Lunker_Hunter

Thanks for all the helpful info. all. I am going to go out today and have my first attempt with this new setup and we'll see how it goes. Hope to take some nice bass on the lower James River down here in Richmond, VA. Happy Friday!

Thank you sir! So I take it that smaller black knob is there for that purpose? To hold that rod and the corresponding palm plate on the reel? Can anyone fill me in on the cam lock switch that this reel employs? I still don't really understand it's utilization.

Matt thanks for your reply and the helpful links. The YouTube video didn't quite answer my question as I still don't know if I need to run my line over that bar that is behind the guide that moves back and forth while the spool is taking up line. I am probably not describing this well and a picture is worth a 1,000 words so take a peek at the attached image. In that picture you can easily see the silver bar that I am referring to in addition to the little black knob, whose purpose I haven't quite figured out.

Greetings all. Just purchased my first bait caster today and already have a few questions! I picked up an Abu Garcia Black Max reel and Berkley Lightning rod. When you go to put line on the spool on the reel, there is a silver bar the sits about a quarter of an inch behind the guide that the line goes through. I am assuming you feed your line through the guide at the front of the reel and then go over that bar before attaching your line to the reel, but I wanted to ask to ensure I do this correctly. Also, the reel features a cam lock in the form of an on off button towards the rear of the reel on the right side. I see that when you engage the switch the thumb button does not stay depressed when pressed to cast. I am just curious as to when/why you would use this? Last, there is a small knob toward the front of the reel about a 1/4 the size of the mechanical brake and I was just curious as to what that is? I was guessing it is just in place to keep the side plates on the reel but then I see some recessed screws that accomplish that, so I am kind of confused as to what this smaller knob is for? Thanks for your help in advance!

And wouldn't you know I got skunked at Chick too!!! Which lake did you pull that one out of? I was fishing the lake close to the post office the other day without any luck. That picture looks like the lake across Knuckles Road.