Well......I have no trouble doing both......however my point was that distance means zippo if the rest of your game is not good! You have to know how to present what you are using! More often than not, IMO......the fish are generally in closer than one needs to cast. I stress...MORE OFTEN THAN NOT!:)

WHEN YOU PUT IT THAT WAY I AGREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:jump1: :uhuh:

I can cast ok but nothing great, it gets the job done thats about it. Sometimes it does make the difference between big and nothing, especially in certain places. I was laughing a couple years ago. This guy next to me could really cast and he was working his plugs fast on the surface and was bailing bruiser bluefish. He didnt get a single striper that morning. I was next to him and gettin it out about 80 yards or so and was having a good morning on the bass. I flipped a plug out about 15 yards and got my pb, didnt get a weight but it was 49". I guess that goes into the presentation category as well.

First off let me say that I fish (primarily with bait) some flat beaches with skinny water down in South Jersey; and by skinny I mean the lateral movement of the water's edge in a five foot tide cycle is in the 100 yard range . . .

Those who can place a baited hook out over 500 feet from the beach in what is the 3rd or 4th gut undoubtedly catch more and bigger fish in these conditions.

I have fished in one day tournaments down here (ASAC) for over 25 years and on the team I was on every member has invested the $$$ for the equipment and time honing the casting skills and it shows in the results . . . In the 16 or so tournaments every year being fished by 20 - 30 six man teams every week in the spring and fall, this team has earned the overall championship 28 out of the last 30 years. There were many days when we were the only team with points.

The concept that distance equals fish isn't just a hypothetical theory for me; I have lived it for a couple decades.

Distance casting for fishing demands a system approach, rod & guides (and layout), reel and line. This isn't the realm of noodley Lami GSB's, 704's and 20lb mono. In the last 30 years spinning tackle has undergone a rapid evolution in distance engineering driven mostly by the increasingly difficult chore it is casting fish from shore in Japan and Europe (UK mostly).

My tackle for distance consists of rods by CTS rung with Fuji SiC Lowrider guides, Shimano and Daiwa reels intended for the Japanese Domestic Market not available here in the states and of course braided line (30lb Whiplash running line & 80lb Whiplash casting leader).

I realize that the fishing that you gents do "up Nawth" demands different tackle and either the reels aren't appropriate because you are fishing wet or the long rods won't work at the ditch or the zoned action rods don't work a pencil that good and then there are the short butt lengths for the punch cast. . .

But there are times when you need to stick a pencil out over 150 yards and having that ability in your skills and equipment is a good thing.

Here is a couple of other threads with some more RR insight and other folks with good info that I have in hard copy and dust off from time to time:

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...ided-line.html

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...reel-line.html

You don't always have to cast as far as you can but you can never cast further than as far as you can. Nice to have the ability and not use it. bad to need it and not be able to do it.

The Canal is an example where long casting capability is definitely a plus. Another time is in August and Sept when when Albies and Bonito cruise the coast and always seem to be just a little further out than an average cast can reach. Og course in the fall when stripers are on the surface busting bait , the longer you can cast , the more of those schools you can hit.

Now normal shore fishing for stripers usually only requires normal casting ability. Sometimes even just 10 feet is enough! :)

Some guys got the nack or have developed the nack for long casting. Some have extra big muscles etc , some are athletic. Regardless of how well 99.9% of the people get at distance casting , there will still be times when the guy next to you leaves you in the dust.

All good stuff Saltheart. Especially the last line...

I cast mediocre at best and casting envy can creep in at times, but as mentioned what you're using at the time also matters, other day fish were breaking and not hitting what I was throwing, guy beside me was throwing some kind of metal and hitting fish almost every cast, now I'm having lure envy, after awhile i learned to accept its about the ones you do catch rather than the ones you don't