General information about ACA casting games
Casting games come in many forms and are played for many different reasons. Friends casting at the same time may invent games to make the casting livelier. An individual may use a game to get better at certain aspects of casting or to measure their progress toward a goal. Some might love the challenge of measuring their casting skills against those of others. In all cases, we need some description of the game. Especially in the latter case, rules are needed to define what should and should not be done in a particular contest. Such rules - well-written and published - allow casters to prepare for competitions and then compete on a level playing field. The ACA has always endeavored to maintain such rules for a variety of games allowing everyone who is interested to use those games for their own purposes. See Rules and Tournament Regulations and Special events. Also, check out the games offered by the International Casting Sport Federation.
Based on the equipment used and the type of casting, the games can be sorted into four general categories:
In fly accuracy games, the common goal is to deliver a fly that is attached to a fly line which is moved with a fly rod into (or close to) some target. To simulate various fishing situations, the “fly” can be small (Tout Fly), larger (Dry Fly), or even quite massive (Bass Bug). Similarly, the fly line can be required to be a light one or a heavier one. Similarly, the length of the rod might be tightly restricted or less so. Check out the ACA’s Fly Accuracy Games page.
Most fishermen use rods with spinning or conventional reels. It makes sense to ask who can cast such outfits most accurately. We can add the challenge of using only very light or medium-weight lures - or some safe and standardized alternative like the ACA plugs. They come in 1/4 ounce, 3/8 ounce, and 5/8 ounce. For more details, see the ACA’s Plug Accuracy Games page.
Whether it’s to reach the fish you just discovered a little further out, you need to get into the deeper water, or your buddy just cast one further than you - we find many reasons to want to cast our fly far. Distance games are a great way to hone those skills - and to use them to show others what you can do. Fly distance can be cast with one hand on the rod or with two-handed rods. The equipment may be light (just a common 9-foot rod) or heavier and specialized to really get it out there. Check out the ACA’s Fly Distance games page.
Even without surf casting in mind, every pond, lake, and open grass field is an invitation to see how far we can cast our lure or plug. It’s almost like throwing rocks - except we can just reel them back in. The ACA games use safe plastic plugs weighing either 1/4 ounce (7.5 g) or 5/8 ounce (18 g). For more details, see the ACA’s Plug Distance Games page.