For anglers fishing from shore below dams and along the banks of big reservoirs, the ability to cast long distances can be a prerequisite to catching more fish and upping the odds for some truly giant specimens. In some situations, it might take delivering baits 100 yards or more to reach areas that catfish are holding—in a break in a reservoir creek channel, slightly deeper water on a vast tapering flat, or the sweet spots in a tailrace.
Casting 100 yards (300 feet) or more is typical for an experienced long-distance catter, achievable for most anglers with the right equipment, good guidance, and practice. Skilled casters abandon the more traditional catfishing rod-and-reel setups, relying on longer surf-style spinning or casting combos. Competitive casters refine their equipment and casting styles even further, achieving distances of 600 to 700 feet or more.
Putting these kinds of distances into perspective takes comparing it to something tangible. Let’s go to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Standing at home plate, 100 yards is about the distance to the left-field wall, directly down the third-base line. The numbers on the wall say it’s 310 feet (although that’s been debated over the years), but close enough. A 300-foot cast along that line puts you to the warning track. Not sure what it would take to reach beyond the wall. Nicknamed the Green Monster, it stands 37 feet high. Maybe a 340- or 350-footer?
Long-Cast Lessons
Mark Edwards of New Castle, Delaware, is a 10-year veteran of surf-casting tournaments. He’s earned master-class status, averaging more than 725 feet, and holds numerous titles and records. He’s also one of the few tournament casters who fishes for catfish.
Edwards was fishing for cats long before he entered the casting tournament scene. He grew up fishing the surf, shorecasting for stripers and channel cats along the banks of the tidal Delaware River. He also spent 6 years catfishing and developing casting skills below Bagnell and Truman dams in Missouri while in the Army. He got into competition casting after returning to his home state, and continues to fish the Delaware for channel catfish.
“Casting is the most misunderstood part of fishing,” Edwards says. “Beginning anglers are overwhelmed with the various styles, and in a nutshell, it’s just too complicated for a beginner to follow. They give up and develop a style of their own that fails to capitalize on a few simple rules that can dramatically improve distance with a few hours of practice. Learning the basics of casting makes the progression to more powerful techniques a smooth transition.”
Although many tournament casters use highly specialized and expensive equipment, Edwards says he doesn’t use any setup that he typically wouldn’t fish with. Here he offers recommendations on rods, reels, and riggings, and a relatively simple casting method which, with some practice, can get you to the Green Monster or beyond.
Edwards uses mostly spinning gear for fishing and in competition, but baitcasting is also well suited to long-distance casting. In fact, baitcasting can often outdo spinning in competition. According to Edwards, bad weather is the great equalizer between the two. Unlike spinning gear, baitcasting demands adjustment of equipment for weather, even as much as changing the type of lubrication used on the reel. Although Edwards talks spinning here, the same general principles apply to baitcasting.
Rods: “Rods used with spinning reels generally need to be softer,” he says. “A fast-taper tip is better suited for the Brighton (a cast that starts with the bait laying on the ground), which I’ll describe in a bit. A medium or medium-slow taper is better when the cast starts off the ground.
“Look for rods with guides close to the size of the reel’s spool you’re using. Five or 6 guides are enough—more than that reduces distance. Rod length is personal preference; however, I recommend 10- to 12-foot rods as all-purpose options.
“Whether you use fiberglass or graphite is up to you,” he says. “Fiberglass rods, such as Shakespeare’s Ugly Stik surf rods, work well, and glass is good for the beginner because it’s less expensive and more forgiving than graphite. It’s like crawling before you walk, progressing to graphite as you gain experience, but expensive graphite rods aren’t necessary.
“After you’ve decided on price, length, and action, you need to find a rod that fits you,” Edwards says. “Hold the rod with your right hand on the reel seat and place the butt of the rod under your right arm. If the end of the rod doesn’t at least reach your armpit it doesn’t fit, so keep looking. There are plenty of great rod makers—Penn, Breakaway, Shakespeare, All Star, Okuma, and Daiwa—just to name a few, so there’s a rod to fit you out there.”
Reels: “I like a reel with a free-spool feature when catfishing. For years this meant using only the Shimano Baitrunner. But now, Penn, Daiwa, and Okuma all make good free-spool reels. I’ve had to modify some. A design flaw in the 6500 Baitrunner, for example, made it difficult to get good distance because the bail would trip and cause a break-off. The solution was to cut the bail off and make it a manual pickup. For spinning, the larger 50 and 60 sizes with aluminum spools are best for distance casting,” Edwards suggests. For those who don’t need a free-spool feature, most all-purpose saltwater spinning reels are fine. Some good ones are several models in Penn’s lineup and those in Shakespeare’s Tidewater SS and Prius Bigwater series.
Line: “Which line to use is always a big debate,” Edwards notes. “Some fishermen want no stretch and others want abrasion-resistance. Rarely do you need anything over 20-pound test, except for your leader, which I’ll get into later. Because line diameter of the same pound test varies by label, I’ve gone to selecting line within certain diameter ranges; 15 pound is around .31 mm to .33 mm, and 20-pound is about .36 mm to .39 mm.
“My rule is don’t skimp on the only connection between you and the fish. I like Yo-Zuri Hybrid, and lately I’ve been using Sufix Performance Braid in 20-pound test. I like the greater sensitivity compared to mono, and I’m getting increased distance as well.
“The procedure I use to fill a reel is to first polish the spool with a car wax containing Teflon,” Edwards says. “Then, using a leather glove under heavy tension, pack on as much line as you can. Once the line is flush with the spool, I slowly add more until it almost touches the inside of the rotor. This is what I call my insurance—extra line that can mean a few more feet on the tournament field or a few more yards on the beach.
“To finish, I tie on a shock leader to the mainline. The shock leader gives you more line for extra distance, and because it’s heavier, it increases abrasion-resistance. I suggest 10 pounds of line-test for every 1 ounce of sinker, so if you’re casting 5 ounces, use a 50-pound shock leader. For most of my fishing, I use between 40- and 80-pound-test leader. Using a shock-leader knot, tie in a leader long enough to run from the butt of the rod to the tip and then down to the reel, with at least 5 wraps around the spool. That usually gives you enough shock leader to use all day,” Edwards says.
Rigging: “My go-to rig for long distance catting is a clipped-down or pully rig. The beauty is its versatility. It can be tied any length you’d like, and you can change hooks in seconds. I hook 75 percent of the fish that hit on this rig. To build one, start with a length of line, say 30 inches. To one end tie a cross-lock snap to which the sinker’s clipped. On the line above the snap, add an impact shield (available from Breakaway). Thread on a bead, a crimping sleeve (but don’t crimp), and another bead; then thread on a swivel and another bead. Tie on a second swivel to the end of the line.
