Reel Brake Settings - Flipping & Pitching ?

[ChrisD46]

How do you set up your baitcast reel's brake settings for flipping & pitching ?

Local tackle store advice  : " All six centrifical brakes ON then adjust spool tension so soft plastic / weight combo or jig & trailer will slowly fall to the ground " .

 

Your thoughts and experiences on the subject ?

[iabass8]

All 6 on would be too much braking. When just flipping and pitching, the use of your thumb is , for me, a more comfortable alternative to using a lot of braking. I usually have 1 brake on (2 if im skipping) and spool tension set just enough to eliminate any play in the spool. You dont need much braking at all for pitching/flipping

[doyle8218]

I think that would depend on your thumb skills.

[PotomacBassin]

I always have two on just from regular casting and never adjust if I come up to a dock or pitching situation.  No need to take off the sideplate just for that.  But you want to turn your spool tension down which will increase your distance with less effort.  When first starting out though you may need more tension.  Over time you'll feel more comfortable using your thumb as the 'tension.'  Love me some pitchin' 

[Xyndifor]

_{I've been wondering about this myself. I was out in the backyard practicing pitching in the snow a couple days ago and I wasn't able to get my jig to go more than 20-25 feet. I had all the brakes in my revo 3 s turned off and the spool tension a few clicks backed off from normal so the bait fell pretty fast and if I let my bait just free fall to the ground my reel would birds nest.}

[Catt]

Denny Brauer sets his reel where he can flip/pitch with no thumb & no backlash!

[Xyndifor]

Denny Brauer sets his reel where he can flip/pitch with no thumb & no backlash!

Is it really possible to do that and get good distance? I've been watching the informative fisherman's video trying to teach myself this technique and haven't had a lot of success as of yet. It's probably the best video I've seen on the topic.

[Montanaro]

fast and loose for me

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I use mostly cent. brakes so they're more or less a set it and forget it proposition. On a light cast like a pitch their affect is limited anyway. I don't leave the spool tension really loose in case the low cast hits the water I don't get a mess. You don't want to backlash but you don't want the line so tight the bait won't fall vertically. I think that's the angle Brauer's coming from.

[mjseverson24]

i have spool tension totally loose and breaks set to zero for flip/pitch, for skipping i have the mag breaks on half with spool loose.

 

Mitch

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Whatever you're comfortable with. Start somewhere and adjust from there. Settings will vary from reel to reel (even the same model) rod to rod, and person to person.

Find a setting that you like and roll with it. You'll learn what works for YOU through a little bit of experience.

[Catt]

Is it really possible to do that and get good distance? I've been watching the informative fisherman's video trying to teach myself this technique and haven't had a lot of success as of yet. It's probably the best video I've seen on the topic.

Is that not how we setup our reel for casting?

Is pitching not a form of short distance casting?

Why would it be different?

3 questions asked by Denny!

I'll go with Denny on this one

[ChrisD46]

Thanks for the replies - I normally have less braking applied than more braking as a norm -will watch glenn's video and experiment from there !

[black94gt50]

I use two brakes and set the mag control low, also set the spool knob with a touch of tension. Denny said one thing in a video I watched a while back that stuck with me. He said, I set my reel so I can make quick casts when jumping from dock to dock, makes sense to me. If in between docks there is some good cover along bank, it makes it easy to already have your reel setup to still be able to cast to the cover/ object.

[Xyndifor]

I use two brakes and set the mag control low, also set the spool knob with a touch of tension. Denny said one thing in a video I watched a while back that stuck with me. He said, I set my reel so I can make quick casts when jumping from dock to dock, makes sense to me. If in between docks there is some good cover along bank, it makes it easy to already have your reel setup to still be able to cast to the cover/ object.

Glenn talks about that in his video as well which makes sense. Why would you want to have to take your reel apart to make a cast with the very same lure when all you should have to do is just cast it.

[Mike L]

I only use mag brake reels for pitching and / or flipping.

Cent/mag brake reels only for distance casting.

 

For flippin or pitchin I just loosen the cast control knob.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[.ghoti.]

There will not be one answer to this question. Too many variables for that. What reel, what line, what bait, what rod, what distance do you need? Change one of those and the answer likely changes.

 

I prefer to pitch with my Zillion reels for one reason. Clicking spool tension knob. from my normal casting settings I back off the spool tension 3 clicks, and increase the mag brakes 3 clicks. That's what works for me. Your mileage may vary.

[T_Nix35]

I personally set my reels where I can make any cast possible with the bait I am using at that time. I have 2 centrifuge breaks on and 2 off at all times, then I will just crank my mag brakes down to zero and tighten my tension knob up and loosen as needed for the bait to fall at the pace I'm comfortable with. once I have that set I will typically set my mag breaks about halfway, It all depends on how much wind there is. One thing that I think is important to remember is that your centrifuge breaks are for the front end of your cast, while your magnetic breaks are for the back end of your cast. so the Initial release of your bait from the tip of your rod will engage your centrifugal more than your magnetics. While once the bait is in the air your magnetic breaks are engaged more to even the spool speed out.

[daiwaguy]

All off.

[J Francho]

Cent brakes aren't going to matter at slow speeds for pitching. I generally use a completely free spool, and leave the brakes as is.