Need help Shimano SLX DC 150HG

[Faytisdestiney]

I am new to baitcasters and I did a lot research and decided to go with the 

Shimano SLX DC 150HG. I have watched tons of videos on casting and how to fine tune and as far as I can tell I’m all set up just fine. I also bought a new pole it a Dobyns fury series. 7ft 1pc 8-17lb med/heavy mod-fast action. The line is 12lb braided.
 

almost every cast I get a backlash even on setting 4 where backlashes are suppose to not happen. In all the videos I watched people are throwing out lures 100+ feet and not even thumbing it. I am getting the backlash as soon as I cast and the few times I don’t I get maybe 20-30ft and half of those times it backlashes after the cast.

 

I turned the knob so the spook stops going left to right like everywhere says. one thing I tried was ignoring that and tuning it to the lure so when it falls it doesn’t backlash but that did not help. I don’t know what’s wrong.
 

Any help with this would be very much appreciated.

[JLewis134]

Keep practicing. Set the DC module to 3 as it will help you learn and tighten the spool tensioner to there is minimal to no side to side play in spool.

[TigerBassAU]

Please clarify you have 12lb braid? I personally will only go down to 30 braid (8lb mono diameter) on a baitcaster! I know some may do 20lb braid but that is spinning reels for me. I learned bait casting with cheap mono so when I really screwed up I could replace my line on the cheap! 

 

Make sure you tighten the spool to where lure falls with no back lash and do not try to cast it too hard when learning! 

 

 

[Faytisdestiney]

1 minute ago, TigerBassAU said:

Please clarify you have 12lb braid? I personally will only go down to 30 braid (8lb mono diameter) on a baitcaster! I know some may do 20lb braid but that is spinning reels for me. I learned bait casting with cheap mono so when I really screwed up I could replace my line on the cheap! 

 

Make sure you tighten the spool to where lure falls with no back lash and do not try to cast it too hard when learning! 

 

 

to be honest im not sure. It is 12lb test and the guy at the shop said it was braided line. I dont see it say braided anywhere on it tho. I dont know anything about line really. ill attach a pic of the line.

 

According to the instructions and everything i have read your not suppose to adjust to the lure using this reel. I have tried doing both with and with out. What gets me is how ppl dont have to thumb it but i can manage it lol.

[Faytisdestiney]

One other thing i want to mention is no matter the weight or # brake i use this i always cast the same distance. And when it birdnests it goes all they way to the bottom of the spool. I have to remove almost all the line to get it out.

 

I am beginning to wonder if this reel isn't just defective.

Edited June 14, 2020 by Faytisdestiney

[Faytisdestiney]

1 hour ago, JLewis134 said:

Keep practicing. Set the DC module to 3 as it will help you learn and tighten the spool tensioner to there is minimal to no side to side play in spool.

ive done that. I also had it had 4 and nothing seems to help. I had it on 4 made sure the lure went down slowly then gave it a light toss and the reel backlashed all way the down inside the reel, i had to remove all the line to get it out. I am thinking this reel is defective.

 

 

[Efishin]

It's highly unlikely the reel. It's difficult getting use to baitcasters. All of us at one were in your shoes. Keep on keeping on

[dodgeguy]

thats not braid. its monofilament. the guy who sold you it is dishonest. dont whip it hard when you cast.its all in the wrist.turn the reel so the handle faces up or down depending on which side the handle is on. this will give it less chance to backlash. use your thumb.

[YoTone]

Braided line looks like weaving thread.

Id be pretty upset at the guy who told you that was braid. 

I would set the everything on the highest safest settings for a few days  and then work slowly and carefully down till you have it down where you can cast cleanly.

 

[rangerjockey]

A DC with the spool tension tight and the brakes on 4 , 12 lb mono and it's still backlashing . I don't think that's technique sounds like a issue with the reel.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

DC brakes aren’t a substitute for basic casting technique or skill. As far as setup videos, they may or may not be the best suggestions or even correct. What exactly are you doing?

[rangerjockey]

I've owned 2 of them. With those settings.. I wouldn't say it's impossible but it would be a chore to backlash it.

[Dumbbassanglr]

1. Go get actual braid, I would suggest 20 or 30lb. Just get whichever is on sale.

2. Set the spool tension knob just tight enough to where the spool barely moves side to side

3. Set the dial to the number 2 setting 

4. Make some medium casts don’t try to bomb it

 

 

Also once you get the line on the spool go outside and clip your line to something and walk the line out then put some tension on it and reel it up so that the line is nice and tight on the spool.

 

I have 4 dc reels including the slx and have owned others and this works for me.

[TigerBassAU]

Learning to cast a baitcaster can be frustrating and even the new DC reels does not eliminate the learning curve completely.

 

Assuming your reel setting are correct and not whipping the cast, the other things that comes to mind that could cause problems are: an overfilled spool, line on spool is not tight or has kinks from previous backlashes, and/or you are using your thumb improperly.

 

If you have the brakes set safely, you should only use your thumb to hold the spool until releasing line during the cast and to stop it before the lure hits the water/ground. If you accidentally thumb the spool during cast and release it can cause a backlash. It takes time to learn how to feather the spool with your thumb! Then you can reduce brakes and gain distance and have more control! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nycbhoy]

Just bought a similar setup. Dobyns champion 705 and the same reel. Using for topwater. Have 50lb braid and 14lb mono leader. Setting on 2 which is for braid. No issues and casts a mile. If I were you I would respool with 50lb braid and see how you get on. 

[Fin S]

I wouldn't recommend re-spooling with braid until you get better at casting because:

 

1. You should be fine casting 12# mono (Trilene XT is mono-filament). That's what many of us learned to cast with.

2. Mono is cheap so you can cut out any really bad backlashes without wasting a lot of money.

 

If you do decide to put braid on at some point. Leave about half or a little under half of the mono on there and use it for backing and tie the braid to that. You'll use much less braid that way. Spooling up all the way with braid is expensive.

[Fishingmickey]

Two quick questions Fayt, How big of a weight or lure are you using? Throwing light weight lures like weightless plastic (aka Senko), a smallish crank bait or even a spinner bait into the wind can be very frustrating. Try using a 3/8 oz jig or a 1/4 oz T-rigged worm. 

     With a bait caster one thing that is seldom mentioned is the back cast. When you bring the rod back to cast the rod should bend and load up (you'll feel the weight) then start forward and release. It is all one motion no stopping or changing the speed between backwards and forwards. It's different then a spinning rod where you can bring the rod back and stop then pitch the bait forward.

     Second question is how full is your spool? You might try only filling it to 3/4 full. It is much easier to control. Your line should be fine. Go out in the backyard and practice casting. I would adjust your reel just like most bait casters. Hold the rod up push the thumb bar and adjust the cast control knob on the right side to where the lure falls in control and the reel doesn't over run or nest when the lure hits the ground.

Hope you git'er down,

Fishingmickey

[Faytisdestiney]

On 6/15/2020 at 1:03 AM, YoTone said:

Braided line looks like weaving thread.

Id be pretty upset at the guy who told you that was braid. 

I would set the everything on the highest safest settings for a few days  and then work slowly and carefully down till you have it down where you can cast cleanly.

 

I am upset with him but not surprised. My wife and kids took my rook dicks sporting good for Father’s Day. I figured the sales person didn’t know anything like he claim. However since I’m still new to this stuff I had nothing really to go on. He also told me that my reel can’t handle more then 12lbs because it says 10-17lbs on it or something like that. Same for my pole.

On 6/15/2020 at 6:35 AM, rangerjockey said:

A DC with the spool tension tight and the brakes on 4 , 12 lb mono and it's still backlashing . I don't think that's technique sounds like a issue with the reel.

That’s what I was thinking. I watched many videos for learning and most of them didn’t have to feather or thumb at all. No one did do either on setting 4. 

On 6/15/2020 at 9:53 AM, TigerBassAU said:

Learning to cast a baitcaster can be frustrating and even the new DC reels does not eliminate the learning curve completely.

 

Assuming your reel setting are correct and not whipping the cast, the other things that comes to mind that could cause problems are: an overfilled spool, line on spool is not tight or has kinks from previous backlashes, and/or you are using your thumb improperly.

 

If you have the brakes set safely, you should only use your thumb to hold the spool until releasing line during the cast and to stop it before the lure hits the water/ground. If you accidentally thumb the spool during cast and release it can cause a backlash. It takes time to learn how to feather the spool with your thumb! Then you can reduce brakes and gain distance and have more control! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will try to that. Most of my backlashes are happening before the lure even starts to decent

On 6/15/2020 at 12:27 PM, Fishingmickey said:

Two quick questions Fayt, How big of a weight or lure are you using? Throwing light weight lures like weightless plastic (aka Senko), a smallish crank bait or even a spinner bait into the wind can be very frustrating. Try using a 3/8 oz jig or a 1/4 oz T-rigged worm. 

     With a bait caster one thing that is seldom mentioned is the back cast. When you bring the rod back to cast the rod should bend and load up (you'll feel the weight) then start forward and release. It is all one motion no stopping or changing the speed between backwards and forwards. It's different then a spinning rod where you can bring the rod back and stop then pitch the bait forward.

     Second question is how full is your spool? You might try only filling it to 3/4 full. It is much easier to control. Your line should be fine. Go out in the backyard and practice casting. I would adjust your reel just like most bait casters. Hold the rod up push the thumb bar and adjust the cast control knob on the right side to where the lure falls in control and the reel doesn't over run or nest when the lure hits the ground.

Hope you git'er down,

Fishingmickey

Attached is the lure I was using and line in my reel. I think it’s called a venom. Not sure on weight. I filled spool as much as a few videos said to.

 

none of the videos mentions the one motion cast. I was bringing it and waiting a second to cast forward.

 

thank you for the advice. I am going to try it tomorrow
 

 

[TigerBassAU]

Looking at picture it appears your line is not tight on spool and you have loops (see several on front of spool in pic) and maybe overfilled (hard to tell). Do the following:

On 6/15/2020 at 8:52 AM, Dumbbassanglr said:

Also once you get the line on the spool go outside and clip your line to something and walk the line out then put some tension on it and reel it up so that the line is nice and tight on the spool.

Then look at line on spool. Your line should be below the height of the edges of your reel spool around 1/8 inch. If you have too much, pull off line until you have it correct and cut off extra.

 

Your lure appears to be weightless. I would recommend to get a lead sinker similar to a teardrop with swivel in around 3/8+ ounce weight and practice yard casting. It will not get hung up in grass as often and you can easily pull it free while learning to cast. 

 

Lastly, anytime you press the thumb bar and release the spool you must control (hold) the spool with your thumb if there is a chance the spool can turn!  I think you missed that point! If you do not it can free spool and cause issues. While walking the line off you need to apply slight pressure with thumb to keep the spoil from spinning to fast, when you are removing line from the spool you need to make sure you are controlling the spool etc. When the thumb bar has been engaged, the only time you should release the spool completely is at the point in the cast that you want the lure to be casted, assuming you have the brakes set safely and correctly. Think throwing a baseball! 

 

Keep at it and do not give up! You will get it with practice! Just make sure you fix your line after every backlash! Remove any loops or kinks and keep your line tight on the spool! 

[Fishingmickey]

13 hours ago, Faytisdestiney said:

I am upset with him but not surprised. My wife and kids took my rook dicks sporting good for Father’s Day. I figured the sales person didn’t know anything like he claim. However since I’m still new to this stuff I had nothing really to go on. He also told me that my reel can’t handle more then 12lbs because it says 10-17lbs on it or something like that. Same for my pole.

That’s what I was thinking. I watched many videos for learning and most of them didn’t have to feather or thumb at all. No one did do either on setting 4. 

I will try to that. Most of my backlashes are happening before the lure even starts to decent

Attached is the lure I was using and line in my reel. I think it’s called a venom. Not sure on weight. I filled spool as much as a few videos said to.

 

none of the videos mentions the one motion cast. I was bringing it and waiting a second to cast forward.

 

thank you for the advice. I am going to try it tomorrow
 

 

Hi Fayt,

     Your reel is too full. It appears that the line is filled up to the lip of the spool in the picture. Strip enough off so you can see at least a 3/16" of side wall of the spool. Full spool is exposing an 1/8" of the side wall.  

     Like Tiger recommended take your rig outside and tie it off or hang it up and walk off 20, 30 or 40 yards of line. You should be able to see the side wall of the spool then and have no loose loops of line on the spool. Reel it back in tightly and when you have 3/16ths of side wall showing stop and remove the excess line and retie your lure. I am going to assume that there is a lead head under the tube (the Venom lure).

Good luck practicing tomorrow.

FM

[Koopster]

9 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Hi Fayt,

     Your reel is too full. It appears that the line is filled up to the lip of the spool in the picture. Strip enough off so you can see at least a 3/16" of side wall of the spool. Full spool is exposing an 1/8" of the side wall.  

     Like Tiger recommended take your rig outside and tie it off or hang it up and walk off 20, 30 or 40 yards of line. You should be able to see the side wall of the spool then and have no loose loops of line on the spool. Reel it back in tightly and when you have 3/16ths of side wall showing stop and remove the excess line and retie your lure. I am going to assume that there is a lead head under the tube (the Venom lure).

Good luck practicing tomorrow.

FM

If the reel is too full, it's barely too full.  Read the DC instructions - they state that for the reel to operate properly, the spool must be filled to 95%.  The instructions say "when wnding the thread, please use the amount of thread winding that matches the edge of the tapered surface of the spool".  In other words - put it on to the bevel.  He's got the line right about there, maybe a tad higher.  I just bought both a Curado and SLX DC and filled them to about where his is at.. it casts like a dream.

 

For this reel, you want the spool full so the DC can do it's job.  If you under-fill it, the speed of the spool can get too high and it won't work properly.  3/16" of sidewall showing may be ok for other reels, but not this one.

 

Fayt,  what does your casting motion look like?  even if you stop on the back cast, it won't cause backlash if you follow through properly.  I was just working with my son this evening with his casting - it's important to not suddenly stop the rod on the forward casting motion.  Smoothly cast and point the rod tip to where you are casting.  My son kept casting and finishing with the rod tip at about 45 degrees to the water.  By following through more he was able to reduce the backlash issues he was having and cast way farther.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Koopster
added text from the instructions

[Faytisdestiney]

On 6/18/2020 at 12:08 AM, Koopster said:

If the reel is too full, it's barely too full.  Read the DC instructions - they state that for the reel to operate properly, the spool must be filled to 95%.  The instructions say "when wnding the thread, please use the amount of thread winding that matches the edge of the tapered surface of the spool".  In other words - put it on to the bevel.  He's got the line right about there, maybe a tad higher.  I just bought both a Curado and SLX DC and filled them to about where his is at.. it casts like a dream.

 

For this reel, you want the spool full so the DC can do it's job.  If you under-fill it, the speed of the spool can get too high and it won't work properly.  3/16" of sidewall showing may be ok for other reels, but not this one.

 

Fayt,  what does your casting motion look like?  even if you stop on the back cast, it won't cause backlash if you follow through properly.  I was just working with my son this evening with his casting - it's important to not suddenly stop the rod on the forward casting motion.  Smoothly cast and point the rod tip to where you are casting.  My son kept casting and finishing with the rod tip at about 45 degrees to the water.  By following through more he was able to reduce the backlash issues he was having and cast way farther.

Sorry for the delayed response. Your right about the directions which is why I filled it so much. My motion was bring it back then to be honest I waited a second or two for the lure to settle then cast forward like a regular closed face reel. I then tried side ways and did the same thing with pausing. Did kind of like a flick motion. Down and upwards till I let the line go and stopped.

[PhishLI]

20 minutes ago, Faytisdestiney said:

My motion was bring it back then to be honest I waited a second or two for the lure to settle then cast forward like a regular closed face reel. I then tried side ways and did the same thing with pausing. Did kind of like a flick motion. Down and upwards till I let the line go and stopped.

Disregard the part of the video where he's dialing in the reel and the parts where he's doing a one handed cast. Take note of the sections where he's doing a two handed cast. Notice that his torso remains mostly stationary. Do this you'll remove unnecessary motion. Gently load the rod at the bottom of the back cast then sweep forward with a lob. Release the line a bit earlier than you would with a spinning reel. The worst thing that'll happen is the lure will go higher than you like. Better than a late release where the lure crashes into the water right in front of you then blows up the spool. You can calibrate your release and power as you get more comfortable.

 

 

[Alex from GA]

Don't pause on the back motion.  You have to load the rod on the back cast and on the forward cast.  It'll come with practice.