Great story OP.
I see the same thing when I fish Puget Sound beaches for silvers. Guys wade way out and cast their buzz bomb so far out you can't even see the splashdown. These guys look like they are blowing their shoulders or backs out because they put so much body language into the cast. All that effort and most of the fish are caught 60 feet or less from the shore. I've had many fish follow and hit within feet of the beach.
Brian