How long did it take you to "master" a baitcaster?

[PressuredFishing]

So just to be 100% clear, I'm not talking about avoid backlash, but mastering these skills

Basic overhead cast

Flipping/ pitching

Sidearm cast

Roll cast

Skipping basic baits like senkos or flukes or jigs

Skipping advanced baits like cranks, spinnerbaits, and creature baits.

I've been practicing for about a few hours a week for roughly 5 years now, I would say I can do everything but Skipping effectivley, I can skip but it is a challenge. How long has it taken you to master the baitcaster?

 

[Basser2021]

It didn't take me long personally, but that's probably because my brother had one before I did so I watched him do those skills(ecspecially flipping and pitching lighter baits) so I knew the basics.

 

And yes, skipping is in my opinion the hardest ecspecially near docks because they are all different sizes and shapes and what not

[Tennessee Boy]

I’ve been using a baitcaster for around 50 years and I wouldn’t call myself a master at everything on your list.

[Big Rick]

Anyone that can skip a crank bait or a spinner bait consistently with any accuracy is a freak of nature in my book. Treble hooks and blades are a nemesis to accurate skipping. 

 

 

[GreenPig]

Master! Right!?

[Deleted account]

I don't know about master anything, and my skills are on the decline with age somewhat, but I can cast pretty much any which way, I'm not great at skipping though, don't really do it much, and when I do, it's usually with spinning.

[MN Fisher]

Have I mastered any of those casting skills? No

 

Am I fairly competent in them? For the most part - still can't skip worth a darn with BC, so do it with spinning gear.

 

Been using baitcasters off-and-on since the early 80s

[A-Jay]

Master ? Hardly

Not certain I know how to tell.

However if judgement is made at least in part by using revolving spool gear to catch bass.

Then I'd say I might be close to  average.

Finally, I fish nothing that requires skipping.

Sure looks cool though.

A-Jay

 

 

 

[Finessegenics]

Still can't skip with a baitcaster either?‍♂️

[rtwvumtneer6]

Looking back, a lot of my struggle likely came from pairing the wrong bait to the wrong rod... Or in my case early on, throwing every bait I owned on the same rod.  The actual operation of the reel came pretty quick, but understanding the rods role in the cast wasn't as quick, or in my budget at the time. 

 

I'd say after a season (7-8 months at most here) I was comfortable with the gear.  Still far from a master, but a lot more efficient.  

[Bird]

Been using a baitcaster for 42 years, yes I remember. Lol

I can't skip nor will I even try with a baitcaster when a spinning reel is so much easier under docks. 

BUT, I do carry more baitcasters than spinning on every trip on the water. 

Enjoy what you prefer. 

[PressuredFishing]

48 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I fish nothing that requires skipping.

Sure looks cool though.

Picked up a big spool of 12lb mono and been playing around with it, kind of like a kid at the lake skipping stones, but I'm in my backyard pool. Super fun, except when neighbors look over the fence with that look ? 

[DitchPanda]

I'm pretty solid and accurate with multiple types of casts and I can skip a jig decent. I've been using a baitcaster for 25+ years..still no expert.

[jbsoonerfan]

Master? Not hardly. Proficient enough to make it work 90% of the time with the occasional goof up. 

[gim]

No skipping with a BC here either. I’ve got it down with a spinning setup.

 

All that other stuff I can do pretty well.

 

Even the most proficient angler is going to have a minor back lash every once in a while using a bait caster. It’s part of using one.

 

I have a couple friends who tried to use a BC years ago and gave up after one try because they back lashed. They still use spinning gear in situations where a BC would clearly excel and they are at a disadvantage because of it.

[FryDog62]

Skipping a weightless plastic with a b/c was the hardest transition for me. Until I started using a Daiwa SV spool I was 50-50 on skip casts. Now I'm 95%+ with the occasional overrun. After several years skipping with an SV spool, I thought maybe I've just gotten better with more repetitions and its not as much of the SV factor as I thought. Nope, went right back to 50-50 when I experimented skipping again with my Abu's, Lew's and Shimanos. 

[Columbia Craw]

I am forever seeking casting consciousness grasshopper.

[Fishlegs]

Y’all can avoid backlashes? ? 

 

[islandbass]

Truly master? No. To be proficient ? Certainly. BTW, on my list, skipping with a baitcaster is willfully omitted. As a shore angler, having that skill is not needed. ?

 

[ironbjorn]

I can't skip with a baitcaster. That mechanic has just never taken with me and it's possible that it never will. Whatever it is, I don't have it.

 

However, I'm a magician in all other aspects of baitcasting, which doesn't really make any sense to me as far as the inability to skip. Maybe I just need somebody to teach me in person whatever it is that I'm not seeing in videos or comprehending in text. Anyways, I keep my reels as loose as anyone realistically could. My spool is a side to side wobbling mess and I use almost not brakes much of the time. My thumb is great. Side arm, pitching, behind the back and under the leg (joking), etc I'm as good or better than anyone else. Accuracy is top notch. Hand eye coordination skills have always been natural for me. I'm a league pool player and a competitive video gamer. When I was in high school and played football I could throw a football 55 yards on a dime and was more accurate on the run (and can still hit 40-45 with a good amount of accuracy even now in my 30s, going long periods of time without picking up a ball at all). I can also catch d**n near anything. I wonder if that natural ability plays a role in my casting ability. The problem is, in high school I wasn't smart enough on the field to go to the next level no matter how good my physical ability was, and I'm not smart enough to learn how to skip nor choose the correct spots and presentations often enough to combine it with my casting ability to make something special, and I know I miss a lot of bites from failing to notice a strike, so I remain a forever average guy with physical gifts.

[Catt]

Master! Heck yeah! I can backlash with the best of em!

 

Some days I'm like Kevin VanDam, others days it's Alfred E. Neuman!

[GRiver]

Any skipping or around docks, I just pick up a spinning rig.
I like to fish a lot of weightless around docks, so it’s more difficult for me to use a bait caster. It sure beats fixing a birds nest.
I’ve only been using one about 10-12 years. 

[scaleface]

10 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Looking back, a lot of my struggle likely came from pairing the wrong bait to the wrong rod... Or in my case early on, throwing every bait I owned on the same rod.  The actual operation of the reel came pretty quick, but understanding the rods role in the cast wasn't as quick, or in my budget at the time. 

This .Get the bait dialed into the rod . It should be an effortless underhand toss to get the accuracy down .Example ,  I use 1/2 ounce spinnerbaits with a 7 foot mh  rod because that is what I cast best .If I use a 3/8 ounce then a little bit of weight is added in  the form of a trailer  . Pros will take a couple dozen rods so they have a rod to match every lure weight . I dont have that luxury so have to match the lure to the rod .I'm no expert but do OK for a serious recreational fisherman . Skipping is starting to come along . Once again , lure selection is critical .A Zman Popshadz  skips incredibly easy . 

[bulldog1935]

I had a Daiwa Millionaire 6H for about 5 years before the first day I tried a weightless rig and spiral cast, which is a really long overhead cast beginning with the rod pointing forward and down (you can do this from the corner of a dock or boat). 

Learning to load the rod centrifugally is a big advantage for maximizing distance, casting minimum weight, and skipping is the same idea, except you're loading the rod in the opposite clock direction from an overhead cast. 

 

The right rod for the cast is Everything. 

 

Backlash is always a fair discussion here.  Thumb, reel adjustment, smooth cast acceleration, are all honed skills.  It disappears from your conscious mind.  One day you just recognize that you haven't backlashed a baitcaster in two years - that's when I was ready for braid. 

[Deleted account]

I mastered baiting at an early age, does that count?...