I'm not a guide but I'm on the river often when guides are present with clients. Often I see clients who can't even cast 30' accurately. If I was a guide before we got 100' from the ramp I'd ask a client to show me how far they can cast comfortably. Based on their performance I would try and tailor the day to their skill level. (Even if it meant chasing a bobber for eight hours)

Most guides do exactly that with new clients. That way they know if they'll be dry fly fishing or indicator nymphing all day long. No sense you and your clients be frustrated by not being able to cast far enough.


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[lightenup]

Most guides do exactly that with new clients. That way they know if they'll be dry fly fishing or indicator nymphing all day long. No sense you and your clients be frustrated by not being able to cast far enough.


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HEY, some of us inadequate casters would still like to try!!!!!!

 

[Rusty Spinner]

HEY, some of us inadequate casters would still like to try!!!!!!

We call that "frothing up the water".


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[FIN-ITE 34]

We call that "frothing up the water".

Rusty, for a guide you ain't that smart. He was intentionally frothing up the water to create an artificial foam line to attract the fish to an area he could reach with his cast. I thought everybody knew that trick, Dry Fly 101.

 

[sneelhead]

during last year's low flows fish spooking on the anchor drop from 50-60 feet away..just sayin

 

[tomfly]

I have never had to cast over 30 feet to catch a fish. Most of the line on my reels has never been in the air. Fly14 mentioned spooky fish. Fish can be wary. Casting an entire reel of line should be the last solution. A fish only has a limited cone of site in shallow gin clear water. In the best clarity conditions it is only a 15 to 20 foot arch of about 120 degrees at the surface level of the stream. With depth increase of water that cone becomes narrower .Beyond that the fish sees hazy fuzzy shadows and some motion. It eyes are only designed to do what it needs them to do. It needs to locate food in close proximity and escape form a direct threat (wading bird). It will not see you at 25 feet away at stream level in the best conditions. Understanding this you can sneak up on any fish using some patience and knowing where your shadow line is on the water. You can make an effective cast that is not over 25, 30 feet. If the 100’ cast was necessary to catch a “spooked fish” I would never catch a fish on a smaller stream. If you need to make a 100 foot cast to a fish because someone else is in a better position. I am not going to comment on that.