Honesty time: I get a backlash 1 out of every ??? casts.

[BankBassing]

Spent the past couple months learning to cast a baitcaster.  Thanks to recently learning to better adjust my brakes and tension, my number of backlashes has gone down.  Still, I probably get a backlash once every 15 casts if I had to guess.  I'm curious how often it happens to more experienced anglers.  So fess up!  If you had to guess, what is your ratio of backlashes to casts. 

Also, is there something that helped you most to reduce this number?

[J Francho]

Depends.  If it's a new to me reel, I might get some muffing several casts in a row, until I figure it out.  Some reels, never.  Fishing in wind with something like a spinnerbait, I might get some loose coils, and mabe a backlash or two in the trip.  It's part of the game.  Spinning reels are no better.  A day deep drops fishing for smallies with a drop shot or tube, and I'll get some coils flying off from twist.

[Choporoz]

I'd say that it varies pretty greatly.  When wind is right, I've dialed in right, line is right, and lure is right...for the rod I'm using...I can go all day without a backlash.  When its windy and I'm trying to push it using lighter lure than optimal; I forgot to condition the line....it might be a few times a day...some days are just maddening and it is too many....I'd say that the ratio gets worse when I'm distracted...or for some reason, just not in a groove...I can just about guarantee a backlash...or perhaps a tree, when I see a nice bass blow up on the surface towards the outer 2/3 of my casting range...buck fever

[onetime]

J Francho is spot on, once you get them dialed in better, the less it will happen. I'll get a loose coil or two every trip usually casting lighter baits into the wind. I only had to cut out a backlash once in the last couple of years. Check out this video, it works like magic!

 

 

[Ray K]

Agree that wind is the main factor in how many backlashes I get.  If wind isn't a factor, I get zero backlashes in a day of fishing.  If fishing against the wind I may get one every half hour or so.  One way I minimize backlashes when fishing in wind is to re-adjust and check my brakes frequently.  When the wind kicks up, add some more centrifugal or magnetic brake and/or keep light thumb pressure on the spool during the cast.  Takes practice, I know.

[Gundog]

To answer your question, yea I get backlashes. But most of the ones I get nowadays take only a few seconds to pull out. Even the pros get them. If you have ever watched FLW/BASS/UMF/MLF and you see an angler make a cast and pull out some line, pinch the line and crank the reel he got a backlash. Its just that the backlashes they get are small. If you are getting backlashes that run through the majority of the line one suggestion I have is making a long cast, pulling off about 30-40 more feet of line and take a small piece of tape and place it where the line meets the spool. Basically what you are doing is making sure that the backlash doesn't go any further than that piece of tape. Once you learn how to control your baitcaster more you won't need the tape anymore.

[Felix77]

To me there are several aspects to the equation but bottom line is that with experience you will get less and less of them.

1 - Quality line and spooling it on properly.

2 - Properly balancing the rod, reel, line and lure properly.   I tend to err on more tension to begin.

3 - Casting.  The smoother the better.  The most backlashes have come from trying to cast lures a country mile or get too cute and soft with the cast.

As mentioned already wind can suck with certain lures.  In those cases keeping low (sidearm) and smooth helps a lot.

To answer the question specifically I can go days without a backlash now that I have honed in my setups.  For example I went 2 full days of a Kayak tournament without a single backlash this past weekend.  1 baitcaster had a Sexy Dawg, 1 had a light jig and the 3rd had a chatterbait.

Good luck.

 

[scaleface]

I get a lot of  backlashes too some days worse than others . Todays faster reels are great but I have to get use to them and get both the tension knobs and brakes set precisely . I use to fish nothing but Ambassaduer  4600 c's and they were the most backlash proof reels that I have used  . I would show off in front of people who say they cant cast them because of backlashes .Setting the tension knob loosely with play in the spool ,  I would cast a lure as far as I could muster then  set the rod and reel on the ground while the  lure  was still way up in the air , with no backlashes , ever.   

[Bass Turd]

Another thread on this topic on this site helped me a bunch. When does the back lash occur? Beginning? Middle? or End? Beginning= Increase spool tension at knob. Middle= use your thumb very lightly as you feel the backlash starting to happen. End= increase brakes. Experiment from there. I find adding  Shimano centrifugal brakes (VBS or SVS) helps at the beginning also. I do not cast well with magnet based systems so I do not have any. 

[Jar11591]

The only time I get a back lash is if I'm not paying attention when the lure hits the water.  1/1000?

[RHuff]

Just make sure that the brake and magnet is set right. If the spool is set to turn too freely at a faster rate than the bait is moving through the air it will backlash a lot more frequently. Ideally you want the spool to spin at a slower rate than lure is traveling so that the lure actually turns the spool during the cast. This should help cut down on the frequency of the backlashes. 

[Ratherbfishing]

There is a direct correlation between the wind speed and direction, how light the lure is, and how much surface area the lure has as to how many backlashes I get.  But the largest factor USUALLY is how sloppy I am being.  MOST backlashes I experience, however, are pretty minor and if I take the time to fully "undo" them-especially the minor ones (which are less obvious) they will not haunt me later.

["hamma"]

I might get 1 or 2 on a normal full day but thats only when im not really paying attention. Then there are some days im just "off" and I get several.

 It all comes down to adjustments, and experience. After a couple seasons you should have them minimized.

 If your using a old reel, it could just use some DVT servicing (mike does a awesome job) He turned 2 reels "bought in 93" of mine I thought were all done,.. to like new.

[Darren.]

Honestly? Well, for me, I rarely get a backlash.
If I'm trying to skip a low bridge, I might get one
but my thumb is pretty darn quick.

So as far as 1 in n, I really don't know, never counted.

[YakPirate]

i'm new to the baitcaster game and currently using a lew's tourney MB, spooled with 15lb mono, and throwing jigs, cranks and heavier baits in general. Struggling with backlashes in 1/25 casts. Leaving the lake with more cut off line in my pocket than on the spool .. : /

[Torn Thumb]

I've gotten it down to maybe 1/100 to 1/200. They are mostly small now, like a few loops and I use the trick from the above video. I will adjust with each new lure that I tie on, just to be safe. I tend to get over-confident and start thinking I can cast across the lake. That's when things get messy. Years of video games have trained my thumb to be fast so that doesn't tend to be the issue usually.

[Steveo-1969]

Wind is the biggest variable for me too.  There are days I won't backlash at all, and other days when I leave the river with only half the line on my reel that I started with because I had to cut a big one out.  Overall, I'd say if I get a bad one it's because I wasn't paying attention or get cocky and try to cast harder than necessary.

The reel I use most often has magnetic brakes only. When the wind is giving me fits I turn the magnetic brakes up until I can cast without worrying about backlashing, sacrificing some (mostly unnecessary) casting distance.

[new2BC4bass]

49 minutes ago, YakPirate said:

i'm new to the baitcaster game and currently using a lew's tourney MB, spooled with 15lb mono, and throwing jigs, cranks and heavier baits in general. Struggling with backlashes in 1/25 casts. Leaving the lake with more cut off line in my pocket than on the spool .. : /

You may not have the reel adjusted properly yet.  You shouldn't be backlashing with heavier lures.  Remember "smooth" is paramount with a casting reel.  How new?  How loose is the spool tension?  Where are the centrifugal and magnetic brakes set?

I don't know if I am right, but I make a distinction between over-runs and backlashes.  Over-runs I can just pull the loose coils out.  Backlashes have at least one spot that needs to be picked at before I can remove all the loose coils.

I seldom have over-runs and even less backlashes when standing.  When I visit my brother-in-law, I'll have several over-runs throughout the day and an occasionally backlash.  The reason is I have to restrict my back casts because I am sitting in the front of a 14" dingy, and it takes a couple days to smooth them out.  I seriously doubt he would enjoy a hook anywhere in his body. 

[Glenn]

1 - You're not completely dialed-in yet

2 - Your casting technique needs refinement.

Here are two videos to help with both:

 

 

[hoosierbass07]

After three or four years of playing around with my baitcasters I finally figured out the secret to successful casting - heavy lures/weights!  The heavier the better. 

[bigfruits]

1 out of 15 casts sounds high. what reel, rod and bait are you using?

[JustJames]

It is still happen from time to time especially when changing from heavy lure to light lure or when changing reel. 

Last week I went out fish for a while changing lures a few time getting a small backlash very often until my friend said something must be wrong. I checked and you know what, the line wrap around my rod at the bottom guide. I dont know how that happen but after I fixed that no more backlash.

[YakPirate]

2 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

You may not have the reel adjusted properly yet.  You shouldn't be backlashing with heavier lures.  Remember "smooth" is paramount with a casting reel.  How new?  How loose is the spool tension?  Where are the centrifugal and magnetic brakes set?

I don't know if I am right, but I make a distinction between over-runs and backlashes.  Over-runs I can just pull the loose coils out.  Backlashes have at least one spot that needs to be picked at before I can remove all the loose coils.

I seldom have over-runs and even less backlashes when standing.  When I visit my brother-in-law, I'll have several over-runs throughout the day and an occasionally backlash.  The reason is I have to restrict my back casts because I am sitting in the front of a 14" dingy, and it takes a couple days to smooth them out.  I seriously doubt he would enjoy a hook anywhere in his body. 

you are probably right about the adjusting aspect, i have the centrifugal brake set on 2 of 4 , and generally leave the external brake alone , and just calibrate each different bait with the tension knob .   Yea , i only had the reel for 3 months so i may need a little more trigger time.  you identify "over-runs" vs "back lashes. I may be having more over runs than back lashes because i can generally get them out with no problem. but they are frustrating to say the least , but it hasn't damped my like of the reel. I need some fall action to pickup around here as it has been skunk city lately.   i have been practicing my baitcasting primarily from shore to get the hang of it , normally i'd be in the Yak, but it has not earned my confidence yet to be welcomed on my ship.

[Bankbeater]

I get more back lashes casting than pitching.  I think that is because I forget to look behind me sometime while walking the bank.  Hitting a bush while bringing the rod back can really mess up your line.

[geo g]

If your equipment is working correctly, time on the water will solve a lot of your problems.  You have to readjust for wind conditions.  If its a real windy day I will put the wind to my back and let the wind be my friend.  This really helps if I'm throwing light baits on a windy day.  If I'm fishing from the bank I will always check wind direction before I leave the truck.   I will  find areas where I can keep the wind coming from my back.  This really makes for easy casting and makes for an enjoyable day.  Lots of videos on adjusting a baitcaster.  Also some lines are easier to handle then others.  I would start with Mono until your past the novice level.  Lots of good monos on the market.