Braided line and backlash tendency

[ArtificialLureCaster]

Hi,

 

I am a novice baitcasting reel user. Actually, today was my second day of using one. I think I did my homework, read good amount of material and watched a lot of YouTube videos to understand the basics. Still, I am puzzled about one thing, and I need a little help.

 

I bought a Piscifun Torrent Reel and a 7ft mh rod to test whether I can get a little enjoyment out of baitcasting. I put a 15lb fluoro backing on the reel and filled it up with 30lb braid. I also bought a 3/8 oz practice plug and went to the local park. With the tension knob just tight enough to prevent side play of the spool I set the magnetic brakes to 3 (out of 10. Also, my reel has only magnetic brakes.) I was expecting a massive backlash, so I made my first cast ever very timidly with my thumb slowing the spool. It went smoothly, 15-20 yards. Since my braided line changes color every 10 meters (=11 yards) I can estimate how far I casted. After couple of successful casts, I gained confidence and started putting force in it. I experienced my first ever backlash but resolved it very quickly and kept casting to gain distance. That day I casted 2 hours straight (maybe more than 60 times) on the grass and had only 4-5 minor backlashes. In the last half an hour I was casting above 40 yards, one after another without any backlash. On the way home, in my head, I was writing my casting tournament speech. 

 

So, with that experience I went to a local lake today to catch my first fish from the shore on a baitcasting reel. There was no wind. I picked a low-profile swimbait that has the same 3/8 oz. weight as the practice plug. I also tied a 12ft fluoro leader with a blood knot to make the presentation more natural. I started casting. First couple casts were timid 20yds. Not surprisingly, I started to feel the spool was getting wet.  That is when my problems started. I started to get backlashes. Nasty ones. I stayed at the lake for 4 hours. Maybe tried 100 casts, every combination of tension knob to magnetic brakes, but I could not get three casts in a row without a backlash. I tried in vain to use my thumb more aggressively, but it only reduced the casting distance to 15-20 yards. One thing I noticed is that the 30lb braided line was digging itself in the spool. Also, the wet spool was making an ugly noise if I put any force to the cast.

 

It was a day and night difference between the practice on the grass and the real fishing on the lake. I have a wishful theory that the wet braided line caused the situation. Can that be true? If I put a 15lb mono on the reel, would that solve my problem? 

 

Thank you.

 

 

[islandbass]

First thing I’d recommend is take off the braid and choose at least a 10-12# mono immediately. 
 

Newbies should not learn to use casting reels with braid. Line dig is an issue that wil slow a newbie’s learning. 
 

As for your backlashes, we’re they true backlashes or did your reel looked like it was about to back lash but didn't?

 

I started chuckling as I read your post. Why? Because I did the same thing as you,  putting on braid my first time and know exactly what you just experienced. 
 

You also need to be aware that your mechanics must be sound. By this I mean that you must allow the lure's weight to load the rod when you cast. Unfortunately, you can get away without doing this with a spinning rod. 
 

The last point I’ll bring to your attention is that just because two things weigh the same, does not mean you that you won’t need to make a brake adjustment. You still might have to.   A 3/8oz casting plug will cast superbly because it will cut through the air like a knife through soft butter. One cannot  expect a 3/8oz spinnerbait to cast the same. The blades could get caught up in the wind and may cause a backlash if your thumb isn’t there to make the necessary adjustment to change the spool’s speed. 
 

Congrats and keep at it. You’ll get it down in no time. 
 

 

 

[QED]

Also if you are a newb then set the tension (actually compression) knob such that the bait just barely drops when you hold the rod horizontally and the spool doesn't overrun when the bait hits the ground.  Save the heroics for when you are more experienced.

[Deephaven]

6 hours ago, islandbass said:

First thing I’d recommend is take off the braid and choose at least a 10-12# mono immediately. 

I'd go up to 17lb.  Thicker is easier to clean up when you mess up and retains more strength. Big game is cheap and costs nothing to respool when you screw up your whole spool.  Crank your brakes to max, overtighten the tension knob and cast the same for every cast.  You adjust the length with your thumb, NOT your effort.  Learn that and the rest will get easier.

[BrianMDTX]

I just spooled 50 lb. braid on a baitcaster for the first time last week. I have been using either 10 lb. mono or 12 lb. YZH copolymer. I didn’t have any issues, but I have been fishing with a baitcaster for years. I agree that braid is probably not the best choice for a novice. 
 

@islandbass note about loading the rod on the cast is spot on. Years of “flicking” a bait with a spinning rig had to be unlearned, as that’s a recipe for disaster. 
 

Also (and others with more experience may know better than I), I notice you mentioned 30 lb. braid. I think the vast majority of posts I’ve read on BR show baitcasters spooled with 50 lb. and up braid, due to smaller diameter braid digging in. That may also be an issues you’re having. 

[cyclops2]

Starting............ALONE............on a bait caster is VERY frustrating.  Most just quit.  The reel can be a massive reason.  If it does not have a line GUIDER SLOT going left and right constantly ..........SMOOTHLY..........all the time.

 

Use about a 1 ounce lead weight to practice on a BIG over 300 foot field !!!!  

 

Set the drag to a fair amount if you pull by hand.   The heavy weight is .............A MUST !!!!

Can you post a picture of the the reel showing the narrow line slotted piece. 

A lurehas MORE air resistance then a tapered weight. 

 

The water screwing up casting ????  Bad reel.  Period........No one should ever keep that reel. Return it. Call your C C company for a refund If place will not TAKE IT BACK !!!!!

 

Better luck on your next reel.  Price you spent on it ?  Others can reccomend a reel in that price range.

 

[garroyo130]

What does your retrieve look like? because it sounds like you may be reeling in slack line or holding the rod tip high with slack line. Braid shouldn't be digging into itself with only the pressure of the lure being retrieved and I can only see that happening if the coils on the spool are loose to begin with.

[GTN-NY]

I’m not a noob when it comes to baitcasters. I’ve always used big game and would get a backlash once in a while. 
Last year I got some braid are reading on here a lot. I got a couple Berkeley X types. 
Practice casting went fine but out on the water was a different story. 
First cast with a spinnerbait I heard that loud crack. 30lb braid snapped back at the reel. Did a retie with a leader and very next cast same crack snap back at the reel. 
Why?????

 

side note- I did get my spinnerbaits back. Braid floats and I ran it over with the trolling motor. Wound it up nice and tight around the prop. Spent 30 min on shore getting it unwound

[Catt]

Throw the practice plug in the trash can & never waste your money again!

 

Magnetic brakes, 5 out of 10 on, every other one on.

 

Tension knob, set it till you lure falls to the floor with minimal "backlash".

 

Take all the line off & save it until you understand what you're doing.

 

Spool up with 15# Berkley Big Game.

 

Let your rod do the casting, it's better at it than you. 

 

Don't force the cast!

 

Keep your elbow tight to your body, cast with your forearm & wrist.

 

Practice with a 1/4 oz bullet weight, 3/0 hook & a 6-7" worm or a 1/4 oz jig with a plastic trailer.

 

Why?

 

Aerodynamic ?

[BrianMDTX]

It’s not a great pic, but this is 20 lb. Sufix 832 to 8 lb. mono leader with a Lefty Kreh knot on my Daiwa Revros LT2500 on a Fenwick HMX MF spinning rig. It’s not too big for me, but may be for others. 
 

[softwateronly]

9 hours ago, ArtificialLureCaster said:

Hi,

 

I am a novice baitcasting reel user. Actually, today was my second day of using one. I think I did my homework, read good amount of material and watched a lot of YouTube videos to understand the basics. Still, I am puzzled about one thing, and I need a little help.

 

I bought a Piscifun Torrent Reel and a 7ft mh rod to test whether I can get a little enjoyment out of baitcasting. I put a 15lb fluoro backing on the reel and filled it up with 30lb braid. I also bought a 3/8 oz practice plug and went to the local park. With the tension knob just tight enough to prevent side play of the spool I set the magnetic brakes to 3 (out of 10. Also, my reel has only magnetic brakes.) I was expecting a massive backlash, so I made my first cast ever very timidly with my thumb slowing the spool. It went smoothly, 15-20 yards. Since my braided line changes color every 10 meters (=11 yards) I can estimate how far I casted. After couple of successful casts, I gained confidence and started putting force in it. I experienced my first ever backlash but resolved it very quickly and kept casting to gain distance. That day I casted 2 hours straight (maybe more than 60 times) on the grass and had only 4-5 minor backlashes. In the last half an hour I was casting above 40 yards, one after another without any backlash. On the way home, in my head, I was writing my casting tournament speech. 

 

So, with that experience I went to a local lake today to catch my first fish from the shore on a baitcasting reel. There was no wind. I picked a low-profile swimbait that has the same 3/8 oz. weight as the practice plug. I also tied a 12ft fluoro leader with a blood knot to make the presentation more natural. I started casting. First couple casts were timid 20yds. Not surprisingly, I started to feel the spool was getting wet.  That is when my problems started. I started to get backlashes. Nasty ones. I stayed at the lake for 4 hours. Maybe tried 100 casts, every combination of tension knob to magnetic brakes, but I could not get three casts in a row without a backlash. I tried in vain to use my thumb more aggressively, but it only reduced the casting distance to 15-20 yards. One thing I noticed is that the 30lb braided line was digging itself in the spool. Also, the wet spool was making an ugly noise if I put any force to the cast.

 

It was a day and night difference between the practice on the grass and the real fishing on the lake. I have a wishful theory that the wet braided line caused the situation. Can that be true? If I put a 15lb mono on the reel, would that solve my problem? 

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

I learned how to throw a baitcaster 3-4 years ago and started with braid.  I had many backlashes as well.  One thing about your set up that might be problematic is your floro backing.  My 30lb braid reels handle best with a 6lb mono backing.  The thinner braid on top of the floro that might fluff, will find the grooves and dig horribly.  Might be something to try if you would like to continue using braid.  I do agree that 40-50lb braid is an easier learning curve, but 30lb is certainly doable and is currently on half my reels.

 

scott

[MickD]

I think with some braids they "collect" water, and the wet line is thrown off the spool hitting the cross braces of the reel.  If you don't want to change lines as a first step, try taking some line off the reel so it has to go farther to contact the braces.  Maybe it won't.

 

I have switched back to 14 pound Suffix Elite mono on most of my reels.  I too could cast very well in the yard but not on the water.  Don't get tricked into switching to FC until you become a true expert.  It is harder to cast properly and when you get a backlash , it likely will break as you pick it out.  

[dodgeguy]

This my friend is why you never go below 50 lb braid on a baitcaster. Get Sufix 832 braid.. braid backlashes less than any other lines and backlash comes out easier. First is when does the backlash happen ? If it's at the start of cast then you need more thumb or Centrifugal brake. If it's during the cast you need more magnetic brake or more cast control knob. As a beginner you should have your bait falling slowly to start. You're not good enough to go full blown loose . Also cast with wrist at 90 degrees so spool has less centrifugal force on it .don't try to force distance. Cast with a limp wrist. Be fluid like a ballet dancer. Learn accuracy first.

[cyclops2]

2 other very important points.

 

 You MUST pinch the LOOSE line ........Before......You start cranking in any line !!  Reeling in LOOSE LINE again& again will create a ...SOFT.... Layering of the line.

 

I have always PINCHED ALL LINE being wound onto a EMPTY SPOOL.   If that is wpound on loose ?  A reason for dig ins.    Some reels do NOT PUT the line on at enough  ANGLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If too close to each other or too loose ? Not a good designed reel for a beginner.

My reels are TIGHT lines. 

I find no difference between the problems of reel tangles on bait...spin... Fly line reels. 

 

EDIT

I pinch the line with a glove on the pinching fingers.   + 200 ' done tightly hurts a little.

[MidwestBassAttack]

As others have mentioned, take off the braid and go straight mono. Big Game 15lb was my “learning” line. Easy to use and super cheap. Earn your wings on that.

 

if your backlashing at the beginning of your cast, adjust your brakes. If your backlashing at the end, adjust spool tension and work on your thumbing.

 

I might also suggest using a heavier weight. For instance, 3/4oz while learning.

[bulldog1935]

I would recommend 20-lb or heavier Sufix 832 over heavy mono backing for anybody with baitcaster skill, 

 

and Daiwa SV for everybody else. 

[dodgeguy]

3 hours ago, MidwestBassAttack said:

As others have mentioned, take off the braid and go straight mono. Big Game 15lb was my “learning” line. Easy to use and super cheap. Earn your wings on that.

 

if your backlashing at the beginning of your cast, adjust your brakes. If your backlashing at the end, adjust spool tension and work on your thumbing.

 

I might also suggest using a heavier weight. For instance, 3/4oz while learning.

How does going to a line with more memory help ? It doesn't . Quality 50 lb braid to start is the best.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The size of the backing has no bearing on casting, but you wasted some money using fluoro as backing. The problem isn’t braid it’s wrong braid (too thin diameter), bait vs practice plug, poor setup (too loose for learning, and throwing slack into the line during retrieve. You need to clear the spool occasionally of loops and slack. 

[NoShoes]

I practiced on grass. Helped a lot. I’m dang accurate, and on a whim can stick a lure in tight spots. 
 

But it’s also caused a lot of issues with trajectory trying to lay the lure in soft and skipping baits. You get a rod tip a bit low on the water and it’s just water, practicing on grass I avoided dragging my rod tip to a fault. 
 

It has place. As soon as you can cast well enough to go fish, go fish. Nothing beats on the water. 

[WRB]

Casting for distance required learned skills you haven’t developed. 
Catt recommend casting technique using your wrist, not a baseball swing and letting the rod launch the lure is spot on.

learn to cast using mono, save the braid for heavy cover presentations.

Learn to keep line tension during the retrieve to prevent loose line on the spool.

Practice, practice and practice some more.

Tom

[dodgeguy]

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

The size of the backing has no bearing on casting, but you wasted some money using fluoro as backing. The problem isn’t braid it’s wrong braid (too thin diameter), bait vs practice plug, poor setup (too loose for learning, and throwing slack into the line during retrieve. You need to clear the spool occasionally of loops and slack. 

Correct

[WRB]

The op’s PacSun Torrent reel cost $40, why on earth put FC and braid  line that nearly equals the reel price? 

1/4 lb (600 yd) spool of Big Game mono is under $9, excellent line for baitcasting reel. I suggest 12 lb for this reel.

Tom

 

[Catt]

Keep in mind backlashes are operator error! 

 

Reel setup improperly 

Or

Poor casting technique 

[BrianMDTX]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

Keep in mind backlashes are operator error! 

 

Reel setup improperly 

Or

Poor casting technique 

Been there. Done that. 
 

No matter what, an educated thumb works wonders! 

[Catt]

1 minute ago, BrianMDTX said:

Been there. Done that. 
 

No matter what, an educated thumb works wonders! 

 

#1: properly setup reel 

#2: proper technique 

#3: educated thumb

 

Results; adequate distance & increased accuracy.