Baitcaster Line Issues

[Bucketmouth King]

I won't rehash old questions of "which line is best for a beginner" as I've already searched the forums and found that the majority vote goes to berkely trilene mono. Instead, I will tell you the issues I'm having and maybe some of you could help resolve that.

I got my first baitcaster (okuma citrix) last week and spooled with 12 lb trilene mono and took to the yard to practice. 3 days later the rod and reel ended up on ebay. The line seem to be cutting into itself and sticking together and looping around itself when backlashing.

The next day I ended the ebay auction and respooled one last time with spiderwire stealth braid 20 lbs. Ive had a few minor backlashes that were easy to pick out and quickly got the hang of using this reel. Now I love it! I even have a 2nd one on the way, as well as power handles for both.

I want to be able to spool one with the trilene 12 lb mono. Any suggestions for why I may have been having the trouble with it that I was having?

[primetime]

I have a Citrix and several other Okuma baitcasting reels similar, and it sounds like maybe the line was old and had too much memory if it was coiling and sticking. I have been using a baitcaster for about 30 years but I still watch videos on how to cast them and set them up as a reminder since we all tend to try and throw them too hard especially if used to spinning gear...

 

One thing that is important is spooling the line right as if you have a right handed baitcaster, the line needs to come off the top of the spool as opposed to the bottom with a spinning reel. IF the reel is a lefty than it is opposite, but that is important and it is also important to turn the reel so that it is sideways when casting and also using your wrist and not your arm, so it is really just a flick for a normall cast.

Most people suggest setting the magnets on 0 and then first set the drag (not sure why this matters but alot of videos show and say to adjust drag and then the magnets) and then setting the tension knob on the right so that the lure slowly falls, and if the lure falls too fast then you will get over runs every time you cast which is usually the issue for alot of people. I set the magnets on a new reel to 10 and the Citrix has an easy to use outside dial, and then I hit the casting button and let the lure fall so it does not go too fast and create extra line to come off the reel, and then I tighten it a bit so I can geta 10' cast done a few times while breaking in the line and slowly adjusting downward until I can get comfortable.

 

I think your issue may have been if you spooled the line with the spool just laying on the floor and that will cause alot of line to unravel to fast and just be frustrating until the line is broken in....With Braid, just watch out for the line digging in and make sure it goes on the reel properly and tight.

 

Great videos are on this site and casting into the wind, and simply casting light lures is still tough for everyone and I still get backlashes almost every trip but they are usually not bad and just over runs since I keep settings loose although in wind, with 1/8 oz lure, I tighten things up, if I have 3/4 oz on, I can chuck that lure or bait a mile without any brakes and it is easy, so lots of variables, I find that not using your arms like throwing a ball is important and just flicking the rod is key......Hope that helps but type in how to cast a new baitcaster and you will find good 5 minute videos that will help....It is not the reel, I find it one of the easier reels to cast and set...

[tholmes]

Greetings! It sounds to me that you are allowing the line to be wound on the spool without enough tension. After you cast out, try pinching the line lightly between your thumb and forefinger while you take up any slack. Winding the line loosely on the spool will cause loops and other issues resulting in less than ideal casting performance. When you're fishing, the weight and resistance of the lure will keep the line fairly tight as you reel, but practice casting in the yard doesn't provide consistent pull on the line, resulting in the loops you are experiencing.

 

Tom

[Bucketmouth King]

Ok, hang on.... my reel is lefty.

I dont spool from the floor. I slip piece of all thread through the spool with washers and wing nuts on each side to adjust tension, then chuck the extra length of all thread into the bench vice. With the line coming from the top of the spool over the top of mine, I reel it in also keeping tension on the line with my fingers as it feeds through.

[Bucketmouth King]

When practicing in the yard I just use a weedless frog for a weight.

[F14A-B]

Uh, sounds like you may have spooled wrong..

Mono is easier to learn than braid, imo..

It's stiffer line, ( depending on formula )

It's just a guess, but that's my guess.

[Bucketmouth King]

I spooled the braid on the same way and its working out great.

[ABW]

Spool it on tight, and spray it with KVD line and lure and let it sit overnight,

[J Francho]

Uh, sounds like you may have spooled wrong..

 

Ok, hang on.... my reel is lefty.

I dont spool from the floor. I slip piece of all thread through the spool with washers and wing nuts on each side to adjust tension, then chuck the extra length of all thread into the bench vice. With the line coming from the top of the spool over the top of mine, I reel it in also keeping tension on the line with my fingers as it feeds through.

 

Sounds correct to me.  Pretty similar to how I've filled reels for decades.

 

As far as trouble with mono, practice is the answer.

[.ghoti.]

Which bersion of Trilene did you use? If not XL, go get some XL.

[Bucketmouth King]

It was a fresh unopened spool of XL

[EmersonFish]

You're spooling it fine. It doesn't matter if your baitcaster is right or left hand retrieve; you want the line coming off the top of the spool. You probably just need to make sure that your reel is set up right prior to casting so that overruns are less likely to get out of hand (there are probably threads about that here), make sure you are using the proper technique (more threads), and practice. Braid is generally more forgiving than mono when you screw up, which is why they were easier to pick out. Eventually, your thumb will get educated, and backlashes will only happen when something unexpected happens during a cast, but you have to give it time. In the meantime, practice with lures that are heavy enough for you to feel them in your backswing, and throughout the cast. The frog might be a poor practice lure as far as timing your transition from your backswing to your cast, because it's hard to feel the tension on the line unless you are roll casting.

[F14A-B]

Ok, you're second post wasn't up when I answered with .. Sounds like you spooled wrong..

My Apologies.. After that 2nd post, It is right.. The way you are doing , best I can tell... If its XT, it is stiff, similar to Yozuri Hybrid.. Then it's going to take more practice like JF said, a softer line will help also like goti said... Try throwing a 1/2 bell or bank sinker or a old jig it will help you're learning.

Practice & Best wishes..

[Bucketmouth King]

Thank you so much guys!

[hatrix]

Even though everyone disagrees braid is the way to go when learning to use casting gear. It is rough so you naturally will thumb a bit harder and can fell it going by and it can not really be ruined by backlashing. A crazy mono backlash will get loops that stand up and are all over as it wants to spring off the spool and that can be more difficult to pick out for a beginner. I would recommend getting heavier braid as #20 is pretty thing and even #30 would be a stretch for a beginner maybe. Also you can always cut your lure off and pull the backlash out from under and be able to pull it out if your having trouble.

[Preytorien]

Even though everyone disagrees braid is the way to go when learning to use casting gear. It is rough so you naturally will thumb a bit harder and can fell it going by and it can not really be ruined by backlashing. A crazy mono backlash will get loops that stand up and are all over as it wants to spring off the spool and that can be more difficult to pick out for a beginner. I would recommend getting heavier braid as #20 is pretty thing and even #30 would be a stretch for a beginner maybe. Also you can always cut your lure off and pull the backlash out from under and be able to pull it out if your having trouble.

 

^^^ This

 

I started using baitcasters for frogging, where we used 65lb braid, and got the hang of it immediately. Never had a "bad" backlash, just a few small ones. Now and then I'll get an itch in my hitch and want to try mono/flouro/copoly, and it's like I'm back to casting as a novice. Braid just seems better for me. Not to mention I now only really use a casting outfit for frogging or jigging in nasty cover, which needs braid anyways. When you're seating the line (initial spooling, and re-seating after a trip), I do as Aaron Martens said in one of his videos, he puts so much pressure on the line as he's reeling it back onto the spool that you can't even get your fingernail to hardly dig into the line.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The problem you're having with mono vs. braid is the memory/stiffness. As suggested, treat the XL and spool it on tightly. Walk off a cast and a half worth of line (150 feet or so) and put a strip of electrical tape around the spool. This will keep any backlashes from going too deeply. Tie off the end of the line and put a good stretch into it. Wind it back onto the reel. Tie on a casting plug or a 3/4 oz bullet weight. Adjust the reel's spool tension appropriately and practice nice and easy roll casts. Developing a nice fluid casting stroke will make your life much easier. Trying to bomb casts out there is the surest way to make a birds nest. As you get more comfortable try casting other weights to get a feel for the differences. Lastly, don't over look the rod. It needs to load easily with the weight you are casting. Too stiff of a rod and you'll find yourself trying to whip the bait out. 

[primetime]

The only reason I mentioned a Lefty should come from the bottom of the spool and be facing away from the line is because that is how I was trained when I worked for a fishing shop part-time on weekends and I would often spool line for hours at a time on a spooling machine.

 

I was trained for left handed baitcaters to always have the reel facing away from the spool on the seat, and have the line come from the bottom, and some customer's would bring in reels that were lefty and watch my every move to make sure this was done as I always would simply put the reel facing the line and have it come off the top.....

 

Maybe I was trained wrong, and maybe it doesn't really matter, I have never used a lefty, but I also have spooled line by myself with the spool laying on the ground and it works out fine for both my spinning and casting reels and if the line coils, I simply cast a 1 oz jig as far as I can and get the line wet to reduce friction and pull some line out with the drag set light to break the line in....I use line conditioner for fluorocarbon to reduce memory and I can't say that it helps, but I use it since everyone says it is a benefit with UV rays etc, and I found some Ardent Line butter on sale for $3.99 once and grabbed 2 bottles so I figure I just put it on when spooling flurorarbon and even nylone mono....I agreee with everyone above with how to put line on tight and the above post is really good for setting it up and you will get the hang of it quicker than you probably think and just use heavier lures to start and avoid windy areas.

[hatrix]

There is nothing hard about actually casting a baitcaster. If you have fished before and have fairly decent casting technique that's not all uncoordinated or like someone who has never fished and casts from a dead stop right out there there is nothing to it. Assuming someone always fished a spinning reel there first cast would they probably think I don't understand as it goes way of to the side or dive bombs in front of them since the release is different. If there reel has centrifugal brakes or like the or Diawa breaking it will be a breeze. Obviously you shouldn't start out by trying to cast a spinnerbait into the wind or a trickworm with a 3/16 weight. I am 100% a with those brakes can be set to where you never have to even put a thumb on the spool and still cast plenty far. Also with using 0 spool tension since that makes it much less effortless and I don't think is hardly any benefit ever. If you have like a speed spool or another reel with only external mags im all for it and use some tension but if you have dual breaking there is no point. I know everyone loves there tension and seems like people will always set it with any lure as habit or something like its the most important thing you can do. The best thing is to have someone who knows actually there to show you whats up but there is good info on here to get anyone casting in no time or they should.

 

I can't even tell you how many people I have had casting in literally minutes and in like a hour they are bombing lures like nothing. Like everyones wife or girl knows how to cast them now. They would want to fish and all there is would be like 5 casting rods they can use and they only ever used spinning and that's what they want cause they know how. Now they go straight for the casting rods because there "nicer and it feels better" then spinning. They don;t even fish and its maybe a couple time's a year if they do.

[Bucketmouth King]

Im doing pretty well so far with the 20# braid. Its the mono I cant seem to work with. I have no trouble with the exact same line on spinning gear. But apples and oranges I guess.

Ive also been experimenting with different rod action to see what I like best for the bc reel. I do like to feel the lure, but I dont like it to bend the rod in half when im cranking a spinnerbait.

[Jrob78]

3 words....practice