3 Tips For Casting Your Surf Rod Farther & More Accurately
- By: Courtney Woznek
- on
Casting out a 12 ft surf rod can be a daunting task.
And if you want to reach fish that may be feeding further away from the shore, you better have good form and know a couple of tricks.
So in this video, you’ll learn 3 tips to increase your casting distance and accuracy with a surf rod.
Check it out below!
Tips For Casting Your Surf Rod [VIDEO]
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Best Form For Casting A Surf Fishing Rod
There are many surf anglers that hold their rod close to them thinking their body will help power the cast.
The truth is that you are taking away most of the power of the rod because it does not have a full range of motion.
For the best stance, set your feet shoulder-width apart and then angle your body about 45 degrees to the water.
Point your front foot towards the water where you’ll be casting.
Also, make sure your weight is in line with the guide closest to your reel.
You’ll want many feet of line out to properly load the rod when casting out.
This will take some getting used to as it’s more difficult to cast accurately with more line out but it will improve your distance.
Put your forward hand close to the end of the butt of your rod and your back hand should be at the reel seat.
Hold your rod directly above your head and then move out slightly in front of you.
When you are ready to cast, look out at the water and up 45 degrees.
Aim at your 45-degree mark and not directly out at the water.
Use your forward arm as a lever to pull down as that’s going to be your power and your back arm pushes forward to aim.
Best Drag Setting For Casting A Surf Fishing Rod
Tighten down your drag so that you cannot pull out any line at all before you cast.
This helps you not get cut by the braided line with the force of your cast.
After you cast out, DO NOT forget to re-adjust your drag.
Making this mistake could prevent a hook-up and may also have your entire setup going out to sea.
How To Use A Cast Cannon On A Surf Fishing Rod
A breakaway cast cannon is a casting aid that you install on your surf fishing rod.
Installing the casting cannon is quick and easy.
Line it up with where you would naturally be holding the line with your finger for casting.
Take two zip ties and wrap one around the top and one around the bottom of the cannon to secure it to your rod.
Cinch the zip ties down as tight as possible and clip the tag ends.
To reduce the sharpness of the tags, melt the plastic with a lighter.
When using the casting cannon, simply push out the trigger out and wrap your braid around the knob twice.
Pull the trigger to hold the line and open the bail.
Cast out as you normally would but instead of your finger releasing the line, your finger releases the trigger.
This will greatly increase your casting distance when throwing out heavier weights and baits!
Get the Breakaway Casting Cannon here.
Conclusion
Everyone has their own style of surfcasting.
But there are many tactics to try if you want to improve your casting distance and accuracy.
And perfecting your form and get your casting rhythm in sync will take time and practice.
Do you have any tips for casting a surf rod?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to learn how to cast a surf rod, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Related articles:
- HOW MUCH LINE TO PUT ON YOUR SPINNING REEL (TO MAXIMIZE CASTING)
- HOW TO SAVE TIME & MONEY ON SURF FISHING RIGS (TOP 3 RIGGING HACKS)
- SURF FISHING MISTAKES (AND HOW TO CATCH MORE FISH ON THE BEACH)
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Hi,
Good video but here some more tips from me for even getting further castings.
1-first place your hand on the reel and stretch your right arm, then place your left hand in the middle of your chest. That’s the best distance between your hands for good ending your cast.
2-don’t bend your right arm when your throwing and pull with your left hand ending high beside your left breast.
3-always stay looking up when you throw, al the way.
Grtz from Django / SurfCasting Flanders
I use 13-15 ft. rods with 85# braid because I can snap anything less. When I started going really long I used an archery glove with the unused fingers cut off, the cannon changed that. The cannons are installed with double-sided tape and ty-raps. I have a T&B tool because I was in the business but the tails can be cut flush with a knife held at the right angle.
I almost always use 6 oz. weights for consistency and use smaller rods/weights for the inside trough depending on conditions.
I cast at a 45 deg. angle with around 6 ft between the tip and the weight. The weight is attached to the main line with a coastal snap swivel as is the rest of the rig (hand-made two or three hook rig with floats on the first two hooks) This takes practice to be even somewhat accurate but has to be to load up the rod on the backswing. I’m right-handed so with the rod at 45 deg. and arms straight I rotate the fat bod and bring my right hand to my shoulder as the rod loads (you should be able to snap 40# ANDE Tournament mono here) and now go for the cast. Rotate forward and about halfway through pull the lower arm towards you and push the arm by your shoulder forward to lever the rod forward.
A little (lot) of practice and you’ll be getting out there but most of my dinners come from the shore break.
When you are using a long surf rod, I have a 15-foot rod with a Penn Battle 2 8000 that I haven’t been able to use yet, how much leader do you recommend letting out in the before cast preparation? Also, do you use a shock leader?
Hi David! With a 15 ft rod, I would recommend having enough line out so that your weight is just at/above the ground when you are holding your rod up to cast. Rule of thumb normally is to have the weight/line let out so that the weight matches up with the guide that is closest to the reel but with a 15 ft rod, unless you’re incredibly tall, you may have too much slack in your line. As far as shock leader goes, it depends on how heavy of weight is casted. For the rods that we are casting out 4 oz sinkers, no. But for shark and tarpon baits and weights, yes! There are a lot of misconceptions about shock leader. You don’t always need it!
Great info! Noticed that awesome beach art you had. Would love to see content about what to look for in a beach cart.
Coming soon, Andrew!!!
Cool stuff… so casting cannon going to make an appearance in the tackle shop?
Valid question Stephen! I’ll bring it up to the tackle team. Appreciate the feedback!
I am not a professional surf caster but i have logged dry casts over 180 meters. The biggest advice I can offer is if you need the extra distance practice the form. Keep your arms locked until it is time to push pull. I like hatteras casts and south african casts. Practice your form. Dont just load the rod with energy load your body and practice your movements with dry casting(No line through the eyes). Proper practice prevents pi** poor performance.
Practice makes perfect! Thanks Daniel!
Cinch down drag before casting??? Won’t that drastically REDUCE distance?
Nope! If you’re casting heavier weights and baits, you’ll want all of the energy of the cast. If you don’t have your drag set tighter, the line is going to slip and take away from the force of your cast. It will also slice right through your finger. Now, if you’re casting out small lures and baits, you don’t need to do this. Hope that helped!
do not cinch down the drag in my opinion unless you are great at tying shock leaders. If my spool gets locked in mid throw i can still cast off my shock leader through the low drag. It is better than throwing you tackle trash in the drink.
I think Ashwin and Daniel are talking about casting reels. Courtney uses spinning reels. For casting reels I can see how tightening the drag will affect distance and slow down the rotation of the spool. With spinning reels, the spool does not rotate, the line just peels off the edge of a stationary spool, so, the drag never comes into play.
That was a great tutorial video on casting surf rod/reels Courtney. I learned something I didn’t know that I have been doing wrong.
Glad it helped, Mel! Thanks for the support!