Having trouble casting my baitcaster

[flyinbrad]

I have been crappie fishing for years using mostly closed face or spinning reels. I have just started moving toward bass fishing and bought myself a mid level baitcasting reel and a 7' med action rod. The trouble is I cannot seem to hit anything I cast toward. I adjusted the tension per the reels user manual. I dont think it is my ability to cast in general because I can hit anything I want with a spinner or closed face. I thought the rod was too stiff because the cast leaves the rod tip close to a 90 angle no matter what I try. So I tried a med light rod and the same result. Any help will be great.

[Sam]

For accuracy, to to a six foot rod.

For distance, go to a seven foot rod.

Try again with a six foot rod and see what happens.

Then, load up your tackle and point the tip of the pole to 11 o'clock.

Let the bait fall to the ground (not on your carpet).

Adjust reel so bait falls slow and the reel's spool will stop when the bait hits the floor.

Your reel is now set for your lure and line.

And remember, no backlashes!

[KYbass1276]

Being able to hit anything with your spinning rod  is something your used to doing.  Your not used to a baitcaster.  You need time and practice and it will come.   Practice Practice Practice

[Bass Smacker]

  I was the same way. I could hit a golf tee at 30 feet with a spinning rod.

The I got a bait caster as a gift and I'v been working with it for about an year to get good with it.

You may ask. Why do all that work?? Wait till you hook up with your first bass with it. Plus you look realy cool using it  8-) (till you get a back lash the size of your head)   :-[    

[RottManK9]

me being new to bait casters this year as well, I've noticed that the more and more I try and try to MAKE it go where I want to.....it doesn't happen. :-/  When I just try and let it flow and happen it seems to work better.  Don't force it, relax!  Just my 2 cents.  Hope it helps.

Jon

[BOOYAH]

rofl yea don't ya just love the sound it make when that happens.  I can hear my buddy in the back of the boat get a birds nest before he even knows it. lol  I always have a xtra spool in my tacklebox .

[KS_Bassin]

Hey now backlashes are just professional overcasts.  ;D

[MakhuluBass]

I would suggest tying on a 1 ounce weight, setting drag and mag as per post above and place a bucket 12 feet away. It is more difficult to start with a lighter weight.  Keep pitching to the bucket until you get it in every other cast and then move it further away.

It will take a bit of practice to get the timimg of releasing the spool with your thumb whilst getting the correct angle of the rod at the same time.  

Good luck  

[NBR]

It akes a lot of practice and it sounds like you are throwing to hard or releasing to late.

[MakhuluBass]

I found this on another board - wish I had done this when starting....  :'(

"If you peel off about 35 yards worth of line and wrap the remaining line on the spool with masking tape( a small amount) and spool it back up you can avoid the dreaded backlash. You can practice with that setup until you get the feel of it. One other major thing I can advise you that is to adjust the brake evertime you change the weight of you lure. Hold the rod out parallel to the ground and hit the thumb bar. Your lure should slowly fall to the ground."

[roadwarrior]

Welcome aboard.

As you can see, I have moved this thread to its appropriate Forum.

[Guest DavidGreen]

Welcome To The Forum!!

What model BC reel are you using? What is the line and lure rating for each rod. Are you trying to throw a lighter lure than the rod/s are rated for? Are you trying to use a line that is heavier than the rod/s are rated for?

You might try a little reading as mentioned above...

Good Luck.

Tight Lines!!  

[KenDammit28]

and in all reality, its not a super-hard technique, so don't psyche yourself out.  

Take your time, go with the rhythm and let the lure fly.  

If you're casting well but without distance..then its one of the three things mentioned here.

your settings aren't right, your lure is too light for your rod/a baitcaster in general, or your line is too heavy possibly.

[Grey Wolf]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Practice , practice , practice. You'll eventually get a hang for it.

[Cravin]

I remember fighting my first BC, Everyone has gave great advice in this thread. I 'd like to say that when it does come (and it will), you'll never want to fish anything else...next thing to work on will be flipp'in and skipp'in. now If i could just remeber how to throw my spinners again!

When your ready to get your second set up consider getting something similar as to the rod grip, I like a blank through handle with a real low seat, and reel profile. You wont want to fish the setup as thorough if you dont like the feel of it or it feels alien to your hand. Throw your buddies setup before you buy also. you might find something you like or hate.

I think we all spent money on good equipment we dont like.

[flyinbrad]

Hey guys Thanks for the help! The link posted above is great advice for setting up the reel. I removed a little line from the reel (too much was causing backlash) and added more weight and spent about 45 min in the back yard and I can hit the target about 2 out of 3 times now. All I need now is to get on the lake. Thanks again for the help. This is a great forum, keep up the good advice.

[spiritgide]

Definitely lots of good advice, but I will add my 2-cents worth.

Without question, baitcasting reqiuires much more skill than other reel types, and in turn offers numerous benefits. It's worth the effort.  I've been using mostly Garcia ambassadeur reels for 40 years, but have tried several others too.  My observations-

The balanced setup is essential- reel, line  type, rod capacity, lure weight.  If these aren't in synch, things get difficult fast. I have completely different rigs for different levels of fishing.

Each reel type has it's own peculiaities. Once you find the type you like- stay with it.  Learn the reel- and how to adjust it.  There are numerous mentions giving you the proper adjusting technique above.

When you get it right, indeed the thumb will be both the controller and the sensor.  Between changing the way you thumb the reel and the reel adjustments, you can fish a reasonable range of lure weights and conditions with each rig.

Nothing substitutes for practice. As you practice, eventually add challenge by making casts at angles or into wind.  Like shooting, windage and elevation techniques are aspects of casting that require an ability to assess the situation and compensate.  If you can cast well in a variety of wind conditions, you have one of the most valuable skills.

[Bud]

      "If you peel off about 35 yards worth of line and wrap the remaining line on the spool with masking tape( a small amount) and spool it back up you can avoid the dreaded backlash. You can practice with that setup until you get the feel of it.            

That will work.  The backlash will not go below the tape.

[MitchIsFishin]

Whatever you do, don't get discouraged. I've thrown spinning for a long time & still a mediocre angler, but with the information on this site, and practice, you'll master it. I bought my first BC nearly 3 weeks ago. When I started, using the info I'd found here, I was lucking to get it out 15-20 feet. I'm casting now 70-100 feet with accuracy now (no laughs please, I'm still learning). YOU will master it, just keep at it. Not even certain if I want to pick up my spinning gear again.

[vicdotcom]

what helped me the most going from a spinning gear to a baitcaster was learning to let of of the line a little sooner than I would on a spinner.  For the first 20-30 casts I was spiking the lure into the water not 10 feet away from me.  But after I learned to let go of the trigger sooner than what I was used to, everything worked out great.

Vicdotcom

[Captain Chaos II]

Cut your arm off at the elbow and get a Loomis 284 Bionic Forearm with the special grip tips.  You can upgrade your thumb washers to thumb smoothies for that extra smooth stopping power.   8-)

Everyone on this board would be sooo jealous.

Signed,

New Loomis Owner 02/07