Got a new nice baitcaster. I hate it.

[Joshua van Wyk]

10 hours ago, Tackett1980 said:

I’m not trying to sound like I am blaming the reel.  I know I just suck at it and I honestly don’t see the point.  It seems like more work than it’s worth.  Really the purpose of the thread was more to imply the question of “why am I doing this?”

 

I catch fish on spinning gear, I’ve caught some monsters on spinning gear.  It seems like I’m opening myself up to a bunch of headache I don’t really need, so my question is really, what’s there to gain by doing this to myself?  Is this worth spending the next “x” amount of outings ticking with my equipment instead of catching fish?

 

answers to questions:

Reel: kastking royale elite (8.1)

rod:  st croix MF 7’

line:  trilene xt 12lb mono.

lure:  practicing with a lunker hunter poppin frog 

 

Sorry it took so long to respond I didn’t expect replies this soon. 

 

 

I learned on a Kast king too. It's a tricky to reel to get used to  but it's great to learn with.

[NYWayfarer]

20 minutes ago, Joshua van Wyk said:

I learned on a Kast king too. It's a tricky to reel to get used to  but it's great to learn with.

While I didn't learn on a Kastking, a Kastking reel (The Stealth) is what made me really start using them consistently. I found the Kastking reels easy to dial in the dual brakes and prevent backlash enough to where I was able to educate my thumb.

 

The Royal Legend Elite only has magnetic brakes. I prefer the dual brakes on most of their other baitcasters (Stealth, Assassin, Spartacus, Royal Legend/Whitemax)

 

My advice is avoid light lures when trying to learn baitcasters. Try a topwater lure like a Whopper Plopper. The heavier lure will allow you to set the brakes at near max and still get a decent cast without backlash. Once you have casted a few times without issue you can click the magnetic brakes down one notch. Repeat until you have dialed the brakes to get maximum casting distance without issue.

 

Also no need to "gorilla" your cast. Wrists and rod do the work in the cast.

 

Good luck and stick with it!

[new2BC4bass]

8 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Lets start this with a simple question. Where are you located?  We have members all over the place and many would be happy to give you some personal assistance. If you live anywhere near MD, DC, VA, DE or PA we could meet. I can cast and correctly set your rig up, then help you learn how to properly work with it. I can also bring one or two of my personal setups with some of my Daiwa reels so you can see what another rod and reel play like.  If you are not in my area, then I am sure another member would happily meet you at some school's grassy field or some pond for some one on one training.  That also helps to determine if the problem is a defective reel, improperly installed line (slipping on the spool), just poor casting techniques or some other issue.  I noticed your personal info says you are a newer member, so welcome to our playground.  As for your situation it helps to fill in your profile so members close to you know they can personally help. Another good reason is many of our members end up sharing fishing trips with other members. I personally have shared my boat with at least a dozen anglers from several websites I belong to.

As fishnkamp (a good guy ) said, many of us are willing to meet up with you for some one on one.  It helps to know the area of the country you live in.  I could supply an example of each of the reels I mentioned in my post for you to try.  Plus a lot more.  Heck, I could even bring a few different rods for you to try if you wished.

 

I have no idea why someone mentioned that a Fast action wasn't good to learn on.  A combo I haven't backlashed yet is an older Trion with 17# mono on a 6'10" HF.  It was a backlashing machine when loaded with light braid on a MF rod.  Some reels do better in different lure weight ranges.  For me this reel does much better with a heavier weight.  Of course a lot of that is due to my lack of skill. 

[Choporoz]

1.  Tighten the spool tensioner

2.  Tighten the brakes

3.  Loosen the drag

4.  Put the combo in a corner

5.  Use your spinning gear

[ratherbfishin1]

I would really try throwing something other than a frog at first.  Maybe a weighted T-rig.  Frogs can be weird sometimes on a baitcaster when you are just starting.

[EGbassing]

10 hours ago, Junger said:

Walk out 75-80 yards of line, then tape the spool so that the line won't come out any farther than that.

I agree with that, but 75 - 80 yards sounds like way too much for just starting out. I never hit close to 80 yards and I've used a BC for years. I would tape it down at about 90 feet.

Also, I definitely wouldn't use a frog to start out. A jig or a bullet weight would be a lot easier to cast. Trust me, I still have problems casting frogs.

[Darren.]

Since it will take time to master the art of baitcasting, you have to

ask yourself if you want to spend the time necessary to do so. I did

and had a lot of success with BCs. But over time I simply felt that

spinning was more useful to me in more situations.

 

Sold off some of my casting gear and only have one BC reel with 2

rods that I use these days. The majority of the time I use spinning only.

 

As others have said, use what you feel comfortable with.

[onenutinthewater]

Stick with it and try another reel- My first bc was a revo stx and i never did figure that thing out and finally sold it. Being frustrated I read everything I could get my hands on and after reading the TT reviews on the Daiwa Tatula I decided to give it a try.

 

 Bingo -it all became crystal clear and got so easy that i now have 20+ bc reels and enjoy them for most situations. Kinda wish i still had that reel because in the back of my mind i always wonder if it was me or the reel...........

[new2BC4bass]

32 minutes ago, onenutinthewater said:

Stick with it and try another reel- My first bc was a revo stx and i never did figure that thing out and finally sold it. Being frustrated I read everything I could get my hands on and after reading the TT reviews on the Daiwa Tatula I decided to give it a try.

 

 Bingo -it all became crystal clear and got so easy that i now have 20+ bc reels and enjoy them for most situations. Kinda wish i still had that reel because in the back of my mind i always wonder if it was me or the reel...........

I have a Gen1 STX.  Have made some of my longest casts with it.  Very good reels.  I've read that the Gen2 reels were even better partly due to their dual braking.  Gen1 is magnetic only.  I switched to baitcast reels when I got back into fishing in '09.  I have a few more than that. 

[greentrout]

Take it back...get your money back...be happy...fish with spinning...the sun will rise tomorrow...

 

A man's got to know his limitations...

 

Dirty Harry Callahan

[TBAG]

Very good advice in this thread, but like others have said it takes practice off the water. If you're not willing to do that then yeah, send it back and stick to what you know. You don't have to use a BC to catch fish, but it sure makes it easier IMO.

[JustJames]

Would you guy stop blaming the reel, doesn't matter WHICH REEL if the guy don't know how to set the reel correctly (brake/spool tension) and don't know how to thumb or delay the spin of spool (stop the puffing), the disaster wait to happen. 

 

[Choporoz]

BR misses @SirSnookalot

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

BR misses @SirSnookalot

I know I do. 

[Boomstick]

When I started getting back into fishing last year, I went out and bought spinning rods for myself and my youngest son. My oldest son was brave enough to try the baitcaster. We both spent time trying to learn it, and for the first few weeks, had a very difficult time. At this time, I probably could say that I hated it, but we remained optimistic because we know that people do learn how to use them and kept trying.

 

Fast forward about a month or so, I finally figured out how to use the baitcaster and now for anything besides finesse baits, I couldn't see myself using anything else! I can cast more quickly and accurately and I just love fishing with the baitcaster! I immediately went out and bought one for myself at that point.

 

Fast forward about another month or so, and I started being able to cast reliably without birds nesting, turned my tension knob and brakes way down and could cast for better distance and place my bait within a 12" radius of where I tried to cast it pretty consistently. Caught my biggest bass to date by throwing it perfectly under a fallen tree which was an absolutely perfect cast!

 

Start with the brakes turned all the way up, and adjust it so that your bait falls rather slowly. If the tension knob is a little too tight, it might cause backlash issues as well (although usually more minor). Start by casting sidearm, and when you cast, you want to essentially draw a Nike symbol with your rod, and as you start to throw it forward, speed up your cast to really throw it forward. I found that I was hesitating to throw it forward for fear of birds nesting, but as it turns out the further you throw it forward, the less likely to birds nest you are.

 

Hope that helps anyway.

[Chance_Taker4]

I have that reel. Its a great reel for the money but can be a pain to tune. Start by turning your brakes off. Then set the spool tension so that the bait falls slow enough to stop the spool when the bait hits the ground. Since you are new turn your mag brakes to 3/4 strength. Cast. Adjust brakes back down until you are getting the furthest cast without backlash. If you are getting backlash at 3/4 it is more user error than reel. 

[burrows]

From my understanding Yamamoto will not fish with bait casters and you don’t have to fish them but if you don’t learn how will you ever know if it will benefit you and maybe help you become a better angler?

[r83srock]

How much line do you have spooled. You won’t cast as far but you can start with less line on the spool until you get it down.

[Tennessee Boy]

I'm guessing that your problem is actually pretty simple.  You've been casting a spinning reel for a long time and you're trying to cast your new baitcaster the same way.  You cast a spinning rod with a quick snapping action.  This will generate a backlash every time with a bait caster.  Try this.  Turn the breaks to max. Tie on a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce weight and with a long,  full,  smooth casting motion make a very short cast.  Just lob it a few yards using a full casting motion.  When you master the long slow smooth short cast,  then use the same long smooth casting motion to cast a little further. Then just keep increasing the distance and turn the breaks down some as you go.  You want to lob the lure instead of whipping it the way you've been doing it with the spinning rod.

[Maggiesmaster]

My brother HATES baitcasters, and cusses them at every opportunity. A bunch of us were fishing, and he started in. I finally laughed and said “ Charles, you’ve got a mental problem and need to see a psychiatrist.”  He replied “ The first thing you need to do to get help is to admit you’ve got a problem, and I DON’T HAVE A PROBLEM?!.”  Keep using your spinning rig! FWIW, I use both. 

[BobP]

My buddy was raised on spinning, me on baitcasting.  When he started using a baitcaster, I noticed one or two big differences he had a hard time  adjusting. Baitcasting wants a more compact and controlled casting stroke. Flailing away with abandon and accelerating the rod too hard is a recipe for disaster.  You need to feel the rod flex and let it do its work.  Once you have the basic stroke down, add more power as long as you keep it in control.  Side arm casting is easier to control if space permits.  Using a reel that is adjusted properly solves a lot of problems.  Don’t think you are fixing a backlash problem by cranking down the cast control and brakes to max, that only results in frustration and 10 ft casts, not fewer backlashes.

[Mikeltee]

It's all about the thumb. You have to train that bad dude to apply light pressure at times and full pressure right before it hits the water. I had not thrown a baitcaster in 25 years until spring. It was like riding a bike. Once you get it down you will have it for life. 

 

All you can do is practice. Preferably with something heavy like about 3/4oz and work your way down in no wind. Wind is when you get to master your thumb work. 

[fishwizzard]

The best way I can describe how to use a baitcaster is to liken it to shooting pool.  In both you almost never want to put all your strength behind it, they are both all about smooth and controlled force and in both cases you almost always want to err on the side of less force.  When shooting pool in a crowded bar full of drunk rednecks you *do not* want that ball to leave the table and hit someone, bring that same level of caution to casting a baitcaster.  

[scaleface]

I gave a kid a bait casting rod and reel for his graduation gift . I took him fishing a month ago and got the hang of it in an hour .

[EGbassing]

39 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I gave a kid a bait casting rod and reel for his graduation gift . I took him fishing a month ago and got the hang of it in an hour .

It was the same way for me. I think it must be because he's fished with spinning reels so long.