# Side casting lures



## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Just a quick note on casting lures, poppers and stick baits off of boats. Side casting is a lot harder than you would think especially if you never practice at it. Chances are using the same lure you would find that you cast about half the distance with a side cast as compared to an overhand cast. The level of difficulty increases as the size of the boat gets smaller and the wind and water conditions are less than ideal. This is even compounded further on smaller boats with outriggers that will get in the way of casting.

I know some guys that go to the local HS football fields and cast hookless lures for practice. Slinging lead really isn't the same as the lures even if the weight is the same. Aerodynamics wind resistance etc affect each cast. I cast off a dock but I have measured over towards the neighbors so I know what the distances are for practicing.

How you rig your leader/lure will also have an affect on your side casting. I've found that tying your leader to your mainline with a Uni to Uni or an Albright knot with an appropriate swivel and split ring for the fish you are targeting to connect to the lure. You want you leader to mainline knot to slide through the guides smoothly without hanging up on the guides. You will find that "choking up" the lure closer to the tip of the rod will enable you to get more distance by putting more inertial energy into the lure cast enabling it to cast further than with a longer leader.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

Oh man


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## sniperpeeps (Mar 5, 2011)

Captain Woody Woods said:


> Oh man


Lol


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## weedline (Aug 20, 2011)

is it me or does he make fishing sound way way more difficult than it ever needs to be.if i had to think that much about casting i might just drop a live bait back.


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

Kim said:


> Chances are using the same lure you would find that you cast about half the distance with a side cast as compared to an overhand cast.


I beg to differ on that one. I think a lot of it may be personal preference, but I found I cannot cast very far overhanded like I'm sure a lot of pier guys do. Maybe one of that crowd can chime in on technique. For one, I prefer to cast from the bow of either a large center console or sportfisher. Secondly, I have this crazy side handed swing, much like a golfer's swing. Sometimes I even let the lure barely dip into the water, as it seems to load the line and slingshot the lure forward.



Kim said:


> The level of difficulty increases as the size of the boat gets smaller and the wind and water conditions are less than ideal.


The solution there is to position the boat upwind of intended target, and cast with the wind for extra long distance.



Kim said:


> How you rig your leader/lure will also have an affect on your side casting. I've found that tying your leader to your mainline with a Uni to Uni or an Albright knot with an appropriate swivel and split ring for the fish you are targeting to connect to the lure. You want you leader to mainline knot to slide through the guides smoothly without hanging up on the guides. You will find that "choking up" the lure closer to the tip of the rod will enable you to get more distance by putting more inertial energy into the lure cast enabling it to cast further than with a longer leader.


For what it's worth, when tuna are busting, or even to a dorado, I can't say I have encountered many leadershy tuna on poppers. More times than not, if they are crushing flyers or similar bait on top, as soon as the popper hits the water, it is usually crushed within a couple seconds. Point being, I don't fret if there is no leader between the 80# braid on our spinning reels and the popper. And if you insist on using a leader, less than 36" will do away with the problem of having a uni to uni knot glide through the guides effortlessly. And as mentioned earlier, I'll disagree with the "shorter" line length between rod tip and lure. I can lob it waaay further, granted from a higher bow, with between 40 inches of line hanging off rod tip, or even the lure barely dangling in water. Inertia is defined as "an object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless another force acted upon it." So not real sure how that is applicable to your last sentence.


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Some good points there Capt Woody! My overhead cast is much better than my side cast. Maybe I should take up golf and get the inside track on the side cast action. For me the tighter the quarters, more limiting on the angle of the cast the less distance I get. I'm happier with plenty of room for nice overhand cast but I can't always have what I want.

I took my wind on leaders off and went with short fluorocarbon leaders and got more distance on my casts by doing that.


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## bigtallluke (Jul 14, 2012)

Captain Woody Woods said:


> More times than not, if they are crushing flyers or similar bait on top, as soon as the popper hits the water, it is usually crushed within a couple seconds. Point being, I don't fret if there is no leader between the 80# braid on our spinning reels and the popper.


Not to derail this thread any... but this is an opportune time for me to get a solid answer. When throwing big tuna poppers on braid (no leader) what kind of knot is best to connect the braid to the popper with?
On much smaller lures and mono line, I use a loop knot to give the lure better action... not sure if this knot will even work with braid, and if so, does it matter when throwing a big heavy popper? just curious


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Luke, I use a pretty simple knot that has never failed me on a big Tuna. I run the braid through the eye and wrap ten times up and ten times back down over the initial wraps and through the eye. Cinch it down while assisting it with your other hand. Super strong knot that cinches harder onto its tag end as pressure is applied


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## bigtallluke (Jul 14, 2012)

Awesome, thank you for the reply!


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## Captain Woody Woods (Oct 2, 2007)

bigtallluke said:


> Not to derail this thread any... but this is an opportune time for me to get a solid answer. When throwing big tuna poppers on braid (no leader) what kind of knot is best to connect the braid to the popper with?
> On much smaller lures and mono line, I use a loop knot to give the lure better action... not sure if this knot will even work with braid, and if so, does it matter when throwing a big heavy popper? just curious


Anyone that won't pull haha. I use a uni.


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## Scruggspc (Mar 20, 2013)

I like the to use a zip tie!


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