I do admit there are times when you have to launch.....and I have no problem getting it out there, but over the last several years if there is one thing I have learned.....its that you do not have to throw your back out on every cast! Read the beach, read the water, pay attention to the structure that shows as the water moves......watch the birds. 10% of the time maybe you need long...the other 90% you need to fish smart!:btu:

It's all relative to each individual location.It's important to survey each location and have a game plan.I like to start short and work my way out.I feel I can catch em all like this..
When I fish off a jetty at night I usually don't put any emphasis on long casts.The structure is at my feet.
I have a technique I use in one spot I fish where I have to make a long cast and the drift my take me 2-3 minutes to catch em not far from right in front of me.I cannot replicate this presentation in a shorter cast no matter how hard I try.
I think if your fishing sand structure there will be lots of times you won't have to throw far at all.I can remember one night I was not getting any.As I walked along there was this log set perfect on the beach.I took a breather to reflect on the situation.
As I walked to the beach I made a cast prior to getting to the waters edge.Wouldn't you know I hooked up.Thats was It, I was standing on top of em.I caught a few more that night the same way fishing off the waters edge..You never know..

In the Canal distance means success (along with knowing how to work whatever is on the end of your line)

On the beach it all depends on the terrain in front of you, most times if your a nightprowler it isn't that important, if you a first light of day guy in the northern reaches of the outer cape, better tape that finger because you are going to need to get all you can out of each cast to be succesful.

I fish New Jersey and in the Southern part of the state the beaches are very flat. Distance is everything on some days.

I have for the last 25+ years cultivated and refined equipment to have a couple set-ups that are at the cutting-edge extreme of casting performance. Today's Japanese Domestic Market reels, the high modulus, zoned action carbon rods and ever evolving braided lines have put so much more water and structure into play.

There are days when the longcast stuff stays in the rack and other days it has saved the trip.

Thoughts and prayers to that log

You have no idea.I played some hoops the other day.
There was a 2.5 earthquake..:err:

Please tell me someone put that on You-tube:wave:

What..NIB is a athelete.Or was one.I'm kinda sore today..Good sore.BBall is kinda like hockey when I play it.:chased:
I played Hockey over 20 years.As a defensemen you did not want to come down the ice on the NIB...:doh:
Of course that was a while ago..I go on the ice now and they throw me off telling me it's not safe..:rotf2:

Generally distance is a plus in the canal, but it is not always a necessity, especially in the spring when herring and macks hold tight to the shore looking for protection. I've had much success within 25 yards of the shore; however, being able to chuck it 3/4 of the way across the canal helps when fish are breaking and when jigging. Now that I'm able to cast far, believe me I let it ride, but more often than not my fish are taken closer than I expect.

Distance
 

Generally the guys that say distance does not matter can't cast:bl:
Only kidding.
I think distance seems more important down here on LI.
Sometimes the structure, whether a bar , rip or reef is farther out and a good cast is needed to reach it. The guys with the right equipment and can cast are into fish while the rest of the crowd get casting practice and are left scratching their heads. I've seen it many times.
A perfect example occurred a few years back at Montauk. There was a good run of quality fish, 20 - 50 pounds nothing small, laying on a reef way out feeding mostly at dawn and dusk. At dawn there were a couple of fish taken but nothing spectacular, so most of us left after a little while, to get coffee and breakfast. We went back after, just to take a look and a couple friends met us saying the bite turned after we left, but died out again. The 4 of us figured we would check it out anyway.I consider myself a very good caster. One other guy is the best caster I've seen, another is not far behind him and the fourth is a good caster. Well, the fish were still there, but the other guys could not reach them. To hook up you had to have a monster cast and get the lure working within the first 5 cranks or just reel it in and try again. The two guys that could really put it out there had a rise or hook up on every other cast for a couple of hours. My casts were landing about 20 yards behind and i wound landing a few fish. The fourth guy who's casts were about ten yards behind me caught nothing.
Another reason to be able to cast for distance is when standing in a line up most the the guys are pounding the same stretch of water, by reaching a fresh patch of water you can often pick a few extra fish.
A guy who can cast can always shorten his cast if the fish are in tighter.

Not getting any, log, reflect...
 

NIB & Numskull posts... too funny...

If I thought casting did'nt matter I'd go flyfishing

many times the fish are out in that second trauf running up and down the beach. That is about as far as I need to cast. I think more importantly if you have a head wind you need xtra power to get where the fish are.

I really resent this line of thinking; that one is either strong or smart . . .

Why is it presumed that longcasters just whump it out there with no regard to "reading the water?"

For a longcaster to be effective his water reading skills must be refined to an even greater degree than someone who only fishes the slough at their feet. Anybody with a pulse can read a hole 20 yards out; tell me what's going on under that "busy water" 110 yards out . . .

I can't believe that people who can't throw long are so willing to exclude themselves from having a chance to catch the majority of the fish that swim past a spot . . .

Not always .. I use to fish a spot (chunk) you need to get it out about 5',, then feed the line so it drops .. They are there. This thought must really disgust you . :yak4: :wave:

I think the ledges or edges of the canal are hugely underutilized by most lure fisherman..When you think about it.If your casting out 90 yds and fishing in 45 ft of water your basically fishing straight down.Just imagine your fishing off the roof of a 4 story building.
Them edges got to be filled with all kinds of striper hidey spots.There is no doubt in my mind this is where the really big ones live..The thing is, it is tough to make a decent presentation of any great distance and keep it close to the bottom.The swing in the lure and the irregularities of the sides/bottom along the edge are what add to this. I would bet if you are patient enough you can find the little nuances that might make a 50 ft pc of it very productive.With good sized fish.

I think presentation is more important than distance, but there are always exceptions to the rule: If the fish are breaking farther than you can cast, and they're moving AWAY instead of TOWARDS you.

I have had more success DURING the retrieve, not at the very beginning, so the distance wasn't the deciding factor but was involved to some degree.

Think about it: Fish don't care that you could cast a lure 100 yard, but more on what your lure looks/acts like.
You would get very similar results if the fish hit at 100 yards, 50 yards or 25 feet.
A lot has to do with the marketing position that we all NEED to be able to cast faster, longer, and with heavier weight in order to catch fish.

Remember, most lures are designed to catch 2 things: fish and the fishermen's eye!

True ,, chunkers know this .. run the rips in close .. Running chunks thru the rocks can turn a fresh spool of ande pink to junk in about 2 hrs.

Resent away ReelinRod. I was not singling anyone out or putting down how anyone else fishes??? Just expressing my own view and what I have learned since I started fishing. If you for some reason believe I can't throw long....you may want to re-think that as I have no problem going long when and if I need to! I can hang with the big boys if needed!;)

By the way....I am 6' 5" and 300 pounds.....if I am both strong and smart that would be something!:laugha:

6'5" 300! Good thing you haven't been on my skiff Larry! We'd max out the capacity! At 6'2" 280 I'm a close 2nd! I hope one day I can fish with you and Matt here locally.

So it shall be written....so it shall be done!:jester: This year looks wide open right now!:bounce:

You can always cast shorter than your max ability but not longer. Being able to cast far for the 10% of the time it matters is worth learning. At the canal , being able to cast far is definitely an advantage so that you can work the largets area and catch the drift you want where currents form or go into eddys. Thay are not right at your feet in the canal usually.

Ever notice how that peole fishing from boats try to cast toward the shore, and every body from shore cast out to the boats.