Got my first baitcaster(s) - help me optimize

[Kid A]

Ok so I have been teaching myself to bass fish over the last month or so with some very limited success.  I have been scouring this forum in regards to setups, techniques etc, and of course have basically lived on YouTube.  Don't know anyone who bass fishes so I'm pretty much self sufficient in this endeavor.

 

Decided to for a finesse setup first.  Been throwing primarily ned rigs, wacky rigs, weightless senkos, and grubs on 1/8 jigheads.  These are thrown on a 7'0" Aird-X ml/f with a Daiwa Legalis 2500 that has 30# Maxcuatro braid to 6# flouro leader.  I also have a non-ideal 6'6" L UglyStik GX2 with a Daiwa BG2500 with a 6# flouro that I can rig and throw stuff on.

 

I wanted to try my hand at a first baitcast setup, so I ordered the following combo:

 

• SLX Rod/reel combo: SLX 7'0" mh/f with SLX 151hg reel (7:2:1)

 

Shortly after ordering I also found a great deal on a barely used combo:

• Fenwick 7'2" HMX m/mf with a SLX DC reel (also 7:2:1)

 

My plan is to use the MH SLX combo for ploppers, buzz/chatter/spinner, and texas rigs. And the M/mf combo for more crankbait type stuff.  Most of these rigs I have 0 experience with.

 

So anyway, I will have 3 dedicated bass rods at my disposal and my questions are as follows: What would you all throw on each setup/what can I throw on each setup comfortably? And thus what line would you think is ideal for each setup based on what I might be throwing? Would you switch the DC reel to the MH/f rod instead of the M/mf rod for any reason?

 

Also would love some "essential lure" suggestions for each setup if you have any.  I have everything I need for soft plastics, ned rigs, wacky rigs etc.  But don't have much in the way of crankbaits, ploppers etc.

 

I will be primarily bank fishing on rivers for the foreseeable future.  Although I am heading down to the Umpqua over the Labor Day weekend to my friends property for a long weekend of fishing.  I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of other questions I wanted to ask...thanks for your input!

 

[new2BC4bass]

Just wanted to say

 

Don't have any of those rods or reels, so I can't be of any help there.  BUT I am sure there will be others with experience that can offer some decent advice.

[GreenPig]

I'd swap the 30 lb braid from the spinning reel to the SLX combo and go with 10 - 15 braid(I  fish 10 lb) on the spinning reel. Spool the SLX DC/Fenwick with 10 lb FC for cranking. Lure wise, you can fish whatever your rod will handle. With your BC start with them pretty tight and slowly loosen them up(little steps) as you get comfortable casting them.

[Kid A]

1 hour ago, GreenPig said:

I'd swap the 30 lb braid from the spinning reel to the SLX combo and go with 10 - 15 braid(I  fish 10 lb) on the spinning reel. Spool the SLX DC/Fenwick with 10 lb FC for cranking. Lure wise, you can fish whatever your rod will handle. With your BC start with them pretty tight and slowly loosen them up(little steps) as you get comfortable casting them.

Cheers, appreciate all the suggestions!

[BrianMDTX]

Have you ever used a baitcaster before? If not, I recommend you start with 10-12 lb Berkley Big Game mono. If new, you are going to get backlashes (maybe some severe ones), so best not to ruin $$$ FC or braid until you have spool tension and brake settings figured out. 

[Kid A]

21 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

Have you ever used a baitcaster before? If not, I recommend you start with 10-12 lb Berkley Big Game mono. If new, you are going to get backlashes (maybe some severe ones), so best not to ruin $$$ FC or braid until you have spool tension and brake settings figured out. 

Nope, I have not.  This will be my first foray into the baitcaster world.  I definitely expect to lose a bunch of line.  Mono seems the smart play on the reel I will be using for crankbaits.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

You lucked out with that DC.  It shortens the learning curve considerably and is an absolute workhorse of a reel.  I bought one of the 7' MH F SLX rods and they arent bad, but I just don't like it.  Its incredibly stiff which helps with sensitivity but it limits casting distance even with a bait in its sweet spot.  I would run that DC on the HMX if you plan to throw cranks on it.  That way you would get the advantage of the DC on longer casts especially in wind.

[scaleface]

The lures you are throwing might be to light , especially for someone new to baitcasters .

[Dinger0306]

I agree with the replies from @GreenPig and @BrianMDTX.

 

Before you delve into nuance, you’re going to go through a learning curve of using casting gear. Buy a cheap spool of 12lb Big Game from Wal-Mart and spool both reels with it until you get the hang of it. Also I’d drop the finesse setup to 10 or 15lb braid if you like braid, 30 is a bit overkill IMO. 
 

To not over complicate things:

MH/F setup - single hook lures. 

M/MF setup - treble hook lures.

Spinning setup - finesse lures.

 

Line:

MH/F setup - Line diameter depends on the amount of cover. Fluorocarbon has less stretch so could be beneficial and sinks quicker for bottom baits. 12-17lb test. Braid could work here as well in equivalent diameter to 10 or 12lb fluoro. 

M/MF setup - Monofilament has more stretch and doesn’t sink as fast (topwaters), so could be beneficial. Thinner lines = more Crankbait depth. 10-12lb test.

Finesse setup - Braid is the most sensitive, limpest line for spinning reels, less stretch so it can make up for the ML rod for hooksets. Fluoro = less visibility for finesse and will help with abrasion resistance. 10-15lb to a 6-8lb fluorocarbon leader. 

[huZZah]

13 hours ago, scaleface said:

The lures you are throwing might be to light , especially for someone new to baitcasters .

I agree. However, I have an slx and if you turn on all the brakes and go pretty tight on your spool it’s impossible to backlash. Only casts 20 feet but it won’t bird nest ?. Great for learning. Then just ease off the spool tension first. Then start turning off brakes 2 at a time. 

[Kid A]

Man, you all rock.  Going to take the time to read through all these responses later tonight.  Really appreciate everyone’s input! Spent about 4 hours out on the water today and got a 6 incher, progress ?

[new2BC4bass]

If you go braid on the MH rod, I would suggest no less than 40# to start out with.  It was my first braid.  Never have had it dig in.  You can use a lot lighter, but you need to understand that the smaller diameter lines have to be keep snug on the spool.  Purchased a used baitcast reel that came with 30# braid.  Spent the first 15-20 minutes casting then pulling out a little more line to remove a dig in and repeat.  Been snagged with it since then (several times ) and it didn't dig in, but I always make a cast every so often and pinch the line between my finger and thumb on the retrieve to keep it snug on the spool.

 

Don't believe the fallacy perpetuated on the web that Fluorocarbon has less stretch than mono.  I can tell you from experience that is bull.  If you don't believe me check out the Fluorocarbon tests in the Review Archive on Tackletour.  Here is the first article.

 

http://tackletour.com/reviewfluorocarbontest.html

 

Look at the picture of the broken line in the article.  I had to cut off much more than a few inches the time I snagged my fluorocarbon.  You won't see that problem with mono or co-polymer.  Most of the fluorocarbon I have is because it came on a used reel.  Haven't purchased any more since my first experience with it.

[Kid A]

14 hours ago, huZZah said:

I agree. However, I have an slx and if you turn on all the brakes and go pretty tight on your spool it’s impossible to backlash. Only casts 20 feet but it won’t bird nest ?. Great for learning. Then just ease off the spool tension first. Then start turning off brakes 2 at a time. 

So basically loosening the tension knob will be what increases cast distance as you get more comfortable managing the line during cast?  I threw it for a couple hours yesterday and had it pretty tight, but the cast distance was pretty poor.

 

Side note, being this is my first baitcasting setup I have no frame of reference, but it seemed very gritty/not smooth when reeling in.  I was throwing crank baits so naturally there was more drag in the water, but I really had to crank pretty hard on retrieve.  This normal?  I get my non-DC slx tomorrow or Tuesday so I’m interested to compare.

[huZZah]

26 minutes ago, Kid A said:

So basically loosening the tension knob will be what increases cast distance as you get more comfortable managing the line during cast?  I threw it for a couple hours yesterday and had it pretty tight, but the cast distance was pretty poor.

Correct. Tighter the spool knob the less freely it spins = less casting distance. But way less chance of backlash. Also the brakes under the side plate affect distance at the end of the cast. They slow the spool as well while the line is coming off. I just always think of it as spool tension is for start of cast, and the brakes are for end. It’s more complicated than that but it works for me. Your thumb does most of the work. Better you get with it, less tension and less brake you need. But I’m constantly adjusting it. Wind being my main antagonist. 
 

26 minutes ago, Kid A said:

Side note, being this is my first baitcasting setup I have no frame of reference, but it seemed very gritty/not smooth when reeling in.

No, not normal. Could be any number of things, like you have a loop at the first eye or something. But it should be smooth not hard to reel. 

[Kid A]

Makes me worry I bought a lemon.  Even loosening it all the way and just flicking the handle it didn’t spin as freely as it should.  It was a bit dusty/dirty so might just need a disassembly and cleaning.  Thanks 

[Chris Catignani]

A good rule of thumb for adjustments:

If you back lash at the start of the cast - adjust the variable brake system.

If you back lash at the end of the cast - adjust the friction control.

[islandbass]

On 8/28/2021 at 7:53 AM, Kid A said:

Nope, I have not.  This will be my first foray into the baitcaster world.  I definitely expect to lose a bunch of line.  Mono seems the smart play on the reel I will be using for crankbaits.

I would recommend using for mono both baitcasters until you’ve become familiar with them. Newbies, unless they wish to suffer, intentionally or not, will try to learn with braid 30# or less. Just speaking from experience, lol. The last thing a newbie will want to deal with when learning to use a bc reel is Line dig, which can happen with braid definitely 20# or less and occasionally with 30#. I ruined with my first cast ever with a bc reel a new role of 30# power pro on my very first cast. It was so bad that I had to cut it off. It didn’t help that I didn’t realize all of my vbs brakes on my curado 201bsf were off. ??

 

10-14# mono is great to learn on. 

[Kid A]

Broke my skunk today.  Landed 4 bass on a ned rig at a new spot I hiked to.  None worth taking any picture of, but felt good to break a skunk streak of 5+ days.  Downside was I lost about 4 Ned rigs as well to getting hung up, but I’ll take that at this point lol. 
 

Threw the SLX DC some more.  Not bites on top water, cranks, or spinners mix. But also no backlashes so successful overall.

[islandbass]

1 hour ago, Kid A said:

Broke my skunk today.  Landed 4 bass on a ned rig at a new spot I hiked to.  None worth taking any picture of, but felt good to break a skunk streak of 5+ days.  Downside was I lost about 4 Ned rigs as well to getting hung up, but I’ll take that at this point lol. 
 

Threw the SLX DC some more.  Not bites on top water, cranks, or spinners mix. But also no backlashes so successful overall.

Right on. Better to be in the scoreboard than not. Losing tackle is part of the game. Show me an angler afraid to throw it in the cover for bass and you shall see one who catches fewer bass or more often, the random bass. Those random bass are few and far in between. 

[newbiedmv]

There are many YouTube videos on setting up the reel. It seems to get the best out of it with the least birdnests it's  seems critical that you "tweak" the setting for each lureafter a few casts.

I bought a expensive Dawia Tatula 103 HS L. 7.1 ratio left hand crank(holdover from spinning reels). It's made for braid but I have monofilament on it(I've tried braid and was shut out for a year). A forum member @Junger let me use one once and I was astounded  and the ease, accuracy, and control. I'm still learning side casting but I can whip that thing with two hands hard and land the lure with barely a drop in the water on a high arc.

the weather here has been very difficult, high humidity, rain from clear skies, squals popping up in 3 min the gone as fast. I hoping to get out more in Oct. Oh I getting a lot of smallmouth off of small and medium inline spiners for crappie, yellow blade kinda bright green body. @Junger showed me the basics and they work good.

Lastly,  he used super light swim bait top water lures on 30.lb braid and it cast like 2 lb line. He did pretty good, I got a few hits but set the hook to fast.

I put in another post on what I've learned and one video from Jimmy houston  really helped. Oh yeah so far 3 minor birdnests, having 2 feet out of the tip of the rod and you can feel when to realease

So far I love it, if I can get my side casts good for shade tree fishing I'm set.

Oh. Cheap 9.99 Wal-Mart rod. 12 lb Berkeley green monofilament. It also casts my shallow dive repalas perfect.

[islandbass]

1 hour ago, newbiedmv said:

 I'm still learning side casting but I can whip that thing with two hands hard and land the lure with barely a drop in the water on a high arc.

Just a little tip for the mental eye. If you mean a regular side arm cast, it is mechanically the same as an overhand cast. The rod is just in a different plane. 
 

If you’re side arm casting from your right side and your lure is going left of target, your thumb is letting go too late. Going right, the thumb is letting go too early. Unless you intend to go more left or more your (sometimes you might need to to hit your target), I go for the “baby bear” mode. Looking straight at the target so my release moment is like the baby bear, just right. 
 

What I’m about to say next is just personally for me. For overhand casts, I like a like a little arc, but usually not too much of a rainbow unless that’s the type of cast I need to make. 
 

Why? Because too much rainbow or arch means is going higher than farther and distance (if needed) is lost, if distance is needed. 
 

A side arm roll cast, dang… I can’t explain that one but it sure feels awesome when you execute one. ?

[Fishes in trees]

In my opinion, you got a couple of decent reels to start with.    Again, in my opinion, the 151 HG will be better suited for bottom contact baits, jigs, soft plastics, stuff like that.   The DC reel is better for reaction bite baits, like spinner baits & cranks.  Have a Curado 150 DC and I find that I get better distance with the DC than I do with my other non-DC Curado reels.

 

 

I've often thought that if I had to learn how to throw bait casters all over again, I would learn how to pitch first.  This assumes that you're fishing out of a boat that is big enough to stand up in.   When I'm throwing soft plastics in my boat, I pitch much more often than I actually rear back and cast.

 

I got my first bait caster right around the time when I first got regular access to a boat, but it was a boat that I had to sit down in - so I learned over head casting first and then gradually learned how to do side arm & roll casts, back hand casts and so forth.  Once I started fishing tournaments, fishing out of the back of the boat and realized that the guy in the front of the boat, pitching, was getting twice as many casts in as I was,  that was when I realized that I needed to learn how to pitch.  Took me about a year and maybe 10 or 12 line changes before I got anywhere near competent with it.

 

All just a matter of practice of course, but I think the learning curve would have been shorter had I learned to pitch first - I think my thumb would have gotten smarter, quicker.    Just a thought.