Strategies For Long-Distance Catting

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.