First Time Bait Caster/General Questions

[TedderX]

I bought my first bait caster.  I fish from the bank, never intend to buy a boat.  I fish for spotted bass and largemouth bass.  Occasionally I'll catch a catfish. 

I've fished all my life using open face reels and underspin reels.  That being said, I didn't do it often.  Maybe a couple times a year but not often.  Now I'm getting heavier into it.  I think I got the basics of the baitcaster, just need to practice more to get better at it.  I found using floating lures helped me practice a lot and thus made my first time more enjoyable.  I was able to leave it floating while I worked out my backlashing, then still able to fish it on the way back in.  I also found it was better to use heavier lures as it was easier to cast, giving it more time in the air, allowing my reaction time to catch up and learn to feather the spool better.

What's the real difference between a round baitcaster and a low-profile baitcaster?

Do people use weights/sinkers with their lures?

I also want to learn more about lures.  Particularly how to play different ones properly and what colors to use.  Also, the lakes I fish are pretty laden with debris on the bottom.  I OFTEN snag trees and rocks on the bottom (maybe that's another reason I enjoyed floating lures).  How do I get "middle of the water" lures?  I know you can reel the line faster, in order to keep the lure off the bottom.  But then, I feel like I'm losing the actual play of the lure; also it means my lure is in the water less often.

Does anyone find value with spoon lures?

Thanks for any help!

 

[kcdinkerz]

Welcome to the forums! Tough I can't answer all your questions ill try one or two. Weights are used commonly in with lures especially soft plastics as they tend to be to light for most baitcasters to handle alone. Your most common rig is the Texas rig which involves a bullet weight in front of the hook.

A couple great lures for fishing mid depth are spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and lipless crankbaits. If you feel like your lure isn't hitting the depth you want or your having to burn it back so it doesn't snagg you can use a heavier or lighter lure.

General rule of thumb for choosing colors. In clear water you want something natural that mimics bait fish. In dirty water your brighter/darker colors show up better. Hope that helps you a little bit.

[papajoe222]

Welcome. 

If there is good cover (rocks, wood) on the bottom, that is a good place to fish. An easy answer to the lure question is crankbaits. Different ones run at different depths. Check the package when purchasing. You'll want one that will bump the bottom cover. When you feel it bump something, pause your retrieve. The lure will float up over the cover, or a fish will hit it.

Shorten up on your casting distance and you'll likely eliminate a good majority of backlashes. Distance will come with experience. 

[TedderX]

Thanks fellas.  I went fishing for the second time today.  I'm getting a better hang of the baitcaster; I only had one bird's nest.  I can even cast it one-handed now.  All-be-it less of a cast and more of a side/lob-it.  Lol.  It makes more of an "arch" movement and I'm able to handle it better. 

I also used my "genuine" chatter bait for the first time today.  I was very impressed with how much movement it really makes.  Reel it in too fast and the whole rod goes to shaking!  When I bought it, it came with an extra rubber piece.  Is it supposed to go on the hook or is that just a "bonus" lure?  It seems to me that the skirt provides enough color and movement; I could be wrong though as I don't know exactly how they work.  It looks like this except the color is white and bright yellow:

When I bought my Abu Garcia Revo SX (RVO3SX-L) the other week I was pretty impressed with it.  So yesterday I went and bought an Abu Garcia Cardinal SX(CARDSX10).  I fished with it a little bit today and although I enjoy the reel, I've got a question about it.  When I reel very slowly, I get a chattering noise from it.  I took the handle and spool off, and it still made the noise so I'm assuming it's something in the mechanics of it, maybe some bearings.  Is it supposed to make that noise or did I get a bad reel off the assembly line? 

My only problem now is why there are no fish in my lake.  Lol!

Thanks again everyone!