Bill, you just have to tweak them "mid-atlantic types", eh <img src="/Images/Tounge_Wink_Face.gif"><!--e5-->?
Different areas require different methods. We are fortunate to have most of our fish in close to shore and alot of our fish are in fact cast over (I'm often guilty of this myself) up here in New England. Of course, it is also very convenient to get a hopkins or kastmaster 350' from shore when the blues are breaking out of a normal casting difference with normal northeast gear.
John M - you know Bill's focus is local and that with a few exceptions, distance is overrated up northeast here... Your knees tremble when you see some of the spots up here <img src="/Images/biggrin.gif"><!--e7-->...The gear tends to be a little different down south too, longer rods with big leads and chunked bait... BTW-When are you getting up here?
I don't think Bill is being condecending as much as he feels that too much attention is paid to long distance fishing up these parts...