Thread: Accurate casting distance data

I understand what you are saying. I take 25 cast and averaged them. I feel this takes most of the error of the results. Of these 25 casts they all fell between 23 and 25 handle revolutions. That's not much deviation.
I have my distance marked off in my driveway also and did it that way too. Now I just sit down on the bench on my dock and enjoy mother nature. Sometimes I even catch a fish while doing my field testing.

Originally Posted by s_v

Just make sure to collect all the line slack as accurately as you can before you start counting the revolutions and do these measurements on land, not on water. The method will overestimate the casting distance when applied to casts on water.

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Originally Posted by z520tom

I understand what you are saying. I take 25 cast and averaged them. I feel this takes most of the error of the results. Of these 25 casts they all fell between 23 and 25 handle revolutions. That's not much deviation.
I have my distance marked off in my driveway also and did it that way too. Now I just sit down on the bench on my dock and enjoy mother nature. Sometimes I even catch a fish while doing my field testing.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Perhaps I should've been more specific here. I am not referring to random errors, which will inevitably be there and you can indeed reduce their contribution by making multiple casts and averaging them. The overestimation I am referring to is a systematic error, that is, it will not be eliminated no matter how many measurements you take. In simple terms, it is because the line between the tip of your rod and your lure in the water is never straight, to the extent that such systematic error can be almost as much as your real casting distance. It will depend on the depth, thickness of your line, weight and geometry of your lure, and casting distance. The comment from catchNgrease is also related to the same issue.
Also, your line never leaves your spool in a straight line during the cast, so stopping the line as soon as the lure hits the water won't eliminate this systematic error.