New to casting, suggestions?

[Landis Carrier]

I'm sure this has been discussed before but....I'm a spinning rod guy but I want to get my first casting set up. I realize learning how to cast a bait caster takes time and practice practice practice however is there a reel that may make the learning curve a little shorter? My ideal first set up would be a frog rod/reel.  

[new2BC4bass]

A Daiwa with the MagForce 3D braking has to be one of the easiest to keep from backlashing.  Lot of people don't care for their looks.  No idea if they would make a good frog reel.  I use mine on MH rods.

 

Another reel that has been extremely good for me has been the Pinnacle Primmus Xi HS.  Set cast control, 3 brakes on and haven't touched it since.  Also gives some pretty good distance.

[CTBassin860]

Grab a BPS Pro Qualifier at the spring sale.They will be dirt cheap(about 50$) from what I hear to make room for the PQ2.Throw it on a 7'3" MH Veritas 2.0 and you have a capable frog and light pitching/flipping rod for about 130 bucks.

[mwh33]

BPS Pro Qualifier is a good start. That was my first baitcaster. Daiwa Tatula is a grear reel for the price point as well.

 

How much are you looking to spend?

[Angry John]

As always i recommend finding a daiwa advantage 153 htsa or htsl.  This was the reel i learned on and had great reviews from TT.  I still use mine for frogging its a battle ship.  The cast control is easy and works well and the handles are ready for the bearing upgrade.  The only minus is its a little heavy.

[flyingmonkie]

Considering a frog is about the easiest thing on the planet to cast, you should catch on pretty quick.

 

What's your budget?  Lots of options.

[Bluebasser86]

Any baitcaster is easy to cast provided it's set properly and casting a reasonable amount of weight, which a frog would qualify in that category. 

[Landis Carrier]

I don't mind spending cash for a decent product, plus I know I'll have it for a long time. 

 

Thanks for for the input!!! 

[Angry John]

If your looking for a little bit nicer reel and money is not tight I would also recommend an original zillion.  They are tough as they come and would also make an excellent frogging reel.

[basss]

Once you pick a reel, set all the brakes it has on then start backing them off one click at a time until you get the best performance and longest cast.  Also, make sure your thumb is lightly on the spool till you get the hang of it.  Like you stated originally, practice practice practice.

[Angry John]

For me the most critical setting when learning from nothing was setting the spool tension to stop as soon as a bait touched the ground.  This will hinder your casts a lot and your distance will suck but I spent days in my front yard practicing before I ever hit the water.  This will prevent a lot of blow-ups in the beginning and make the learning curve a lot less painful.  The second most important thing is to realize that the settings for pitching is almost wide open and will not be good if you cast when new with all the brakes and tension turned down.

[Landis Carrier]

SO much to learn!!!

 

[new2BC4bass]

4 minutes ago, Landis Carrier said:

SO much to learn!!!

 

 

But it is worth it.  So much fun.  I fished with spinning until I was 61 years old.  Now I hardly ever use spinning although I have better spinning gear than I ever did before.

[mwh33]

I use a shimano exsence dc for my frog reel. It's pricey, but an awesome reel. My frog rod is a dobyns champion 735.

 

The ideal frog reel should be a high gear ratio reel with a good drag. You want a heavy rod to muscle the bass out of the slop, unless you are fishing the frog in open water. Then you can get away with a lighter power rod.

[mllrtm79]

1 hour ago, Landis Carrier said:

SO much to learn!!!

 

 

I'm about 3 months into learning to use a baitcaster... It is difficult to keep up with what I've learned when I only get out about once every three weeks or so this winter. 

 

I ran across a fella that was selling his lower end combos cheap, so I got 5 baitcaster rod/reels and one spinning setup for $100. It's been a blessing to have several different reels to use, (one is even rh) to get to know what I do and don't like etc. before spending a lot of money. If you were closer I'd say swing down and you can have a vendetta and a black max to try out. 

 

My first day on the water with a baitcaster was "fun", but I at least was in open water bombing 5/8 and 3/4 oz lipless cranks for stripers, so I have worked on finesse since then. 

[the reel ess]

I have 2 Lew's Tournament MB reels that I've never backlashed. I've been using at least one for more than a year. It's my frog rod. The new one is my cranking combo. I liked it so much I bought another. They're about $129 new. You get what you pay for in BC reels.

 

If you want a rod to do double duty get a MH/fast rod of about 7' length. If it's strictly frogs, Heavy/Fast. My frog rod is a Cabela's Tournament ZX Frog model. I also use it for jigs. The thing about a Hvy/Fast rod is it's a little harder to load up for long casts with lighter lures.

 

The cool thing about frogs is most are heavy so you'll be able to set your reel a little tighter and still be able to get good distance out of it. I have the 7.5:1 retrieve reels and use 50 lb braid on the frog rod and 15 lb mono on the other for cranks and Rat L Traps.

 

Practice in the yard or a field with a heavy weight, then back down the weight as you get better.

[the reel ess]

I might add re: rods... If you're going to be mostly fishing the frog, which is a sight bait, you could go cheaper on the rod. You can get good-casting rods for maybe $40. I say that amount because I've been using 2 Berkley Lightning Rods for a long time for techniques that don't require a lot of sensitivity. I use them for cranks, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. They've been very durable and are still sensitive enough to do in a pinch for a T rig but I have other rods for those.

 

So if you're going to go cheaper on one component for a frog combo it should be the rod. Just my humble opinion. Not to say you should go buy a $9 WalMart Durango rod for your $100+ BC reel.

[RoLo]

Believe me, today's casting reels are 'nothing' like the bait casters of yore.

One hour with a Shimano Metanium, and you'll be an accomplished bait caster  

 

Roger

[Landis Carrier]

1 hour ago, RoLo said:

Believe me, today's casting reels are 'nothing' like the bait casters of yore.

One hour with a Shimano Metanium, and you'll be an accomplished bait caster  

 

Roger

For $400 bucks it should come with a 1-hr lesson! 

[RoweBoatRVA]

4 hours ago, mllrtm79 said:

I ran across a fella that was selling his lower end combos cheap, so I got 5 baitcaster rod/reels and one spinning setup for $100. It's been a blessing to have several different reels to use, (one is even rh) to get to know what I do and don't like etc. before spending a lot of money. If you were closer I'd say swing down and you can have a vendetta and a black max to try out. 

 

This is the route to take if you are learning to use a baitcasting reel. Get your hands on a quality rod and reel for a cheap price because you are learning. Learn on something you won't be worried about breaking. The same goes with the initial line you put on. Go the cheap route to get the hang of it and when its time to get a more expensive reel you will know what YOU are looking for in a rod and reel.

[Jrob78]

Don't psych yourself out.  Like Bluebasser said, start with decent equipment, get the brakes set right, (which won't be hard with a frog) and let her rip.  Concentrate on making a smooth motion and it will be easy.  

[Sittin there reelin em in]

For a great starter rod and reel combo, I suggest a Abu Garcia Black Max, very easy to handle and will last a long time or at least for me.

[Landis Carrier]

Lots of great advice here!! Thanks! Much appreciated 

[fishnkamp]

I never suggest buying "beginner gear"  If you like using it you still end up replacing it and upgrading. In today's economy a Diawa Exceler can be purchased for $69. That reel sold for $99 just several months ago. It is a great entry level but quality reel. If you can afford $150 then your options are endless. The $75 to $150 range is the most competitive price range and includes some really good reels. My favorite is the Tatula family. Take a very good at the Tatula, Tatula Type Rs,Tatula CTs and CT type Rs. For frogs a tatula CT in 7 or 8 to 1 reels. Online a CT or a Tatula can be had for around $100.  A rod like a Dobyns Fury 735C is a great frog rod for around $110.  That rod will be nice for flippng and pitching jigs as well.  A combo like that will make it pretty easy to learn on. $400 reels are terrific but not really needed, "cheap" gear is just going to hurt your learning curve.  Good Luck and enjoy

[Bass Turd]

Buy your favorite brand of casting reel used on the big auction site. 1) You will get a better reel for less money. 2) If you don't like it you can sell it for what you paid for it... assuming you do some research and pay an average price. 3) You don't have to worry about that first scratch...