Baitcaster Issues

[tommiller76]

Hello everyone I have a question that I'm sure someone out there may be able to help me with. A fishing buddy and I were fishing yesterday and he had 3 of his baitcast setups with him. One was rigged with a jig, one a Carolina rig and the last a large spinner bait. He started by slow rolling his spinnerbait along a submerged hump and got a fairly big hit and when he went to set the hook his reel backlashed. At the time he had made a long cast and was about a 1/3 of the way back on the retrieve. He picked out the birds nest and both of us were a little confused because neither of us had seen anything like that before. He assumed that maybe on the cast his reel didn't lock properly after the cast and made sure to listen for the click afterwards, but not 5 minutes later the same thing happened. He put the rod down and went to the Carolina rig and after fishing that for about half an hour he wasn't getting bit so he went to the jig. On about his 4th cast he got a bite on the fall so he reeled in the slack and set the hook, to both of our surprise the same thing happened. He did land the fish after an insane amount of swearing and careful manipulation of the line [by hand].

Now I have been using baitcasters for many years now and have never seen anything like this so I didn't really know what to tell him  to do nor was I able to explain why it happened in the first place. I am not aware of how often he has them cleaned or serviced if ever but I do know that he tends to be meticulous with everything he has so I would assume he is the same way with his tackle.

If there is anyone out there who has been a part of something like this or knows the cause of it PLEASE lend a hand. After watching him go through that ordeal I don't want it happening to me or anyone else for that matter. If there is something that can be done to prevent this or remedy the situation I would be extremely happy for any information you may have that I can pass on.

Everyone be safe out there and as always have fun...!

[dave]

Is it possible that he is disengaging the spool on the hookset?

[BrettD]

Is it possible that he is disengaging the spool on the hookset?

That was my first guess.

If it was the Instant anti reverse that isn't working properly the reel handle will spins backwards so it would be hard to backlass with the handle spinning.

[Koofy Smacker]

^^x2. I would guess on the hookset his thumb pushed down on the spool, and while doing that he pushed the bar releasing the spool.

[Greenstealth]

He's definitely hitting the free spool. No way that happens on two different reels to the same person by accident.

[dave]

Yes, ESPECIALLY since it happened with two different reels.  One common denominator...user error. LOL

[basser89]

I'm on board with BrettD said. I believe it may be an anti-reverse issue. I've had this issue with one of my baitcasters in the past. VERY frustrating! 

[dave]

I've noticed that there are times that when you set the hook,  your hand can actually move on the reel even as you are clinching your hand around it.  You don't really that you are doing it until  you accidently disengage the spool.

[The Rooster]

There are several ways it might happen, and I believe they've already figured out what is going on here, but I'll explain some stuff to you for further clarity.

1. Drag is extremely loose. This sometimes will let you still reel a bait depending on how loose it is, but on a strike and a hookset the drag slips a lot and causes a backlash. This is easy to check for and eliminate. Just tighten it.

2. Spool shaft pin is not engaging the pinion gear correctly. This would be mechanical problems and since the same thing happened on two different reels it's unlikely unless both were previously taken apart and reassembled wrong or there is damage to one or both parts, in both reels.

3. Pinion gear not engaging the drive gear correctly. Same as above.

4. Anti-reverse bearing failing. Also same as above. If this is the case then you would see the handle spin backwards on the hookset and backlash since all the other previously mentioned parts would be engaged correctly. This would be a great case for Shimano's assist stopper anti-reverse, which kicks in if the primary AR bearing fails, and could save an otherwise lost fish. You can also check for this by turning the handle backwards and see if it locks. Almost all reels today will not allow the handles to turn in reverse due to having an AR bearing. If it's over lubricated, this can happen. Has he oiled it recently? Again, the handle would turn backwards if this happened. If the reel has a ratchet type anti-reverse then it will turn backwards for a short space and then stop, unless this has failed. That's how you will know.

But I'd say that somehow your friend hit the spool release when he set the hook. That's most likely.

[dave]

One time long ago,  I spooled up some Fireline when it was first out.  I didn't know about mono backing and the such.  Set the hook and POW!  Deep internal backlash.   Were his reels freshly spooled with braid?

[Jaiden]

Along with what dave said, if he was fishing straight braid without a backing, the line could of slipped off the spool. I'm not sure if this would cause a backlash though.

[tommiller76]

Thank you to everyone that replied. After talking to my friend I told him about everything said here today. First thing he told me was that the way he holds his reel he doesn't think he is engaging the thumb bar on the hook set. He tends to think that it may be a case of over lubrication. He recently sprayed all of his reels with reel magic and was wanting to know what if anything can be done about it.

Again thanks to everyone who took the time to reply here and good luck to everyone this coming season...!

[retiredbosn]

If he sprayed the drag its very possible that it is slipping, does he set the hook violently?

[paul25]

There are several ways it might happen, and I believe they've already figured out what is going on here, but I'll explain some stuff to you for further clarity.

1. Drag is extremely loose. This sometimes will let you still reel a bait depending on how loose it is, but on a strike and a hookset the drag slips a lot and causes a backlash. This is easy to check for and eliminate. Just tighten it.

2. Spool shaft pin is not engaging the pinion gear correctly. This would be mechanical problems and since the same thing happened on two different reels it's unlikely unless both were previously taken apart and reassembled wrong or there is damage to one or both parts, in both reels.

3. Pinion gear not engaging the drive gear correctly. Same as above.

4. Anti-reverse bearing failing. Also same as above. If this is the case then you would see the handle spin backwards on the hookset and backlash since all the other previously mentioned parts would be engaged correctly. This would be a great case for Shimano's assist stopper anti-reverse, which kicks in if the primary AR bearing fails, and could save an otherwise lost fish. You can also check for this by turning the handle backwards and see if it locks. Almost all reels today will not allow the handles to turn in reverse due to having an AR bearing. If it's over lubricated, this can happen. Has he oiled it recently? Again, the handle would turn backwards if this happened. If the reel has a ratchet type anti-reverse then it will turn backwards for a short space and then stop, unless this has failed. That's how you will know.

But I'd say that somehow your friend hit the spool release when he set the hook. That's most likely.

i always loosen my drag in between trips if your friend does this also and the drag is reel loose it will cause a backlash on the hookset

[The Rooster]

Is there any noise made when this happens, like a mechanical clicking sound like something stripped? Or is it just line noise from the backlash?