Setting up new baitcast reel for first time

[Beats]

I am checking out my new Curado 200DHSV baitcaster that I got in the mail today and familiarizing myself with the parts. Being my first reel of this sort its all new to me. I have some 30lb PP coming to me via mail and since its not here I'm thinking I may spool on some old 30 lb or so mono that I've had for years and try some casting tomorrow sometime. Then when the PP comes I think I'll just rip off some of the mono and use it as a backer. I fully expect to get birdsnests and tangles all over the place.

 

I'm confident I can adjust the drag and cast control easily by experimentation but I'm completely new to the Variable Braking System (VBS). I think I understand how it works by just reading the little info sheet that came with the reel. Brakes are "on" when set in the upper section toward the outer spool edge and "off" when pressed fully down. The reel comes with the lighter weights installed and the heavier one are in a bag in the box the reel came in. I am wondering if the reel comes out of the box with a default setting for the VBS that is for "standard use" or if I need to modify the setup right away. The pamphlet kind of states that if you get a backlash on the reel (Im assuming this to be stated as if the user is an experienced baitcaster and not a new person learning to cast) during the cast that you must modify the VBS and if you get overruns at the end of your cast, you need to change your friction cast control a tad. I don't mind adjusting the other parts as I learn to cast but it would surely simplify things a little if I could just leave braking system as it came and worry about fooling around with it later on. Im sure there is some customization that I can do to better suit the types of baits I use but I don't want to be messing around with those tiny weights if I don't have to to start learning to cast.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

[ecxstriper]

depends on what weight you will be casting . For the frist time set the brake so that the wieght just drops when you release the spool . you can then lighten it up as you get better not brids nesting.

[Garry2Rs]

There are two controls on your reel.

On the crank side there is a friction control...this is used to slow the spool at the end of the cast, so that the spool stops turning at about the same time as the bait hits the water.

A rough way of adjusting this is to tighten it up, then tie on a bait and loosen the control until the bait just settle to the water under it's own weight. As you learn to thumb the spool you will find you can back this control off to nearly nothing...

The second control is the VBS these are centrifical brakes that fly out as the spool starts turning to prevent the spool from turning faster than the line is going out.

If you are getting backlash at the begining of the cast, your bait stops in mid-air, or you hear/see loose line on the spool as the line is going out you need more centrifical braking. I would start with half the brakes turned on...As you become more experienced with your reel, you will find that some lighter baits aren't going as far as you feel they should, they seem to die in the air...at this point turn off one or two of the centrifical brakes for longer casts.

Garry2Rs

[Dabluz]

Garry2Rs has explained it pretty good.

 

I use another method.

 

I adjust the main adjustement (the one one the opposite side of the reel from the handle) so that the spool just starts to move from side to side on it's axis. It must be only a very slight movement. No clicking sound. Too slack and the line will get caught between the edge of the spool and the body of the reel. Too tight and the bearings can no longer turn freely.

 

Ok...now it's the time to play with the centrifical brakes. Those are the plastic doohickies that are at the end of each spoke of the brakes you see in the photo.

 

These plastic sleeves fly out and rub against the side of the body of the breaking mechanism. The higher the speed of the spool, the harder they rub and try to slow down the spool. You don't want too many of them to rub because they will rob you of initial spool speed and casting distance. You need and want the highest initial spool speed at the start of your cast. However, you want the speed of the spool to decrease as fast as the speed of the lure through the air decreases.

 

Like Garry said, start out with half of the sleeves at the end of their spokes. Pull back ever 2nd one so that even the brakes are balanced then pick a lure with a certain weight....say 3/8 or 1/2 ounce.

 

When casting, do not force your cast. Keep your lure close to the tip of the rod. A quick flip back to load the rod and a harder quick flip forward to cast. Let go of the lure a bit earlier than you would with a spinning rod. The lure must lob a bit higher into the air. You can get fancier later on. If you get backlash, try to reduce it by just tightening the main adjustement at the end of the spool. But not too tight. Keep your thumb very close to the spool of the reel and do not hesitate to slow the spool down or stop it when necessary. When the lure touches the water....stop the spool with your thumb. If you still get backlash, push more of the plastic sleeves towards the end of their spokes.

 

If you get no backlash right from the start...you can push more of the plastic sleeves towards the center of the brake mechanism.

 

When you change lure weight....you will probably have to change your adjustements. That's why pros have more than one rod all set up for a particular lure or set of lures. Just like a golfer who has to use different golf clubs for a particular job. You will find that some lures, even though of the same weight, will fly through the air at different speeds too.

 

Take apart your reel often, clean the bearings and use special bearing oil. Even different types of oils will make a difference in how the reel works. The lighter the oil, the faster the bearings will turn. However, the very light oils do fly off the bearings so the bearings have to be cleaned and oiled more often. When there is no oil, the bearings will deteriorate really fast.

 

Some reels have magnetic brakes and centrifical brakes. It's often mentioned (4X4 braking system). The magnetic brakes work opposite of centrifical brakes. With magnetic brakes, the faster the spool turns, the less effect the magnetic brakes have on the spool. When the spool starts to slow down, the magnets have more and more stopping effect. This is great at the end of a cast when the lure is moving much slower but the spool is turning too fast. It's a lot like an educated thumb.

 

Don't expect your baitcaster to cast as far as your spinning reel. That's not what you are using it for. You are using it for more accurate and controlled casting with stronger line. No twisting of the line when reeling or fighting a fish. Line twist makes a line weaker. More casts per hour of fishing with a baitcaster. Stronger and smoother braking system.

[brickNblock]

Dabluz.........

ThankYou Sir for that very informative explanation...

Ive been using a baitcaster, (large series) for several years now

and have always been somewhat frustrated about not being able to toss lighter lures

with them. Never have given ajny thought at all to adjusting the sleeves

to achieve less breaking.

I do know where they are as I oil my reels fairly regularly, I'm heading out later today and will adjust before Im ready to leave...this way I can leave the spinning gear in the shed.

Thanks again.......

 

Beats...excuse me for stepping in on your post Bud.

[danbo]

http://www.catcherman.com/features/baitcasters030307bud.htm

 

http://pages.infinit.net/fishing/bait101.htm

 

http://www.fishing-tackle-repair.com/educa...-setup-101.html

Edited November 17, 2007 by danbo

[Beats]

http://www.catcherman.com/features/baitcasters030307bud.htm

 

http://pages.infinit.net/fishing/bait101.htm

 

http://www.fishing-tackle-repair.com/educa...-setup-101.html

 

 

Thx for the links Danbo. I'm going out in a few hours to give the new reel and rod a try. I've got the cast control knob set for the bait I'm going to use and have 1/2 the brakes turned on to start with. Due to the weather and cold I don't expect a single bite today, assuming my lure makes it from the rod into the water.

 

One other question. I keep seeing references in articles about starting out with most or atleast 1/2 of the brakes turned on and working from there.

Does that imply that experienced baitcasters often dont have any brakes "on" at all? Or do they just have 1 or 2 on or take them out all together? I suppose it all depends on the situation ie. bait being cast, wind conditions, etc. But for a medium sized bait on a calm day, would the average person who is experienced not have any brakes on?

 

Thanks

[danbo]

You gotta crawl before you can walk. Start with easy/short casts & aim for the horizon!

[The Urban Fisherman]

man it always amazes me how people on OFC will set aside time to explain things and help other fisherpeople out!!

 

Good luck with the Curado Beats!! Got the same reel this summer and once you get used to it you won't be dissapointed!

 

Cheers,

UF

[Dabluz]

Dabluz.........

ThankYou Sir for that very informative explanation...

Ive been using a baitcaster, (large series) for several years now

and have always been somewhat frustrated about not being able to toss lighter lures

with them. Never have given ajny thought at all to adjusting the sleeves

to achieve less breaking.

I do know where they are as I oil my reels fairly regularly, I'm heading out later today and will adjust before Im ready to leave...this way I can leave the spinning gear in the shed.

Thanks again.......

 

Beats...excuse me for stepping in on your post Bud.

 

 

Yes....tossing those lighter lures....those below 1/4 ounce is a pain. Only a very light spool will be able to achieve that initial high speed quickly. That's why companies make reel spools full of holes and or very light materials. Another trick is to remove most of the line capacity by making a filler of cork before putting on your layers of line. 75 yards of line is quite ample for most situations. 20 lb test braid is about the size of 12 lb mono (even though the companies say it's the size of 6 or 8 lb mono). Even the braided lines are not equal in size. The thinnest braided line I have found is Mason Tiger braid. It has no added wax or plastic to make it stiffer and more manageable. Most braided lines have this stuff to reduce rod tip wrap. It is also thinner due to the fact that the inside core of fibers is not braided. However, it's elasticity is reduced to 3% instead of the 4% that the other braids have. And, tying knots in this line is very tricky. It's best to use a magnifying glass to check the knot after tying and verifying the knot every once in a while because the outer core can get stripped back thus reducing the strength of the line. But, its very supple nature makes for more casting distance and since it's thinner, you can use a larger core of cork on the spool before tying on the 75 yards of line. With a 150 yard spool, you can fill 2 reels and save money.

 

Check fishingelbow's site on details to do this. http://pages.videotron.com/fishing/

[Dabluz]

One other question. I keep seeing references in articles about starting out with most or atleast 1/2 of the brakes turned on and working from there.

Does that imply that experienced baitcasters often dont have any brakes "on" at all? Or do they just have 1 or 2 on or take them out all together? I suppose it all depends on the situation ie. bait being cast, wind conditions, etc. But for a medium sized bait on a calm day, would the average person who is experienced not have any brakes on?

 

Thanks

 

 

The answer is yes. I started fishing when spinning reels did not exist. I got my first spinning reel when I was about 16. Before that, I was using the old type baitcasting reel with revolving handles. Using your thumb was always necessary. In those days, the lines were either silk or the newer type braided nylon.

 

However, using your thumb with the newer, almost no stretch braided lines, my thumb does loosen the line on the spool of the reel. Every once in a while, I must be careful to let out a bit more line and then respool it so that there is no looseness on the spool in order to reduce the chance of any backlash.

 

When you do get a nasty backlash and it will not come undone, the best thing to do is to put aside that rod and reel combination for a while and let the line on the spool dry. This does not take long since braided line does not absorb water. Yes...it will carry water inside the tiny pockets made during the braiding process but it does not absorb any water. When the line is dry, use a toothpick to work out the tangle. I have yet to be forced to cut off any line in order to untangle a bird's nest.

 

90% of the backlashes occur when your force your cast. Forcing the cast over your limit rarely gives you extra casting distance anyway. If you want more casting distance, you can use a longer rod, a more flexible rod (but there is a limit to that), a faster harder backcast during the cast, special pendulum cast etc in order to increase the lure and rod tip speed.

 

Using a rod too supple, will actually decrease rod tip speed and lure speed. Some rods are made especially for crankbaits. They have a supple tip and lots of backbone. Unlike the rods used for ripping lures through weeds, they toss crankbaits further and even help out when the fish hits the lure. Their softer more forgiving tip prevents the lure from being jerked out of the fish's mouth. Crankbaits usually have smaller hooks that penetrate very well into the fish's mouth while those large hooks on buzzbaits, some large floating baits, large single hooks on large rubber baits and jigs need a faster harder strike to make them penetrate past the barb.

[Dabluz]

Dabluz.........

ThankYou Sir for that very informative explanation...

Ive been using a baitcaster, (large series) for several years now

and have always been somewhat frustrated about not being able to toss lighter lures

with them. Never have given ajny thought at all to adjusting the sleeves

to achieve less breaking.

I do know where they are as I oil my reels fairly regularly, I'm heading out later today and will adjust before Im ready to leave...this way I can leave the spinning gear in the shed.

 

Those larger series of reels usually have more line capacity and a heavier spool. You will get better results using a smaller reel with a smaller lighter reel spool. Even with these reels, you can easily get 100 yards or 150 yards of 20 lb test braid and a bunch of backing below that. The really light reels are quite expensive.

 

For a better explication and some great reading, see FishingElbow's site. He's a buddy of mine and lives in the province of Quebec. We communicate almost every day. I'm hoping to meet him some day and see him in action. http://pages.videotron.com/fishing/

Edited November 17, 2007 by Dabluz

[Beats]

Thanks for all the responses to this thread. They have all helped me out a lot. I went out today and tried the new rod and reel for the first time . I am still waiting for my PP to arrive in the mail so I put a spool of line on that I have had sitting around for years and had never used. It was a Canadian Tire bargain bin pack of Stren 12 lb mono. It is horrible line due to its age I'm guessing. When you pull it off the reel it kind of spools itself back into the shape that the packaging had held it in. Either way its just for practicing so I didn't care too much. I know 12 lb is a light mono to start with but its all I had. The first 2 casts I made both ended up with me cutting off about 30-50 ft of line each time. I couldn't resist just trying to cast like I would with a spinning rod overhand just to see what would happen. The results were expected. After adjusting the brakes to have 3 out of 6 on and set the cast control knob to the appropriate setting for the spinnerbait I was using it all just clicked with me. I think part of it was that I had way too much line on the spool initially so once I birdsnested a few times and cut off a lot of line it seemed so much easier and I have to say I mastered casting my spinnerbait for about 30 mins cast after cast with absolutely no birdsnesting and no loose line on the reel. All casts were getting about 40 ft or so out. Roughly the same as I would be getting with my spinning combo. Then after feeling quite happy that I had "got it" I wondered if I could manage the same results if I turned off 2 of the brakes and left just 1 of 6 on. Yeah, bad idea... I horribly birdsnested it. I fixed the line all up and went back to 1/2 the weights on and continued to use it like that with zero issues. So all in all I feel pretty good about my first experiences with the reel. The key to me was not having so much line on the reel (line sits about 1/8" down from top of spool), setting the brakes to 1/2 being on, getting the cast control knob set for the bait used, and most importantly.. not over thinking it. There are definitely key points to remember but I found that once I was just doing it without thinking about it ,it all just came to me. The whole issue with using your thumb came kind of second nature to me. I will need more practice of course but so far I impressed myself by going from nowhere and cutting off line over and over to being able to consistently make distance casts while keeping a tight spool. Again, thanks for the help.

[BillM]

I have the weights inside my 100DSV arranged with one 'on' one 'off'. You still need to make sure you use the fine adjustment knob on the right hand side of the reel depending on the lure you are using.

 

You wanna make sure when you engage the spool, the lure and line comes out at a constant rate, but not enough to get a backlash. Makes things alot easier when casting

[Terry]

the best advise I can give

is

make the longest cast you can, then pull out 25 ft more line and put 4" of electrical tape on the line on the reel and turn the reel a couple of times

then when you get a birds nest(and you will get them), it will be very minor and it makes learning to cast a lot easier

then in time you will cast and the tape will come peeling off, so put out a bit more line and add the tape again

 

 

when it is real windy and I need to keep casting into the wind I still put the tape on the line to stop the bird nests

good luck