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LOL!You said it Bob!

As a wise man once said;
All fishermen are liers except you and me,and I'm not so sure about everyone else on this site:devil2:

I've lost a lot of distance over the last decade. Measured distances at annual castoffs in Rhode Island. I've just bought a spinning rig to try and gain some of it back. The blowups always seem to be about 100 yards out, 20 to 30 yards farther than I can now reach with my conventional gear.

:uhuh:

And down here in New Joisey during this spring migration the majority of stripers passing close to shore are not moving in and out of the cuts and actively feeding in the bowls & sloughs. They are following moving forage fish running outside of the bar (mostly adult bunker) and really just streaming right by me on their trek to you guys up North.

I don't bother targeting the bowls this time of year. If there aren't actively feeding fish I'll look for a cut in the bar or a spot where the bar is close and I can stagger baits from 150yards or more back in. I get the fish that would never come into the slough / bowl in front of me and I catch ones that do want to come in, before they even get into the bowl (and I'll have a bait in the bowl / slough just in case I miss one) . . .

Does anyone really think the fish are residing in the bowls & sloughs for a majority of a tide? Perhaps they are being teleported inside the bar just for your guys pleasure LOL. No, they are coming in from OUTSIDE the bar on the rise and leaving on the ebb (actually more frequently).

Come mid-June when the (smaller) body of more resident fish set up here and they focus on non-swimming forage (clams / calico crabs, because the fish forage has pretty much moved through here to you) the holes are where to be. Plugging once the fish forage has moved on is a bang your head on the wall diehard or purist tactic at this point.

You guys have the luxury of fishing barses that have been fished the same way for decades if not centuries which act like fish conveyors that can be learned by a blind man in a year or so . . . You have a season long supply of ample forage for the fish to concentrate on (and to concentrate the fish). Honestly, it seems the biggest challenge and determinant for a successful tide for you guys is getting to "your spot" before someone else does.

So, I wouldn't be bragging that casting skills are not needed which means for all intents and purposes a 8 year old kid with mono wrapped around a soup can has as much chance as anyone to catch a fish (especially if he's on "your" rock) . . .

To be honest, I would never be satisfied just catching the small minority of fish that swim by me within 200 feet or so . . . And if I were, I would never be so bold as to argue that trying to catch the ones farther out is a waste of time or to make the embarrassing argument that doing so means I have a hang-up about the size of my johnson http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ae...smiley-003.gif http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ae...smiley-024.gif.

You guys have it good up there, perhaps TOO good for your OWN good :smash:. . .

There is a time and place for the long cast. In the spring I use light tackle for big fish because they are in close, but as June rolls in they seem to move out (as the seals move in) and the long cast is necessary (doesn't mean I put the small rods away though, if the fish are at your feet then the big rod is cumbersome). Makai pushes 150 yards and I've seen others cast as far or further; there is a guy with a 13' Zzplex who gets it out that distance (150) easily and he doesn't even use close to proper technique. I don't think 200 yards is out of the question or should be laughed at out of hand.

There is something peaceful and relaxing about a serious practiced long cast groove.

I wish what you were saying is true. The predominate feeling is that north of Montauk has been declining for several years. You will be hard pressed to find anyone up here who has been at it more than a decade or so who will say it is too good. We do keep hearing from some other Jersey guys about how the stocks are so great. I talked to Delaware guys a couple of weeks ago that had their best season ever last year. Not hearing that up here.

That aside, there are definitely times and places where casting counts and I think almost everyone here would acknowledge that. I don't know if there is more to this and... people are/you think people are... directing comments at you, but some long standing facts of fishing include:
a) people pound their chests about casting/catching etc.; people get irritated at perceived chest pounding.
b) casts are beyond the strike zone as often as they are short of the strike zone.
I don't think it is anything you should take personally.

I can generally reach the fish, and that's as far as I need to go.

:-)
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

we used to have a cast off in rhode island, and over the years we had it the best i seen was 125yards give or take a couple and that was with sinkers and fishing rods (rods and reels we would fish with) afterhours and linesider69 and stew would allways be up there...i could cast 100-105yards with a 4oz sinker(1dozenraw too) i would quss i could cast a pencil 80 yards...maybe 20% of the people would out cast me...group of 25....i be hard pressed to think someone could cast 125 yards with a plug i'd have to see it( i'm sure someone could do it but i bet there maybe 5% of fishermen odds at that point) 150yards maybe 1%of us and wind behind ya all that stuff lol, i bet most people are off 20% of there distance

I remember casting a pencil popper (minus hooks) 100 yards. Can't remember what rod, but I was using a Penn 525Mag reel. I think it took me about 15 tries to make 100.

I bet I could do 80 now.:uhuh: