Has anyone attempted to fish with all breaks off?

[Outdoors]

Is that even possible with something like a buzzbait?

[fishnkamp]

With today's modern reels I do not know why you would want to.  I can see running low magnetic braking but why put up with the possibility of terrible backlashes, just to hypothetically gain a couple of feet. You better have a REALLY good thumb.  I never buy cheap baitcasters, so the reels I do buy help me achieve long casts without running on the edge of disaster.

[jbrew73]

i rarely use the magnetic brakes unless its windy and i'm throwing crankbaits but on some of my reels with the internal centrifugal brakes i will occasionally turn on 1-2 brakes for centain applications. . i usually just set my spool tension just tight enough so the the spool doesn't overrun when i drop the lure to the floor/water..    

 

as long as my lure is matched to the proper rod i feel brakes are not needed in most circumstances.

[RichF]

I've done it with a 6xd on my Curado E5.  Takes too much concentration haha.

[faygo1979]

when i fished a quantum smoke I would fish it in free mode once in awhile if i was fishing somewhere and just needed a little more distance.  The problem is if you are not carefull you will overrun it soo bad that you have to cut the line out.

[Darren.]

Have I ... yes.

 

Did I regret it?  Uh, yes.

 

Would I do it again? No.

[new2BC4bass]

Not when fishing, but have accidentally done it with new-2-me reels a couple times when practicing.  Not pretty.  The only reels I have done it on purpose with...and with good results...are the Diawa reels with MagForce 3D braking.  My thumb will never be as good as 90% of the people on here.

[Outdoors]

9 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

With today's modern reels I do not know why you would want to.  I can see running low magnetic braking but why put up with the possibility of terrible backlashes, just to hypothetically gain a couple of feet. You better have a REALLY good thumb.  I never buy cheap baitcasters, so the reels I do buy help me achieve long casts without running on the edge of disaster.

Would you say there's really any idea weight of a lure to remove all breaks? I've heard most guys used two on and two off, but I was wondering if there's any good reason to remove all.

7 hours ago, jbrew73 said:

i rarely use the magnetic brakes unless its windy and i'm throwing crankbaits but on some of my reels with the internal centrifugal brakes i will occasionally turn on 1-2 brakes for centain applications. . i usually just set my spool tension just tight enough so the the spool doesn't overrun when i drop the lure to the floor/water..    

 

as long as my lure is matched to the proper rod i feel brakes are not needed in most circumstances.

Wouldn't you have to limit your casting to slow casts?

[RoLo]

 

Even a thumb with a college education, cannot compete with today's braking systems.

[Jar11591]

One reel I own, I CAN NOT backlash if I wanted to. I've tried to get an overrun with this reel, just to see if I could, and failed. For that reason, I keep my brakes set at 0, and I can just about spool myself on any cast. 

[fishnkamp]

First lets look at the different types of braking. Most reels have either centrifugal or magnetic and some reels use a combo of each. A Shimano uses primarily the centrifugal brakes. Diawa used primarily magnetics.  

You seem to be asking about the Shimano style brakes ie two on two off.  I used a lot of those reels in the past. I really dislike opening up a reel on the deck of a boat in rough water.   Many believe the magnetic only reels won't cast as far. Not true!  Diawa has combined an externally adjustable magnetic system that also incorporates an automatic centrifugal component, the moving drum on the spool. So now when you first start a cast the drum is further away, out of the influence of the magnets, but as the spool speeds up it moves into the magnets thus controlling the possibility of an over run, as the cast drops off the speed of the spool slows down and the drum automatically moves back and minimizes the influence of the magnets allowing for the longest cast possible.  I get good long casts and have little trouble with backlashes.  It works well for me.

 

[dam0007]

If I'm pitching to targets less than 1/2oz bait and it's pretty calm wind wise, then yes all the time. Any real casting I personally haven't. 

[Outdoors]

3 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

First lets look at the different types of braking. Most reels have either centrifugal or magnetic and some reels use a combo of each. A Shimano uses primarily the centrifugal brakes. Diawa used primarily magnetics.  

You seem to be asking about the Shimano style brakes ie two on two off.  I used a lot of those reels in the past. I really dislike opening up a reel on the deck of a boat in rough water.   Many believe the magnetic only reels won't cast as far. Not true!  Diawa has combined an externally adjustable magnetic system that also incorporates an automatic centrifugal component, the moving drum on the spool. So now when you first start a cast the drum is further away, out of the influence of the magnets, but as the spool speeds up it moves into the magnets thus controlling the possibility of an over run, as the cast drops off the speed of the spool slows down and the drum automatically moves back and minimizes the influence of the magnets allowing for the longest cast possible.  I get good long casts and have little trouble with backlashes.  It works well for me.

 

Yeah, I currently own a Shimano Curado 70. I haven't dared to turn all the brakes of yet... If you're familiar with the Curado's system, generally how careful must you be when operating a buzzbait with all the brakes off?

3 hours ago, dam0007 said:

If I'm pitching to targets less than 1/2oz bait and it's pretty calm wind wise, then yes all the time. Any real casting I personally haven't. 

Is that on a Curado's system?

[J Francho]

My set up for skipping is zero brakes, and heavy spool tension.  And a trained thumb.

[rippin-lips]

3 hours ago, Darren. said:

Have I ... yes.

 

Did I regret it?  Uh, yes.

 

Would I do it again? No.

We share the same thoughts. 

[blckshirt98]

I made a few casts with no brakes and quickly realized it wasn't worth it to me.  One moment of lack of thumb concentration and you're stuck wasting time messing with a backlash.  An extra few feet of casting distance isn't worth the trade-off for me.

[Outdoors]

3 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

I made a few casts with no brakes and quickly realized it wasn't worth it to me.  One moment of lack of thumb concentration and you're stuck wasting time messing with a backlash.  An extra few feet of casting distance isn't worth the trade-off for me.

How much distance did you get between two brakes off compared to all off?

[Gundog]

Your looking for the holy grail kid. Maximum distance with no possibility of a backlash just doesn't exist. Human error is always the variable. Just one bad cast, one second when your focus isn't 100% and...BAM....you're cutting 100 yds of good mono off your spool and that's if you're lucky to be using mono. Just learn how to use the breaks and spool tension knob, learn how to make smooth casts, and train your thumb to hit the spool when the bait hits the water and you'll be fine. Don't go down rabbit holes, it gets you nowhere.

[blckshirt98]

3 minutes ago, Outdoors said:

How much distance did you get between two brakes off compared to all off?

Honestly I didn't measure it, I'm a shore guy so I was just eyeballing it.  My skill level with no-brake casting isn't premium, so two backlashes were enough to not pursue it any longer.

[fishnkamp]

The big reel manufacturers spend tons of time to build a braking system that works really well.  I use them instead of wasting say $30 dollars worth of high quality braid or fluoro.  As for your Curado it has its fans. I sold off all of my Curado B & E series and Chronarchs 200 E7s.  I like the Diawa system better. My casting style and these reels match up great. I get my longest casting distance without issues from my Tatula Type Rs and Tatula CTs.

[Outdoors]

By the way, any recommendations from the Curado guys on number dial levels for lure weight?

[bigturtle]

I use Daiwa reels, and even when I set my breaks to 0/20, its not truely 0 like shimano reels. There will always be a bit of magnetic break no matter how low I set the dial due to the nature of the system. I have fished at 0 a few times when casting 1/8oz minnows using 8lb braid, and I honestly don't see any casting distance over 2-3 breaks.

[J Francho]

Generally, for Daiwa Mag-Z/X brakes a setting of zero put the magnets in phase cancelling position, and they have no effect on the induction coil, and no braking effect whatsoever.

[TheRodFather]

31 minutes ago, Outdoors said:

By the way, any recommendations from the Curado guys on number dial levels for lure weight?

 

There is just to many variables to try to set things up the way you are inferring.  The friction of the line in the guides, amount of line on the spool, etc etc, all contribute to the amount of drawing force the lure has on the spool.   Just go out and cast with it a bunch, you will get the feel for things.

 

I recommend starting like everyone recommends and that is tightening spool tension until the lure drops slow and doesn't overrun when it hits the ground.  This will be the "safe zone".

 

Start with 2 shoes and brake dial high, 5 or 6, I forget which is highest.

 

Make casts, and start backing down the spool tension and the dial. Keep casting, and keep an eye on the spool during the cast, after changing a setting.  If you see the line puff up on the spool at the beginning of the cast then adjust the brakes tighter, or don't whip the rod as hard.  If the line puffs up towards the end of the cast, adjust spool tension tighter.

 

If you are as low as you can go on the dial, then your next step is go to one shoe and max out dial and continue downward.

 

After a bit, you will do this on the fly, and instead of trying to set up the reel for a different bait that you just tied on, you might just release the spool and make sure spool tension is in the ballpark, and you will make a cast and make adjustments on the fly as you are fishing, after a few casts you have your settings dialed and you can feel free to swing away.  

 

That's how I do it anyway. 

 

My .02

[lonnie g]

packing tooth pics with you GOOD. using them for picking out backlash  NO FUN!