Baitcaster for plastic worms????

[JimSparks]

Ok. How in THE heck do you baitcast with texas rigged plastic worms? Oh my word...I tried it. I've tried it before. I want to get away from my Zebco Spincasts. Every. Single. Cast. Backlash! Please oh please throw me some suggestions on how to do this. I don't want to admit defeat so quickly but I had about 5 casts/backlashes before my hook/worm flew off. That's a totally different issue. Don't tie on when you're in a hurry

[Leftymuk]

Setup.......all about setup.....I use a baitcaster for everything but finesse

[CroakHunter]

Glenn made a video on YouTube about this recently. Watch it and try his tips. I use 30lb braid and a medium power 7' rod for throwing weightless senkos. But have stepped up to 50lb and a medium heavy if I am fishing in a lake where I can potentially hook a giant. 

[frosty]

What kind of rod are you casting on? I can cast weightless senkos on a medium heavy rod with no issues. It doesn't get half way across the lake, but it's a decent cast. 

[Jon G]

 

[N Florida Mike]

Theres more to it than this ,but what helped me the most was positioning myself where I could cast with the wind over and over until I got it.

It must be set up right with the brake etc and the pins inside the reel.Watch Glenns video , he explains it .

 

 

[fishnkamp]

Lets look at your setup first

What rod do you have, brand and model?

What reel are you using, brand and model

How heavy is the worm weight and what brand and type of worm.

 

Now here is why I asked. Cheap baitcasters are MUCH harder to adjust for a good cast. So the rel may be part of your problem, or it could be you might be trying to throw  bait that is too light for the rod.

I usually suggest looking at your rod. It will say what weight bait it will handle. If you want to learn the easiest way to learning how to cast try using a bait that weighs near the middle of the rods range. If that rod says it will cast baits that weigh between 1/4 to 3/4 then I would practice with a bait like a 1/2 ounce jig and a typical plastic trailer, like a Strike King Rage craw, or a Bass Pro version-it will save you some money. I also like the Jaw Bone jigs Dicks Sporting Goods because they only cost $2.99.

I hate to ruin a high dollar jig just for practice purposes.

Once you learn to cast well then you can use a lighter bait.

 

I forgot to ask what line you are using?  That can make a difference.  One more thing is the knot that attached  the line to the spool. If that is slipping on the arbor of the spool it too can be a problem.

[Catt]

Setup your reel properly & educate your thumb

[Leftymuk]

SETUP.........did I hear SETUP

[jr231]

Once the spool tension and brake system is set correctly, it all comes down to the rod. MH will do the job. 

 

I use 40LB and lately have been using a floro leader . 8LB  for weightless plastics. 

[WRB]

With spin cast or spinning reels you don't need to be concerned with backlashes, baitcasting reels you do. It's not the T-rig you are having a problem with, it's learning to cast with a bait casting rod and reel.

What brand of reel, rod and line, including # test do you have? What weight size are you trying to cast?

Tom

[JimSparks]

So you're saying it might be my setup? ? let's see

7 ft Abu Garcia Vigilante MH 

Abu Garcia Black Max

P-line Fluoroclear 10 lb test 

1/4 oz lead bullet weight

2/0 eagle claw offset hook

Berkley powerbait 7in worm. In motor oil color.

[frosty]

6 hours ago, JimSparks said:

So you're saying it might be my setup? ? let's see

7 ft Abu Garcia Vigilante MH 

Abu Garcia Black Max

P-line Fluoroclear 10 lb test 

1/4 oz lead bullet weight

2/0 eagle claw offset hook

Berkley powerbait 7in worm. In motor oil color.

You should be able to cast that fine. How about your technique? If I get in a hurry I tend to whip the lure and I'll get a backlash towards the middle of the cast. You could possibly be putting to much muscle into your cast. 

[Catt]

What I see many of my students do is they "whip" the rod or try to cast with arm strength.

 

Let the rod do the casting...it's better at it than you are!

[Mike L]

I use baitcaters for everything, with 2 exceptions all spooled with Flouro.

Your equipment is fine, I agree with Catt and Frosty you need to adjust the reel for the weight of what you're throwing and concentrate on your casting. 

 

Don't try any over the shoulder bomb casts until you're more comfortable and know how your setup works with what plastic you want to throw, in all the weight ranges you'll throw it in. 

 

The rod does the work, let it. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[spencer12]

I use a baitcaster for all texas rigged worms all the way down to a 1/8 oz weight. (Any lighter and I use a spinning reel)  It took a long time to be able to throw a 1/8 oz texas rigged worm with confidence on a baitcaster. First get comfortable casting with the heaviest weight you can get away with.  In my opinion a 3/16 is a good in between weight.  I see too many people using a weight that is way to heavy. 

 

After you've found the reel, have your weights, you need the CORRECT rod.  This in my opinion is one of the most important factors.  I use a MH/XF, but a good middle ground is a MH/F.  If your rod is too stiff your not going to be able to cast correctly, same for to flimsy.  Start short.  Don't be discouraged if you can only cast 20 yards to begin with.  Keep your baitcaster as tight as possible until you feel you have it mastered. 

 

Once you become confident, loosen up the dials.  Do not try  to cast "hard" but let your rod and reel and the weight of the worm cast together.  A properly set up reel does not have to be violently whipped forward to get distance. I had that problem when I first started.

[bigfruits]

tighten down your reel until it cannot backlash. slowly loosen up to get distance.

[evilcatfish]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

What I see many of my students do is they "whip" the rod or try to cast with arm strength.

 

Let the rod do the casting...it's better at it than you are!

Truth. Plus whipping the rod is harder on your body, I know from experience. Pulled muscles and shoulder pain are no fun 

As others said, learn how to adjust your reel and use the right rod. Also, when starting out, throw baits on the heavier end of your rods rating, it's much easier in my opinion. 

[JimSparks]

That makes sense. I was for sure whipping it out there. I'll give that a shot. I feel comfortable casting all my other stuff with a baitcaster. Not an expert by any means, but not a backlash yet this season. It's just the plastics. I watched half of the video. I'll catch the other half today. Definitely will work on my setup and then technique. I want to get a new reel once I get it down. Something with at least 7:1 gear ratio. I am looking at the Abu Garcia Pro Max. I'm thinking decent bang for the buck? I can find them for about $50. 

[Mike L]

It's just a basic reel. 

Nothing fancy about it inside or out. 

It's a good reel to learn on them as you get better and your confidence level increases you can move up, which will help you even more to fine tune it 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Catt]

If y'all really wanna learn how to cast here's ole school way that still works today.

 

Put a 1/4 oz bullet weight , 2/0 hook, & any cheap 6" worm. 

 

Adjust your tension knob until your t-rigs hits the floor with zero loose line.

 

Roll up a newspaper till it's about 2 1/2" in diameter, place it under your arm pit. This will force you to keep your elbow tucked by your side & keep you from casting to hard.

 

I guarantee if you practice daily for at least an hour you will master casting!

[fishnkamp]

It seems that rod is a Wal Mart only rod (house version) so I could not get any specs on it. I know you said it is a 7 foot MH but what weight lures does it rate for?  Is it a 1/4 to 3/4 or what. Like I mentioned earlier try practice casting with a 1/2 ounce jig and a craw trailer. It might be you are trying to learn while casting too light a lure on it. Someone with experience may be able to make it work but the heavier bait id better for a novice caster. Do you live anywhere near MD I would be happy to meet up and help you learn. I am sure there are other members on here that would help if they are closer.  It is amazing to see how easy it is to learn from someone that does it regularly.  

[Raul]

22 hours ago, JimSparks said:

So you're saying it might be my setup? ? let's see

7 ft Abu Garcia Vigilante MH 

Abu Garcia Black Max

P-line Fluoroclear 10 lb test 

1/4 oz lead bullet weight

2/0 eagle claw offset hook

Berkley powerbait 7in worm. In motor oil color.

 

Ok, so it's not your setup, it's you.

[scaleface]

The release point is different with a baitcaster than a Zebco . Its earlier . 

[BrackishBassin]

On 7/8/2017 at 0:47 AM, JimSparks said:

So you're saying it might be my setup? ? let's see

7 ft Abu Garcia Vigilante MH 

Abu Garcia Black Max

P-line Fluoroclear 10 lb test 

1/4 oz lead bullet weight

2/0 eagle claw offset hook

Berkley powerbait 7in worm. In motor oil color.

 

I have that same combo, and I had issues with it as well. I switched the mono I had on it to braid and that made it way easier to cast. The second rod/reel I bought was definitely a step up (med *** with a Tatula CT), and I found it to be much easier to cast with it. I only use the Black Max combo for really 'heavy' stuff now (minimum of 1/2 an ounce) and occasionally throwing a frog. Just not worth the headache. Plus, the CT is a joy to fish, and I seem to prefer the med rod to the med heavy for some reason. I know the standard rod for bass is a med heavy, but I haven't needed anything that stout for the waters I fish.