Baitcaster 101 please

[Huron Angler]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Still trying to figure out what a level wind and a thumb bar are

Level wind: the thing that goes back and forth to make sure the line stacks evenly on the spool rather than all on one side.

Thumb bar: a baitcaster's version of the "bail"

My baitcaster has two settings, normal and flippin mode. Normal mode the thumb bar or bail clicks up when reeling in and is pressed down to cast freely.

Flippin mode allows it to be pressed for a second and it immedietely flips back up for short flips into lily pads, etc.

Needless to say I'm no expert either and so far flippin mode is a bit awkward, I need to get out there and use it more this spring.


Question for you folks...do you troll with your baitcasters ever? I have and the only issue is that there is no clicking when line is taken out, you have no idea when you're hooked into one or hung up on something unless you look and see the pole bend.

My dad was baffled by this, is it for a quieter program or what? I tell people that with baitcasters you keep your thumb on the spool so you always know when line is taken. Doesn't work for trolling unless you hold the rod.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Level wind: the thing that goes back and forth to make sure the line stacks evenly on the spool rather than all on one side............Question for you folks...do you troll with your baitcasters ever? I have and the only issue is that there is no clicking when line is taken out, you have no idea when you're hooked into one or hung up on something unless you look and see the pole bend.....

forgot the level wind answer :redface:

To this question: I use my non-clicker bait caster trolling some of the time- depends on if I am using something that requires a stiffer rod or if I am trying to keep my lure higher in the water (cuz I run heavier monofilament on it) like spring landlocks.

But we often use spinning reels on medium rods while trolling, too, so I am used to always checking my rods.

Although I was shocked to find a salmon on a rod once last fall after noticing the spoon action was no longer telegraphing to the rod, and thought I was weeded up... When I pulled up the rod I realized that the line was 40 feet to the port and almost ahead of the boat instead of straight back. So yep! clicker is useful, but dang a 20" landlocked is fun on 6# and a medium spinning rod.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Another beginner baitcasting tip is to cast to the side at first, not overhand. They're a bit unusual in the way they pay out line... the energy buildup in the spool causes a lot of beginner's overhand casts to slam into the water. The side casting will give you more "in-flight" experience and should help you better understand they way they function with less birdsnests.

The reel's only half the outfit. Don't skimp on the rod either.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Still trying to figure out what a level wind and a thumb bar are I have a bunch of Abu's and none of them have these features.

I'm also confused about the tensioning of the bearing caps. I've always been taught that the longer your reel free spools the better the distance. After reading this it sounds like I want the spool to stop when the bait hits the ground which would imply no respool at all.. Most of my reels are setup to free spool for 10-15 seconds, some longer. Is this the wrong way to set up a reel?

I'm guessing you have Abus meant for surf fishing, max casting distance, like a saltwater conventional reel. I have a bunch of conventionals that I occasionally use for FW striper fishing, but usually for saltwater fishing. From what I've gathered, saltwater reels don't come with all the "features" FW reels do since SW fish are stronger/faster. I wouldn't want a levelwind reel when a wahoo is burning off line at 40MPH, and if I needed to get into freespool I would rather have a lever, than a thumb bar that could jam up.

I think freespool is a big thing in saltwater fishing, not so much in freshwater though. Max casting distance and getting a live bait to swim correctly has a lot to do with freespool in saltwater fishing. All of my saltwater reels are set for very good freespool, while my FW reels are breaked a bit so backlashing is less of a concern, though I have hot-rodded my FW reels so they are faster.

I don't like using the spool tension control since it slows down the spool,,, all the time. For a beginner this would be handy though.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

A couple of years ago I picked up a Shimano baitcaster and a new rod. Admittedly, I didn't give it the time I should have, and it was not an expensive one. I found the rod I bought was too stiff. Most of my fishing is for walleye, casting, jigging and trolling. And, I fish a lot for pike, mostly casting. I plan to give it another try, this time with a better model of Shimano. I have no idea what I need for a rod to go with it though. Any help would be appreciated. And, sorry about the hijack Pat.

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

No worries Jeep. Every question and answer here is just more for me to learn. As I said, I now have my starter reel thanks to this thread. BTW the guy at the sporting goods store echoed some of the info here. He actually has an Abu ambasadeur "Record" reel.

 

[Tim.1]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Yes Socal Pat It can be done the way the video shows it,only I prefer to do it a little different,only because I don`t like to keep having to pull on the line like it shows in the video.when I cast out my line and I get a birds nest the first thing I do is make sure my star drag is set as tight as I can get it,press my thumb on the spool keeping a little pressure on the spool and then turning my retrieving handle eight to nine times and then retreive all my line to get it back on the spool at this point I will cast my line out again and most times at this point the birds nest is gone although every once and a while the birds nest will be so bad I will have to repeat these steps two to three times before the birds nest will come out try it this way and the way it shows in the video and see which way you like doing it,I guess you can say I`m lazy I just don`t like having to stop and pull on the line as much so just try it both ways and decide for yourself on which pattern you feel comfortable with,by the way I always fish with my star drag as tight as I can get it when I get a fish on only then do I ease up on the drag.I prefer a low profile baitcast reel because I can palm it better,I also prefer to use Daiwa reels because they have a great anti reverse system on there reels which helps on your hookset,also the thumb bar is known as the clutch lever.So good luck Socal Pat and I hope this will help you out,stay safe out their

97 Sprint 262
48 spl Evinrude

 

[tpcowfish]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

A couple of years ago I picked up a Shimano baitcaster and a new rod. Admittedly, I didn't give it the time I should have, and it was not an expensive one. I found the rod I bought was too stiff. Most of my fishing is for walleye, casting, jigging and trolling. And, I fish a lot for pike, mostly casting. I plan to give it another try, this time with a better model of Shimano. I have no idea what I need for a rod to go with it though. Any help would be appreciated. And, sorry about the hijack Pat.

Try a Compre by Shimano, A high end rod at a middle end price I think around 100.00 bucks, Everyone has there preference,but since i bought one,ive been really happy, sensitive, great guides and handles, I think they have a lifetime warranty also,, I use Curado and compre and luv them both

 

[lowkee]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

All I have to add is "Good luck!".

I once had a Shimano baitcaster and ended up moving back to a normal reel. It was the most expensive I found back 88-90 ($120-ish) and has a nice magnetic brake to prevent bird's nests, but they still happened occasionally. I forced myself to use it simply because of the wonderful craftsmanship of it, but it was just a pain to use. Years later I left the rod and reel at a friends house once and never bothered to ask for it back. Haven't missed it. I've never put in more effort and gotten so little out of something which was supposed to help me relax. So, good luck. I hope you find the perfect boatcaster. Just don't buy one because others have them. Maybe borrow one first.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

I got to admit guys, I?m a tournament surf fisherman and distance caster. Run a part time business building customs rods and doing performance modifications on reels. Have a pretty good idea what a LW and TB is

I fish mostly 6500CT, https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/6500chromeCT-big.JPG and 7500C3 http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=9289&d=1151856919 Abu. All CT frames (no level wind) except for my CS Mag-Elite http://www.fishingdiscountstore.com/images/Abu6500CSMagElite.jpg. Spool shafts have been ground and polished. The stock bearing have been replaced with ceramic bearings. No level wind mechanisms. The drive mechanism slows them up. No thumb bars. The forces generated during a cast would tear the thumb bar mechanism up in no time. Also limits access to the spool. Do you reels this hot for bass fishing, probably not, but it just goes to show you how detuned these reels are coming out of the box. It doesn?t matter what reel you buy, I guarantee that you can add 10-15% to your casting distance just by performing a few simple tasks when you take the reel out of the box.

The first thing to do is to remove and thoroughly clean the bearings and spool shafts. Use a good quality reel oil when reassembling. If the reel has a level wind, disassemble, clean and lubricate the entire drive as well. Then you need to adjust the spool tension so that you have roughly 0.003?- 0.005? of side play. To those not so mechanically inclined, this is the point that you can just barely feel some side movement you move the spool from side to side. If the reel has centrifugal braking, open up and side plate and see how many brakes are installed. I use one or two brake blocks depending on the reel but to those just starting out I would recommend installing may 3 - 4 blocks to start out. As your technique increases you can go back and start removing blocks to free up the spool a bit

Taught my SIL how to cast in about an hour using one of these reels. He had never fished with anything other than a spinning reel up until the time.

Casting a bait caster, conventional reel, whatever you want to call it, is 75% casting technique, 20% the rod and 5% the reel. If you?re technique is good you don?t blow up reels no matter how fast they are. All I can say is practice, practice, practice, until you can cast with your eyes closed w/o blowing up the reel.

Once you prefect casting in the dark against a 20 kt. wind your almost ready for Red Drum fishing in the surf. When you prefect casting in the dark against a 20 kt wind while standing in rough surf up to your waste while wet and cold, you?re finally ready to try your hand at some Drum fishing.

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Man Dingbat, I sure hope those drum are incredible eating! Otherwise......

 

[dingbat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Man Dingbat, I sure hope those drum are incredible eating! Otherwise......

Strictly Trophy fishing. Anything over 27" has to go back.

The current World Record is #93 lbs. I caught one in the fall of 08 that was 53" lg. with a 33" girth that we estimated was close to #80.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgTe1NfRa_M&feature=related

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Well guys I just got in from a full day on the lake. Made probably hundreds of casts with the Abu 5600 C4. NOT ONE BACKLASH!! To be fair I was throwing a 7/8oz Rapala so that made it easier, but for a first timer I feel really good about this reel. MAN! They don't call these casting reels for nothing. I was using a 6' Ugly stick medium action rod and the thing explodes off the spool. Underhand, sidearm, overhead the thing casts a country mile even with a somewhat conservative reel tension setting. Now to get a better longer rod.$$$$ I can see I'll be getting another baitcaster soon.

 

[Tim.1]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Did you catch any fish.

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Yup. A 7lb. Striper and a couple of 2lb class largemouths.

 

[MRS]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Yup. A 7lb. Striper and a couple of 2lb class largemouths.

So cal, where were you fishing at (Diamond?)

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

No, Skinner. When I arrived this morning at 7:30 there were exactly 3 trailers in the lot. Had the place all to myself all day. I figured I was going to be playing with the reel and adjustments all day so I'd just get on the water at Skinner and it's a bit closer for me too.

 

[MRS]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Skinner I like that lake only been there once did not catch any thing. Usally fish silverwood and do allright. Glad you are getting it dialed in what size line are you useing on the reel and a 7 lb.er nice fish....

 

[Socal Pat]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

Starting off with plain ol' 14lb mono.

 

[bonzoscott]

Re: Baitcaster 101 please

All great advice for a bait casting newby! Here's mine. Get 1000 yards of cheap line and a small pair of scissors, go to the back yard and spend the day. Turn the brake completely OFF. Use your thumb on the the spool. Start off with very short casts (5-15 feet). Do about 50 casts with each increment. By the end of the day you'll be able to cast 120 feet and thumb never touch the spool with no problems. PS, Lure weight = 1/2 ounce.