I can cast a 6 wt and up 90 ft. + in good conditions, 5 wt a little less but accuracy is poor. I am just throwing line when making those casts. I can consistently cast 70 to 75 ft with some accuracy. Now I do not fish at 70 feet. Over 95% of my casts on the water I fish will be 30 to 40 ft, with most closer to 30 feet. Long casts look good and are great to practice since what you learn casting long can make shorter casts more efficient and accurate but they are not needed to catch fish. In fact it is almost impossible to get consistent hookups with more than 50 ft of line out on a small quick fish like a trout on a floating line.
Stalk the fish as close as possible and make one good accurate cast and you will catch more trout, especially the "educated fish" found on many of the favorite tailwaters around the country.
Practice the double haul long casts and fish as short as possible.
Ed
