Maximum Good Presentation Distance

[Malcolm]

No wind is truly awful for presenting dry flies at distance. There is so much air resistance that without a bit of a breeze to turn over a leader it is difficult at distance. Dead air is awful for casting generally.

[Wildfisher]

anyway, shock finding, the biggest problem doing this is foliage at the feet, running line catches it 9 times out of 10, on short grass its 20' further every time, based on this

I often fish streamers on the Don when the water is high.  A HI D line  and light streamers is better than a floater, or sink tip with weighted streamers.  With a lot of  vegetation behind shooting is essential. With a dense HI D line (very thin running line) shooting is a snip the main limitation being, as you say, foliage at the feet catching the line. Answer? Take a scythe with  you? 

[Wildfisher]

The foliage thing is always going to be a problem if you turn up to fish a river with no waders!!

Well, perhaps. See my above post. If wading using that method the water presents a consistent problem of heavy drag  on  the stripped running line. Of course you can strip and hold it  in wide lose coils rather than let it fall on the water,  but then you could also  do that standing on the bank. This is no casting theory by the way, it's experience of actually dong it, a lot,  and discovering that when using fast sinking lines the vegetation is less hassle than the water and it's better not to wade.

[Wildfisher]

With pain in the arse vegetation Berry creek springs to mind.

Indeed. The long glide is perhaps one of the most difficult place there is to catch a fish. Alex, John and I have spent many fruitless hours there.  Problem there is the fish see you before you see them unless you are lucky enough to get a busy one directly up from you close into your bank. I think it's better to go there alone, fewer people  the less chance  of spooking.