Maximum Good Presentation Distance

[Wildfisher]

What in your opinion is the maximum distance you would expect to be able to present a dry fly with reasonable accuracy and subtlety  with a 9 foot #5 rod?  Distance = feet to fly.

Assume no  wind at all, an overhead cast and no obstruction to the back cast.

[Inchlaggan]

50-60 feet, leader = rod length, single fly, within 4 foot diameter of where I wanted it.

[Wildfisher]

Good stuff guys.

Please understand this is not a competition, I just want to get some idea of what the  average "quality presentation" cast would be. 

[alancrob]

Still water? About 40' including 10' leader!  :roll:  Slightly more with supporting breeze.  :oops:
I can cast nane!

Running water - totally random but I believe the fish to be closer. 

A.

[Fishtales]

As I always have a dry fly on the cast it is however far I cast on the day. As far as accuracy is concerned if it lands close to where I saw the rise then I was accurate. In a breeze up to a strong wind then it usually takes a couple of casts to get it in the right place. In a head wind I just don't bother, I'm just happy if it goes out

[scotty9]

I'm going to assume this is in a park or a still water as it just has no practical application on a river, well apart from the 0.1% of the time. For me 75' or there abouts from foot to fly. Anything further and consistency becomes an issue, usually with leader turnover. I can cast much further but not with what I term dry fly presentation that I'd be happy fishing with - I think this is often forgotten about when people start talking distance.

You'll also want either a DT or a long belly wf to do it comfortably, if you are around the limits of how much line can be shot (and every length of line has a finite amount of line that it will shoot) you'll notice consistency drops off pretty badly.

[Inchlaggan]

I'm going to assume this is in a park or a still water as it just has no practical application on a river, well apart from the 0.1% of the time. For me 75' or there abouts from foot to fly. Anything further and consistency becomes an issue, usually with leader turnover. I can cast much further but not with what I term dry fly presentation that I'd be happy fishing with - I think this is often forgotten about when people start talking distance.

You'll also want either a DT or a long belly wf to do it comfortably, if you are around the limits of how much line can be shot (and every length of line has a finite amount of line that it will shoot) you'll notice consistency drops off pretty badly.

Ask a simple question, get a complicated answer!

[scotty9]

Ask a simple question, get a complicated answer!

What's complicated? Let me know and I'll make it simpler.

[haresear]

Fred, Scott, you were on the bank when I cast to that fish I caught on the Eglinton in NZ. How far was that? Sixty feet or something?

About that distance is as far as I would feel comfortable in the accuracy stakes. Accuracy aside, I can still get good soft presentation at longer range, maybe 80 - 90 feet?

Alex

[scotty9]

Fred, Scott, you were on the bank when I cast to that fish I caught on the Eglinton in NZ. How far was that? Sixty feet or something?

About that distance is as far as I would feel comfortable in the accuracy stakes. Accuracy aside, I can still get good soft presentation at longer range, maybe 80 - 90 feet?

Alex

I was trying so hard not to watch you catch it since I hadn't caught anything  :lol: (Cover up for how bad some of my memory is from NZ... too much happened during my time there!)