bait caster woes...

[blue pickeral]

First off, I know it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools for bad results. However, would like some feedback from forum members as to the relative ease of use with a Pflueger Trion bait caster. For a couple of years now, I have been trying to master casting with it. I have followed instructions, made the brake and tension adjustments, downloaded videos from Utube - the one how to untangle a bird's nest came in handy - but about every 5th cast goes haywire.

 

Today I was out on the ice on our lake, well away from branches or other snags, with a nice weighty plastic practice plug (did get to tell a curious neighbour I was ice fishing) but still can't get much consistency. Would I be better off just to get another one that would be easier to use?

[Terry]

no

they take concentration and touching the spool with your thumb as needed

 

the best way to start is make a good long cast then let out another 25 ft

 

now use electrical tape and go around the spool twice then reel in the line

 

that will help prevent backlashes while you are learning

then practice..practice practice

[blue pickeral]

no

they take concentration and touching the spool with your thumb as needed

 

the best way to start is make a good long cast then let out another 25 ft

 

now use electrical tape and go around the spool twice then reel in the line

 

that will help prevent backlashes while you are learning

then practice..practice practice

 

Thanks! Will try this out first thing tomorrow!

[MCTFisher9120]

Ya how are casting it out. Are you flinging the rod the second you press the spool release button? If are disregard the rest but engage the spool then put your thumb on it then let it go at the end of the rod fling(u know what I mean haha)...i tried button on the end of the cast movement and it was hell...can somebody re word this for me plz lol

[blue pickeral]

Ya how are casting it out. Are you flinging the rod the second you press the spool release button? If are disregard the rest but engage the spool then put your thumb on it then let it go at the end of the rod fling(u know what I mean haha)...i tried button on the end of the cast movement and it was hell...can somebody re word this for me plz lol

 

I get you...After doing the 'dangling' to match reel with lure weight, click button, light thumb pressure on line on reel, draw back arm, nice easy motion forward with a quick push, release thumb, not sure if I get a twist in the wrist at this point or not! When plug hits surface, apply thumb again to stop line going out although am under impression braking should take place?

[kickingfrog]

Terry's got you headed in the right direction, and I'll assume the videos are useful. You'll hear a lot about an educated thumb. The top end reels can be easier to use and require less "education", but nothing replaces practise. Practise does not make perfect, perfect practise makes perfect. As you get better, you will have less and less birdsnests, but you will still get one every now and again to to keep you from getting too smug.

[Dano]

Terry's got you headed in the right direction, and I'll assume the videos are useful. You'll hear a lot about an educated thumb. The top end reels can be easier to use and require less "education", but nothing replaces practise. Practise does not make perfect, perfect practise makes perfect. As you get better, you will have less and less birdsnests, but you will still get one every now and again to to keep you from getting too smug.

 

Boy, isnt that the truth. I always take the baitcasters out in the yard before I hit the water.

[Weeds]

If you have not already try going with a side arm delivery. Might find it easier.

[vance]

The one most important thing that I have discovered about bait casters is that you can not use any form of wrist flick in your cast,it all has to be done with a sweeping arm motion.The attempt at a little greater distance with a little to much oomph usually results in a birds nest.I hope this helps.

 

vance

[SlowPoke]

In addition to Terry's suggestion; try thumbing the spool before hitting the water. Eventually you will be doing this to control distance anyway. Trying to time the lure hitting the water is tough.

I notice a big difference between casting my first generation citica and curado "D"s. The difference in quality is likely to help a novice.

I think an expert baitcaster (not I) could probably throw a lower end reel with decent success but I could be wrong. Experts chime in?

[lookinforwalleye]

Ya how are casting it out. Are you flinging the rod the second you press the spool release button? If are disregard the rest but engage the spool then put your thumb on it then let it go at the end of the rod fling(u know what I mean haha)...i tried button on the end of the cast movement and it was hell...can somebody re word this for me plz lol

 

 

Could somebody please translate the above into english please!!LOL

[spinnerbaitking]

When you make your cast make sure your handle is either facing up or down not sideways the line drag makes a difference, helped me when I first started using one years ago

Richard

[SlowPoke]

Could somebody please translate the above into english please!!LOL

Disengage the spool (click the button) before starting your cast, not during.

[JohnF]

Go fishing with somone who can show you the proper technique. Surprising how easy they can make it. I'm not a great caster yet, but a few minutes with Garry2rs sure got me started well.

 

JF

[lookinforwalleye]

Baitcasting is really not that hard but there is a few things you can do to make learning easier.

 

I believe the Trion has internal brakes have you adjusted these?

What pound test is on the reel?

Are you casting into the wind?

 

First thing you have to do is make sure the brakes are set properly then the spool tension knob, tighten the tension knob then tie on a bait then press the cast button, nothing should happen. Now slowly turn the tension knob until the bait slowly starts to fall and hits the floor, you should adjust the tension knob until the bait hits the floor and the spool immediately stops.

I would suggest trying to cast side arm you don`t need a lot of arm speed to get the bait going just nice and easy and just before the bait hits the water you stop the spool with your thumb if you wait to your bait hits the water your to late and you will get the birds nest.

As you get better you can easy off on the spool tension for longer casts.

 

A couple of other things that are important for a beginner is line don`t spool with light line use 16 pound test and try and avoid casting into the wind that can be a challenge for the best of casters.

[GoneFishin]

That's a good tip Terry.

 

What kind of rod are you using? If your trying to cast light baits with a stiff rod that might be your problem. I think it would be easiest learning on a medium fast setup but it all depends on how your fishing..

[singingdog]

I feel your pain. I went through the same learning curve (did we all?).

 

Try and develop a casting motion that has NO quick changes in speed....no "snaps" in either the start-up or finish of your casting stroke. The breakthrough for me was to think of a baitcasting cast as more of a lob than a throw: like you are throwing a ball to a kid that is learning to catch. Later on, you can learn to put some heat on it.

 

Keep your thumb on the spool all the time while you are learning. You won't get much distance, but you will learn more control.

 

The tape trick is a life-saver.

[Roy]

I don't know where I went wrong but I have never had a problem with baitcasters.

Go fishing with someone who uses baitcasting reels regularly.

In closing, may I add, Be one with the reel, Glasshoppah.

[cranks bait]

I have the same reel, was my first baitcaster as well. I really like it. When I first started I did get a few nests. Tips I learned were to use a heavier line. I use 50 lbs power pro on my baitcasters. Use a heavier lure, as one too light to learn with will be messy. Press the button to release the brake and use your thumb to control the spool. Watch out for your finger slipping to hit the handle and brake mid cast....Also don't try and through your lure out hard. A gentle sweep will be much smoother. you will gradually get distance but don't focous on that right now.

 

Have fun and a pick is your friend.

[Roy]

Have fun and a pick is your friend.

 

Yes, I always have a crochet hook onboard....I thought it could be useful just in case. I've never had to use it but you never know when I might get an urge to make a shawl or a doily or something.

[lew]

I don't know where I went wrong but I have never had a problem with baitcasters.

 

I'm with you on that one Roy, and I've been using a bait caster for probably 55 years or so and don't recall ever having issues with them.

 

IMHO, the biggest problem folks seem to have with them is they THINK their difficult to use and almost seem intimidated by them when infact there's actually nothing at all to be concerned with. Just think of a baitcaster as another tool in the box, not unlike a new circ saw or cordless drill that just takes some getting used to.

 

Baitcasters are VERY simple to use and once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder what the heck all the fuss was about ....it just takes a bit of practice.

[wallyboss]

The one most important thing that I have discovered about bait casters is that you can not use any form of wrist flick in your cast,it all has to be done with a sweeping arm motion.The attempt at a little greater distance with a little to much oomph usually results in a birds nest.I hope this helps.

 

vance

 

 

This is one thing that really helped me when I first started. Long distance casting will come with experience, always had a professional overrun whenever I tried to get just a bit more distance with a quick wrist snap at the end of the cast.

Edited March 15, 2010 by wallyboss

[steverowbotham]

One of the biggest factors is line diameter. Ideally you want a 12lbs diameter or more. So for braided line that means 50lbs.

You can use lighter line, but to learn, its MUCH easier with heavier line.

[hirk]

Might help you if you just practice making short pitches first to get your thumb timing down pat.Hold the rod at 10:00 with about 4' of line out,hit and hold release bar/line,now gentley get the bait swinging by bringing the rod up to 12:00 and back down,when the bait is swinging away from you let it go.Once you can do this well a side arm cast should be pretty easy.

[JohnF]

For what it's worth coming from a relative newby, here's what I was told by a couple of helpful folks when I started.

 

Start with 12-15# mono till you get the hang of it. The idea being if you have some snarls it's cheaper to cut out than braid.

 

Set the spool brake down fairly tight to prevent it from running ahead of the line. Your casts will be shorter but much more satisfying. As you get more comfortable you can loosen off and try for longer casts. I think this is one of the biggest things for the beginner. I have to remember to tighten down if I'm in windy conditions and/or using lighter lures. It's one of the things I really like about my Quantum Energy reel. The brake is on the outside of the case.

 

Use a heavy enuf lure (or practice weight) to keep tension on the line. Light lures tend to decelerate and allow spool overrun.

 

Use two hands. In the beginning it will just be easier. Later on it will help generate speed.

 

Aim for the sky above the intended target rather than the actual target.

 

Keep yer thumb ready to brake the spool when the lure lands. You'll get the feel for it as you get more practice and your thumb will soon just do it automatically.

 

Like Roy and Lew said it came pretty easy when I followed these few tips. I had a lot of fun ripping plastic frogs onto slop last summer. Long casts means lots of water covered.

 

FWIW

JF