*%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

[hjones0922]

Ok, so I've had 2 rods in the shed for a couple years that have bait casting reels on them. Tried to use them, couldn't master it, put them away and that was that. Well, I figure it was time to learn, it's just a reel, can't be that hard.

So...to the experts here. What are the tricks to stop the birds nests, and get the durn thing to land where I want it to, LOL.

-HJ

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

The way i learned was, spool off the amount of line equaling my average cast distance plus about 10ft. Place some tape on the spool. this will prevent any backlash past this point. I then set the line tension as tight as it would go and started making short cast for practice letting my thumb just touch the line and just before it hit the water i applied pressure. My cast would only be about 10ft at this point. When i got that down i would back off on the line tension a little at a time. cast distance will increase as you do this. Then practice, practice, practice. Every real is different and every time i respool i set the tension tight then slowly back off.

 

[JB]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

Using the best quality baitcasters is a bit like riding a bicycle. Fall on your butt time after time, then suddenly it works. Hav2Fish's method is probably a great way to learn faster with fewer failures. Lots of adjustments on some of them. Learn what they are and how to use them.

Poor quality baitcasters are more like learning to ride a unicycle with a cast on one leg. It can be done, but. . . well. . .I remember an old Shakespeare a friend gave me around 1943. Direct drive and no drag. Never did get the hang of that knuckle buster.

 

[dingbat]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

The biggest mistake people make when trying to learn how to throw a conventional reel is to use a rod that is not matched the weight of the bait. The other thing they do is to buy a ?cheap? reel. There is nothing harder to throw than a ?cheap? reel.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

Tighten up the brake a little to give it some resistance. When you change lures with different weights, you have to readjust the brake. I use my thumb to stop the spool right as the lure hits the water. I also use a left handed real so I don't have to switch hands to crank it. I can't cast left handed, and I hate switching hands every time I cast....a right handed real drives me crazy.

 

[lncoop]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

Today's baitcasters are so much more user friendly than their predecessors. If you're using reels made in the last ten years chances are they have adjustable brakes to mitigate the free spooling that can occur for various reasons. Applying at least some braking should help, but don't touch the brakes until you get the spool tension where you want it. In order to do that, tie on a lure or casting plug, click the release, and adjust the tension until the lure or plug barely falls. As you become more accomplished you can ease the tension to achieve greater distance. Once you get the tension dialed in you can adjust the brakes. How to do that depends on whether you have centrifugal or magnetic braking, which depends on the brand.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

HAV2FISH's tape method works good for not getting a nasty backlash. The trick to casting well is to "feather" (lightly touch) the spool with your thumb during the cast, so it does not blow up on you. I usually feather the spool a couple times during a cast (if needed), then stop the spool when the lure touches down.

I have 15-20 baitcaster/conventional reels and they all cast a bit different. The easiest ones to cast have magnetic brakes and I can cast those with little thought about spool control and getting a backlash. Heave back, let it rip, then stop the spool on touch down. Though, there are not many reels with mag braking. Your reel should have centrifugal brakes in the left sideplate, set them all on while learning.

Before casting wet your line, or make an easy cast to wet the line. Casting heavy lures is easier than casting light lures. The size of line and lure should be matched to the size of your reel. Practiceg in your back yard or at the park 15-20 minutes every night for a week, after a week you will have it mastered.

What reel are you using, rod, line, lure weight. As JB said, if you are trying to learn on a cheap reel you are going to have a difficult time.

On tip, when you are trying to pick out a backlash, pick it out from the back side of the reel, not the front side. The level wind will get in your way and make it difficult to pick out the backlash.

 

[Fed up]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

I also use a left handed real so I don't have to switch hands to crank it. I can't cast left handed, and I hate switching hands every time I cast....a right handed real drives me crazy.

And I thought that I was the only one who used a left handed reel.

On a side note, I started by spooling up some cheap heavy mono, 20lbs I believe, the heavier the line the easer it is to pick out a back lash. I wish I had known about the tape trick.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

And I thought that I was the only one who used a left handed reel.

On a side note, I started by spooling up some cheap heavy mono, 20lbs I believe, the heavier the line the easer it is to pick out a back lash. I wish I had known about the tape trick.

I can't figure out why LH isn't the standard! LH reals are hard to find. RH reals for RH people make no sense. Cast.....switch hands.....crank.....switch hands....repeat! That's a rant for another thread!

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

I can't figure out why LH isn't the standard! LH reals are hard to find. RH reals for RH people make no sense. Cast.....switch hands.....crank.....switch hands....repeat! That's a rant for another thread!

I agree, LH baitcasters should be the standard. I watch these 'pros' switching between hands all the time and it looks rediculous... drives me nuts.

The secret is to keep the spool under control with your thumb. You might not have a huge cast but your thumb will keep the birds nest from happening.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

Well, the left handed part is OH SO TRUE....why swap hands, but that has nothing to do with the thread questions.

I learned to cast before "cast control things" ever exisited. If you want to learn it just takes practice and lots of it....like anything else.

Heres a few pointers. Back off the brakes, magnetic controls, etc as if they don't exist. Tie a lure on (with hooks removed) and release the spool, feather the spool until you can stop if just before it hits the ground. (you can do this while you're watching TV if you like) Get the feel of the reel. Then you can go to the back yard. Try SHORT casts, you'll overbrake with your thumb until you get the feel. You'll also clean up a ton of back lashes (professional overwinds) untill you learn.

Casting accuracy doesn't come into play until you've learned to cast without the backlash, trust me it will come. Don't go back to the open face spinner.....as they just don't have the control a baitcaster does. Bottom line is just practice. I never use any of the fancy braking system because I can control it much better with my thumb and you don't have to mess with readjusting everytime you change lure weight.

Once you've mastered it.....you can pick up any reel and cast it just fine.

Now for modern braking systems. Once you've learned to really cast, you can start using the braking system if you want (I don't), but if you choose too a backlash will be a thing of the past. Those new fancy system were invented for those who don't want to learn how to really cast.

 

[dingbat]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

The secret is to keep the spool under control with your thumb.

Tension on the spool, brakes, level winds and using your thumb will all decrease you casting distance significantly. The secret to casting is to perfect your casting motion.

Bird's nests are a direct result of flaws in your casting motion. A very deliberate, smooth, none jerky motion is the key. Once you perfect your motion, spool tension, brakes, and thumb control all become unnecessary evils.

 

[mommicked]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

I always adjust the friction before the first cast each trip and when I change baits of different weights.I hold the rod level and drop the lure to the deck, about 5 ft. w/o touching the spool. If the spool keeps spinning I tighten slightly,repeat until the spool will stop when the bait hits the deck.after a few casts I can loosen it slightly for a little more distance if needed.Try practicing your aim in the yard or a ballfield etc. w a practice plug made for this.I use my thumb to make the lure land short.

 

[eavega]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

I also use a left handed real so I don't have to switch hands to crank it. I can't cast left handed, and I hate switching hands every time I cast.

I'm left-handed, and I cast with my left hand, crank with my right. Did I learn how to do it wrong?

Only bit of advice I can give you is that until you learn the proper casting motion, try to use your entire arm to cast instead of just trying to whip it out with just your wrist. The wrist-whipping motion seems to get the spool too much initial speed and if you are not very careful the rats nest will result. Maybe I just don't have the brake set right...

-Rgds

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

I'm left-handed, and I cast with my left hand, crank with my right. Did I learn how to do it wrong?


-Rgds

yeah, you learned on a Right-handed baitcaster... but it's alot easier to do it the way you do than the "right" way.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

For learning, I'd use the spool tension to control the spool. But, after you learn how to cast, forget the spool tension. Back it off until you can feel a slight clicking/ticking when you wiggle the spool side to side, you will increase your casting distance (after figuring out how to cast with the loose reel).

I still use brakes (centrifugal or mag) as I'm usually casting at night...Picking out backlashes my moon light isn't the easiest thing

The LH / RH reel thing is a conspiracy by all the left handed reel designers,,, so they don't have to swap a RH reel in their hands while casting

 

[sschefer]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

The lure drop method is the correct way to setup your spool tension. Drag is for fighting a fish not for casting so leave it alone until you got the lure in the water. The two posters that described their methods for dropping lures and setting spool tension have it right.

I use a Diawa Steeze on a 6' G-Loomis and can cast that thing a mile and do it all day long. My Shimano Calcutta is my Steelhead reel and I can cast it a good distance also. I had a heck of a time until I was taught the drop method.

The guy that taught me showed me the correct drop rate with a 1oz weight. Then said make all your lures, bait, etc drop at that rate and you'll have a better chance of actually getting it in the water where you want it. The drop rate is not necessarily slow but it's even and doesn't bang on the deck when it hits.

FYI the Diawa Steeze is the fastest bait casting reel on earth. If I can cast that thing using the drop setup method you can too.

 

[dingbat]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

FYI the Diawa Steeze is the fastest bait casting reel on earth.

When you can get that reel to free spool for 3 minutes, then we'll talk.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

When you can get that reel to free spool for 3 minutes, then we'll talk.

3 minutes.....that's impressive.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: *%$^ Bait Casting Reels! LOL

The lure drop method is the correct way to setup your spool tension.

For some... If the spool tension adjustment works for you that's cool. Ford/chevy, blonde/brunette, less filling/tastes great...

I've taken out several people and noticed they were doing the lure drop thing, eh to each their own. After an hour they were frustrated and asked how/why I was able to cast so far, they thought I had a better rod/reel/line. Casting distance is very important where I fish (casting into current breaks) and while I was able to cast into the breaks from the boat, the other guy was casting short and landing in the fast moving current. We swapped rods, I loosened up the spool tension on their reel, heaved back and cast their lure up into a current break. Then I asked them to cast my rod, but be aware that the spool tension is backed off, they too cast up into a current break. (Though I was puckering hoping they didn't backlash the carp out of my reel...)

I have converted several people who were convinced the spool tension/lure drop method was the best way to set their reel...

[Disclaimer: do NOT back off the spool tension if you are a beginner, or you will be hating life picking out backlashes...]