new2BC4bass

Braid isn't the line for you if you need abrasion resistance unless you use a leader. I like Sufix Elite, Trilene XL or Sunline Super Natural. All are relatively soft lines that don't "spring" as bad as harder, more abrasive resistant lines such as Big Game. If Big Game handles ok for you than it would be more abrasive resistant than the 3 lines I mentioned. However, it coils a bit more than Sufix Siege on my baitcasting reels. Both coil like a slinky after sitting awhile, but the Big Game will give me loose coils on the spool after a cast...unless very careful...until it gets wet whereas the Siege doesn't. I consider Big Game and Siege better suited to a baitcast reel.

Did you read the article I gave the link to? The side opposite the handle opens. Don't loose it. The 6 little plastic hats pull out to turn brakes on. Use alternating brakes. If new to baitcasters, I would start with 4 on. Adjust the small spool tension knob on the handle side so the lure slowly falls, and stops when the lure hits the floor, ground or water...whichever the case may be.

http://tackletour.com/reviewpfluegerpresident.html Received best value award from tackletour. I like the Pflueger baitcast reels I have used.

Not the OP, but I thank you guys anyway. Now I have 2 more places to look for gear.

Tyler, sit in front of the TV with a rod. Disengage spool. Feather as lure drops. Do it with both hands. I am right handed, but found I had much better thumb control with the left. Right thumb had a tendency to act like a light switch. It was either on or off. Took quite a while to get the right thumb to feather, and even today if I am having problems with the right hand, I switch to the left for better feathering control.

Baitcast reels are all about being smooth. That is why I prefer a roll cast even when casting overhead unless top accuracy is needed. Hard to beat straight back, straight forward for accuracy. Also as Mike stated, a hard cast is the wrong cast for a beginner. It only magnifies any jerkiness in the casting stroke. It also goes without saying, that the lures being used have to properly load the rod. Otherwise you will be throwing hard to get any kind of distance.

Like Mike said, when it comes to the lure going straight down, it is all about the release point. You are releasing way tool late. You must release a lot sooner than you are use to with a spinning rod. I came from using only spinning rods. I learned with a side arm cast. Had I tried to learn with an overhead cast, I would have spent the vast majority of my time digging out backlashes. Can I assume your sidearm cast is a roll cast? If not, are you starting with the rod to the rear? Baitcast reels require a smooth casting stroke. An overhead cast that is straight back and straight forward requires just as much good timing as a flyrod. The rod tip has to unload and then start to reload before starting the forward stroke. Start forward too soon, release the spool and you better have good thumb control because it is very likely the rod tip will start loading just as you release the spool....and "dang"...instant backlash because the spool will accelerate much faster than the lure will be pulling out the line. Hope I explained it well enough to make sense.

Guess it is still not warm enough for many of us to be out on the water yet. Oh well. At least we are still enjoying our sport even if it is only answering "What ifs". If fishing in a lot of weeds, then I would be like bigturtle except I'd drop down on line size for the spinning rod. I prefer mono or co-polymer lines. If only fishing occasionally in weeds, I would prefer 8# mono or co-polymer on the spinning and 12# mono or co-polymer on the baitcast. My baitcast rod would be a MHF. My spinning rod a ML or M Fast or ExtraFast depending on its lure rating. About the only lures over 1/4 oz. that I wouldn't use on the b/c rod would have treble hooks.

I concur with everyone else. Your rod and reel selections were good, but that salesman (or sales kid) is way off on line size. I use 17# on 2 of my HF casting rods. Personally I would be using an 8# mono or co-polymer. However, that reel holds too much to spool only with 8# line. I would lay down some of that 17# line you got for backing and finish filling with the 8#. Should you go with braid, consider 10#-15# and still lay down some backing. Now if you catch a lot of pickerel or pike, then I would also use some of that 17# as a leader to avoid losing too many lures to those toothy creatures.

Another good place to keep an eye on. Selections change, so check on a regular basis. The very first one listed wouldn't be a bad place to start. A 6'9" MHF Villain at 60% off. I m also a fan of the Elite Tech Smallmouth rods. My favorite of those currently listed for sale would be the 6'10" MH-MF although it probably wouldn't be considered quite as good an all-around rod as the 6'9" MHF Villain or 6'9" MHF ET Smallmouth. I like my Fenwick HMG rods and the 7'2" MF with its rating of 1/4-1 oz. puts it solidly in the MHF category and at $58.88 is an excellent rod for the money. BTW, welcome to the forum.

Very nice 1st post. Welcome to the forum.

Yeah. I've come to throw hard almost every cast thanks to practicing more than fishing. Even when fishing in Florida with relation in a boat, many of my casts are long distance as the guy in control of the boat keeps it back quite a ways in most situations. Fishing locally I am often fishing in spots with a lot of pressure, so I am trying to reach out further in an effort to reach places not everyone else can reach. Seems this type of cast is NOT what you want to do with the SV.

I'd have to agree Big Game is stiffer. However, after it gets wet you shouldn't have any problems. Previously I always used a MF whenever I wanted to throw a crankbait which means I was using 8# mono. Siege being a favorite. Normally I am fishing shallow to 8-10 feet max. A crankbait rod is now part of my arsenal. Currently I am using 10# Excalibur on it. Rod was acquired over the winter so has seen very limited use. Only been out to practice with it so far this year so no feedback on how well the line works, but expect no problems.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to see another Pennsylvanian. Skipping is something I want to try. I suppose some reels might be better than others. I've already documented my problems with the Daiwa Alphas SV105 (and I seem to be the only one with a problem with this reel), but think it might make a very good skipping reel once I get it straightened out. Seems to have a lot of braking force which should help control the spool, I assume you mean the Black Max hasn't failed you in any other fishing situation. My only Black Max is the older 1600C round reels. Now that you bring that name up, I'll have to give one a shot skipping since they do so well in every other situation.

Wow. Looks brand new. Purdy. Nice find. Congratulations.

My reel was a Mitchell 300 for many years. No idea what gear ratio it was or IPT. Didn't matter anyway. None of that was critical when you were fishing crabs (crawfish or crawdads to some people), nightwalkers, leeches, grubs or minnows. Was probably 10 years later that I used my first artificial lure. I never heard of "gear ratio" or "IPT" back then so I still didn't know the specs on my 300.

Okay. Saw that video. Spool tension is set as he suggested and brakes at 6 and using 10# Excalibur. Haven't tried Max brakes. Need to try kickerfish1's suggestions

Whoa buddy! Trying all the new stuff you can, huh. Most of it I've never heard of. What a name! Offsidewings? Sounds like something a fly fisherman would be tying.

Don't know about today's spinning reels (all but one of mine being older), but larger reels often place the line far enough away to make it hard for the finger of the rod hand to pick up the line in preparation for the next cast. The primary reason why I decided to try b/c reels a few years ago. I didn't like having to place the line on my finger before opening the bail with my left hand on the bass size reel I was using at that time. But, yeah, a larger spool does help with line twist when using a non-braid.

kickerfish1 had similar problems. I believe one poster mentioned it took some time getting his SV dialed in. Shortly after getting into baitcast reels, a young guy who had been using them for 20 years (since early teens) told me to run spools with just enough tension to remove side-to-side play and keep spool filled for best distance. Some of my reels require more tension than that....for me to use efficiently. Meaning to avoid backlashes and over-runs. I also recall someone posting to run spool tension very low for best results with the SV. Also not to cast hard. I've got a few Diawas and this is the only one causing me problems. There are a couple possible solutions to my problem mentioned in the link I gave. AFAIK there are only 2 adjustments I can make...spool tension and brakes. I am sure I can come up with a setting that will eliminate my over-runs and backlashes....but...at what cost to distance? I'm not getting that much now. I will try to find that video. Please post it if you find it. Thanks.

I feel this way about my 7'6" MH casting rod. Rated 3/8 to 1-1/4 oz. Barely throws a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait a decent fishing distance. When...and if...I ever retire to Florida, maybe I will find a use for it. Like the ML spinning rod, but seldom use a spinning rod so it hasn't seen much use. It is also stiffer than I feel a ML should be. One thing I can say with my limited experience with Villain rods is "Don't try using lighter lures than the rod's rating." You will be disappointed in the results.

Flip side. Have the 105. Wasn't impressed, but want to be. Used it again Wednesday. Had to ride the spool more than usual at the beginning of the cast but spool seemed to slow down faster than normal towards the end of the cast. Yet set up as I had it, it still required a thumb as the lure hit the water. Managed to not use the thumb on one landing....resulting in a nice over-run. Have spool tension very light and brakes at 6....similar to how I was told the reel should be set in another thread. Had to remove several over-runs and backlashes. Tried throwing easy as also suggested. Reel is stock out of the box. Being spring there is a fair amount of wind. However, my 50th Zillion and Primmus had no such problems. Didn't have to remove one over-run or backlash with either. Normally I have a Curado 51E paired with the 6'10" MF ET Smallmouth rod I currently have the 105 on. That combo works very well. Going to put the 105 on another rod to see if there is any improvement. I really want to like this reel. Most people seem to be very impressed with it. I'd like to be.

You must have a wicked hookset. Or else there were nicks in the line. Majority of my MH rods have a 12# mono or co-polymer on them. Never snapped one yet...whether like a twig or a tree trunk. Too much stretch.

FF gave you 3 good suggestions. Personally I'd use 6# (8# max) on the spinning reel. Do you need abrasion resistance for the jig rod? That would play a big roll in my decision on line for that rod. If yes, then my 1st choice would be 15# in P-Line CXX or Izorline Platinum. If not, I prefer 12# in a line a bit more manageable such as the 3 FF mentioned. I am currently using AN40, but have some Izorline XXX that is going on one of my new reels.

Why? I have a heck of a time breaking 12#. I've caught 35 pound fish on 8# line. Largemouth bass aren't notorious fighters. I can see heavier line if you fish in an area where abrasion resistance is important.