Baitcasting Setups For Beginners?

[Josh Smith]

Zalloridian,

 

My brother-in-law is getting back into fishing after years away.  When we were teenagers (I married his sister) he eschewed baitcasters because he thought they were an old-style reel only.  Chances are my affinity for round Abu Garcia reels contributed to that view.

 

He mentioned that he'd like a baitcasting setup.  I supertuned an Abu Garcia Silver Max and put it on a 6'6" MH/F Lightning Rod and spooled it with 50lb braid.

 

He's yet to to try it out as he had neck surgery and is recovering, but we have some water time planned.

 

Why I chose these:

 

1.  The Silver Max is a decent reel.  It's not the best by any means, but it does do what needs done.  It has magnetic brakes.  When I was learning, I learned on an Ambassadeur 5000.  It has centrifugal brakes and I had to learn a lot of thumb technique in a hurry.  This isn't a bad thing unless that one reel is all you have.  I had a Zebco 33 to fall back on while I practiced in the yard.

 

Centrifugal brakes work more at the beginning of the cast while magnetic help keep end-of-cast overruns from happening, and moderate the spool while it's at speed.  I have a few magnetic-brake baitcasters I've tuned to the point that I can cast them 30 yards and they won't overrun without thumb.  Most are Quantum 1310s of various trim grades.

 

The Abu Garcia Silver Max required very little thumb when I got done with it.

 

2.  The Lightning Rod is a couple years old but not used a lot.  I tried it out and while I liked it, I had different tastes (and still do).  Mostly I like "carbine length" rods, though I do keep a 7' Daiwa in my arsenal.

 

The Lighting Rod is light enough to be sensitive, heavy duty enough to handle most lures, and is just an all-around decent rod.  It won't compete with custom rods, but I'd prefer it to a several high-dollar rods I've handled.  (I prefer the Berkely Cherry Wood rod for a bunch of things, too, so that may not be saying a whole lot.  It's a good jig and worm rod, I think!)

 

Altogether, I believe a combo like this would run you around $100; maybe a bit less depending on what deals you can find.  I see Black Max 2 reels (very similar to the Silver Max) on eBay all the time for $25 to $50.  These are new, not used, and I see them in stores for $40 to $60.

 

I really think that rod/reel combo would do you nicely.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[new2BC4bass]

Spool tension is going to be consistent throughout a cast...right?  On the other hand, if I understand what I've been reading since getting back into fishing a few years ago, brakes work at different spool speeds and different parts of the cast depending on which type of braking is on the reel.

 

I personally feel distance is hurt less by keeping spool tension to a minimum and adding extra brakes than if done the other way....regardless of braking type.  I've got reels with at least 5 different types of brakes.  And, yes, I know accuracy is more important than distance,  but I find that having both is often beneficial.....even when in a boat.

 

I don't know how to put this, but saying casting without brakes isn't rocket science is kind of demeaning and in my opinion misses the point entirely.  Touch the spool with your thumb and it slows down.  Touch it hard enough and you stop the spool.  Not rocket science, but the knowing and the doing are 2 different animals and has absolutely nothing to do with how smart a person is.  Not everyone has the same abilities.....and to reiterate.... intelligence has very little to do with it.

 

Also it is a known fact the young can learn faster and easier than us old farts.  At 16 I could play a song a few times and have it memorized.  Today I practice a song all week, and still won't have it memorized.     I probably could have learned to cast without brakes at 11, but not now.

 

I admit you shouldn't learn to cast with too much spool tension applied.  I did.  Sent some reels for cleaning after my first year of using b/c reels.  Guy said he couldn't cast a 1/4 oz. lure with my reels because the spool tension was too high.  Told me to only use enough to remove side-to-side play, and to fill the spool for best distance and IPT.  I set my reels that way the following year and basically had to learn to cast all over again.  However, brakes were...and are...my friends. 

 

 

[hatrix]

What I was saying Adam is your talking about using reels with no brakes. Therefor you will be using tension to control your casts. I personally will take brakes over constant tension any day and keep tension to a minimum at all times. Like I said it is usually 0 and only set enough to remove and play in my spool. Tension is always constant and will limit the distance of your cast or make you cast harder to achieve the same distance. That's just for me personaly. What works for one person might not work for another. All you can do is offer your point of view and hope it is helpful. Everyone is friends here.

[AdamsEye]

I am not looking to insult people, or fight. I came to the forum to grow. I apologize if I did, was not my intention.

 

You basically suffer from 3 types of backlash.

 

1. Beginning of the cast because the spool is spinning faster then the bait is taking the line.

 

2. middle of a cast, this is most normally caused by wind, but a messy spool or light lure can play a part. It again is caused by more line coming off the spool then needed.

 

3. At the end of a cast, because either the brakes or your thumb did not stop the reel and line kept coming with no where to go.

 

Most of the time 1 is cause by snagging something in mid cast, or just trying to cast to hard. That rod and reel are only going to throw that bait so far, to much power and it will have a negative effect. 2 is where brakes come in the most useful in general. Wind can slow you bait and create a overrun, but when you add brakes you add resistance to the spool that is aggressive enough to soften the change in momentum. Now is when it is worth loosing the casting distance. 3 is just basically caused by not paying attention or having no thumb on the spool at the end of your cast.

 

Besides the wind factor, every other factor that creates an environment that creates a backlash can be easily fixed with better casting mechanics. Some thing that most fisherman who use spinning gear only don't really have understanding of due to the forgiving nature of the spinning reel. That is also why I insist you start with smooth gentle casts, so you can learn how to cast properly right away. This is not an area where you want to learn bad habits if you can avoid it.

 

I am not trying to compare teaching a new user to the setting of anyone's reels, or the results. I am only trying to point out that you do not need to learn on brakes, nor do you need to use them all the time. Learning my way can be a great way to point out what your biggest weakness is, and might even show you things you could have over looked about yourself. 

 

It does not matter to me how you fish, what matters to me is that you enjoy fishing and continue to do it. The last thing I wish to do is discourage anyone, or break the spirit anyone might have!

 

Again I apologize, and hope everyone had a great weekend, and tight lines!

[bassh8er]

Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier is a great bang for your buck and is good for both novice and experienced fisherman.

[blckshirt98]

I would agree with what AdamsEye has said.  If taught properly you should be able to learn how to use a baitcaster in a day, just be sure to use the proper form/technique and not try to set personal best casting records while you're just starting to use a baitcaster.  Be sure to adjust the tension knob if you're switching out lures of different weights on the same rod/reel setup, and adjust the brakes/pins either as you get more comfortable with using the reel or if you're casting in wind.  You may want to stick with one brand/model of reel so you don't have to adjust between mag/pin/dual brakes.  Remember even the pros get backlashes.

[Kylems11]

Im also still pretty new to baitcasters. I have found it easier to cast with a reel that has both cent&mag brakes. My reel has 4 cent brakes and so far i keep them all on and the fine tune dial about halfway and adjust the spool tension knob whenever i switch baits. I have also found it alot easier to cast with braided line. Definitely also want to make sure you use a good technique and to make sure you are releasing at the perfect time. For me i have found that having a good technique and good timeing on your release is the biggest key to a good long accurate cast. Evan if all your brakes are tuned perfectly for your particular lure but you dont have good timeing down on your release your lure isnt going anywhere. Youll end up casting a line drive landing 6 ft in front of you with a birds nest. Good luck.