Spent 2 hours practicing with BaitCaster

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey fellas, I spent 2 hours FREEZING but DETERMINED pratcing with the Prodigy Reel(seet) I bolught with the rod RiskKid gave me at a local pond. only 4 birdsnest, Im gonna get this!!!!!

 I was doing good then the first birdsnerst was huge, I kept doing good with the bake a 6 and 7 so like a knucklhead I put it 2 zero HAD TO RESPOOL after that disaster The others were all from changing lures and figuring where the spool adjustment and brake should be set at my current ability(or Lack of)

Question Can you over spool and underspoool like on spinning? What is the suggested way to fill em?

[Plastik]

Hey fellas, I spent 2 hours FREEZING but DETERMINED pratcing with the Prodigy Reel(seet) I bolught with the rod RiskKid gave me at a local pond. only 4 birdsnest, Im gonna get this!!!!!

I was doing good then the first birdsnerst was huge, I kept doing good with the bake a 6 and 7 so like a knucklhead I put it 2 zero HAD TO RESPOOL after that disaster The others were all from changing lures and figuring where the spool adjustment and brake should be set at my current ability(or Lack of)

Question Can you over spool and underspoool like on spinning? What is the suggested way to fill em?

Yes, you can over spool them.  If you want to get less birdnests, go with something braided, like spider wire.  It will be easier.  

The easiest way to set everything right is to hold your rod at a 90 from you, and hit the button, adjust untill the lure is able to free fall to the ground, and your spool stops.

Hope this helps.

Plastik

[NEBassMan]

i have always learned to hold the rod at about "10 o'clock" position, press the button and adjust the cast control knob until the lure falls, but as soon as it touches the ground the spool stops spinning.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Thaks fellas I got that part about the spool tension from Reel Mech and Avid a while ago ( this is my second try at baitcasting) Im getting better at a smooth lob then jerking it. My biggest problem is getting consistant with my relkease point, so I can get some accuracy The best thing I did was get rid of all but one spiining outfit and now I have to learn

 I took the brake off b/c thats how my buddies cast but they have been at it for years now I GOT A LITTLE TO ANXIOUS THE BRAKE IS MY FRIEND ;D

[mike bat]

just like anything else it wont be easy at first ..... but stick with it muddy .... youll get it .... i bet if you practice ... you have it down ... i just switched 2 years ago and i absoulty love it .... good luck

[K_Mac]

Muddy

Underspooling will cost you a little distance, but unless you get to the point where you are close to the bottom at the end of a long cast it is not a critical thing. A properly filled spool with soft line will give you the best performance. 10 or 12# Trilene XL would be a good place to start IMO. You can do it!

You keep practicing and you will soon be able to join me in giving LBH a hard time about his use of spinning tackle. ;D

[Catt]

Excellent muddy_man

Keep practicing but not just in the yard

Sit on the couch, push the release, let it fall, & see how close to the floor you can stop it.

Flip a jig across the room it doesn't matter if it's just 15'

Thumb control that's the key to stopping backlashes

[RiskKid.]

I still go heavy on the brake settings. I'm pleased with my distance so I'll stay with the heavy brakes and back off over time (months). I got overconfident last summer and backed way off my brakes....wind came up and it was a huge bird nest more like a bird mansion. Brakes went back on and problem mostly solved.

Like Catt suggests I still mess with mine in the house. It is all in the thumb.

Good luck.....once you fish with it on the water you'll really like it.

[jdw174]

When I worked at Dick's, I can't count the number of people who returned a baitcaster, saying that "it doesn't work right".  I'd march them outside, set the reel correctly and make cast after cast.  It never made any difference, though as they weren't willing to work with it.  Just remember that THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EDUCATED THUMB

[MALTESE FALCON]

HEY MUDDY,

WHEN BAITCASTING ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOUR THUMB IS YOUR FRIEND.

FALCON

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Thanks Fellas

[fishbear]

Muddy, do not give up, even though I have been throwing a b/c reel for over 20 yrs. I still get a professional birds nest once in awhile, however.... you will come to love that reel, for the accuracy it gives you.  I practice cast at a coffee can at varied distance for accuracy.   You can also skip baits real well with a b/c.  for going under brush or a dock, etc....  I learned on one of those old Blue Diawa rod and reel combos that was like casting with a broomstick.  I think I went thru enough line that the line companies all sent me Christmas cards that year.  ;D ;D ;D

[Mikey]

having the tension completely off is mostly pride, kinda like an ice skater skating backwards. sounds like your on your way. you will have an "educated thumb" in no time.

[Raul]

How were you holding the reel Muddy ?

With baitcasters you have to rotate your wrist until the handle is PERPENDICULAR to the gound ( if you are righty with a righty reel knobs should be facing UP, if you are righty with a lefty reel knobs should be facing DOWN )

Holding the reel to cast like this is a NO NO:

[.ghoti.]

Muddy, Do you have the Prodigy reel that has both magnetic and centrifugal braking? I have one the JM Signature Series reels that uses a similar system. Maybe what I've learned about mine would apply to yours. I hard a rough time with casting distance when I first got mine. The problem was the centifugal brakes. Out of the box, 5 of 6 weights were in the on position. When you said you turned the brake off, which one were you refering to? I took me a little experimentation to get the two systems balanced. I've got it set now with two weights "on". These are opposite each other. The magnetic control is set at 4. The spool tension  is set so the spool over-runs about 4 or 5 revolutions when a dropped bait hits the ground. I do not like the tension knob set tight enough to stop the spool when the dropped bait hits the ground. That is way too tight. This will cause problems with both distance and accuracy.

I got my wife to try a baitcaster for the first time this year. The JM reel, with both braking systems, is the one she had by far the least trouble with. Here's how I set it up for her to get started.

Loosen the spool tension knob almost all the way out.

Push the spool release button.

With your thumb on the spool, wiggle the spool sideways, you be able to feel the spool move side to side.

Tighten the spool tension knob just until the side to side movement stops, then go about 1/8 turn more.

Open up the side access plate and set the centrifugal brakes. Turn on every other one.

Set the magnetic control to 6.

Hold the rod pointed up at about a 45 degree angle.

Drop the bait, practicing stopping the spool with your thumb a few times to the feel for this particular brake setting.

Clamp a book under you armpit ( casting arm )

Make a gentle sidearm cast, watching the spool, using your thumb to feather the cast. When the bait hits the water, your thumb should have stopped the spool. You should not have dropped the book either.

I believe you'll have an easier time learning to cast sidearm than overhead.

You can lose the book anytime after you get used to just using your wrist to cast.

If these particular brake settings are causing you too many backlashes, try one more brake weight on, and one more click on the magnetic. Your reel is gonna be different than mine. I'm just giving you an idea of what to to try.

For line, I recommend Trilene XL. It's one of the most forgiving lines for an apprentice baitcaster to learn with. I would not recommend either flouro or braid. Using braid to learn on will give you some "professional overruns" that may require a knife to rectify. And flouro will kink when backlashed, causing weak spots in the line. Until you get comfortable, and repeatable, stick with the limp mono.

How far you fill the spool will have an effect on your casting. I fill mine right to the top. I would not recommend that for you just yet. Leave about 1/16 to 1/8 inch of spool open. If you can get the feel for it, using your thumb on the open portion of the spool, instead of putting pressure on the line, will yield considerably more consistent results. This is the hard part to get used to. I learned to thumb the line. I got a lot better when I learned to thumb the spool. It's easier to do with a little more open space at the top of the spool.

As far as wrist position goes, with a sidearm cast you'll want the handle knobs pointed to the side. For an overhand cast you want the knobs either pointing straight up or down, depending on which side the handle's on, and which hand you cast with. This is all about wrist mechanics. You'll figure out what's comfortable for you.

The differences between casting and spinning gear are in the casting motion and the release point. You've already figured out that the release point is earlier with a baitcaster. The motion with a spinning rig has the "snap" at the back point of the rod's trajectory. With a baitcaster, you can completely stop the back cast, then smoothly accelerate forward. No snap at the beginning of the forward movement. I believe you'll pick this up better using a sidearm cast. It's worth a shot, in any event.

I had an older gent tell me, years ago, the the brakes worked better when the handle was turned up, so the spool was down, against the brakes, during the cast. This may well have been the case, "back in the day", when manufacturing processes were no where near as precise as they are now.

Just my fifth of a dimes worth.

Good luck,

GK

[Bud]

After about 3 month you will get the hang of it.   Hang in their don't give up

[Guest the_muddy_man]

WOW THATS A LOT OF INFORMATION. Im trying to get the hang of the handles up routine. Yes the reel has both brakes but Im not messing with opening it up to ajust the pins quite yet

I am getting better rsults with side arm lobs right now

Thanks for all the help and encouragement going out to practice again later today

Well its easier than some brassirre snaps Ive dealt with

[.ghoti.]

Muddy, go ahead and open that thing up. You may find you like that reel even better when you find the correct balance between the two systems. It's easier than those dratted snaps you refered to. Just don't do it over the water the first time.

Good luck,

GK

[Catt]

Muddy keep practicing you will get better, I can cast and undo brassiere snaps in the dark   8-)

just not at the same time!

[CyBasser]

Muddy,

I went through the same "agonizing" moments with you while trying to learn using baitcasting equipment. I wanted to try baitcasting since 2004, but fears of birdnests and completely different style of casting was "blocking" me until this past July.

Then a friend borrowed me a Cabelas combo (6'6" e-glass rod and black label reel) to try it. His instructions were though not that helpful, I could not cast further than about 25ft without extreme backlashes. Another friend then gave me some more tuition, and the backlashes were reduced as casting distance improved. I had though to learn on my own the basics (along of course with the help of some advise I found at various places of BassResource.com). I did destroy quite a bit of line in the progress.

When I felt a bit more confident, I made the big step and I got my own rod and reel. The reel I ended up getting was a Daiwa Super Tuned Advantage, but the Japanese model. This reel has much better settings and is far better in reducing backlashes. I still did a lot of practice, and now, five months later, I feel very confident - I actually felt confident enough to continuously use my baitcast set up on the third day of a three day tournament...

My advise is that you take up the advise given by the experts on this thread (I now for sure I will be trying up a few of the hints given in the previous posts). And then, practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more. It will soon become second nature. You will subconciously alter the brake settings as you change different lures, you will stop worrying about backlashes, and then you will catch some decent fish and the whole experience will become far more exciting.

I am now a huge baitcasting fan, and my only regret is that I did not tried it earlier...

My hints:

1. Practice, practice, practice....

2. Use a good limp line while on the learning curve. I tried to use everything - mono of various brands, braid, fluoro. I believe the best of what I used for learning was Trilene XL 12lb. With fluoro I realized that it works far better on the baitcaster than on spinning reels, but as someone said above, once you get a backlash (which no-one can ever completely avoid as somebody else mentioned) you will have more trouble untangling it. With braid, the cast feels far smoother, but a backlash is a complete nightmare. I made the mistake of using 20lb braid as I do on my spinning reels. Initially it worked wonders, then I had a tiny backlash which I sorted out (i thought). Next cast, it was about 80 yards of braid wasted! The problem as I discovered was that the thin braided line was catching itself in grooves - and as a few fellow BR members have pointed, with baitcast equipment it's better to use thicker braid (equal to 12lb or more of mono in diameter).

So... Be patient and you will be rewarded! Good luck!