Casting

Not only is casting a skill that needs to be developed, but it’s also a completely different mode or style of fishing. Last week I talked about bobber fishing, and now we can compare that to casting in this post. When you’re set up with a bobber, you set your rod up, toss some line out, and wait. Occasionally I’ll jerk the bobber around to make the jig below dance and create some action, but in general, bobber fishing can be a simple cast and that’s it–you remain patient until something swims your way. With casting, however, you are much more involved in the process of catching a fish. Depending on what lure you are using, whether that’s a soft plastic, some version of a crank bait, top-water lure or a spinner–that will determine your cast and how you reel it in effectively. For example, when I’m throwing a Mepp’s #3 (my go-to ultimate spinner), I like to cast it under docks, boat lifts, or any other type of structure providing shade and then I reel it in with a slow-moderate speed. You have to be fast enough to trigger the bite instinct, but not too fast. Also, if you go too slow, you’ll end up dragging on the bottom just annoying all the fish down there with no luck at all! When fishing with a soft plastic (flukes are good), you want to reel it in with a pulse. Quick jerks of the rod will make it dance like some kind of injured prey that bass and pike will eat up. All of this takes time and practice but everyone can easily learn, its a short learning curve for most people.