I Suck At Casting...

[ThatZX14Fella]

Got the baitcaster out to tinker with it and practice. Figured out how to access the brakes and lost a lot of confidence in my skill when I realized all six brakes were set on. I turned three off and...backlash. Tried to practice with three and it just wouldn't work for me. Backlash after backlash. Decided to go with four until I get enough practice to go back to three. Been using a baitcaster for three years but I've never really tested myself to try to get better and use less brakes. Any tips?

[John G]

Have you ever serviced the bearings in your reel? In your bearing Thread, you mentioned something about never installing bearings before. Your bearings may be shot and that could make casting harder because you need to put more effort into each and every cast than needed.

Go back to the beginning. Tie on a weight that is at or near the upper limit of your rods capabilities and adjust your reel so that you can practice casting without backlashing. As you get better, ease off your brakes and your cast control knob.

[Team9nine]

Practice, practice, practice - about the best advice I can give. Who cares how many brakes you have on or off? Unless you're in some type of competition, or trying to toss really light baits (or pitch small lures really long distances) use what works for you. Every reel is different and will likely require a different brake setting. Sure, very good casters can run with minimal or no brakes - so what?

 

-T9

[Mike L]

"I never really tested myself to try to get better and use less brakes"

With all due respect, that's your problem.

It took me a looong time to get decent, let alone good.

Keep at it, and don't give up.

Re spool with some cheap mono and start with some pitching and gradually move up in distance casting.

Don't try to bomb your first 100 cast's, just try to get 10 yds at a time slowly..Your distance and confidence with improve with time, patience and practice.

Mike

[ThatZX14Fella]

Have you ever serviced the bearings in your reel? In your bearing Thread, you mentioned something about never installing bearings before. Your bearings may be shot and that could make casting harder because you need to put more effort into each and every cast than needed.

Go back to the beginning. Tie on a weight that is at or near the upper limit of your rods capabilities and adjust your reel so that you can practice casting without backlashing. As you get better, ease off your brakes and your cast control knob.

 

I'm sure the reel could use bearings. It's been in use for three years and never even gotten torn down for a cleaning. I can't seem to get the side plate off to clean it so I just put a drop of oil on one of the gears since it has a little piece at the bottom that you can take out to oil it without taking it apart.

[ThatZX14Fella]

I think for the money I'd spend on bearings, I'll just save up for a little better reel. Lol

[Glenn]

Here ya go!

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/cast-adjust-baitcast.html

[ThatZX14Fella]

I believe I've figured out my problem. I usually take my thumb completely off of the spool when I cast and then put it back on to feather the spool. I started practicing with just letting a little bit of pressure off the spool and then using a little more or less pressure as needed throughout the cast. I got down to three brakes and I'm getting loops every now and again, but I'm trying to improve. I'm not sure if I'm getting more or less distance. I'm sure the distance will come with practice.

[Nice_Bass]

I don't think I have "serviced" any reels and some have been used for more than a decade. I may blow off some dust and put some oil on once a year at best.

Anyhow- if you are really having issues, start with a heavy lure and go from there.  With 3 years of use I think your practice stage is about over at this point lol...

Set the brakes and forget about it and just adjust the tension knob.  I have no idea what some of mine are set at other than a couple with no brakes on.

[DogBone_384]

Practice... Practice... Practice... It took me a full season to cast consistently w/o backlashing. As I got better, I backed off my brakes a little at a time.

I'm in my 3rd season and still call bad outings practice sessions.

Once you get the hang of it you'll not want to use spinning gear again.

[rippin-lips]

With 3 years of use I think your practice stage is about over at this point lol...

He's been using it with the brakes on max, and no thumbing of the spool. So he really hasn't learned how to use his thumb to control a cast.

Same thing a friend was doing. He always said about how it would never backlash. I grabbed his combo one day and made a few casts. They seemed short so I opened the sideplate. All 6 brakes were on. I turned 4 off and it was so much better. Mentioned that and told him to try it now. First 6 casts were a backlash. I turned 1 more brake on and he got it down though.

[ibobpeb]

It's hard to tell without seeing what you're doing in person. The video Glenn posted is a great start. For my Lew's Team Pro, I have 2 centrifugal brakes on, the magnetic dial is set to 3, and the spool tension knob is set so that the lure falls very slowly when the thumb bar is activated. <-- That setting works very well for lures from 1/4 oz all the way up to 1 oz. I can cast a mile. 

[DogBone_384]

He's been using it with the brakes on max, and no thumbing of the spool. So he really hasn't learned how to use his thumb to control a cast.

Same thing a friend was doing. He always said about how it would never backlash. I grabbed his combo one day and made a few casts. They seemed short so I opened the sideplate. All 6 brakes were on. I turned 4 off and it was so much better. Mentioned that and told him to try it now. First 6 casts were a backlash. I turned 1 more brake on and he got it down though.

Now I'm practicing back handed casting.... I figure to be learning until I can't cast anymore.

[Jeff H]

I've been at it for 40 yrs and I still backlash every day I fish.  I had a few good ones my first day out this year but most are pretty minor.  I see plenty of Pro's picking at their reels on occasion too.  Just keep at it and you'll see positive results over time.

[ThatZX14Fella]

I've been at it for 40 yrs and I still backlash every day I fish.  I had a few good ones my first day out this year but most are pretty minor.  I see plenty of Pro's picking at their reels on occasion too.  Just keep at it and you'll see positive results over time.

 

I guess it's one of the things that I'm just going to have to relearn. I've been doing it wrong for so long that the wrong technique comes natural. Now I have to start over with the basics and rebuild my casting technique.

[ThatZX14Fella]

May hit the pond tomorrow if it isn't raining. It'll give me some practice and maybe I'll get to catch something while I'm there. I've been wanting to go the past few days, but the last few times I've went I haven't caught anything and it just hasn't felt worth the time to go. Mainly because I have to clear my line and lure of weeds every time I reel in back in.

[Further North]

I'm sure the distance will come with practice.

Accuracy is more important than distance, every time.  Focus on that, distance will come with practice.

 

"Use the Force, Luke."

[ThatZX14Fella]

Accuracy is more important than distance, every time.  Focus on that, distance will come with practice.

 

"Use the Force, Luke."

 

I'm actually pretty accurate. I lost some accuracy since changing my technique, but I'll probably get it back fairly fast.

[Further North]

I'm actually pretty accurate. I lost some accuracy since changing my technique, but I'll probably get it back fairly fast.

You will.  Stay on it.  I practice almost every day in the yard if I can't get out in the boat.

 

Some days I practice pitching, some days fly casting, some days other techniques.

 

I usually "cast around the house" so I have to deal with all wind directions and lots of obstacles.

 

It works pretty well for me.

[ThatZX14Fella]

You will.  Stay on it.  I practice almost every day in the yard if I can't get out in the boat.

 

Some days I practice pitching, some days fly casting, some days other techniques.

 

I usually "cast around the house" so I have to deal with all wind directions and lots of obstacles.

 

It works pretty well for me.

 

Since you brought up pitching I have a question. How do you set your reel up and what technique do you use for flipping and pitching? I've never learned it. I'm a bank fisherman, so pitching usually isn't beneficial, but sometimes I see a spot that seems like it'd be easier to pitch into.

[Further North]

Since you brought up pitching I have a question. How do you set your reel up and what technique do you use for flipping and pitching? I've never learned it. I'm a bank fisherman, so pitching usually isn't beneficial, but sometimes I see a spot that seems like it'd be easier to pitch into.

It's hard to explain, and there's a lot of Youtube videos that'll do a better job...but I'll try.

 

I use a long rod - 7 ft minimum, and my three favorites are 7' 6" and 7' 9".  They are all medium heavy, fast action.

 

I use a fast reel (because the retrieve is really just getting the lure back to you).  I use an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket.

 

I set the spool to where the lure (usually some kind of soft plastic on a jig or a Texas rigged soft plastic) begins to free fall, and I turn off any braking as far as I can.

 

I start with the bait just above the cork on the grip, grab it in my left hand (I'm a righty), hit the button on the reel, point the tip of the rod at where I want to pitch to, and while I let go of the bait and let it swing, lif the rod tip to give it forward momentum.

 

Thumb the spool when the bait hits water, or when it is over your target.  You're gonne get some backlashes...practice will reduce them, but they're never going away.

 

Let the bait hit, and sink to the bottom, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, give it couple of short jerks to imitate a crayfish...reel in and repeat.

 

If you see line movement, set the hook.  Hooksets are free.

 

I typically use a pretty heavy weight - 3/8 oz min, up to an ounce, but usually use 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce.  If you go lighter, you'll need to back off on the rod action, at least until you get good at this.

 

This is an accuracy presentation, not a distance one, so start short and work your way into it.  Go watch some of the videos too, they'll help.

[ThatZX14Fella]

It's hard to explain, and there's a lot of Youtube videos that'll do a better job...but I'll try.

 

I use a long rod - 7 ft minimum, and my three favorites are 7' 6" and 7' 9".  They are all medium heavy, fast action.

 

I use a fast reel (because the retrieve is really just getting the lure back to you).  I use an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket.

 

I set the spool to where the lure (usually some kind of soft plastic on a jig or a Texas rigged soft plastic) begins to free fall, and I turn off any braking as far as I can.

 

I start with the bait just above the cork on the grip, grab it in my left hand (I'm a righty), hit the button on the reel, point the tip of the rod at where I want to pitch to, and while I let go of the bait and let it swing, lif the rod tip to give it forward momentum.

 

Thumb the spool when the bait hits water, or when it is over your target.  You're gonne get some backlashes...practice will reduce them, but they're never going away.

 

Let the bait hit, and sink to the bottom, pause, twitch, pause, twitch, give it couple of short jerks to imitate a crayfish...reel in and repeat.

 

If you see line movement, set the hook.  Hooksets are free.

 

I typically use a pretty heavy weight - 3/8 oz min, up to an ounce, but usually use 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce.  If you go lighter, you'll need to back off on the rod action, at least until you get good at this.

 

This is an accuracy presentation, not a distance one, so start short and work your way into it.  Go watch some of the videos too, they'll help.

 

I've tried looking up videos on it before and they didn't explain much. You explained it much better. Thanks for the help. Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow and I can hit the pond for a good practice session and maybe a few fish!

[hatrix]

You are just casting way to hard. I do the same thing myself and sometimes get a few loops and a occasional minor backlash but so does everyone. Really just this year I have backed my brakes off and for most things it is so much better to I think. All the reels that I use on a regular basis with centrifugal braking are Lews. All of them are either a Tourney or Tourney Pro. I always ran 2 pins on those reels and they cast pretty much anything "within reason" with 0 tension and 0 mags. You don't even have to thumb the spool again till the end usually. Now they are set to only 1 pin and I can cast just as far or farther then I did with 2 pins with just a little flick. `It seems cool to be whipping every cast no matter what the lure like KVD and hearing the reel scream but those brakes push so hard when you do that to try and slow it down. If you have say 4 out of 6 brakes on you can get the same distance and a lot smoother with 2 on by casting half as hard or actually less. 

[ThatZX14Fella]

Got out in the yard for some practice. I done a little casting practice and then decided to set up a bucket to do some pitching. I done better than I expected with the pitching, even though I only made it in the bucket once. I was happy that I even got the lure to go anywhere. The last time I tried pitching the lure only went about three feet. I had the bucket set up about 10 feet away, give or take. Not far, but I'm just trying to get a feel for it for now. Trying to learn the technique and work on accuracy. I got the bright idea to take all the brakes off and do a cast to see how bad I would backlash and I ended up having to cut all the line off the reel and respool. Not going to cast again without brakes until I get enough practice. Lol

[ThatZX14Fella]

Well, I have decided that proper form/technique is one of the most important things that you can practice and try to master in basically anything you do. When I got my form down in motocross, I got faster. When I got my form and technique down in shooting, I got more accurate. I'm working on my technique when casting, and I'm casting further with less brakes. Hopefully before long I'll be able to move down to two brakes.