Casting distance.....how important is it?

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

In the Canal distance means success

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 .

[NIB]

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.

[FishermanTim]

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!

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by NIB

I think the ledges or edges of the canal are hugely underutilized by most lure fisherman..

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.