Abu Garcia Gen Ike EZ Cast

[Teedubya]

Hi there.  I recently bought an abu garcia gen ike ez cast baitcast.  Read all the instructs, since I'm new to baitcasters.  For some reason, when I try casting, 'sometimes' it snags.  Just stops.  Not every single time...but annoyingly often.  I did the whole calibration to my bait weight and all too.

I've searched YouTube, etc for a solution, with limited results.  Now I'm starting to think that the reel may be faulty.  Am I missing something here?  Any help would truly be appreciated.

TW

[BrianMDTX]

First question. What line is spooled on the reel? If braid, it may be dug in and stopping the cast mid-flight. 

[CrankFate]

That happened to me once a few years ago. Without explanation: I have no idea how, but a little overhand knot was in my line that kept catching on the hole in my levelwind. After tearing it down, I was about to throw the reel away, but something said everything is right. Strip all the line off. That was that. Problem solved. This also happens when there is cotton like pollen or seeds on the water surface or slime in the water that gets on the line and is reeled back into the spool. The ball catches on the levelwind. If it’s not that, no idea.

[bulldog1935]

My first guess is you have a backlash loop down in your spool that's covered by over-wraps when you reel in fully.  

Mid cast, it pops out of the spool like a flag and tangles the spool.  

If you have a good way to wind your loose line, you can pay the spool way down to check for this.  

 

Easy for me, I have line winders here and move lines all the time.  

[Teedubya]

Thanks for the replies, fellas.  I think that based on your answers, I will just re-spool with another line.  Brian, I'm using the line which came with the combo.  Probably my first mistake right there.

T

[BrianMDTX]

1 hour ago, Teedubya said:

Thanks for the replies, fellas.  I think that based on your answers, I will just re-spool with another line.  Brian, I'm using the line which came with the combo.  Probably my first mistake right there.

T

Maybe. It could be good line but not spooled correctly. It could also be very old. New line sounds like a good starting point. 

[fin]

Too late to help that user, but maybe somebody else will find this useful. I found one of these combos today, brand new, at the lake. Somebody probably bought it for the holiday weekend and got so frustrated with it, they just left it.

 

It's supposedly designed for kids, to help them learn to use a baitcaster, but I had a hard time using it and I'm experienced with baitcasters. It has an "ez cast" feature, like a bar across the top, that I never could figure out how to use, other than to turn it off. I think you're supposed to use it like thumbing the spool, but thumbing the spool is much easier.

 

It's like a baitcaster with the brakes set to maximum and no way to back them off, and the tension knob is too tight and very hard to turn. Lots of plastic inside, hard to imagine it would last very long.

 

There's a manufacturing defect that might have been the cause of OP's problem. This video shows how to correct it. Mine didn't have this problem.

 

I'm not out to bash their product. If I had to find something positive to say about it, it's only like $40 for the combo, it looks pretty, it's a baitcaster, and the rod has more body than you usually see on these cheap combos.

 

 

[MDB730]

Way to late to help the original poster but maybe it will help another person who purchased this combo down the line and is googling why it only cast 10 ft. I purchased the reel only off ebay for my 5 year old to use a "baitcaster" since he now wants to move past his zebco spincast. It works as intended if you do a one smooth full motion side cast and don't whip the rod or try to bomb cast, start slow and up the speed of the cast. The moment the reel experiences any resistance on the line from the rod tip or the lure hitting the water it will click and lock up immediately. The reel works as a teaching tool for smooth casting only as the anti backlash could also be a hinderance in my opinion (no brakes and can't really adjust tension) . On the other hand it has help teach my son how to sidecast, overhead cast, and flip cast without him worrying about backlashing and he is now learning to use his thumb with the "anti backlash" system off. I don't expect this thing to last the season as it is very cheaply made (all plastic) but do not regret the purchase.

[PRM69]

Does anyone know where to get replacement parts for this reel? My son received one of these as a gift and the tension knob was missing.

[MiceNReets]

28 minutes ago, PRM69 said:

Does anyone know where to get replacement parts for this reel? My son received one of these as a gift and the tension knob was missing.

Try giving abu a call.   

[Cbump]

I bought this for my son’s first bc years ago. Thing was terrible. Took It back and got a Lew’s classic combo from Walmart that is still going strong (although now it’s been moved to channel cat duty). I say learn them on a real bc, not this thing.