Casting My Abu Garcia Revo Sx

[atlantaman]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Micah, and I am not only new to this forum, but also new to fishing; which explains why I am having some trouble first starting out with my bait caster... I have used it only a few times no problem, but for some reason out of the blue I get a wild backlash after maybe 20 or 30 good casts, and I do not think I am doing anything to trigger it. I think its my braided line, some of my buddies suggested a switch to mono, What do you guys here on the forums think? I just want some tips or any ideas on what type of line I should get, right now its Trilene braided, would a switch to mono get rid of that occasional nasty backlash, or am I actually doing something wrong?

 

[OroBass]

If you already been using braid just stick with it. Sometimes even people who have used baitcasters a long time get backlashes. Remember to reset your cast control when you switch lure. When does it backlash? Beginning. Of cast or end?

[atlantaman]

After, it will release and it just catches and boom, backlash. I haven't used braid for that long and its about to run out so I can just get new line if making the switch will help improve my chances of less backlash

[OroBass]

Either your cast control knob is a bit loose or you may have put the braid on too loose. What pound braid?

[OroBass]

Make sure that when you release the spool and the lure hits the ground the spool only continues to turn 1/4 or less of an inch. Use at least 30 lb braid this is equivelent to 10 or 12 lb mono.

[atlantaman]

My braid is only 20 ibs which might be my problem and I always check my cast control before each cast so I don't think thats my problem either. I really want to try mono just to see the difference plus as I've looked I have seen it for pretty cheap in bulky amounts, so any tips on different brands would be great, thanks for the responses!

[atlantaman]

Every time I cast I always make sure when the lure drops it doesn't spool out of control, in fact not even at all, and I have become pretty good at doing this part before casting each time I change my lures.

[John G]

After you make a cast when using braid, it doesn't hurt to look at your spool just to make sure that you haven't got a little bit of an overrun that might cause the jerky kinda backlash that you are talking about. It also doesn't hurt to pull 2 or 3 feet of line out after a cast just to be sure.

[atlantaman]

True, thank you for all the posts! I'll keep all these in mind!

[BassinLou]

It sounds like your braid is digging. Very common with braids below 30lbs. The higher you go in braid diameter the less incidence of digging. I find 40lb braid is the ideal diameter. You get excellent casting distance and small chance of digging and its 40lb braid!! which is pretty darn strong. 

[atlantaman]

Does braid that large tie the fun out of bass fishing though? I mean large mouths and small mouths don't get anywhere near that size right?

[GaterB]

Trust me, 40 lb braid doesn't take the fun out of fishing AT ALL. Bass will still find a way to escape I promise you. Plus, if you fish in heavy grass and have to haul a bass out with 10 pounds of salad on his face, you'll be glad you have that strength. There are many more benefits of braid that you can read about here at bassresource. Every line has it's pluses and minuses, but IMO braid is the most versatile, because you can always tie a leader on if you want fluoro or mono to change the action of your lure or visibility of your line. 

 

To answer your original question, you say that you are running low on braid. Sometimes when my line gets shallow (especially with thin diameter lines) I tend to backlash more. You also lose casting distance and inches per turn on your retrieve if your spool isn't as full as it could be.

[bootytrain]

Ive found that magnetic brakes are for more sensitive to wind. Do you think you think the wind picked up when you back lashed?

[ThatZX14Fella]

Try 40+ pound braid. It sounds like your 20 is digging into itself.

[Tywithay]

It's likely from your line digging in. You also need to make sure the line is spooling tightly when you reel it in.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Does braid that large tie the fun out of bass fishing though? I mean large mouths and small mouths don't get anywhere near that size right?

The purpose of braid for bass fishing is the sensitivity you get from the lack of stretch and line management from the suppleness. The heavy #test is for line diameter to prevent digging in etc.

[atlantaman]

I haven't really been in any windy places bootytrain, and I see where you come from GaterB, I am hoping that once I go in to get new line I won't have to worry about my backlash problem once I get the 40 ib braid! Any brand suggestions? I have 20 ib trilene should I change my brand? I have to shop at bass pro shop cause I don't know of any other good fishing stores besides buying online but I cannot do that on such short notice since I am trying to fish tomorrow. Also another problem I see is as Tywithay said it doesn't spool on very tight, I mean I am new to bait casters and sometimes it feels like the line is kinda loose, is it just me or what can I do to prevent that?

[new2BC4bass]

The purpose of braid for bass fishing is the sensitivity you get from the lack of stretch and line management from the suppleness. The heavy #test is for line diameter to prevent digging in etc.

 

Excellent points.  Just because you are using 65# braid doesn't necessarily mean you have to lock the drag down.  You can still fish with 5-8#s of drag.  A large fish will still be able to pull line out on you.  Just because professional fishermen skate their fish across the surface doesn't mean you have to.  Much of the fun of fishing is playing the fish.

 

I caught my largest bass this year on 40# braid.  I wasn't able to horse him in like the guys on TV do cuz I didn't have my drag locked down.  There was plenty of give and take for several minutes even tho he wasn't going to break my line.

[bassboy107]

Any brand suggestions?

Original Power Pro braid

[lilphill23]

I haven't really been in any windy places bootytrain, and I see where you come from GaterB, I am hoping that once I go in to get new line I won't have to worry about my backlash problem once I get the 40 ib braid! Any brand suggestions? I have 20 ib trilene should I change my brand? I have to shop at bass pro shop cause I don't know of any other good fishing stores besides buying online but I cannot do that on such short notice since I am trying to fish tomorrow. Also another problem I see is as Tywithay said it doesn't spool on very tight, I mean I am new to bait casters and sometimes it feels like the line is kinda loose, is it just me or what can I do to prevent that?

To expand on the tightness of the braid. You should not be able to push your fingernail into the spool if you can then the braid is to loose. Another thing do you put first line the spool with mono before you put the braid on?

[Choporoz]

out of the blue I get a wild backlash after maybe 20 or 30 good casts, and I do not think I am doing anything to trigger it.

 

I'd also consider that cast 21 actually IS done a little different than the first 20.  When you've got your brakes set perfectly on the max for distance, it doesn't take a whole lot of extra wrist, early release or slight jerkiness to send the spool spinning out of control

[BobP]

You can't keep braid tightly wound on a reel spool because the weight of the lure is the only thing putting it under tension during retrieves.  Using heavier braid helps because it's less prone to digging in than 20 lb braid.  However, you also get thicker, more visible line with heavier braid.  Some guys think heavy braid doesn't make a difference in the number of bites they get.  Others think it does so they use mono, fluorocarbon, or at least tie a leader onto their braid.  If you are a neophyte with a baitcaster and are getting regular backlashes, I think spooling up with expensive braid may not be the best idea.  A bulk 1/4 lb spool of a good copolymer line would be as cheap and provide you with a lot of refills needed to replace the line you have to cut out of your reel after bad backlashes.  And it's easier to pick a backlash out of a copolymer spool than a spool filled with braid.  JMHO

 

Baitcasting requires a smooth consistent casting stroke and it takes awhile for guys to develop the discipline to do it every cast - but you get better as you get more experience.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

When I fish an SX I find myself ending up setting the mags on Max for casting and still using some thumb or at 0 for pitching

[Bassin Bob]

^{I've been fishing for a long time and used many baitcasters.  Of all my current reels, I only have problems with my Revo.  A buddy took it, adjusted it, and he had intermittent problems too, so it's not just me...and it may not be you.  Here's what I did to solve the problem:  I casted the Revo as far as humanly possible, then pulled out an additional 10 yds  or so.  Then I placed a strip of electrical tape across the spool, covering up the remaining line.  That keeps the coils from "springing" out.  It's been about 3 months now and I haven't had any problems using this system.  I have to give credit to an old Bill Dance show where I saw that done.  It sure has worked for me!}