Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 Hello! I was bank fishing the other day with my casting combo. The casting reel is a Shimano Scorpion DC reel with 10lb mono. A gentleman with a spinning combo came and started to fish with me using a weighted wacky rig. He was launching that thing...really far. I wasn't catching anything on my topwater frog so he asked me if I wanted a weighted senko (he pulled in a 5lb bass within 15-20 min). I took his offer. He said my casting reel should be able to launch the wacky rig further than his spinning. His friends apparently can launch it nearly to the middle of the lake. I was not even close, I changed the break to 1. Also, I am fairly new using a casting reel. Only had this for a couple months. What is going on? 3 things I can think of is my technique, type of line/test and rod type? The guy had braid, forgot what test. Quote
garroyo130 Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 Rod would be the first thing I would look to. When i first started using baitcasting gear i couldnt figure out why i wasnt getting the distance i though i should with crankbaits. I quickly realized the rod wasnt properly loading. 3 Quote
Heartland Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 Without knowing your rod and line choice it is impossible to get the full picture. I will also say that 10lb mono is not what you would normally want for fishing a top water frog. Tell a little more about your setup and what you want to do with it, the kind of cover your fishing and someone will get you setup for success. 2 Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted July 13, 2020 Super User Posted July 13, 2020 Not familiar with that reel, but agree with above 2 posters. Make sure the rod is loading proper. 1 Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 Thanks for the quick responses! Looking into the future, my idea is to use my 6'-8" (medium) spinning combo for finesse, drop shot and texas rigs. Right now I have I think 30lb braid on that with a mono leader (probably will switch to flouro). Casting combo, I want to use it to cover water fast using swimbaits, crankbaits, spinning, buzz, chatter, etc. I will eventually get a heavy rod. Casting Setup Rod: 7'-2" Medium-Heavy rod Line: 10lb Mono Reel: Scorpion 17 DC (brake mode is set to mono) https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/shimano/reg0000213.html Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 28 minutes ago, Heartland said: Without knowing your rod and line choice it is impossible to get the full picture. I will also say that 10lb mono is not what you would normally want for fishing a top water frog. Tell a little more about your setup and what you want to do with it, the kind of cover your fishing and someone will get you setup for success. Thanks for the quick responses! Looking into the future, my idea is to use my 6'-8" (medium) spinning combo for finesse, drop shot and texas rigs. Right now I have I think 30lb braid on that with a mono leader (probably will switch to flouro). Casting combo, I want to use it to cover water fast using swimbaits, crankbaits, spinning, buzz, chatter, etc. I will eventually get a heavy rod. Casting Setup Rod: 7'-2" Medium-Heavy rod Line: 10lb Mono Reel: Scorpion 17 DC (brake mode is set to mono) https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/shimano/reg0000213.html Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, browne762 said: How far were you casting the frog? I'm not good with estimating distances, but I was testing it and was able to get it past the weeds/structure consistently. About 30-40 yards? Senko was not much further. Quote
browne762 Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 If you had to estimate, how much longer was the other person expecting it to go? Like how much further was the middle of the lake? Also in my experience, if you have the DC reel set up correctly, it is using more spool break then a non-DC reel. This can cause less distance vs a conventional reel. I can cast stuff pretty far with a DC reel, but I keep the spool break looser then what might be "best" for the DC system to work with. I would normally use a medium rod for a wacky Senko, but a MH would do. The medium would load much more for a further cast. Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 17 minutes ago, browne762 said: If you had to estimate, how much longer was the other person expecting it to go? Like how much further was the middle of the lake? Also in my experience, if you have the DC reel set up correctly, it is using more spool break then a non-DC reel. This can cause less distance vs a conventional reel. I can cast stuff pretty far with a DC reel, but I keep the spool break looser then what might be "best" for the DC system to work with. I would normally use a medium rod for a wacky Senko, but a MH would do. The medium would load much more for a further cast. In the portion we were fishing, google earth is shows the middle at about 145 yards...which seems a little ridiculous... I will try loosening the spool system more. 1 minute ago, Byang98120 said: In the portion we were fishing, google earth is shows the middle at about 145 yards...which seems a little ridiculous... I will try loosening the spool system more. According google earth, I was casting the frog 15-20 yards Quote
browne762 Posted July 13, 2020 Posted July 13, 2020 34 minutes ago, Byang98120 said: In the portion we were fishing, google earth is shows the middle at about 145 yards...which seems a little ridiculous... I will try loosening the spool system more. TBH if it were me, I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't expect to toss a wacky rig 145 yards on any baitcaster (nor would I want to) so I would just leave everything alone. 1 Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 3 minutes ago, browne762 said: TBH if it were me, I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't expect to toss a wacky rig 145 yards on any baitcaster (nor would I want to) so I would just leave everything alone. Sounds good! Ya, I just got tilted bc fish weren't biting in the shallows and the guy caught the huge bass way out there. Quote
Byang98120 Posted July 13, 2020 Author Posted July 13, 2020 4 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said: What size Senko? 5" Quote
Super User new2BC4bass Posted July 14, 2020 Super User Posted July 14, 2020 OP, I don't have your reel, but I do have a Scorpion 71. Also have an older Excense DC. I get good distance with both. Got to agree something ain't right somewhere. Either the reel is set up way off or the rod is way too powerful for the weight you are casting. Unless you got a lemon. 15 yards is pitching distance. I believe a 5" Senko weighs around 3/8 oz. Any MHF rod I have will cast it quite a bit further than 15-20 yards with any reel I have. I feel quite certain at least 2-3 of my HF rods will do a lot better than that. I'd like to watch someone cast that can do 145 yards with a baitcast reel. One set up for actually bass fishing with. Love to have them teach me. I got started on a baitcast reel late in life. I will never be as good as many of these guys are. Based on reel capacity and the amount of line still left on the reel, I believe I have made a few 65-70 casts. That is a long, long ways. No way can I dump a 125-135 yard spool of line. 1 Quote
Linewinder Posted July 14, 2020 Posted July 14, 2020 2 hours ago, new2BC4bass said: I'd like to watch someone cast that can do 145 yards with a baitcast reel. I'd like to watch someone cast that to 145 yds. on a spinning outfit. Quote
NathanDLTH Posted July 14, 2020 Posted July 14, 2020 It’s your reel, not your rod and honestly tossing a frog on 10lb mono is not advised. I would YouTube how to set up your scorpion dc reel and change the line if you’re looking for better distance. For a wacky senko, me 20-30lb braid or 12-14lb flouro. Mono, which I rarely use would need to be some that excels at casting like Sunline. Quote
brophog Posted July 14, 2020 Posted July 14, 2020 What condition are your spool bearings in? Even a DC reel will backlash at minimum brake settings unless there is another source of friction slowing the reel down. For maximum distance, thoroughly clean the spool bearings, add a drop of light viscosity oil, then adjust braking so you’re just at the edge of disaster. Fine tune for your personal comfort level. For most of us, what’s comfortable is also not maximum distance. ? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 14, 2020 Super User Posted July 14, 2020 On 7/13/2020 at 9:36 AM, Byang98120 said: Also, I am fairly new using a casting reel. Only had this for a couple months. What is going on? Everything sounds fine, just keep practicing. 1 Quote
Nibbles Posted July 16, 2020 Posted July 16, 2020 Sometimes those spool bearings have minute traces of grease in them too if you got it straight from the factory. One test is to remove all the line from your spool, turn the spool brake all the way down, and then flick the spool with a finger to see how long it stays spinning free-floating. If you get less than ~6 seconds I would flush them with acetone and re-lube with the bantam oil your reel came with to see if that improves things any. Quote
NOC 1 Posted July 17, 2020 Posted July 17, 2020 4 hours ago, Nibbles said: Sometimes those spool bearings have minute traces of grease in them too if you got it straight from the factory. I've gotten a brand new Revo SX that had more than minute traces in it, the bearings were coated in grease. I figured they did that to make it seem super smooth or maybe to make sure the bearings didn't go dry and corrode on the shelf?? Quote
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