Hey, I just bought a Abu Garcia Silver Max and I am new to baitcasters and I have a few questions regarding the equipment I should be using with it. I have been trying it out for a few days and have probably spent around 5 hours practicing casting with it and I am having trouble getting distance with it. I currently have power pro 20 pound braid on it right now and it doesn't really cast anywhere close to my spinning reels. I have done countless hours of research about how to use the magnets and adjust the tension knob but I just cant seem to get a 3/8 bait to go far at all. I've read reviews on this reel saying that it casts for miles smoothly but I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
If I changed to 8 lbs mono will it improve the distance?
Also what brand of rod do you guys recommend, I have tried various 7 foot poles , one is ultra light and the other is medium, nether seem to help.
I was going to return it and get a good spinning reel but I have already put a scratch on the reel when i set it down on concrete. So I'll just try and figure out how to use it. Thanks!