smr_hga Posted February 28, 2016 Posted February 28, 2016 I recently purchased my first baitcasting combo. It is a 6'6" tsunami rod and the reel is a round profile 3.8:1 gear ratio. It is a saltwater combo but i figured i should be able to use it for some bass fishing. The line it was spooled with was too heavy so i replaced it with 15lb mono. The problem is that even with my heaviest lures my casts just flop literally right down in front of me. Obviously my first thought was that it was set wrong. There is a slider on the left side of the rod that when turned down, makes the reel make a weird noise when reeling. So i left it up and the reel sounded normal. I set the star drag accordingly and the tension knob but it made no difference. So in terms of settings my reel seemed fine except for the weird slider that is seemingly useless. Other than that i have no idea what could be wrong. Quote
smr_hga Posted February 28, 2016 Author Posted February 28, 2016 1 hour ago, roadwarrior said: Well then... There was some useful stuff in there but i dont think backlash is my problem. I mean, literally every cast is a complete dud. I dunno what to do. I think I'll just stick to spinning reels since they actually work. :| Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted February 28, 2016 Super User Posted February 28, 2016 Okay, than let's start another way: Put all the brakes off or on zero and loosen you spool tension just barely beyond where the spool starts to wiggle. If you can't get some distance or backlash the reel is no good. Quote
Super User Jrob78 Posted February 28, 2016 Super User Posted February 28, 2016 RW is right. It sounds like your reel might be bad or possibly not a good choice for bass fishing. Loosen up your brakes and cast control, if you still don't get any distance, send it in for service or consider a LP model. Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted February 28, 2016 Super User Posted February 28, 2016 I'm not much into round reels. Nor do I fish saltwater. What few round reels I know of don't have a slider on the side. I suggest posting the reel and model. Quite possibly there will be some familiar with it that can give you advice about using it. If not on this forum, then try a saltwater fishing forum. Please don't let this one experience ruin you for baitcast reels. They work exceptionally well for bass fishing. When I got back into fishing in '09, I decided to try a baitcast reel. Haven't looked back since. Yes I have bought a few more spinning combos as those I already had were cheapos from many, many years ago. However, they very seldom ever get used. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get a decent baitcast combo. A $40 Berkley Lightning and an H2O Mettle on sale would run less than $80. A rod from FFO and a Primmus from manventureoutpost would run about $160 and would give you a very nice combo. I've spent more on reels that I don't like as well. Quote
Super User smalljaw67 Posted February 29, 2016 Super User Posted February 29, 2016 The reel you have is a bait feeder and not intended to cast with, that slider is a drag level and the sound is there so you can hear when a fish takes the bait and runs with it. The further you move the slider, the harder it is for line to come out. Again, that reel is not designed to cast, you simply let line out as it is a trolling type reel, you need a reel designed to cast with. 2 Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted February 29, 2016 Super User Posted February 29, 2016 There's a man that knows his reels! Quote
tholmes Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 22 hours ago, Jrob78 said: RW is right. It sounds like your reel might be bad or possibly not a good choice for bass fishing. Loosen up your brakes and cast control, if you still don't get any distance, send it in for service or consider a LP model. The shape of a reel has NOTHING to do with it's casting ability. Tom Quote
Super User Jrob78 Posted February 29, 2016 Super User Posted February 29, 2016 20 minutes ago, tholmes said: The shape of a reel has NOTHING to do with it's casting ability. Tom I never said that it did. However, not all round reels are suitable for bass fishing and OP clearly doesn't know the difference. Quote
tholmes Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 4 hours ago, Jrob78 said: I never said that it did. However, not all round reels are suitable for bass fishing and OP clearly doesn't know the difference. It's all good. I just took your suggestion that the OP "consider an LP model" to imply that low profile designs inherently cast better than round reels. Sorry if I misunderstood. Tom 1 Quote
0119 Posted February 29, 2016 Posted February 29, 2016 Tsunami is a saltwater brand. The smallest conventional they make, the TSST is a trolling reel that holds 220+ yards of 20#. Tsunami doesnt make anything remotely capable of casting bass sized lures. Maybe their baitrunner spinning reel could do you for shiner fishing. ANyway for you to get that reel to throw any where further than your feet, you are going to have to throw 2 ounce plus! Quote
Super User Jrob78 Posted February 29, 2016 Super User Posted February 29, 2016 54 minutes ago, tholmes said: It's all good. I just took your suggestion that the OP "consider an LP model" to imply that low profile designs inherently cast better than round reels. Sorry if I misunderstood. Tom No problem, I am personally a fan of certain round reels. I just thought a LP might be easier for the OP to get started with, that's all. Quote
Super User soflabasser Posted March 1, 2016 Super User Posted March 1, 2016 On 2/28/2016 at 11:26 AM, LiftedSquare13 said: I recently purchased my first baitcasting combo. It is a 6'6" tsunami rod and the reel is a round profile 3.8:1 gear ratio. It is a saltwater combo but i figured i should be able to use it for some bass fishing. The line it was spooled with was too heavy so i replaced it with 15lb mono. The problem is that even with my heaviest lures my casts just flop literally right down in front of me. Obviously my first thought was that it was set wrong. There is a slider on the left side of the rod that when turned down, makes the reel make a weird noise when reeling. So i left it up and the reel sounded normal. I set the star drag accordingly and the tension knob but it made no difference. So in terms of settings my reel seemed fine except for the weird slider that is seemingly useless. Other than that i have no idea what could be wrong. There's a good chance the baitcaster you bought isn't designed for bass fishing and is designed to be used for saltwater fishing when casting a lure/bait over 2-3 ounces in weight.You should get a baitcaster specifically designed for bass fishing which let's you cast regular sized lures or use spinning reels for bass fishing,which is more than enough for bass(I can cast well with a 4/0 Penn Senator,yet I still prefer using Spinning Reels for bass fishing ). 1 Quote
smr_hga Posted March 3, 2016 Author Posted March 3, 2016 On March 1, 2016 at 8:01 PM, soflabasser said: There's a good chance the baitcaster you bought isn't designed for bass fishing and is designed to be used for saltwater fishing when casting a lure/bait over 2-3 ounces in weight.You should get a baitcaster specifically designed for bass fishing which let's you cast regular sized lures or use spinning reels for bass fishing,which is more than enough for bass(I can cast well with a 4/0 Penn Senator,yet I still prefer using Spinning Reels for bass fishing ). That is the conclusion i've come to. I've spotted a nice abu garcia BASS combo that i should hopefully get soon. 1 Quote
Ratherbefishing75 Posted March 3, 2016 Posted March 3, 2016 Using a baitcaster is like an art formimfound that practice makes perfect after you get it working right go to a feald and work out the bugs Quote
smr_hga Posted March 3, 2016 Author Posted March 3, 2016 Thanks for all the feedback guys. I just picked up that Abu Garcia combo i mentioned and will give it a test run tomorrow. The combo is more suited for the lures and line i use so i should have much better results. Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted March 3, 2016 Super User Posted March 3, 2016 12 minutes ago, LiftedSquare13 said: Thanks for all the feedback guys. I just picked up that Abu Garcia combo i mentioned and will give it a test run tomorrow. The combo is more suited for the lures and line i use so i should have much better results. Good luck. Have a feeling it won't be long before the Bait Monkey will be after you. Quote
smr_hga Posted March 3, 2016 Author Posted March 3, 2016 I justed tested my new combo in my backyard with 15lb mono and a 1/4oz jig. I must say, this is the most impressive reel i've ever seen. I was slinging 50yds with no backlash, birds nests or any other problems. I've found the right settings and can't wait to try it on the water and catch my first fish with a baitcaster 1 Quote
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