scoopdaloop Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Ok. So I know that swimbaits have some serious drawing power. Just for the sake of an even example...you are bank fishing, no signs of major cover/rock/wood/grass lines and you can freely cast the entire bank and you're fishing a 68 Hudd. I would typically fan cast an entire area before I move on. I bet I even overwork areas where I should move to a new spot. My question is, how far apart do you place your casts? I normally cast 5-10 feet away from my previous cast. Is that too close to my last cast? In terms of drawing power do I need to spread them out? I know there isn't a definitive answer. Just want your experience and advice. Reason I ask is to learn what some more experienced swimbaiters do and to efficiently cover water. AKA catch more fish! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustinit83 Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Great question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm83 Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 there are very few times that i actually "fan" cast. if I'm fishing a familiar body of water, i already know where i want to go and where to cast. on new bodies of water, i look for similar structure to what I'm used to fishing. if its totally new to me, then i'll fan cast a bait that i can burn back or fish at a quicker pace. i don't fan cast in clear water - unless there are patches of cover/structure that breakup the area. G3bassin, Got0ne and everythingthatswims 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F.Rizzo Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Indeed, good question! Maybe you could try fan casting in "sections". Say, you fan cast 5 times on your left from the bank out, 3-5 feet increments. Then, do the same thing on the right side, and finish off fan casting in front of you. If you have structure you are casting around, fan cast the same piece of structure, but come at it from 3-4 different angles. Fish can be stubborn and want their meal presented to them in a specific way. Just walking down the bank fan casting 40 feet each time, the same way, can catch fish, but you should always switch it up. Eventually, you will learn what the fish on that body of water prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midsouth Swimbaits Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 I would think that water clarity would affect how far you should fan cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurejerk Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 There are several things to consider in your approach: Parallel casting is usually "my" first choice while in attack mode wheather it is structure or lack there of. This allows you to stay in a strike zone longer. I will then move to what you are refering to as fan casting the area. Do not be so concerned about how close or far your cast are, but more with your Retrieve. Vary your retreive on each cast if your not getting results and let this fish tell you what they want. Yesterday I had a very large bass that followed my Slammer to the boat. It was on the 8th or 9th cast to that same area. She came up at it in about 10 ft of water then started to follow for about 6-7 ft. Each time prior to that I worked the bait back a little different or came at a different angles. Now I know she is there I will position my boat out a little further and do the same with a different bait maybe I can turn that follower into a strike. Getting too know your area is key if your bank fishing or if your in a boat and no electronics. I would recommend using your Hudd or a cheap way 1/2 slip sinker and soft plastic swimbait to learn the bottom contour as you go. Doing your homework will pay off big on down the road. Determin if there is a sharp drop or slow drop. If the is structure there or not. Good polarized glasses will also help in a big way. Learn to read your area use your cast to telegraph whats there and go from there. Do your homework it will pay off. doublezman, scoopdaloop and JeremyW 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Dot Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 i don't fan cast in clear water - unless there are patches of cover/structure that breakup the area. I am curious as to why? Are you fishing to catch fish right away, or you looking to find out where they are? I was speed fan casting a new crystal clear lake last year, and was drawing them out. Only ended up landing one during that fan casting period, but we marked the areas so we can revisit. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty - I use a 250 + Mattlures Perch to draw fish out. waynem 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossypumpkin Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 I am what I would call an "avid" bank fisherman. I totally understand your question. Now, as we know, you are never casting to NO cover or structure. BUT, for the sake of the conversation, if there is totally no cover or structure, I am probably fan casting 3 to 6 times, standing in one spot. So the distance between cast is probably a pretty good distance. One thing I will say is, if I am fan casting an open area like that, I am not going to be using a hudd 68. I want something with more drawing power. In this case, switch to an 8" hudd....bigger profile. Or a slammer/rat...loud surface presentation. A glide...they just draw fish! A TT/BS/BBZ...loud and easily found. Then once I have located a sweet spot, I might pull out a bait like the 68 if you think you must. VERY interesting question!! everythingthatswims and scoopdaloop 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get_Biggens Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Excited to see all the info for this thread. Our lakes drop off very quickly in az, can be 30-40 feet deep only 15 feet off a bank. I make a staggered fan cast because we just cant see the structure at all that far off. So ill cover the are in 3-4 casts, then start over and make another 3-4 in between the lanes that i just did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm83 Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 I fan cast spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, and rip baits in gin clear water - but this ain't little baits underground. I don't fan cast big baits in clear water because I feel that the more that the fish sees the same bait within a very short period of time, the less likely it'll eat it. Big fish aren't big because they're dumb. In my experience, You let a big fish clearly see a bait from 10+' away and if she doesn't immediately follow, chances are she won't follow when it's closer the very next cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Nice to see T Dot back on here. Pay attention - he knows his stuff. Mossypumpkin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.lillywhite Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 this is an awesome question. i have been trying to experiment with the same thing myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfc_rr Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 From the bank, I take several things into consideration. 1. Seasonal pattern (Winter - deep water (relative) Fall/Spring - (pre/post spawn) Summer (morning/night fishing). Reason being , you want to eliminate just fan casting and causing the fish to be aware of the swimbait (pressured situations) and becoming accustomed and not wanting to commit to the swimbait. If you can take time and figure out the best angle (for your first cast to make it count) then I pull the trigger. For instance here in SoCal some of the ponds the bucks are moved up shallow searching for a good area to make beds, instead of fan casting, I would parallel the bank and cover the left/right side for higher percentage strikes (targeting even higher percentage areas such as rock with sandy areas, timber /tullies etc). After wards then I would begin to fan cast from where I saw the bucks to higher percentage areas (deep drop offs for where the females maybe staging and waiting for the spawn). Bottom line you should try to pick the highest percentage area and angle for your first cast and make it count, after wards you can begin your fan casting choosing the "higher percentage" angle. Hope this helps. "Catch a GIANT" scoopdaloop 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Power Swimbaits Posted March 19, 2015 Report Share Posted March 19, 2015 Too many variables and situations that have to come from experience to really answer. But I am either moving fast making a few key casts at the best angles to specific spots or I am anchored on a spot or area working it. No in between for me I am at one of the two extremes. Drawing power at times depends on the mood of the fish. Sometimes they move for it at other times they don't but can still be caught if the bait is close enough or hits the spot just right. huddslinger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoopdaloop Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Awesome info guys! Appreciate it. Interesting to see how people approach water differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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