# :redface: What a difference Measuring Makes!



## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

So I went out to the field today with the intent of seeing exactly how my Akios 757 and Abu 7500 stack up against each other, on the same rod, with the same weights.
But before I did I decided that I was going to have something to really measure the casts.
Don't have a rangefinder, and don't have one of those handy highway worker weelie things to measure with, so I got out the 100 ft tape and measured off a piece of string, tieing loops at 100, 120, 140 & 160 yards.
Then I took a few little rubber balls, painted them hi-viz orange, and mounted them to a piece of straightened coathanger to put in the ground.
Went out to the local soccer field and laid out my string and markers, and go to it.
The rod was my 2-6oz 11'6" Rainshadow.
First up was the Akios, using a baseball as the weight. 5.25 oz according to my digital scale.
Wow...
Best I could muster was 100-110 yards.
I had switched over the polarity of the magnets as some here have suggested, but while I was inside of it I had also cleaned out the bearings and put in the TSI 301 as per some threads I have read on Alan Tani's site.
Even with the mag dailed just one or two clicks off of max, the reel was still pretty wild.
I did have one mild blow up.
With the Abu 7500 the story was pretty much the same, with just a touch more distance, but way more control.
This reel also has the TSI 301 lube in it. It is much, much faster than it was with the Red Rocket in it that Jerry sent it to me with. I had to dial back the pressure on the spool to keep it from over running. But it was still calmer than the Akios.
Next up was the Avet, and that threw further than either of the first two, to about 120-130 with the baseball. As calm and controled as it has been since the day i got it.
Then I switched over to lead.
I used a sputnik with the wires taken off, thinking that as as close to the shape of the sinkers I see the guys on YouTube using. It was exactly 6.10 oz.
With the Akios now I was able to get to the 120-130 range pretty regularly, and had a couple get close to the 140 mark.
With the Abu 7500 I was hitting just a bit less on my best casts, a little in front and a little past the 120 mark.
With the Avet I was consistently hitting it over 120, several went to about 130, and had one that just cleared the 140 mark.
I was going to throw the Abu 6500 into the mix, but the heat got the better of me after almost 3 hours in the field, and I ran out of Gatorade, so that will have to wait for another day.
I post all of this mainly as a "fessing up" kind of thing, and because I was very surprised and the distances I was getting today.
In the past I have always practiced at a lake by my house, and used the ol' "Eyeballing" it method, and then going home to check my eyeball distance on Google Earth. Pretty unscientific...
Previously I have posted that I was throwing 175 - 180 yards. 
Well, I am here to tell ya, that sure as chit isn't what I was coming up with today!
I am sure there has been a lot of eye rolling going on when I talked about what I was throwing, and in the interest of fair play I figured it was only right to admit that I was dead wrong. By A Lot!
Sheesh!
Lotta work to be done, obviously!
And the next time out I am going to borrow my Father-in-law's range finder just to make sure that my string is correct!
Thanks for listening...
Tom


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## neckfat (Jan 16, 2011)

That is my experience too. Casting a baseball, I am stuck at right around 300 feet. I started out around 200 and through practice have added about 100 feet to my casts. Of course, if I start casting much farther, I'll need to find a bigger park. My OTG casts are my best, I'm working on my pendulum technique.


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

cant begin to say what type of fishing you do but........a longer rod would go along ways............but ima soaker and most of the rods i own are between 12 1/2 and 13 1/2 ft


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

neckfat said:


> That is my experience too. Casting a baseball, I am stuck at right around 300 feet. I started out around 200 and through practice have added about 100 feet to my casts. Of course, if I start casting much farther, I'll need to find a bigger park. My OTG casts are my best, I'm working on my pendulum technique.


I haven't even gotten started on the pendulum yet, all of this is simply OTG or the Hatteras thump, which I take to be the same as an "airialized ground cast".
I do the baseball thing mostly because I was under the impression that it more closely replicates weight & bait. With just lead, I can certainly throw further.

And you are right, finding someplace to do this sort of thing can be challenging, heh? At least for those of us that do not live where they farm sod!


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Hooked Up said:


> cant begin to say what type of fishing you do but........a longer rod would go along ways............but ima soaker and most of the rods i own are between 12 1/2 and 13 1/2 ft


Well,
I guess you could call me a "soaker" too, but I'm soaking for Pompano most of the time. So I am throwing lighter baits and weights as far as I can.
The next time out I am going to take one of those rods, and see if maybe I was closer to what I thought I was throwing, than what I was throwing today with 6oz.
So most of my longer rods are built for 2-4-6 oz, and today I wanted to really see what I was doing with the reels that would end up on a heavier rod when I go that route.
I've got several that go 12' - 12.5, and have a 13'6" 3-6 in the works, so it may not have been a fair comparison.
I just throw 6oz so rarely, I was surprised at what a difference it makes. 
We will see... This is what makes this gig so much fun! 
Even if you have to "fess up" every now and again...


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

certainly some days are better then others...........and a average of 130 yards its nothing to small of a task.....ide think the 6500 would have been the go to reel for that rig ......of all the reels i have nothing out throws the 6500/5500 reels i own......but 40 feet is not a huge differance to me.........and yea i agree its alot of fun testing differant set ups.....thanks for your results and gluck


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

"ide think the 6500 would have been the go to reel for that rig"
Oh, absolutely!
That is what resides on that rod all the time.
And it usually never sees the upper side of 5...

But it was the only rod that I have at the moment that was rated to 6oz...


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Welcome to the humble world of measured casts.... 

I've seen many guys trot out on the casting court full of confidence (I was one of those guys 12 yrs ago) only to walk away with their tail tucked and mumbling.... "damn reel needs work, rod won't load, shoulder hurts"...etc etc.

My hat's off to you for posting the truth on line, not an easy thing to do and something you did not have to.... well done.

I'm not surprised that the Akios got a little edgy with the ball. One of the first rules of thumb when throwing a baseball is to SLOW DOWN the reel. I usually keep one overmagged reel handy for just that purpose. Glad to see it came alive with the sinker, it is a fine casting reel.

Keep practicing and try to focus on improving one thing at a time. Start with the left arm (90% of all fishermen are right arm dominate), keep it extended as long as possible then PULL when it is out in front of your face. That 140 will be 160 before you know it.

Tommy


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks Tommy,
All of that means the world to me coming from you.
Seriously...
Have you tried that TSI 301?
I am thinking I got in a little over my head on that stuff.
It makes these reels that were pretty well behaved into absolute speed demons...


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## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

that's still pretty decent distance but maybe a little over kill on the big reels for Pomps ... thanks for fessing up ...


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Yeah,
Those aren't the Pompano Reels...


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## Petersen (Apr 22, 2011)

Yup, first time i broke out the 100' tape it was a humbling experience. Been wanting to stop by and take a lesson from Tommy and get some pointers if i ever get down south. Think my farthest measured was around 540' but i just knew I was throwing 650+ . Not even close


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## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

ha,know the feeling......casting over water makes you think you're ready for the big time.
i've been casting for a few years and am happy when i break 200yds!
if you get a chance to have a lesson with tommy or ryan white it's well worth it


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## SteveZ (Nov 30, 2006)

Tommy said:


> My hat's off to you for posting the truth on line, not an easy thing to do and something you did not have to.... well done.


Exactly!


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

I have always tried to keep myself honest on the casting by only casting on known distances. Being that I'm new to the world of distance casting, I started out "dry heaving" on a soccer pitch. The one I practice on is 120 yards, fair and square. (back of one goal to back of other) My average cast just clears the back of the far goal by about 30-40 feet, so I have a good idea where I am at. Occasionally, I can belt one about another half a field length, but consistency is not my strong suit, at the moment...


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Consistency seemed to be my strong suit yesterday...
I was consistently throwing way shorter than I thought I was!

:redface:

:beer:


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## Dink slayer (Jul 24, 2007)

Would you mind telling me what model Avet you were using. Thanks


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

SX MC 5.3 Purple.
The purple ones throw furthest...


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Solid,
Clear some space in your PMs
TjB


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

tjbjornsen said:


> Solid,
> Clear some space in your PMs
> TjB


Done deal.


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## lil red jeep (Aug 17, 2007)

tjbjornsen said:


> So I went out to the field today with the intent of seeing exactly how my Akios 757 and Abu 7500 stack up against each other, on the same rod, with the same weights.
> But before I did I decided that I was going to have something to really measure the casts.
> Don't have a rangefinder, and don't have one of those handy highway worker weelie things to measure with, so I got out the 100 ft tape and measured off a piece of string, tieing loops at 100, 120, 140 & 160 yards.
> Then I took a few little rubber balls, painted them hi-viz orange, and mounted them to a piece of straightened coathanger to put in the ground.
> ...


WTF!?! You mean to tell me we are supposed to give honest, accurate distances when we talk about this stuff? I'm screwed!


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

tjbjornsen said:


> SX MC 5.3 Purple.
> The purple ones throw furthest...



they are very nice....actualy the 757CTM thru farther....


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

*two tone*

Blk/gm


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

"WTF!?! You mean to tell me we are supposed to give honest, accurate distances when we talk about this stuff? I'm screwed!"

Well, I figured it was only a matter of time before one of you sharpies drove down the beach, recognized the truck, got out for a friendly cold one, and saw a cast that I was figuring on 175 and realized I was full of S**T! (Or cold ones!)
Just heading that one off at the pass...
Its all cool though, you can still lie about the feeesh!


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

tjbjornsen said:


> At least for those of us that do not live where they farm sod!


 He He... 

1st mistake people tend to make is measuring thier cast. Soon after, they tend to concentrate on pushing the lead further. It is an addictive circle of torture!  Kudos on measuring and posting the results. It may make you feel like you got knocked down a peg or two, but now you have an absolute baseline to work with. Besides, unlike a lot of people, you KNOW what you are throwing now.  It would be great to see you out in the field one day. If you are ever in the area, feel free to stop by and throw with us. If nothing else, you will pick up some great tips and be entertained...LOL

I love it when people measure. It shows that they care enough about the art of casting to find out what they are throwing!

BTW, I thought EVERYONE knew blue avets cast the furthest. (just like blue abu's)

Robert


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Yeah,
I drove right past you guys a couple of weeks ago coming back form my Mom's in FL, and seriously thought about calling to see if you were out in the field, but I had "get-home-itis" pretty bad after being away for over a week.
But I will get down there to throw with you guys sooner or later.
Bet on it.


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

the ones without the clicker gear cast the farthest


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## tjbjornsen (Oct 31, 2009)

Hooked Up said:


> the ones without the clicker gear cast the farthest


Solid,
You paying attention?
That is the first post that I can remember where someone gave up mods on an Avet...
Could'a missed others, but this is a first for me!
;-)


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

Don't think he was talking Avet's...


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

tjbjornsen said:


> Solid,
> You paying attention?


Yep, I'm payin attention...

So how come I never hear about Avet reels as beach reels or distance casters? Is it cause they are so spendy?


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

*raising the spool rpm*

spare parts


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

Hooked Up said:


> spare parts


on what???


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

avet clicker gear and retaining ring


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

oooooook, i stand corrected....


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

solid7 said:


> Yep, I'm payin attention...
> 
> So how come I never hear about Avet reels as beach reels or distance casters? Is it cause they are so spendy?


Plenty of people use the Avet SX MC, MXL MC as beach reels. That is what we are referring to in this thread when mentioning avets, ultimately casting in the sand with them.


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## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

thekingfeeder said:


> Plenty of people use the Avet SX MC, MXL MC as beach reels. That is what we are referring to in this thread when mentioning avets, ultimately casting in the sand with them.


Yeah, I know *in this thread* that's what is being referred to. I have personally never seen an Avet in the sand. That doesn't mean they aren't out there. But they certainly don't generate any buzz down here in my neck of the woods. The one place who carries them, doesn't stock them.

I always hear guys in the forum talking about wanting them, but not many seem to have them. They just don't seem to be that common. (although they look fantastic)

Not to hijack, but do they make a castable version that holds 300+ yards of 40lb mono? Need a new class of setup, and that sounds like the ticket. Tarpon and sharks on the beach, maybe a South American Arapaima excursion, (I go down every 3-4 years) a little bit of sturgeon in the Northwest. (in my near future) Who knows what else...


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