What’s the Worst You’ve Ever Backlashed a Baitcaster?

[Bucks Bass and Bourbon]

In honor of me absolutely destroying a brand new spool of FC sniper on the first cast yesterday I figured it might be funny to hear the worst birds nests some of you have had. 
 

After spooling up a brand new reel I stopped at the local pond to try out a new rod and made a cast that immediately blew up the reel beyond saving. Tried for an hour to work it out but it was hopeless. Still not sure how or why I did it but upon inspection I had the brakes at 0 and the spool tension was backed way off. Don’t even remember doing it. The sound off the reel when I made the cast sounded like a car with a flat tire followed by the worst raspy sound I’ve ever heard. I smashed my thumb down immediately but it was already too late. What makes it worse is it happened on the most backlash-proof reel I own… a Zillion. So you know I screwed that up in every possible way. 
 

Anyone else??

[MediumMouthBass]

A few times during last year around prespawn when the bite was good, i would cast with too much force to try to get a really long cast (i have to keep reminding myself to cast gently but sometimes i forget) and when the lure hit the spot of water that i thought the bass were at my reel would look like i was using it the day before practicing for a knot tying competition, it wasnt just tangled there were about dozens and dozens of knots, after about 5-10 minutes i would get it fixed but i always worried about there being a bass gut hooked while trying to fix it. But some times i have to just cut the line and remove the rest from the spool.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Overhand cast, bait catches tree behind, I continue with a full bomb cast and proceed to watch the reel backlash to kingdom come.  

 

That's happened a number of times 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

2 guys in a small craft, snagged another rod on the back cast and let her rip. Mono line ended up in a birds nest that nearly reached the spool depth. That was my one and only cut-off backlash. 

[gim]

The worst ones I’ve had are when the lure or line catches on something from behind right before I cast.

[casts_by_fly]

Year before last I was fishing with my dad and I’m still not sure how it happened. 12 # supernatural on an abu Garcia mgx. I was throwing a 90 plopper and must have reached for just a little more.  Maybe I didn’t have anything set well enough.  Maybe something got stuck in the brakes.  Either way it went all the way to the spool and there was no saving it. I gave it 10 minutes before I started cutting and respooled with whatever he had in the boat. 

[WRB]

Snagging something during the back cast is a disaster during a long cast that blows up a bait caster.

Had a few that couldn’t be saved and cut out down to the spool arbor.

Braid is worst for unbelievable birds nest.

Tom

[A-Jay]

A couple of years ago, I had a decent jerkbait bite going and I was pretty excited about it.

I was in some deeper water and my rig was blowing around a bit.

Rather than reposition the boat, I stepped to the stern to cast at the fish.

Reared back to launch my favorite (at the time) Vision 110+1 into orbit,

and the bait clipped one of the Talons. 

Both my reel and the bait blew up.

Made no attempt to pick out the backlash, simply retired the rig to the rod locker.

Ended up taking the snips to it later and and re-spooling with fresh 10 FC.

As a reminder, I kept the busted up bait.

Still use it as a $25 casting plug in the yard.

Morale of this story is, stay on the bow. 

A-Jay

 

[Peacedivision]

Tree branch on a back cast, exploded beyond any hope of saving.

[king fisher]

Finally a topic that I excel at.  When it comes to catching bass, I am just an average angler.  When it comes to backlashing reels, I am a real pro.  I have backlashed so bad, I lost a rod and reel over board.

[A-Jay]

36 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Finally a topic that I excel at.  When it comes to catching bass, I am just an average angler.  When it comes to backlashing reels, I am a real pro.  I have backlashed so bad, I lost a rod and reel over board.

LOL ~

I'm trying to picture that disaster,

but unless one is as skilled as you are,

it seems pretty hard to do.

A-Jay

[king fisher]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

LOL ~

I'm trying to picture that disaster,

but unless one is as skilled as you are,

it seems pretty hard to do.

A-Jay

Like I said, I am a pro, and I am at the top of my game.

[ATA]

I don't know if it counts or not? I was fishing with Penn 14/0 and sent the bait with drone to the ocean and middle of fly, someone called my friend mobile and that disconnect the drone with phone and drone crashed in ocean and same time gave me worst backlash of my life which I need to respool, 2200 yards of braid and top shot , And I paid like $300 plus a day before go shark fishing.Plus the drone and ETC... you get the idea, We almost fired that guy for making that call on Sunday 6:30AM LOL.

[GaryH]

Last year night fishing on Dale Hollow and for the first time in many years I was a back seater on a friends boat. Probably around my third cast my tube was around the other side of the light pole and I let it rip. Didn’t even try to get it out till we were off the water. Ended up cutting it off.

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Phil]

Back in the 90s when I was still living in South Florida, my son and I decided to try our hand at bone fishing. We didn't know what to expect and we sure didn't know what we were doing.  We took some plastic grubs and ran out to Biscayne Bay where there were some tidal channels running through sand bars.  Not knowing any better, we fished them with an Ambassador 5500C round reel and 10 pound mono.  We must have hit it right because it didn't take long before we hooked up.  The first run of that fish was so strong and fast, it backlashed the reel running against the drag. It was like hooking a speeding semi truck while fishing off a highway overpass.  Needless to say, we had to cut off the line and start over.  Lesson learned!  😉

[MickD]

Cannot remember what caused it, but had one with about 30 pound braid and had to cut it out.  Took a long long time with that tough braid.  

[GaryH]

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

Finally a topic that I excel at.  When it comes to catching bass, I am just an average angler.  When it comes to backlashing reels, I am a real pro.  I have backlashed so bad, I lost a rod and reel over board.

My friend after losing several hits in a row, got mad and his next cast he got a major nest. He was so mad he started to wack his fishing rod on the water and it broke in half. I think I laughed for 10 minutes.

[crypt]

this one didn't happen to me but the guy in the back of the boat that decided to try and use my rig. we were fishing a tourney on Toho when he wanted to see if he could try my worm rig. well he picked it up and made 1 horrible cast that blew up the reel as deep as I've ever seen. he looked at me and said "well I guess that does it". I never fished with him again. we were in the same club for over 20 years ,how we never drew each other all that time was a miracle. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

Finally a topic that I excel at.  When it comes to catching bass, I am just an average angler.  When it comes to backlashing reels, I am a real pro.  I have backlashed so bad, I lost a rod and reel over board.

forgot about that one. Did that two years ago. First trip of the year, blowing a gale, trying to throw an a-rig. My dad had given me a chronarch 200 and I spooled it up with some new 50 braid. It was a little more weight than the rod should have had and with the wind it was a bear to cast. Second or third cast I launched one and I guess the braid had dug in. It backlashed and ripped the rod out of my hands.  Fortunately the air in the rod and reel was enough to float it long enough for me to get it. 

[ATA]

3 minutes ago, crypt said:

this one didn't happen to me but the guy in the back of the boat that decided to try and use my rig. we were fishing a tourney on Toho when he wanted to see if he could try my worm rig. well he picked it up and made 1 horrible cast that blew up the reel as deep as I've ever seen. he looked at me and said "well I guess that does it". I never fished with him again. we were in the same club for over 20 years ,how we never drew each other all that time was a miracle. 

I am sure like me, Deep down you weren't happy that he use your gear 😀

[FishTax]

I've only had one I had to cut out. Casting sitting down in kayak, I was tired and apparently the lure touched the water as I was preparing to launch it. Total disaster, but lesson learned. Kind of. Almost did it today from bank, caught a tree but had a quick thumb and salvaged it. 

[dodgeguy]

1 hour ago, crypt said:

this one didn't happen to me but the guy in the back of the boat that decided to try and use my rig. we were fishing a tourney on Toho when he wanted to see if he could try my worm rig. well he picked it up and made 1 horrible cast that blew up the reel as deep as I've ever seen. he looked at me and said "well I guess that does it". I never fished with him again. we were in the same club for over 20 years ,how we never drew each other all that time was a miracle. 

Lol 

[Woody B]

What about a backlash after the cast?   I saw a decent sized Bass under a floating dock.   I made a perfect skip with a weightless T-rigged lizard.   I was admiring my cast then the Bass took it.  I set the hook without locking the reel, or even having my thumb on the spool.  I had to cut that one out and respool.  I landed the 2 1/2 pound Bass.   I reeled it part of the way in but the reel got locked up with the over run.  I drug it around with my trolling motor until it was tired enough to handline in.   

 

I had 2 pretty good ones back to back.  On a cast the ring pulled out of the lip on a crankbait.   This was a line changing backlash.  I changed reels, and baits, but forgot I had the brakes turned all the way off on the reel I had installed.  I was able to clean out that backlash, but it was a pretty good one.   

[Motoboss]

Many, many years ago I put on a brand new 1/2oz Spinnerbait on a brand new reel, with brand new 12# mono.

Let the spinner fall from the rod tip and the drop speed was about right, I thought.

Reared back and flung it for tomorrow and Wham!, the Spinner went flying, snapped off with the sudden complete stop of the reel. I looked in amazement as my brand new lure hit the water, looked down and saw a full spool nest sticking out from every possible opening.

Looked over at my fishing buddy and he was rolling with laughter!

 

That was the last time I ever used mono on a baitcaster.

[FrnkNsteen]

5 hours ago, Bucks Bass and Bourbon said:

In honor of me absolutely destroying a brand new spool of FC sniper on the first cast yesterday I figured it might be funny to hear the worst birds nests some of you have had. 
 

After spooling up a brand new reel I stopped at the local pond to try out a new rod and made a cast that immediately blew up the reel beyond saving. Tried for an hour to work it out but it was hopeless. Still not sure how or why I did it but upon inspection I had the brakes at 0 and the spool tension was backed way off. Don’t even remember doing it. The sound off the reel when I made the cast sounded like a car with a flat tire followed by the worst raspy sound I’ve ever heard. I smashed my thumb down immediately but it was already too late. What makes it worse is it happened on the most backlash-proof reel I own… a Zillion. So you know I screwed that up in every possible way. 
 

Anyone else??

Mine was just like this. I had just got done cleaning a reel and thought I had set the brake and spool tension, but had actually set brake to zero and didn't even start to adjust the sool tension.

 

I tied on a jig and went to the backyard to test. Wound up to cast across the yard and let it go, immediately heard the worst version of vvvvffffttt!!! you've ever heard and felt the ball of fluff form under my thumb.

 

Immediately knew what I had done. Looked down and knew there was no hope. Out came the scissors.