please more help

[bramptonjerry]

can't get the hang of my baitcaster...soon as I get comfortable, bang, birdsnest...thinking of converting my havy rod to spinning for casting big Muskie baits...what problems will I encounter?

[irishfield]

Are you setting your spool gap adjuster so that the bait JUST slowly lowers when you push the release button? Do you have your brake turned up until you get use to it? ... and are you thumbing the spool as the bait is about to hit the water/ground?

Edited March 2, 2008 by irishfield

[bramptonjerry]

yes, yes and yes....but as soon as I feel I've got it I guess I let my guard down and bang!

[vance]

Another thing NOT to do is use your wrist in a flicking motion,use your whole arm without bending or moving your wrist.

 

vance

[bramptonjerry]

never heard that one....howcum why

[irishfield]

yes, yes and yes....but as soon as I feel I've got it I guess I let my guard down and bang!

 

Sounds like me with a fly rod !

[BillM]

Just gotta practice... If you are backlashing, and the brake is set decently you are probably just trying to cast the bait to far. I know anytime I try to really musle a cast, 2 out of 10 times I'll get a back lash.. I only thumb the spool when the bait is about to hit the water (If I want it to land a bit shorter) but when you are just learning, you can thumb the spool the entire time. You wont be launching baits this way, but you'll get the hang of it. I have my right hand on the reel (obviously) and my left down near the butt of the rod. Gives a good pendulum motion when making a cast, kinda like a golf swing.

 

It's like riding a bike.. One time you'll just 'get it' and you won't even think about it anymore.

[SlowPoke]

Another thing NOT to do is use your wrist in a flicking motion,use your whole arm without bending or moving your wrist.

 

vance

 

 

never heard that one....howcum why

 

Good tip.

Flicking the wrist adds to the curve in the rod and creates drag on the line against the guides. The line is slowing down due to the drag while the spool inertia is continuing to push the line through the guides.

As Wayne stated, adjust spool drag for a slow free fall before casting. Make a slow straight arm cast and end with the rod tip pointing at the lure. Thumbing the spool takes practice for accuracy and distance but for starting out, let the spool drag control the cast and thumb the spool for the stop - just before the lure hits the water.

[PatrickGG]

Also try keeping your thumb on the spool just like Slow Poke said"' and also cast at your side until you get comfortable and slowly move your rod up cast till you get it right,

couple of other guys a while back suggested using a peice of electrical tape on your spool, just unspool a few yards of line and place tape on the spool,

Good luck and have fun cause once you get the hang of it you will not want to use a open face again.

Edited March 2, 2008 by PatrickG

[Weeds]

I find side arming it to be alot easier than over hand casting, and get better distance and less nests; although I throw a football or baseball sidearm too most of the time. Worth a shot if you have not already tried it.

Edited March 2, 2008 by Weeds

[wallyboss]

Resist trying to cast it that extra 5 feet. I used to get birdsnests when I gave the cast an extra HUUMMPPHH at the end to get that extra couple of feet.

[bassboy]

A tip that has really helped me, and was given to me by two totally unrelated people was to turn the reel 90 degrees when you cast....IE: instead of casting with the spool horizontal......cast so the spool is in the vertical position. It amazed me how much of a difference that made, and how well it worked. At least for me anyway.

 

Good luck too......I am still getting the odd birdsnest here and there......and my neighbors (and my wife) think I have lost it as they keep seeing me dry casting... LOL

 

 

Bill

[bramptonjerry]

90 degrees....hmmmm....the idea being that you don't "flip" the wrist by turning it that way?

[muddler]

I carry a roll of electrical tape with my tackle. If I'm starting someone new to bait casting or if it's very windy and I'm getting a couple of bird's nests, here's what I do. Cast the best cast you can (assuming the the anti revse magnets and the centrifugal brakes are set up as in the post way above). Strip off about 15 feet of extra line off the reel. Wrap a piece of electrical tape one around the remaining line on the spool . DO NOT over lap the tape. The tape should cover about 90% of the diameter of the spool. Now reel in the line and cast away. Any bird's nest simply gets untangled with a couple of pulls of the remaining line. AN big fish ever get to the tape marker will simply pull the tape off by shear force (never had that happen , yet). Take the tape off at the end of the day.

 

A couple of days with this setup builds up confidence and eventually you won't need the tape trick. The exception is casting into the wind on real windy days.

 

muddler.

[bramptonjerry]

some great tips guys....lovin this

[Hawg Hunter]

all great tips folks! Bramptonjerry stick with it i own 16 baitcasting outfits and 1 spinning and i don't even use it lol.lol.

 

Hawg Hunter

 

thats what i like about this site folks here like to help each other........

[Roy]

All good tips for sure. Just out of curiosity BramtonJerry, which reel are you using?

[Muskieman]

Adjust the spool tension to when the lure hits the water the lure stops and so does the spool...

not while casting... just let it drop off the end of your rod... and fine tune from there.

 

use cheap line for practice.

[Fang]

Backlashes never go away you just get better at hiding them from others in the boat

 

I bought my first in 1982 - Shimano 10SG from Barkleys and I still get the odd backlash here and there

 

To start out here's my suggestions.

 

Put on some cheap 15lb test

Tie on a good size lure 1/2 minimum. Lighter lures are harder to cast

set the free spool so when you click the button the lure pulls line out slowly (as Irishfiled stated)

Reel the lure up to almost the rod tip. Practice side arm casting to get the feel on thumbing the spool for extra control

 

Target shorter 20-30 ft casts until you get comfortable

 

And never ever cast into the wind until you get better.

[lew]

Jerry, your getting lotsa good advice here to prevent backlashes, but it's possible everyone is looking at the wrong end of your cast.

 

The knob adjustment on the handle side of your reel that everyone is talking about is to stop your spool from spinning once your bait has hit the water and everybody is correct in their suggestions, but a backlash often starts at the BEGINNING of your cast when the spool spins very fast and is basically trying to catch up to your bait when it leaves your rod tip, and that side adjustment won't do anything to alleviate that problem.

 

Many reels have adjustments to prevent the spool from spinning too fast when your 1st throw your bait and it's found somwhere on the opposite side of your reel. Some reels will have a magnetic adjustment to slow the spool initially, and other models will have plastic brakes that will do the same thing. Those will be found inside the end cap of your reel if it's equipped with them. There'll be about 6 small plastic pieces that can be adjusted in & out to vary the speed of your spool, but you'll just have to experiment with them until you find the setting that works best for you.

 

Bait casters are extremely easy to use, but unfortunately too many folks get intimidated by them and think they're far more difficult to use than they really are.

 

Just think of them as another tool in your tool box, experiment with it and before long you'll be backlash free and you'll then be able to get back to enjoying fishing without worrying what your reel is about to do