How To Maximise Casting Distance with Bait Cast Reel ? 2025
ChrisD46 reply :
As the title suggests , how do you maximize casting distance with a bait cast reel ? As an example , when schooling fish surface and are easily spooked requiring you to keep your distance when throwing walking type baits , wake baits , etc.
fishnkamp reply :
First what rod and reel are you using? I am not trying to give you any trouble but I have been fishing for 40 years and for the first 10 years or so I fished lower end baitcasters, it was what I could afford. So experience has shown for me to get good distance I need to fish with reels that "Retail" between $100 and $200. Now I have caught many of them on sale or online for less, but I find reels like my Diawa Tatulas and Shimano Chronarchs allow me to get much better distance. Next pay attention to your rod specs. Make sure the weight of the bait you wish to throw falls somewhere in the middle of the rod specs. So if the wake bait weighs 3/8 of an ounce make sure the rod specs for say 1/4 to 3/4 and since most wake baits and walking baits have treble hooks make sure your rod has a moderate taper. The rod bending further down the blank will allow you to load it up easier, so more energy will be released on the forward cast and also the softer rod will help with a delay to your hook set, thus allowing you to get a good hookset and avoid pulling the treble hooks out of thee fishes mouth. My last tip is to practice, and get your thumb well educated, so you can loosen up your reel more without having big birds nests. If you have to run your reel tight with lots of spool tension and heavy breaking it will be hard to get a long cast. Oh and another thing, if you have a good reel repair guy around, it may be worth it to have the reel professionally cleaned and lubed. Sometimes the factories pack their reels with way too much grease which can inhibit the cast as well
Fishinthefish reply :
The rod is 70 percent of your cast as far as equiptment. Maximize distance by using a rod well suited for your lure weight. The other 30 percent is the reel, learning to thumb the spool of a reel to reduce the tension knob and number of breaks will help, and better line/reels will help.
Fishes in trees reply :
Correct rod - reel - line for the situation are all necessary and interconnected for distance casting. My experience has been that a rig set up for distance casting isn't good for much else. Doesn't necessarily have to be lightweight.
For instance - I have an 11' or so MH "Predator" rod that I got from Cabelas a long time ago. They called it a "european style" rod at the time and I think it is intended for bank fishing for pike, carp and other larger fish. Match this rod with an Ambassador 6500 which holds 300+ yards of 20 lb line and you've got a rig that, with practice can throw a 2 oz slab spoon a couple of hundred yards. Don't know the exact measurement, but approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the spool will be out. I purchased the rig to throw slab spoons into the tail race area at Truman Lake. (Throwing that far requires a wind up - kind of like a shot putter or discus thrower does. You have to spin around and get a maximum load on your rod prior to release. This takes some practice. Don't do this around people. If you snap off a 2 oz slab spoon, it is flying somewhere. Should it hit someone, it will hurt.) I don't get a chance to do that very often, been several years, but the rig doubles as a decent cat fishing rod - where you never have to throw that far, and for that I keep it around.
If you're just going to be throwing at surfacing schools from your boat, I'd recommend a spinning rig - much less hassle. You can't imagine the back lash you get if you make a mistake trying to throw a hundred or so yards. You have to cut it out every time - AND - that is a lot of line out and you don't want to make a mess and just leave it in the water. Don't be that guy.
Now, having written this, I think that distance casting is a phase that every fisherman goes through. If you're specifically talking about distance casting of crank baits in particular, there is a LOT of literature out there and you don't need an 11' rod - a 7.5' to 8' rod will do and there are many out there to choose from. IMO distance casting of deep diving cranks requires 10 lb line and you can't be afraid that you might lose a bait from time to time. Most of the distance casting that I currently do is throwing lipless cranks over shallow to mid depth weed beds. I use 20 lb line for this.
As an example, I currently use a Falcon Bucco Trap Caster and a Shimano Calcutta TEGT filled with 17 or 20 Iron Silk for my lipless crank duty and this rig will throw as far as I need to and then some.
If you want to get into distance casting, drop a few hundred and set yourself up. As mentioned earlier, this is a situation where quality gear makes a difference and lower quality gear can and will get frustrating.
crypt reply :
another thing to do is practice practice practice…..it helps.
Tracker22 reply :
Make sure your spool is properly filled. A half filled spool will cast about half the distance. ( Then again, an overfilled spool will likely backlash more often)
kickerfish1 reply :
The right rod + the right line + a reel capable of long distance casting + an advanced casting skill from the user will get very respectable distances. I have a couple outfits that the distance achieved from is quite great and others that seem to be very average.
papajoe222 reply :
This is a little off topic, but changing bait styles to something like a swim jig will not only get you more distance (less wind resistance), but will enter the water with less splash and also get your presentation down to the big girls lurking below the schooling fish. Really, any compact bait is going to cast further than a bigger one of the same or relative weight. The same goes for baits with weight transfer technology.
CenCal fisher reply :
Using braid as backing and holding the reel sideways on its axis when you cast will give you a little more distance.
Josh Smith reply :
On 8/28/2016 at 3:01 PM, ChrisD46 said:As the title suggests , how do you maximize casting distance with a bait cast reel ? As an example , when schooling fish surface and are easily spooked requiring you to keep your distance when throwing walking type baits , wake baits , etc.
How far are to talking? I regularly cast to 40-50 yards when fish are spooky. Frogs, Spooks, squarebill crankbaits, jigs, etc, are all used for this.
Josh
DirtyDeuceGoose reply :
I was slinging a 3/8oz prop bait on a 6' rod rated from 3/8 to 1oz just as far as I needed to to keep off skiddish smallies. My interpretation of this question would be to get comfortable with a certain rod and reel with that particular bait and don't try and out cast your effective hook setting range.
tholmes reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 1:06 AM, crypt said:another thing to do is practice practice practice…..it helps.
This is the most important factor.^. You can buy the best equipment in the world, but if you don't become intimately familiar with it, you won't achieve the desired results.
Tom
papajoe222 reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 3:39 AM, CenCal fisher said:Using braid as backing and holding the reel sideways on its axis when you cast will give you a little more distance.
I'm curious as to why you feel the backing would make a difference it casting distance?
fishnkamp reply :
I think he was trying to take advantage of the smaller diameter of the braid sailing out fast to hep get a little bit of extra distance.
Mumbly reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 9:37 AM, papajoe222 said:I'm curious as to why you feel the backing would make a difference it casting distance?
Perhaps he saw the Aaron Martens video where he explains that using braid backing makes the spool spin quicker and easier resulting in 10-20 feet extra distance on a long cast. Also A-Mart claims braid backing makes casting more effortless.
new2BC4bass reply :
The first thing people ask about in long distance casting is which reel to use. I think this is the wrong priority. Think about the rod first. Personally I am not going to use an 11' rod for bass fishing. I might be willing to try an 8' crankbait rod, but that would be my personal limit. I prefer 7' to 7'6" max. Lighter line casts further than heavy line. Compact lures like a swim jig will give you more distance than a favorite lure of mine...the spinnerbait.
Reels are important. I just don't think they are the most important. Several of my reels will cast quite far...and none are the $400 plus reels often mentioned. One of those expensive reels might get me more distance, but it is highly unlikely I will ever know for sure. The longest casting reel is going to be one with no brakes on. Not within my ability. 
Some reels that cast quite far for me are a Primmus, Helios Air, Curado 201E7, Gen 1 STX-L and 50th Zillion. The unmentionable company does well as do a couple Lew's. For that matter a T3 1016 is pretty capable as well.
I've always thought a Medium (Moderate) action rod would cast the furthest because it would load so well. However, my 7'2" MH-XF Endurance is no slouch.
TT has a thread or two about the longest casting reel. You will see many expensive reels mentioned....often with DC as part of the reel's model identification.
EDIT: There is a thread on page one of "REELS" on TT entitled "Preferred reels for distance." A search will turn up at least a couple more threads on which reel to use for maximum distance. Heck, a search on this forum should also yield a couple more threads for you to read.
CenCal fisher reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 9:37 AM, papajoe222 said:I'm curious as to why you feel the backing would make a difference it casting distance?
It makes a filled spool lighter so it spins easier
ChrisD46 reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 9:53 AM, fishnkamp said:I think he was trying to take advantage of the smaller diameter of the braid sailing out fast to hep get a little bit of extra distance.
Yes !
Thanks for the replies - all helpful ! ... My set up is a BPS Pro reel 6:3:1 ratio #30 lb. Braid + leader ; 7' MF action rod ; KVD Dawg Jr. , Chuggers , Wake Baits . I will be happy with 40 yrd. ~ 50 yrd. casting distance all day long ... I believe for me going from 3 to 2 brakes , a little less spool tension and a more educated thumb are the keys to improve distance as everything else equipment wise is reasonable .
cottny27 reply :
Have the reel supertuned and use some lighter weight oil on the spool bearings. It only helps a little though, but it all adds up.
papajoe222 reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 9:53 AM, fishnkamp said:I think he was trying to take advantage of the smaller diameter of the braid sailing out fast to hep get a little bit of extra distance.
I can see where the braid backing making a filled spoil lighter may help, but not if it's going out when being used for backing Possibly you're thinking using braid as the main line with a leader attached.
J Francho reply :
On 8/28/2016 at 3:01 PM, ChrisD46 said:how do you maximize casting distance with a bait cast reel ?
Practice.
A-Jay reply :
On 8/31/2016 at 2:35 AM, J Francho said:Practice.
And take a position up wind.
A-Jay
J Francho reply :
You guys claiming a lighter spool = longer casts are on the wrong trail. Greater spool mass = greater centrifugal force, longer spin times, which equals more line out. A light spool has a faster start up, with less energy required. This is for lighter baits, not longer casts. Take a look for videos on casting competitions, and see what they use for reels....
My longest casts are made with one of my shortest rods, and budget reel that has a deep, high capacity U spool. 6'2" Avid MXF, Daiwa Procaster from the 2000s, 10# P-Line CXX, Lucky Craft Sammy 115. Clean out the spool bearings, and use Shimano Bantam Oil.
On 8/31/2016 at 3:08 AM, A-Jay said:And take a position up wind.
A-Jay
Especially when AI is spouting gibberish, lol.
timsford reply :
Depends on the reel you are using. A lot of simple magnetic braking systems choke off the cast too soon. Rod length plays a big part as does action and how the rod loads. Generally a longer more moderate rod will load more and cast farther than a short ex. fast rod. As far as spool weight, it depends on the baits you want to throw. Lighter baits will throw much easier and farther with a lightweight finesse spool. Heavier baits will throw much farther on a heavier spool because the spool stays faster longer. For example I can bomb a 3/8 oz lip less on my t3 1016 with the magforce3d set to long cast and can throw a 3/4 oz about the same with it. But I can get even farther with the 3/4 oz bait on an old citica 200 d and the same rod, even though the 3/8 oz bait can't go nearly as far as it does with the t3. Properly flushed and lubed or upgraded spool bearings, polished internal friction points like the spool tips, and a better casting motion all factor in also. And contrary to what some believe Aaron is correct braid weighs less than flouro so a reel spooled with braid backing has a lighter spool weight and will throw light lures easier. Still doesn't mean squat with heavier lures. Personally most of the time I am concerned with accuracy and if you want to really go long cast mode, break out a 7'6" spinning rod and a daiwa ss1300 with the longcast spool and tie on a spoon or jig on 20 lb braid and let her ride. I can cast too far with that and can't even set the hook the lure lands so far away
kickerfish1 reply :
On 8/31/2016 at 3:16 AM, J Francho said:You guys claiming a lighter spool = longer casts are on the wrong trail. Greater spool mass = greater centrifugal force, longer spin times, which equals more line out. A light spool has a faster start up, with less energy required. This is for lighter baits, not longer casts. Take a look for videos on casting competitions, and see what they use for reels....
My longest casts are made with one of my shortest rods, and budget reel that has a deep, high capacity U spool. 6'2" Avid MXF, Daiwa Procaster from the 2000s, 10# P-Line CXX, Lucky Craft Sammy 115. Clean out the spool bearings, and use Shimano Bantam Oil.
Especially when AI is spouting gibberish, lol.
Which poster or posters were claiming a lighter spool = more distance. I did not get that from any of the posts in this thread???
J Francho reply :
On 8/31/2016 at 10:43 AM, kickerfish1 said:Which poster or posters were claiming a lighter spool = more distance. I did not get that from any of the posts in this thread???
Read up. There's at least three posts that mention the words faster, easier, longer in association with using braid as a backer to lose spool weight.
Further North reply :
On 8/29/2016 at 12:22 AM, Fishes in trees said:Throwing that far requires a wind up - kind of like a shot putter or discus thrower does. You have to spin around and get a maximum load on your rod prior to release. This takes some practice. Don't do this around people. If you snap off a 2 oz slab spoon, it is flying somewhere. Should it hit someone, it will hurt.
That made me laugh. Thanks.
Bass Turd reply :
On 8/31/2016 at 9:30 PM, J Francho said:Read up. There's at least three posts that mention the words faster, easier, longer in association with using braid as a backer to lose spool weight.
I actually read a post somewhere where a gentleman did a fairly scientific study on which of his casters threw the farthest. His studies showed the reels with heavier spools actually cast farther all other things being equal. Once start up inertia was achieved the heavier spools carried that energy longer. It was enough to make me a believer... but we are only talking a few extra feet. I present it here as a theory but Ihave no practical knowledge to support it either way. Just food for thought.
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