bait casting pros??????

[deerslayer15]

hey i just picked up a new shimano bait casting reel and i get it ajusted right but almost everytime i cast i get that nasty birdsnest???? is there any thing i may be doing wrong? am i trying to cast to hard?? please help..
thanks
Anthony Shoup

[chamookman]

While learning, set the adjustments a little on the high side - don't try and overpower the cast (distance will come latter) - and make sure when You cast, that the reel handles are pointed up (this positions Your wrist properly). Have patience, C-man

[jpollman]

Believe me, I'm FAR from a pro. (More like a barely adequate amateur :) ) But you just have to stick with it. I fought it for a while too but eventually you'll start to get the hang of it. I agree with this above post about setting it a bit heavy at first. No you won't get as much distance but it will help eliminate the birds nest. Until you start getting the hang of it concentrate more on technique than distance. As you start to get the feel for it you can lighten up the brakes and gradually increase your distance. I try to keep my thumb above the spool just enough to let is spin but as the lure approaches the water I press on the spool to stop it. That eliminates the backlash.

Good luck and just keep practicing!

John

[waterfoul]

Set the adjustments tighter than you think you will be fishing. Then use a heavier bait... 1/2 oz or heavier. Practice practice practice. You may want to start in the back yard with a casting plug or some other type of weight.

By the way, what kind of Shimano did you get?

[deerslayer15]

i bought a cruxis

[DaveW731]

Great advice so far. One other idea: if you are used to a spinning reel, baitcasters work better with a different casting motion. Emphasize snapping your wrist more than you do with a spinning set up. You need to accelarate the rod tip as much as possible, in order to transfer enough momentum to the bait to pull line out faster than the spool is turning on the reel. It is when the spool is spinning off line faster than the bait is pulling it that you get a backlash. This is in contrast to casting a spinning rod/reel, where the tendancy is to use the whole forearm with less wrist movement, resulting in the entire pole at a relatively uniform speed throughout its length. Since the spinning reel spool does not move, it does not develop any centrifical force to cause the line to spin off, so the line never moves faster than the bait does.

[waterfoul]

open up the side panal... there will be 6 little "wheels" of sort. Move at least 3 of them to the outer setting and 3 to the inner setting. This is a middle of the road brake setting. Then use the setting knob near the crank to dial in the resistance. Take the rod tip and point it at the sky. Push the button and the bait should fall to the ground slowly and when it hits the ground you should get no backlash. When you have it adjusted so there is no backlash when it hits the ground you are at a good starting point.

[TopGunner22]

It's all in the thumb control to not get a birdsnest

[waterfoul]

It's all in the thumb control to not get a birdsnest

Exactly. Keep your thumb lightly on the spool... stop the bait before (BEFORE) it hits the water.

[buckmaster89]

are you not hiting the spool befor i hits the water taht was my problem

[wally-eye]

I cast a baitcaster pretty good since I'm all thumbs anyways..:dizzy: :lol:

As everyone say's, its the thumb and practice, practice and then practice more.

I found on my Pfluegar Trion that it likes 14 lb. fireline better than mono....now thats just me and my Trion, others do fine with mono.

[UncleTed]

Without spending too much $$$. What is a good baitcast reel or combo?

[kbkrause]

Without spending too much $$$. What is a good baitcast reel or combo?

Give a range of money you want to spend...

[UncleTed]

no more than prolly 100

[jpollman]

I have to say that if you've fished with nothing but a spinning or spin casting reel and want to try bait casting my best advice it so spend as much as you can afford on a reel. IMO the rod at this point isn't as critical in the learning curve. I think you can get away with a cheaper rod but spend as much as you possibly can on the reel. It's very hard to learn on a cheap reel. (I speak from experience) I tried and gave up bait casting. Then I borrowed a good quality reel and it still took a little while but it was MUCH easier to learn with good equipment!

Just my .02. Good luck!

John

[UncleTed]

I had heard that before, but also heard that you just had to know what baitcasters to buy and you could get a good one without spending big moulah. Thanks for the advice. Any particular brands better than others

[waterfoul]

Bass Pro Extreme reels on one of their reels. They sell them in combos for under $100. I have one of their extreme reels (they are green) and it's a great reel for the money.

[thedude]

good advice for the brake settings on the reel. It helps using a line in the 14lb range to learn also, these tend not to backlash as bad and are usually a little easier to clean up when you do. Start with a 1/2oz or so jig or spoon (stay away from a slidding sinker at this point).

you have a decent reel. you should be able to set it up so that it casts with no thumb pressure to keep it from backlashing. Avoid casting into the wind at this point also.

the best way to cast is to do a sidearm cast or underhand roll. Think of it kind of like swinging a baseball bat at a low pitch or swinging a golf club. unless you have a fast action rod, an overhand cast can give you fits until you are comfortable doing it.

stop the spool with your thumb when it hits the water. once your comfortable making casts, loosen the spool tension spring by small increments to increase the casting distance until you find a setting you are comfortable with.

as for the reels - i'll second the bps extreme reels. i have 4 and love 'em. the extreme series rods are pretty nice too. they use similar spool brakes (little tabs on spool) and they are made by Pfluegar for BPS. Pfluegars are great too in the 50-70$ price range.

[axisgear]

good advice for the brake settings on the reel. It helps using a line in the 14lb range to learn also, these tend not to backlash as bad and are usually a little easier to clean up when you do. Start with a 1/2oz or so jig or spoon (stay away from a slidding sinker at this point).

you have a decent reel. you should be able to set it up so that it casts with no thumb pressure to keep it from backlashing. Avoid casting into the wind at this point also.

the best way to cast is to do a sidearm cast or underhand roll. Think of it kind of like swinging a baseball bat at a low pitch or swinging a golf club. unless you have a fast action rod, an overhand cast can give you fits until you are comfortable doing it.

stop the spool with your thumb when it hits the water. once your comfortable making casts, loosen the spool tension spring by small increments to increase the casting distance until you find a setting you are comfortable with.

as for the reels - i'll second the bps extreme reels. i have 4 and love 'em. the extreme series rods are pretty nice too. they use similar spool brakes (little tabs on spool) and they are made by Pfluegar for BPS. Pfluegars are great too in the 50-70$ price range.
:yeahthat: .I could not have said it any better.

[THE BAIT SHOP GUY]

How heavy a line are you using? Biggest mistake I see newbies make is going with too light a line. Don't start with anything lighter than 14 pound test. Once you get used to the heavier line, then you can start downsizing.

[ESOX]

For beginners I strongly urge them to stay away from centrifugal brakes, as they are not as easy to fine tune, nor as consistent in their action as a good magnetic brake. Heck, I pull all the brake pads right off my muskie reels.:lol:
I could hand a raw beginner a Daiwa TDX with the magnet set at 10 and they wouldnt be able to backlash it without doing something really stupid. It is really easy to change the setting with the exterior dial as opposed to removing the side cap every time you want to cast in a different direction. I have seen centrifugal brake reels with an exterior adjustment, but they are still centrifugal brakes.

[jpollman]

I could hand a raw beginner a Daiwa TDX with the magnet set at 10 and they wouldnt be able to backlash it without doing something really stupid.

HEY, I resemble that remark! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Just whom are you referring to? ;) No really, that TDX is the one I used when I decided to give it another shot. I'd given up for what I thought was the last time and then Paul put that sucker in my hands. Once I saw what it was like to use a good reel, I went out and bought a better one and picked it up much more quickly from that point. No I didn't invest in a TDX but I bought a better reel than the cheapie I had started out with and it made the learning curve much less steep. :)

John

[sfw1960]

Funny that you say that Paul , I am less than that of JP's skill level and I thought that the centrifugal brakes were easier to manage than the magnetics...
I have a Pinnacle Sentara & Shimano Citica ( both Centrifugal ) that I think are easier to use than the Pinnacle Inertia (or assorted Quantums I own) with Mag brakes...
LISTEN TO PAUL....
:D
My opinion is from a newbie....
:lol:
I'm using 30# braid ~
And I'm d@mn good at backlashes!!!

:evilsmile

R