Mgx Xtreme Birds Nest..help!

[Jc Lee]

So i have a  regular mgx and been using that for a while now. Great reel, no birds nest. Decided to get the xtreme, i cant seem to avoid birdsnest unless it's perfectly tuned and thrown the right way! I'm using the same line. The only real difference between the Mgx and the xtreme is the xtreme spool is ported for weight and the bearings are higher quality. I free spooled both reels and the xtreme continues to spin for 14 seconds longer than the mgx.

 

The only way to avoid birds nest is to set brakes on high and my spool tension knob is turned up quite a ways to the point where the lure has a hard time dropping slowly on its own.

 

I've also noticed i have to be really careful in how i cast. It has to be a light cast and really controlled to avoid birds nest. Also, it's important to note that roll casting almost always causes birds nests. Overhead casts avoids most backlashes

 

Help? suggestions?

[deaknh03]

Set it to avoid backlashes then ease it off as you fish..might take a couple trips or all season to get where you want, you kinda have to relearn casting.

[poisonokie]

Just turn your brakes and spool tension both up higher than you're used to, higher than you think could possibly be necessary. You might be surprised how well it casts even then. After that s-l-o-w-l-y back them off. That lighter spool has to be tamed a little better.

[new2BC4bass]

First let me welcome you to the forum. 

 

 

I've no experience with either of your reels, so can't offer an opinion as to what the problem might be.  This much I can say.

 

Faster spools require either more braking or better thumb control or a combination of both.  You don't mention what weights you are casting.  Lighter lures require more precise casting strokes plus a good thumb plus the correct braking.  If I am using something around 5/16 oz. and up, then spool speed doesn't seem to affect my casting.  Get down around 3/16 oz. and I better be paying close attention to every aspect of the cast no matter what the weight of the spool might be.

 

Like deaknh03 said, it may simply be spending enough time with the reel to master how it likes to be used.  People post all the time about how easy it is to cast light lures with a 50 size Shimano, yet I do better with Daiwas.  I may be in the same boat as you.  Just need to concentrate on using the Shimanos more.

[bootytrain]

What weights are you throwing? The lighter spool doesn't equate to the backlashes. Also make sure the brake race isn't too heavily oiled. Clean it off the apply a drop or 2 of the oil then spread it around with a qtip.

[Jc Lee]

I'm using 15lb mono with swim bait with 3/16 oz weighted hook

[bootytrain]

I'm using 15lb mono with swim bait with 3/16 oz weighted hook

Sounds a little light for that line.. Is it loading up on the rod?

[F14A-B]

Sounds a little light for that line.. Is it loading up on the rod?

That was my question, it could be the rod here..what action is your rod?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The lighter spool starts up easier. Just back off the umph a little bit. A nice easy roll cast will get better results than horsing it.

[new2BC4bass]

The lighter spool starts up easier. Just back off the umph a little bit. A nice easy roll cast will get better results than horsing it.

 

True.  Also the rod question is a good one.  What rod is the Xtreme on?  Have you tried the Xtreme on the rod the MGX is on?  3/16 oz. weighted hook plus plastic should be enough weight for most MH rods unless their low limit is 3/8 oz. instead of 1/4 oz.  Also some rods are under-rated.  Trying to cast when the rod tip isn't loading is an exercise in frustration.

 

Now we know the line and the lure weights the rod model would be a good thing to know.  I have a MHF rod rated for 3/8 to 1-1/4 oz. that will barely cast a 1/2 oz. lure fishing distances.  It isn't due to the reel, but to the rod.

[Jc Lee]

True.  Also the rod question is a good one.  What rod is the Xtreme on?  Have you tried the Xtreme on the rod the MGX is on?  3/16 oz. weighted hook plus plastic should be enough weight for most MH rods unless their low limit is 3/8 oz. instead of 1/4 oz.  Also some rods are under-rated.  Trying to cast when the rod tip isn't loading is an exercise in frustration.

 

Now we know the line and the lure weights the rod model would be a good thing to know.  I have a MHF rod rated for 3/8 to 1-1/4 oz. that will barely cast a 1/2 oz. lure fishing distances.  It isn't due to the reel, but to the rod.

It's a Abu Garcia fantasista regista MH fast action. Rated at 1/4-1 oz. line rated at 10-17lb test. I have used the mgx with this rod quite a bit with no problems. Everything stayed the same (line, lure, rod) except the reel.

Mgx is pretty flawless. Brakes stay all the way down. Tension knob is set where lure falls at medium to fast pace.

Might just have to sell Xtreme and get another mgx.

[bootytrain]

It's a Abu Garcia fantasista regista MH fast action. Rated at 1/4-1 oz. line rated at 10-17lb test. I have used the mgx with this rod quite a bit with no problems. Everything stayed the same (line, lure, rod) except the reel.

Mgx is pretty flawless. Brakes stay all the way down. Tension knob is set where lure falls at medium to fast pace.

Might just have to sell Xtreme and get another mgx.

Try to clean and lightly re oil the brake race before you sell it. Just remember that too much oil will cause backlashes

[WRB]

You have a thumb, use it.

The reel can only do so much, you need to train your thumb to have a very light touch to keep the line smoothly coming off the spool. Fast action rods, you need to slow the motion down a bit, do the whip cast.

Practice, practice, practice and the backlash problem will dissipate.

The higher you tune a reel, the finer the adjustment become.

Tom

[Senko lover]

Nicer reels in general will do most of the work for you; don't try to cast hard, just do a lighter cast and you'll zing that bait out there......

[jtesch]

I have a couple of MGX's that I upgraded bearings and cleaned and re-lubed with a high quality oil. the MGX is a "fast" reel out of the box and changing bearings and lube made it a lot faster. I had issues with how fast the spool started up at first, I found that if the lure lost momentum during the cast the spool wouldn't slow down and cause a backlash in the middle of the cast. if I casted really hard with a heavier lure it wasn't a problem but a lighter cast where the lure lost momentum would backlash. dialing up the cast control cured that. im sure the MGXtreme is even faster. if your getting the backlashes in the beginning or middle of the casts it is a spool tension issue. truly I believe the Xtreme is built for pitching and not so much overhand casting

[poisonokie]

It's a Abu Garcia fantasista regista MH fast action. Rated at 1/4-1 oz. line rated at 10-17lb test. I have used the mgx with this rod quite a bit with no problems. Everything stayed the same (line, lure, rod) except the reel.

Mgx is pretty flawless. Brakes stay all the way down. Tension knob is set where lure falls at medium to fast pace.

Might just have to sell Xtreme and get another mgx.

 

Well, there's your problem right there. Your spool tension is too low for a fast spool and light baits. Turn it up until the lure falls slowly and stops halfway to the ground. After that you can turn it back down a fraction of a degree at a time until just prior to the point when the line wants to fly off the spool.

[new2BC4bass]

I have a couple of MGX's that I upgraded bearings and cleaned and re-lubed with a high quality oil. the MGX is a "fast" reel out of the box and changing bearings and lube made it a lot faster. I had issues with how fast the spool started up at first, I found that if the lure lost momentum during the cast the spool wouldn't slow down and cause a backlash in the middle of the cast. if I casted really hard with a heavier lure it wasn't a problem but a lighter cast where the lure lost momentum would backlash. dialing up the cast control cured that. im sure the MGXtreme is even faster. if your getting the backlashes in the beginning or middle of the casts it is a spool tension issue. truly I believe the Xtreme is built for pitching and not so much overhand casting

 

I had a similar problem with my Alphas ito except I just needed a heavier lure.  Think it was the 3rd b/c reel I bought, and I was a long way from being a decent caster with one.  Little better now, but still got quite a ways to go.  The 1st Sol I bought was backlashing almost every cast with a 3/16 oz spinnerbait.  Got ticked off and started throwing hard like I normally do.  No more backlashes.  This was back when I was starting to learn how to cast lighter baits on a b/c reel.

 

OP, not suggesting you need to throw harder since you obviously are already experienced.  Too bad you don't have a friend using an Xtreme so he could try yours.  Would be nice if you could eliminate the human factor.  Could be you got a touchy reel.  My Zillion 50th is a set and forget reel.  My standard Zillion requires a bit more adjusting for conditions.

[hatrix]

Did you like just put fresh line on the reel and go fishing with it right away? Is there to much line on it. Is it really close to that mark on the spool. Like the maximum amount you can put on. If so take some off that can easily be a problem. It can also be because it's new line and maybe didn't go on entirely correct. Or it is just fresh and hasn't formed to the spool any yet those coils and memory can kinda be good sometimes and it want to stay tight on the dpool and not spring off to a different shape. I know I have had reels act finicky because there was a hair to much line or it was fresh and didn't cast the same as what wa just on there. Once it settles in a bit thogh it's not a problem.

Also if you can I would try switching spools between the two and see what happens. Maybe it will give you a little insight into it.

[poisonokie]

It's a Abu Garcia fantasista regista MH fast action. Rated at 1/4-1 oz. line rated at 10-17lb test. I have used the mgx with this rod quite a bit with no problems. Everything stayed the same (line, lure, rod) except the reel.

Mgx is pretty flawless. Brakes stay all the way down. Tension knob is set where lure falls at medium to fast pace.

Might just have to sell Xtreme and get another mgx.

 

I just reread this an realized you were saying that your standard mgx is good with the brakes and spool tension low. Sorry I misunderstood. I just know that going to a lighter spool with better bearings has caused me problems until I realized that I couldn't leave the settings low like I did before. You still get better distance even though you have to rein it in a bit.

[WRB]

The measure of any cast is distance.

When I got my first bait casting reel, Langley 330 Lure Cast, the spool was very light weight aluminum with holes and held 50 yards of 10 lb braided line. I learned to cast lures until the line hit the knot on the spool...50 yards, the year was 1955. No breaks, just a trained thumb.

Try going to your local high school football field and cast 50 yards with your high tech reel. There is more to casting than relying on breaks.

Tom

[Acerty]

I'm a young'en and noob to this compared to WRB and several others I'm sure, but I'm 100% in agreement with what WRB called on this one (I've noticed he tends to be pretty spot on on many things here) and would have to say your thumb technique is hurting you here. While you can completely lock down the centrifugal and magnetic breaks, I imagine that lightweight spool may very well be too light weight to really be affected and if you have everything turned down like you would normally the spool will free spin too easilly. The guy who I regularly fish with got me started on baitcasters just last year, and for practice he told me to take 15-20 minutes and sit in my room with the tension knob turned up at first, and practice thumb control by letting the bait drop and use my thumb to stop it as it touched ground and not backlash (something I still do, with little tension knob on my new favorite caster  the beast). I highly recommend doing this, and using a heavier weighted clipped jig head if possible before giving up on the xtreme. 

[Jc Lee]

Thanks for all the feed back. I suppose I was spoiled with the mgx and now having the Xtreme really exposed my casting flaws.

I did change my casting form. Mainly using more of a gentle flick and releasing thumb at a higher position. This gave me less back lashes but it still occurred.

Today I turned the brakes all the way down and had the tension knob turned down and decided to use my thumb to control reel. I can see why this will give me more distance and eliminate back lashes. Definitely will need more practice though

[hatrix]

I am fairly decent caster but am always learning. Last year I decided take all the brakes on my reels to basically the bare minimum and force myself to fish like that for control. On a good reel with nice clean bearings it's amazing how far you can cast with the tiniest little flick. I can get the same distance as I did before but with a 10th of the effort. I always fished with no tension on my reels but now I also only use 1 brake pin on. Most people probably cast way to hard and use way to much breaking to compensate for it.