Casting Distance

[quinton]

Good day good people,
I need to ask for a few tips, I recently watched some anglers using grinder reels and rods, and they cast a mile, However i cannnot seem to get the distance and wondering if it could be my set up, im currently using the 14.6ft makira 7 to 9 oz and pen slammer 3  8500   , i have 50lb boss braid and 120lb jdb leader, Another friend of mine says the reel is to big and i should go for  a 7500 instead,  another friend says my braid could be the problem. another friend says the rod is to heavy and 6oz with mackreal head and cutlets is not enough to load the rod, any advice will be highly appreciated

[REEFMAN]

Generally speaking... if a rod is rated 7-9oz, the max rating is where the rod is going to load properly/maximally and get best distance.
You can still cast a 6oz and bait, but you're not going to get the maximum potential out of the rod without loading it fully.
Long distance pro's will probably disagree with me, but that's my experience.

Every rod has it's sweet spot in terms of the load capacity and your style of casting; it's up to you to find that unique balance. And when you do find it, it's one of the great joys of angling!!

Haven't used Makaira, Slammer or Boss, and doubt whether any of those cpmponents are the real issue...

[Half-Pint]

Chances are that its more a question of casting technique than equipment. However equipment can definitely play a role.

My first question would be how tall are you? Most people cannot properly load a 14'6 rod unless you are a really competent caster or physically large and strong. For those of us like myself who are vertically challenged this is even more true. My personal grinder set up started out at 13' 6 I think and has been chopped to 13' if I recall correctly. The difference is remarkable.

If I recall the Penn Slammer is also not a long casting reel. Borrow a mates Bullseye or an Ultegra and see what happens.

If fishing off the beach you can also scale down to 30lb braid and 80lb leader. Off the rocks wanting to stick to 50lb braid I'd up the sinker weight to overcome the increased drag

[Zak-e-Boy]

Quinton I think you have been given some great advise by Half Pint and Reefs, but on a lighter note if you change your fishing times to before sunrise and after sunset you won't have to cast soo far, during these times the fish normally feed closer to shore. 

[quinton]

thank you appreciate the responses will try a few different setups and try to single out the problem