Braid Problems

[creditmaster]

Hey guys I'm just starting to get serious about bass fishing and have purchased a new bait casting rod setup and spooled it with braid,but the problem

I'm having is every time i cast it birds nests on me. My thumb is on the spool but i think the spool is too loose

am i doing anything wrong?

Thanks

[FloatnFly]

its the nature of the bait caster not the line. for tension, tighten the spool down so the bait falls to ground under its own weight, but when it hits the ground, the spool only does about a half turn more. the rest is on you, ie stopping the spool with your thumb as the bait hits the water to prevent over run

[NAW]

There could be lots of things going on.

 

Are you trying to learn how to use a bait caster for the first time?

 

There are setting for tension on it. And just some general skills that you will need to learn before you can completely avoid birds nests...

[cheaptackle]

I don't use baitcasters personally (YET!) but I got the best information from the Power Pro pamphlet that used to come with the spools, along with their site and this one too of course. I'm guessing you need to set up your mag drag and practice a bit more though - it all takes time and patience I'm told!

 

Michael

[creditmaster]

There could be lots of things going on.

 

Are you trying to learn how to use a bait caster for the first time?

 

There are setting for tension on it. And just some general skills that you will need to learn before you can completely avoid birds nests...

how do you tention it? are you talking about the drag?

[mikeh]

try tightening the tension knob on the side, also I find I have less problems when I use 3/8 oz baits or heavier.

[kickingfrog]

how do you tention it? are you talking about the drag?

 

There usually is a little knob on the same side as the reel. It adjusts the free spool. That's how easily the spool spins when the thumb bar is pressed. The tension should be set so the lure you are using slowly drops to the water and then the spool doesn't over run. From there it's a matter of practice.

 

Some baitcasters also have another adjustment on the none reel side under the side plate that also helps with cast control.

 

 

There should be videos on line to help as well.

[lookinforwalleye]

What brand of reel is it

[BillM]

Put your lure on, set the tension (Little knob on the side of the reel) so the lure barely pulls line out, then practice practice practice... Once you get better you can loosen up the tension knob and get some more distance.

[creditmaster]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll try tensioning it

[NAW]

You'll get it all figured out.

 

If your trying to practice casting it. do it on grass. If you do it on asphalt, the lure bounces along after it hits the hard ground and you will get birds nests.

 

Sounds red neck, but when I first got my bate caster, I tried practicing in my driveway with a beat up old lure, and it birdsnested every time. Same technique in water, and it worked great.

[cheaptackle]

Training technique I read about and I used to pass on to my customers:

After setting mag drag to allow practice weight (rubber sinker if you can find one) to slowly fall to ground - peel out 30-40 feet of line and put a piece of tape on the spool. This limits your practice casts distance and makes less bird's nest to clear if you get one. As you become more efficient - increase the amount of line you can cast out by removing the tape, let out more line & re-apply the tape. One day get real cocky and eliminate the tape as you toss that rubber to the next area code!

OH YEAH - start with about a 10-12 pound test mono - cheaper to ruin than braid!

 

Michael

[Garnet]

You do have mono backing or taped bottom of spool.

 

I think for practice get a spool of mono. That shakespere crap about 15lb test from walleye world and make a mess.

 

A little hands on yard instruction would be best.

 

If you dial up magnets and crank the tension up nesting is impossible then ease it back and work on accuracy.

[wallyboss]

Google Baitcasting 101, Lot's of videos and instructions that will help you out. I know they helped me a lot. My first baitcaster I took it out for my first time at the baseball field and tied on a 1 1/2 oz lead sinker and I let her rip!!! Only got 1 cast out of that spool of line. Had to cut the rest out with scissors.

[salmon]

I would take the braid off and start with mono. At least 17 lb test this will help with the over runs. The thick mono will help util your thumb is trained to feather the spool

[creditmaster]

Thanks guys I have taped my spill but I will respool and try with mono

[James77]

This helped me!

[creditmaster]

Thanks

[SirWhite]

Thanks guys I have taped my spill but I will respool and try with mono

I wouldn't. One birds nest in mono could crimp your line. You may end up having to cut more line off your spool to get past the crimp, back to clear line. I tried this when I first started too. It was a mistake. Plus mono wont help you pull the boat over to your also inevitable snags. But some good heavy braid, 30# plus, an learn to work out the birds nests. They happen, and will happen for the rest of your baitcasting life. It's just the better you get, the less frequent they come. And the less down time on working them out.

I'm sure someone will argue against my point. But spend the money on decent, rigid braid. Such as PP 40# or Seaguar Kanzen 30#+ and you should have a shorter learning curve. After you figure out the spool tensioner and magnets lol.

[cheaptackle]

Sir White: the suggestion to use mono was strictly for practicing with a dummy weight, not for fishing. Rather than ruin twenty bucks or more in braid use some cheap mono until he gets the hang of it - then back to braid for those long distance hawg hooking trajectories!

 

Michael

[kickingfrog]

Back in the day when I was starting out with a baitcaster I used a line that was oval shaped (magnum brand? 7/20 or 14/40). It was thick stuff and I'd never use it now but it was easier to learn with I believe.

[Lape0019]

Creditmaster,

 

If you haven't gotten this all sorted out yet, I would like to agree with SirWhite. Keep the braid on. It is a hell of a lot harder to kink braid or ruin it than it is a spool of mono. I have rarely had to cut birdsnests out on braid because they were that bad. I have on Mono because when it kinks, you lose a lot of its strength and that is where you will lose a fish. Granted, if you're only practicing it really doesn't matter.

 

Now my questions:

1: What brand and model is this reel?

 

People keep talking about mag brakes, but I have not read anywhere that this reel had mag brakes. I learned on a Pflueger patriarch XT and along with spool tension already spoken of, I originally set the centrifugal brakes (Little pins attached to the spool under the non handle sideplate) to 50% I can't remember if it was 3 on 3 off or 2 on 2 off) and than cranked the Mag brake to max. My distance was terrible, but I did not birdsnest all that much. When I got comfortable there, I reduced the mag brake a little at a time. When I got confident, I turned the centrifugal brakes to 25% and hovered around 50% on the Mag side.

 

Now I wrote all this to say, not one company has the same brake setup. If you tell us the reel, I can probably walk you through how to set it up. That is unless its a Daiwa because I have never used one.

 

2: You say "Braid" but what brand and what pound test? That makes a huge difference because if it is too narrow (20lb braid is line 6ln test), it will dig in and cause birdsnests more frequently. I personally do not use anything less than 30lb braid on a baitcaster. Anything less and I have issues. I was at a fishing seminar on Saturday and JP DeRose was one of the speakers. He said he uses nothing under 40lb on baitcasters. If he requires lighter line, he will use a spinning outfit.

 

Needless to say, there are many variables that come into play with bait casters. line size and correct setup or just two of the many. But I think they are the most important two. I've been using baitcasters for at least 5 years now and I still get overruns once in a while. If happens to everyone. Just stick with it and sooner or later you will see the benefits.

 

Good luck,

 

Adam

[MrSimon]

I find with braid on a baitcaster ... the heavier (larger diameter) the better. 50 to 80 pound braid might sound excessive, but it works great for me.

[davey buoy]

In run braid on my two bait casters,a few birds nests in the beginning. I now run it wide open,and it's all about timing when it hits the water,Thumb on the spool the same time.it hits the water.Great distances. Watch when casting into the wind,that's a whole new set of problems lol.Good luck,you'll figure it out ok.

[creditmaster]

Creditmaster,

 

If you haven't gotten this all sorted out yet, I would like to agree with SirWhite. Keep the braid on. It is a hell of a lot harder to kink braid or ruin it than it is a spool of mono. I have rarely had to cut birdsnests out on braid because they were that bad. I have on Mono because when it kinks, you lose a lot of its strength and that is where you will lose a fish. Granted, if you're only practicing it really doesn't matter.

 

Now my questions:

1: What brand and model is this reel?

 

People keep talking about mag brakes, but I have not read anywhere that this reel had mag brakes. I learned on a Pflueger patriarch XT and along with spool tension already spoken of, I originally set the centrifugal brakes (Little pins attached to the spool under the non handle sideplate) to 50% I can't remember if it was 3 on 3 off or 2 on 2 off) and than cranked the Mag brake to max. My distance was terrible, but I did not birdsnest all that much. When I got comfortable there, I reduced the mag brake a little at a time. When I got confident, I turned the centrifugal brakes to 25% and hovered around 50% on the Mag side.

 

Now I wrote all this to say, not one company has the same brake setup. If you tell us the reel, I can probably walk you through how to set it up. That is unless its a Daiwa because I have never used one.

 

2: You say "Braid" but what brand and what pound test? That makes a huge difference because if it is too narrow (20lb braid is line 6ln test), it will dig in and cause birdsnests more frequently. I personally do not use anything less than 30lb braid on a baitcaster. Anything less and I have issues. I was at a fishing seminar on Saturday and JP DeRose was one of the speakers. He said he uses nothing under 40lb on baitcasters. If he requires lighter line, he will use a spinning outfit.

 

Needless to say, there are many variables that come into play with bait casters. line size and correct setup or just two of the many. But I think they are the most important two. I've been using baitcasters for at least 5 years now and I still get overruns once in a while. If happens to everyone. Just stick with it and sooner or later you will see the benefits.

 

Good luck,

 

Adam

it is a no name china reel 6 3 1 ratio smooth and good quality running 30 lbs spderwire braid