Bb1 Help Please

[jtesch]

Hey BB1 users, how do you all set your pins on the breaks??? I just can't seem to get mine dialed in. Will be using it for 1/2oz and up

[rippin-lips]

For the regular bb1 and not the bb1 pro I had 2 whites on.

[chelboed]

Will depend on your rod as much as your bait. If you use a 3/4oz bait on a Medium, Fast-tip rod...it will want to "POP" the bait out there accelerating the spool exponentially like a slingshot whereas a MH rod may be a little less springy and you could use less brake. It will also make a difference whether you cast overhead or side arm and into the wind versus with the wind. If the wind is blowing parallel to the bank and I'm standing on the bank casting parallel as well...then I may be casting with the wind at first, but by the time I make my way back the other direction...I'm eventually casting into the wind. This is why I love the adjustable centrifugal brake so much on the ACB Speed Spools. You can always get max distance out of it with minimal fiddling.

 

Make sure to follow through with your cast and point the tip of your rod at your bait so it's pulling the line from the spool instead of the rod tip. If your bottleneck is your rod tip, the spool will likely over run.

 

 

Don't forget to set the spool tension knob properly. That should be the first setting you make.

 

Supposedly, you are supposed to hold the rod out and let the bait fall to the ground. When it hits the ground, the spool should only spin one full rotation afterward. I however don't set mine up this way. Mine have audible clicks, so I set it up slightly looser. I have the spool tension just tight enough so the bait won't fall. I then begin to loosen it. When the bait begins to move...I loosen it 3-more clicks. That's my spool tension. Then I combat my early over run with centrifugal and my late over run from the bait slowing down with my magnetic if I'm using one of my dual control reels like the Team or Tourney Pro.

[iabass8]

I have my spool tension set /w just a hair of side to side play and 1 white brake on. My least favorite reel

[hatrix]

That sound like a lot of work you go through. I have never thought all that necessary for me. My reels are set and never change no matter what I tie on. If anything I will turn brakes off and go to like 1 pin. If it is a really bad casting lure there is a rare chance I might use a tiny bit of tension but it is not even a full click.

[chelboed]

It doesn't take as long as it sounds. Probably 2-3 seconds to set the spool tension properly...but if you leave the reel set up the same for a 1/8oz bait as you do a 1/2 oz bait, or a 1/4oz bait the same as a 3/4oz bait...you will likely not be getting the full potential from your reel.

 

 

Last year, I had a Standard Speed Spool that has a magnetic only cast control. I ran the spool with the slightest lateral play most of the season instead of setting it up as the MFGR instructed because I felt that I was "good enough" not to need the cast control knob because I've been using baitcasting equipment since the late 80's / early 90's, but what I found was that I was running my mag much higher than necessary combating the over run. When I set it up with a little spool tension as the MFGR suggests, I was running less mag, more accurate, and getting more distance.

 

That said...mag is very different than centrifugal. Centrifugal is beginning to middle cast control, and mag is middle to end cast control. So running your spool with slight lateral play will be less of an issue with the centrifugal...though I still run some spool tension. Not quite as much as MFGR suggests though.

 

Sometimes my spool tension will be as one member stated above...very slight lateral play. (light lure) But it's real quick and easy to do for sure.

 

 

Obvioiusly this is what works for me and not necessarily you, so just experiement with what wisdom everyone gives you and find out what works for you. The BB-1 is a killer casting reel when used for non-finesse applications.

[hatrix]

I agree and each have there own method. I don't cast 1/8 lures with a casting rod. Not a true 1/8 anyways. As for the weight 1/4 1/2 3/4 if my reel can cast 1/4 like a champ it can cast all the other weights even better and adding breaking is not going to help. Granted there are 1/4 oz baits that cast better the some type of say 5/8 because of profile but you get it. I might have mags set at like 1 and go up to maybe 2.5 it's in casting some good wind. Most reels will cast crazy far with very minimal braking and just the easiest of flick of the wrist.

[boostr]

Set the tension to where the bait drops with no over run when it hits the ground, Then I would start with 2 whites on and the 2 blues on, and then try it with one blue on and two whites on.

[bassr95]

Almost no spool tension and 2-4 brake blocks (usually 2). Depending on your experience with a baitcaster you might want to add a bit of spool tension until you get used to the reel. I have 2 BB1s and a BB2, and I love them. I rarely have to adjust the brakes when switching lures. One thing I have noticed with the reels is that the spool tension adjustment can a bit finicky, as a small adjustment makes a big difference.

[CRANKENSTIEN]

Is there a difference between the blue and white pins??

I have 2 blues set and I don't need much tension. I jhavent had my bb1 long. But I love the way it performs so far

[Capt.Bob]

The blue are manual brakes and are more aggressive, the white brakes are automatic, they are spring assisted to retract the brake pin quicker as it slows, giving the same breaking at full spool speed  but shutting off quicker as the spool slows. I never throw under 3/8 with my BB1 but I only have one white (automatic) brake turned on, bothe blue and 3 white off. Saying that no two casters are the same, when I was young I put more heat behind my cast and may well have needed 2 white, or maybe both blue brakes, probably more than I do today.

 

I would say if your having trouble controlling the first part of your cast more white would be your best option, but if your having more trouble at the middle or end then I would use the blue. Good Luck!!   

[Tywithay]

I have the inshore model. I use one brake on with zero mag. Haven't had any issues.

[tbone1993]

Love my bb1 pro but it is very temperamental. Either I have it dialed in perfectly or it backs up on me. I dont know what the issue with the reel is. 

[WPCfishing]

Love my bb1 pro but it is very temperamental. Either I have it dialed in perfectly or it backs up on me. I dont know what the issue with the reel is. 

 

 

Do you have any other bait casters? How long have you been using a bait caster?

[Nice_Bass]

i have no brakes set on mine as well.  Works great. 

Started with one each set and did not really need.