Baitcasting frustration...

[Eric J]

I picked up the Lews Carbon Fire ll after reading great reviews and being a big fan of the Carbon Fire spinning combos. I have been working on getting this baitcasting thing down for several hours and am outrageously frustrated (yes, my first baitcaster). Looks like I have the drop rate correct as the weight lowers slow and when it hits the ground the spool stops. I have the magnet dial set near max.

 

But every time I cast (practicing in my backyard) I birdnest like a frickin eagle is maing its home in my reel. If I don't keep my eye directly on the reel and slam my thumb down as soon as the backlash starts I've got a bowl of curly ramen noodles to deal with. What the hell am I doing wrong????

 

Eric J

[PersicoTrotaVA]

Set the brake to the middle setting, not max.  tighten the spool knob and slowly back off it until the bait starts to fall slowly.  If you aren't getting enough distance(have to cast hard), loosen it a little more.  If you are getting overspin(backlash) tighten it just a little bit.  Little small adjustments are better than trying to change too much, too fast.  It takes some practice.  You also need to readjust it for every bait.  Make sure your bait weight is correct for the rod as well.  Too light and you will have problems trying to cast it.

[BigAngus752]

I just went through this last year.  It can be a difficult learning curve but stick with it.  Now casting a baitcaster is almost second nature to me.  I don't even have to think about it anymore.  I just fish.  

The pros will chime in here shortly but here's some suggestions from a fellow new guy:

 

1.  What line are you using?  Get some 12-15lb mono or Yo-Zuri hybrid.  Maybe even use some line conditioner.  

19 minutes ago, Eric J said:

If I don't keep my eye directly on the reel and slam my thumb down as soon as the backlash starts

2.  Too late.  Don't watch the reel.  Watch your lure.  Train your brain to thumb just as the lure is landing.  Not before (huge splash) and not after (huge backlash).  But obviously thumbing early is preferable to backlash and somedays the huge splash will catch you some fish.  

 

12 minutes ago, PersicoTrotaVA said:

You also need to readjust it for every bait.  Make sure your bait weight is correct for the rod as well.

3.  He is right.  Don't practice with something that's 1/4 ounce.  Misery will follow.  I readjusted and learned faster by using a 3/4 to one ounce weight making easy casts and gradually increasing in distance and lowering the weight.  Also, practicing pitching and flipping REALLY helped my thumb control.  Honestly I think that was the game changer for me.  The wife and I spent HOURS in the yard pitching and flipping until I could routinely hit a 4in square piece of cardboard from any reasonable distance or direction.  Then suddenly I could hurl a lure 35+ yards with no backlash.  Maybe that was a fluke but I'm convinced the flipping trained my thumb.  

 

Keep it up!  You'll be glad you did!  I was a 100% spinning reel user.  Now I'm 80/20 baitcaster/spinning in just one year.  Totally worth the trouble.  

[burrows]

I know what you’re thinking! That their is something wrong with your reel NO that’s not it! Your reel is perfectly fine it’s gonna take a while to get the hang of it. What your experiencing is normal.

[MrFrost]

I set mine incorrectly on purpose when I was just learning.  I set it a little on the "tight" side so that when I pushed the button, the lure wouldn't even drop unless I kind of gave the rod a little nudge.  Sure, I sacrificed casting distance, but casting ten yards less was well worth the lack of birds nesting and frustration that comes along with it.  Then, once I felt I had a good grasp on muscle memory, and repetition, I eased up on the knob and set the reel correctly and now my casts are consistent, smooth, and actually decent distance wise.  I still get the occasion backlash, but it's a reminder to slow down and be fluid and consistent.  

[Junger]

All good tips, use some cheap thick mono until you get the hang of it, so that if you do get a bad birds nest, it's cheap to respool.

 

I probably went through 2-3 respools when I first started throwing a BC last year, and haven't backlashed at all since.

[BassNJake]

I agree not to start too light.

It is much easier to control something heavier 5/8 - 3/4 than it is with 1/8 or 3/16.

 

I'd also start with shorter casts as the ones that you try to really launch will be the ones that blow up the worst.

 

It's really just about practice and more practice.

[Eric J]

Had a buddy stop by on his way to work and checked things out. My biggest issue is not using my thumb properly and taking my eye off the lure as it hits water. Reel is fine. Pretty funny watching him adjust and literally flip that thing 5 times with serious distance to have him say, "Well, it ain't your equipment."

 

I cast a few times birds nest free until I hit a branch and FRAZZZZZLE... But I have a better understanding.

 

You all are an awesome source of knowledge and support!

 

Eric J

[NYWayfarer]

1 hour ago, Eric J said:

If I don't keep my eye directly on the reel and slam my thumb down as soon as the backlash starts I've got a bowl of curly ramen noodles to deal with. What the hell am I doing wrong????

You are looking in the wrong place. Watch your lure not your spool. When the lure hits the water that's when you stop the spool with your thumb.

 

If a backlash is happening before the lure hits the water the spool tension and brakes are not set correctly for the weight of your lure.

[Eric J]

2 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

You are looking in the wrong place. Watch your lure not your spool. When the lure hits the water that's when you stop the spool with your thumb.

 

If a backlash is happening before the lure hits the water the spool tension and brakes are not set correctly for the weight of your lure.

My biggest miss was watching the reel and not placing the thumb. With all the videos I watched nobody actually mentioned using the thumb to stop the reel. Except one I found a few minutes ago. It may be somewhat intuitive but being a lifelong Spinner, and pretty accurate with them, baitcasters are somewhat counter intuitive for me.

 

 

[NYWayfarer]

8 minutes ago, Eric J said:

My biggest miss was watching the reel and not placing the thumb. With all the videos I watched nobody actually mentioned using the thumb to stop the reel. Except one I found a few minutes ago. It may be somewhat intuitive but being a lifelong Spinner, and pretty accurate with them, baitcasters are somewhat counter intuitive for me.

 

 

I get it. I had the same issues. Like @BigAngus752 said stick with it and soon enough it will be second nature to you.

 

I love it so much I would use a baitcaster all the time if I didn't do a lot of multi-species and finesse fishing where a spinning reel shines.

[MickD]

One thing that will help at the beginning is to use a spoon or practice plug, then a fairly heavy crank, then go to other stuff like spinnerbaits that catch the wind.  Even then, best not to try to cast the windcatcher lures like spinnerbaits up wind until you get very proficient.  

 

Mentioned above and very important are these three tips:  1. use a rod that loads properly for your lure weight.  If it doesn't generate a good generous bend while casting, the rod is too stiff or too fast for optimum casting. 2. Start with shorter distance/lower power/slower casts and work from there.  Even with slower casts , your rod should load (bend) significantly in the cast, just not as much as with a full distance attempt.  3.  Don't try to go too light in the beginning.  Use your spinning equipment for now.  I'd say 5/8 - 3/4 once is a good place to start.

 

Work on the fundamentals and be patient.  Don't use flouro-too expensive and fragile, mono or hybrid as recommended above is the best place to start.

[Cgolf]

For some reason I have found that if I do a powerful snap cast (lots of power but don’t move the rod much) I find that I get more backlashes with lighter lures. If I cast allowing the rod to load and then with a longer move forward I rarely backlash unless I take too much brake off to max out distance. For some reason it seems like loading the rod gets everything in sync. If you ever cast a fly rod you will learn what being out of sync feels like and can do to your distance if you get too fast with your casting motion (super important there to load up the rod before switching directions).

 

Another cast that doesn’t give me any issue is the roll cast or loop cast. Essentially you do a clockwise circle and shoot out a low cast that for some reason produces very little splash, great cast around spooky fish.

[OkobojiEagle]

You will often read (or be told) to fill your spool full to achieve maximum distance... bull-fertilizer, distance shouldn't be your objective when you're learning.  A 3/4 full spool of line is much easier to control.  A side-arm cast with a slightly upward motion is also easier to control.

 

oe

[gilkeybr]

^^^Agree with this about not over-filling the spool.  You'll have a much easier time casting with a spool that isn't full to the brim.  

 

Also, as mentioned line could contribute.  FC will probably be harder to work with than the alternatives...

[Koz]

As mentioned above, one way to stop one type of backlash is to use your thumb to slow and stop the spool before it hits the water. But there's another type of backlash to take into consideration that happens before the lure hitting the water causes an overrun.

 

We know that when the spool is unwinding faster than the lure is moving and the line slacks is when the line starts to birds nest. This can hap[pen when you try to cast too hard and you get too handsy or wristy. With a spinning reel, often it's that snap combined with the powerful arm movement that gets you more distance. That motion is pretty much a no-no with a baitcaster.

 

For me, when I want to cast far with a baitcaster I decrease the brakes a bit and make sure I use a long, smooth casting motion rather than trying to muscle it. At this point, 100% of my overruns and birds nests come from getting too handsy and trying to muscle the lure out there.

 

One more thing - don't be afraid to adjust the brakes slightly along with the tension for different lure types.

 

You'd be surprised how far (with the proper weighted lure) you can cast a baitcaster by adjusting the brakes and being smooth and easy.

 

 

[scaleface]

Its timing . Nice and easy and release earlier . Aim at the sun .

[Fishingmickey]

Another thing to add is avoid casting light weight lures (balsa crank baits) or bulky (high wind resistance) lures like a spinner/buzz baits into the wind.

FM

[12poundbass]

3 hours ago, Eric J said:

cast a few times birds nest free until I hit a branch and FRAZZZZZLE... But I have a better understanding.

 

Wait until you're using a Senko or any stick bait and you cast and watch your worm go flying and hear your hook land 20 feet in front of you, meanwhile your spool is spinning at 5000 rpms and you don't know it until your worm exits the stratosphere and you finally look down. Don't worry it happens to us all. ?

[LCG]

I am still learning but what I have learned is that you need to focus on accuracy, not distance.

 

A nice cast with a good smooth follow through, no whip casting. I started with pitching, then sidearm, then overhead. Slow and smooth to start. Magnetic brakes half way, spool tension a bit tight at first then backing off as you learn.

 

Give it time and you will get it. Dare I say I am starting to prefer it to spinning reels. Baitcasters are meant for accuracy and total control, keep that in mind. Good luck to you. 

[Eric J]

And..... my reel is defective. I only get 7 adjustment points on the brake. I mentioned it to a buddy who uses Lew's but not the Carbon Fire so neither if us was sure if it should have a wider range.

 

He went to dicks to pick up a new combo and checked out the reel I bought... should have 27 points of adjustment.

 

This after returning the speed stick this morning that I bought Saturday for damage and defects.

 

After tomorrow mornings fishing session it's off to Dicks to exchange the reel... {{{sigh}}}

 

Eric J

[tcbass]

Youtube.....

 

 

Youtube videos showed me how to use a baitcaster when I first started out.

[Bassun]

I'm not a baitcaster master, but when I was learning (I come from years and years of spinning gear) a few things made a huge difference, and if I'm teaching someone I have them do the following.
--Practice heavy.  Learn with 3/4 or 1 ounce. Yard work is key.  If you can get elevated a little, it will be easier.

--Adjust the drop as you did, but don't be locked in to it being perfect.  You will quickly feel like you need to loosen it.  That's a good sign.  Start your first pitches too tight.

--Pitch, pitch, pitch, and pitch some more.  Pitching will get you more and more comfortable with the reel and spool and start locking down the muscle memory.  Once you get comfortable start loosing the spool more and more...you will quickly feel the difference and how you have to respond with your thumb.  This will not be 1:1 with casting, but you will see just how much further you can pitch and the impact of the brakes overall.

--If you get a little back lash, pull it out (or cast it with a soft sidearm lob out if its just loose) then practice pitching again.  Don't just keep pitching through it.

 

Once you are comfortable with it, then you can begin working on casting.

 

Oh, and from experience --- a good reel DOES make a difference.  lol

[SloppyJ]

I don't know if it's proper form or not but I've been fishing a baitcaster since I was a little bit. I learned way back in the day. When I cast I always pick the the rod tip up from the initial launch angle and raise it and the reel up to pick up extra slack in the line. I was never taught to do this technique that's just something that I do. It probably transferred over from pitching jigs but it seems to help. Like previously stated, watch your lure and stop the spool with your thumb the second before it hits the water. 

 

While your braking settings might be messed up on that reel, that isn't the reason you're backlashing. You just need more practice. Some people make a long cast, strip out 20' or so of line, and then put a tape backing down on their spool to help with damage control on backlashes. I've never done this but i've been thinking about doing it since I'm trying to teach myself how to skip with a baitcaster. Picking out birdsnests keeps you honest though. 

[Koz]

2 hours ago, Eric J said:

After tomorrow mornings fishing session it's off to Dicks to exchange the reel... {{{sigh}}}

 

Eric J

 

My first baitcaster was a Lew's American Hero. Not only was it inexpensive, but it was a great one to learn on. I recently upgraded to a Lew's Mach II SLP. It took a little bit of work for me to get it dialed in where I like it and moving from a 6'6" to a 7' rod was an adjustment as well. But now I really, really like it.