Bait Cast advice

[steam_mill]

My whole life I've used used spin reels. Since everyone that is serious about fishing uses bait cast reels, I decided to buy a decent combo, Bass Pro house brand.<br /><br />6'6" Medium action with a bait cast reel.<br /><br />My neighbour uses only bait cast reels. He can make my rod cast nicely.<br /><br />I keep gettig birds nests. I've adjusted everything.<br /><br />Any advice?<br /><br />Also, what is so much better about these than my trusted spin casts?<br /><br />Tx.<br /><br />Joe

 

[miloman]

Re: Bait Cast advice

what model did you buy, some bait casters have pins that you can adjust, there is alos a tension screw etc.... without the model its hard to tell but simply put for a beginner more weight let the reel do the work when casting and learn to thumb the line as it goes out.

 

[steam_mill]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Miloman:<br /><br />I was up at Bass Pro in Vaughn. This is the clostest on the Web that I saw:<br /><br /> http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=59100&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults <br /><br />It as two tensioners (and drag). I've tried both and can get it close but can never cast as far or as accurate that than with spincast.<br /><br />Also, I have always used my left hand (I'm right handed) on spincasts. I remember when everyone had to reel with their left hand before you could switch sides.<br /><br />I also find it different to reel with my right hand.<br /><br />Any more advice. I'd appreciate it.<br /><br />Where do you fish? I see you're in the 'hood.<br /><br />I'm partial to one lock out of rice lake between Healey Falls and Hastings. About 20 miles of boating and everyone seems to fish in front of my cottage...<br /><br />Tx.<br /><br />Joe

 

[fireman57]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Practice first with a heavy lure and when you think you are good enough then go to a lighter one. The whole key to this is just like getting to Carnegie Hall. Practice, practice, practice, and then do it some more. Even the pros still get bird nests.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Bait Cast advice

I was casting into the wind yesterday with a wieghtless worm, (not Senko) and drifting across some weedbeds, picked out several nasty ones. <br /><br />Oh, if your thumb isnt polished when you get home from a day of fishing, youre not using it enough.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Two kinds of birds nests: backlash and overspin.<br />Backlash happens when the spool spins faster than the lure can take line out during the cast. Overspin is when the lure stops but the spool doesn't - you control overspin with your thumb.<br /><br />Controlling for backlash:<br />Start by setting the spool tension (the knob under the handle that tightens/loosens the spool), based on the weight of the lure: push the button & let the lure drop to the floor - if the spool stops spinning when the lure stops, loosen it a little; if the spool keeps spinning after the lure stops, tighten it a little. Other words, as loose as possible where the lure will still fall to the floor and the spool will stop.<br /><br />Backlash control: I believe the BPS reels have the centrifugal weight system where you have to open 'em up mess with 'em. Sorry can't advise you there I stay away from those.<br /><br />I like the magnetic kind which just have a dial on the off-side (side without the reel handle). Daiwa's are all like this and most Shimano's I think.<br /><br />Either way, start out with the maximum & back off 'till you find the right setting. Which is, the longest casts with no backlash.<br /><br />Lots of guys on my local fishing board are going to left-hand retrieve for the reasons you mentioned.<br /><br />have fun!

 

[jtexas]

Re: Bait Cast advice

sorry, double post

 

[stl]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Do a search of bait caster on the freshwater fishing board. I posted the same question back in February, I think. These guys had me throwing my new bait caster in a weekend. This should help a lot. Good luck.

 

[steam_mill]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Guys,<br /><br />Thanks for the advice!<br /><br />jtexas, I have the magnetic control on the BPS reel!<br /><br />What you say makes sense.<br /><br />I'll try it this weekend...<br /><br />Tx.<br /><br />Joe

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Originally posted by jtexas:<br /> Two kinds of birds nests: backlash and overspin.<br />

Who cares? The outcome is identical.

 

[Barlow]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Originally posted by LubeDude:<br />

Originally posted by jtexas:<br /> Two kinds of birds nests: backlash and overspin.<br />

Who cares? The outcome is identical.

*SNIP* .... re-tie

 

[cwilt]

Re: Bait Cast advice

if you only try on weekends it will take forever to learn, i don't have the patience.....thats why i fish at least 4 times a week not including weekends

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Originally posted by cwilt:<br /> if you only try on weekends it will take forever to learn, i don't have the patience.....thats why i fish at least 4 times a week not including weekends

4 TIMES A WEEK....NOT INCLUDING WEEKENDS <br /><br />AAaaarrrrgggg!!!! You make me sick! <br />I'm so jealous it ain't funny

 

[steam_mill]

Re: Bait Cast advice

I know I'm not that lucky. I don't fish 4 times a week.<br /><br />Although I do fish every Saturday morning, sometimes Saturday afternoon and certainly every Saturday evening.<br /><br />Then I don't get out until Sunday morning. And an early Sunday afternoon is usually in order.<br /><br />So it might take me a few more weekends to figure out the bait caster.......

 

[KCLOST]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Don't flip the pole like you would with a spin cast reel... To start make a smooth cast and keep a little tension on the spool with you thumb to prevent the backlash...<br /><br />After getting used to it it will be easy...

 

[miloman]

Re: Bait Cast advice

J texas pretty much took away what I was going to type Yup Im from the hood and I ve been kown to fish for eyes and ski's on Rice. Im kinda partial to a few of the islands before the tracks and of course the out flow of the ott river is decent. Of course my favorite on Rice is the littel 2 acre lake within the lake.

 

[steam_mill]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Miloman:<br /><br />Yeah:<br /><br />I'm a little less than halfway to Healey from Hastings in front of Steam Mill Island.<br /><br />Wallye has been impossible last couple of seasons. We suspect that the auomated damns may have something to do with it. In spring, water has been very high and drops to almost record low conditions.<br /><br />After May 24, water levels never vary more than 6" to 8".<br /><br />Joe

 

[dingbat]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Well, the first thing you need to do is to tear the thing down if possible and clean that crappy oil and grease out of the bearings and apply just a drop of 3 and 1 oil to each bearing. From here on out I'm talking about bait casters in general as I don’t have any intimate knowledge of the reel in question. <br /><br />The next thing you need to do is install a few of the centrifugal weights in the reel. I can’t say specifically but I typically tell people to install two of the large size brakes on an Abu. Now that you’d done that you can close it up and proceed to the next adjustment. <br /><br />the knob on the side is the spool tension adjustment. This is used to adjust the side thrust on the spool bearings and should not be used to control the spool speed no matter what anyone says. You will dimple the thrust bearings in the reel which will intern ruin the spool bearings in the long run. To adjust the spool tension you will need to back off the tension on the spool and slowly adjust the knob until you have roughly .005” of an inch of end play on the spool. Once there don’t need to touch that adjustment again unless your end play isn’t right and then you’ll need to adjust for the proper end play again.. The rest is now up to you. <br /><br />If the reel is still to fast I would go ahead and install an additional brake and see if that does the trick, If not, use a heavier oil ont he spool bearing to slow if down. As you become more proficient at casting you’ll want to start to removing the centrifugal weights one at a time until you’re happy with the performance. Sooner or later you’ll be down to no weights and will want to start experimenting with different weight oils to pick up your spool speeds. <br /><br />If you’re still having problems mastering that reel you may want to look into buy a reel that has magnetic cast controls. I’ve got an Abu 6500 Mag. Elite and a Penn 525 Mag T and both of them are absolute speed demons yet with the mag. controls turned up are easily managed by my 11 year old daughter. The great thing about a mag is the speed controls are right at your fingers. You can go change your reel from a flat out speed demon to a timid mouse in less than a second

 

[CntrySngr]

Re: Bait Cast advice

Just out of curiousity, why does everyone like the bait caster's better than the spin casters?

 

[jtexas]

Re: Bait Cast advice

spin cast reel doesn't lay the line evenly on the spool, it has a v-shaped spool like the old fan belt pulleys, so the line gets in there unevenly.<br /><br />When you get a fish, or get hung up, the line digs down under the spooled line. You can't see the spool, so you don't know the condition of the line until it either breaks off, won't cast out, or won't reel in.<br /><br />Also it's a fixed spool and the line coming off it has to unwind and go through that tiny little hole, which limits your casting distance.<br /><br />Other than that, there just fine.