Help ...

[cal9323]

I just bought a Lew’s Mach Smash. I have 3-4 other baitcasters where you open the side and can adjust the centrifugal brakes (usually turning 2 out of the 4 “down”). 
 

With this reel, it doesn’t have that - just 5 magnetic circles. 
 

I put the magnetic brakes on a 7-8 (where I would normally be at a 4-5) and I get a backlash EVERY TIME. It starts spooling off before it even hits anything. I messed with tension knob but can’t see to figure it out and do what I normally do, but no luck. 
 

What am I doing wrong? Is there some other adjustment I can make (like my other centrifugal reels)?

[bulldog1935]

not familiar with the reel, but I am familiar with Lew's brakes.  

Sounds like you have the bare spool flange with magnets in the palm cap?  

(Lew's website isn't working today - no photos or videos).  

 

You definitely should be able to tighten tension on the spindle cap to solve your problem.  

If necessary to get spool tension, add bronze shim inside the spindle cap.  

 

Linear mag brakes aren't the best at start-up overshoot backlash with heavy casting weights.  

They do their best job at mid-cast wind backlash.  

That said, I love my Super Duty with mag brake - it's a very good distance reel with 1/4 to 3/8 oz.  

I also have Team Pro SP and Tourney Pro with their centrifugal brake.  

[MN Fisher]

 

20 minutes ago, cal9323 said:

Is there some other adjustment I can make (like my other centrifugal reels)?

Magnetic brakes only - which the Mach Smash is - are adjusted differently and work differently than a centrifugal system.

 

Like Bulldog said - they're not so hot on startup, work better at mid-point to end...where as centrifugal brakes works best from startup to mid-point.

 

My mag-only brake reels I follow these steps

1: Set the tension knob so that the lure slowly drops on it's own when the reel-release button is engaged...spool should stop when the lure hits the deck.

2: Set the brakes to around 5 to start - adjust up or down as needed for control

3: Don't try to whip the lure out to it's max distance at first - if you grew up with centrifugal brakes, it'll take a bit to get use to mag-brakes.

[CrankFate]

Set the mags to max. Reel your lure four inches from the rod tip, tighten spool tension so the lure falls to the ground slowly without overrun when it hits ground. Cast. Then as you get better, loosen the tension and lower the mags. But the weight you’re throwing matters, too. If you’re casting 3oz on a rod rated for 3/4 max or you’re casting 1/4 on a rod rated for 2 to 4oz, it’s probably never going to work no matter what you do with the reel. And then there’s the line. The wrong line won’t cast either.

[cal9323]

40 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

You definitely should be able to tighten tension on the spindle cap to solve your problem.  

 

 If I do this too much, will it effect my casting distance?

7 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

Set the mags to max. Reel your lure four inches from the rod tip, tighten spool tension so the lure falls to the ground slowly without overrun when it hits ground. Cast. Then as you get better, loosen the tension and lower the mags. But the weight you’re throwing matters, too. If you’re casting 3oz on a rod rated for 3/4 max or you’re casting 1/4 on a rod rated for 2 to 4oz, it’s probably never going to work no matter what you do with the reel. And then there’s the line. The wrong line won’t cast either.

I’m using 15lb fluoro with Texas rigged worm 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, cal9323 said:

 If I do this too much, will it effect my casting distance?

The tighter your tension cap, the less distance you'll get out of a cast.

 

Might be best to start 'short' to learn how mag-brakes differ from centri-brakes.

[bulldog1935]

@cal9323

absolutely - you can solve everything with spindle tension, but get the shortest possible cast.  

I used to fabricate bronze cap shims for my dad, because he wore through them.  

(I have strip phosphor bronze around for fabricating springs for antique reels)

 

All the recommendations for smooth acceleration in your cast are spot-on.  Any jerk put into a cast is only backlash.  

The starting point on spindle tension is to barely have over-run when you let your weight drop to the ground.  

You can set centrifugal brakes much higher than mag brakes without affecting cast distance. 

 

[cal9323]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

 

1: Set the tension knob so that the lure slowly drops on it's own when the reel-release button is engaged...spool should stop when the lure hits the deck.

2: Set the brakes to around 5 to start - adjust up or down as needed for control

3: Don't try to whip the lure out to it's max distance at first - if you grew up with centrifugal brakes, it'll take a bit to get use to mag-brakes.

1. I did this last time where it barely came off, and then it didn’t even backlash when it big the ground.

 

The main issue is when I cast (before it hits the ground/water). It starts spoiling as soon as I throw it - maybe because of me whipping it out there - I’ll try advice on #3. 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

Any jerk put into a cast is only backlash.  

 

No, it’s me, but that is very kind of you.

1 hour ago, cal9323 said:

 
I’m using 15lb fluoro with Texas rigged worm 

Weightless? How heavy is the worm?

[cal9323]

19 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

No, it’s me, but that is very kind of you.

Weightless? How heavy is the worm?

Not weightless. Weighted and a trick worm and even a senko

[bulldog1935]

jerk is a physical measurement - it's the time derivative of acceleration.  

What causes start-up backlash is the jerk of initial spool movement.   

It takes more force to start the spool spinning than it does to keep it spinning, and that's what causes start-up overshoot.  If you add jerk in your rod motion, you greatly increase the excess force reaction, and no casting brake can overcome it.  Force is mass-times-acceleration.  By adding jerk in your rod motion, you're essentially increasing the excess force by acceleration-squared.  

[cal9323]

I just realized my Piscifun Torrent is the same way - mechanic ... and I never have issues casting that one. 
 

I’m not sure what is wrong but something seems very off. 

[bulldog1935]

and I was making spiral and pendulum casts with weightless rig on 7' rod and Daiwa Millionaire 40 years ago.  

Used to PO guides - they'd tell me what was wrong with my cast, and I would double theirs.  

I always made them look good at the dock, though.  

 

 

Lew's was a big step up.  

[Catt]

One thing I noticed with Lew's reels is you have to use more thumb than Shimano or Daiwa.