First Baitcaster Help

[justfishin12]

So i got myself a shimano caenan 100 on a shimano clarus 7' casting rod and for the most part I am casting it fine without birdsnests but when I try to cast farther (as in beyond 10-15 yards) or use lighter lures I get big back lashes. When I hold my thumb on the reel it just stops at about 10 feet. My brakes are set to 2/3 and my spool tension is just loose enough to let it fall slowly when I release my thumb. Also it seems that whenever I put line on my spool it appears somewhat loose and there seems to be more line on one side compared to the other Any tips?

[John G]

What are the specs on your rod and just how light of lures are we talking about? What kind of line are you using? When putting line on your spool, you want to make sure that you are putting it on tight and that you are holding it straight in the middle of the rod. If you hold off to the left or the right, you are putting tension on the level wind and that is causing it to bunch up on one side. Something that has been mentioned before is to run the line trough a phone book or two for tension. Doing it that way, there should not be any issues of looseness or bunching up to one side.

[BassinLou]

So i got myself a shimano caenan 100 on a shimano clarus 7' casting rod and for the most part I am casting it fine without birdsnests but when I try to cast farther (as in beyond 10-15 yards) or use lighter lures I get big back lashes. When I hold my thumb on the reel it just stops at about 10 feet. My brakes are set to 2/3 and my spool tension is just loose enough to let it fall slowly when I release my thumb. Also it seems that whenever I put line on my spool it appears somewhat loose and there seems to be more line on one side compared to the other Any tips?

Casting light lures is challenging. What's even more challenging is the fact that this is your first b/c. There is a learning curve to be had. My suggestion is go to heavier lures and work on properly adjusting the reel so that you can minimize overruns and eventually increase your distance. Learning how to control your reel with your thumb is not as easy as you might think. Practice.... what line are you using? 

[new2BC4bass]

What is the lure rating for the rod?  What is the weight of the light lures you are trying to cast?

 

When spooling line on, hold it tight between thumb and first finger.  Or run it through a heavy phone book.  Watch the line as it is spooled on.  If the line is staying on one side, then push/pull it in the direction you need it to go.

 

Light lures take a lot more skill to cast even with the correct combo.  You shouldn't be trying to cast lures on the low side of the rod's rating to learn.  Always learn with a weight at least in the mid-range of the rod's rating.  A little heavier is better.

 

EDIT:  Well a couple replies were posted while I was typing.  Sorry to repeat what was already said.

[Hattrick7]

Are you whipping the rod when trying to get distance? If you are you'll need to back off on that and just get your motion down.

Also what size line and type are you using?