First outing with baitcaster

[RPreeb]

Finally got an evening with light enough wind to run down to the town pond and try out my first baitcaster, Diawa Tatula CT100XS.  It wasn't as difficult as I had convinced myself that it might be.  Set it a little bit tight at first, but backed off on the tension knob and the magnet after a few casts.  I was probably a bit more heavy with my thumb than I needed to be, but I didn't want to spent the whole time messing around with backlashes. 

 

I started out throwing a light BPS popper (the one in the upper right in this photo) with no problem.  I got one small backlash, not even enough to call a bird's nest, and it was just a lousy cast on my part.  I pretty much knew my herky-jerky fling was in trouble the moment I released the spool.  It only took a minute to pick out the tangle and be back fishing.

 

Biggest issue for me was accuracy, or lack thereof.  I wasn't even close to my target most of the time.  Gonna have to practice a lot more.

 

I landed 3 largemouth and lost one when the drag was too loose and by the time I got it cranked tighter, the fish gave one flip and was gone.  Too bad, because that felt like the biggest one of the evening.  They were all what you guys call dinks, but then I didn't expect much more in a 1½ acre pond.  The first one I thought was just a weed, about 4".  Then a 7" and a 10".  Got a few more hits that missed getting hooked.  Switched to my spinning rod for a bit with a Senko, never even got a nibble.  Went back to the baitcaster about as the sun set, tied on a Scatter Rap 05 and that was what I lost the biggest fish on.  Pond has a lot of weeds, so I had to pick my spots and keep the rod tip high to force that lure to stay shallow.

 

[Ktho]

Nice job man! Casting light lures with larger surface area is probably the toughest stuff to cast with baitcasters. With some practice you'll have your accuracy and be slaying it in no time.

[jonkevin]

Nice job!  Accuracy will come in time once you get more confident in casting.  Check out Glenn's video on how to cast a baitcaster for some tips that helped me learn.  Biggest thing for me was learning to cast in a fluid motion compared to a fast whipping motion when using a spinning reel.