Learning Baitcasters, have options.

[Paul Benner]

Hello all,

I haven't seriously fished in quite a few years, and now that I'm getting back into it, my wife managed to pick me up a G Loomis GLX 6'6" fast action casting rod that was paired with a Pinnacle Senatra ST10.  The guy that was selling it included a Shimano Cruzar CRZ-200 that was previously on the rod.  I've never really played with bait casters before, I pretty much have stuck to spin casters previously, as I had previous problems getting the hang of spinning reels.

My father recently brought me a rod that he had bought for my mother.  It's a Abu Garcia Ambassaduer Mag Plus XT.  The rod and reel have never seen any use in the last 10-12 years since he had bought it (long story) so now it's in my possession, it's paired up with a Bass Pro Shops ProComp II casting rod.

I've been practicing with the Bass Pro rod and abu garcia reel, but my question is should I just start learning with the higher end equipment, or should I get to the low foul up point before I swap over?

Also, should I remove the Abu Garcia from that rod and swap reels to the Shimano?

Best,

Paul

[KYntucky Warmouth]

If you are having trouble with the current reel and don't mind spending some money on another reel with a higher prece tag, I would recommend a pflueger patriarch.  The patriarch has a dual braking system which makes it great to learn on.  Can be setup to an almost thumbless cast.  They run around 120-160 on ebay, 199 in store

[Paul Benner]

I'm not having many problems with casting, I still haven't gotten to the point that it's natural, I still have to think about it, but I'm getting some decent casts on the Abu with the Bass Pro Rod, was just thinking about swapping it over to the Shimano reel to see if I like it any better.

I haven't actually gone out to cast the other one.  How bad can I screw the setup up if I don't hit anything with it or strike it with anything?  I assume the worst I can do is birds nest the spool, but I can get that out.

Let me know,

Thanks,

Paul

[NBR]

Go to Reel Mechanics tutorial on bait casting. Follow the instructions then practice. Your equipment should serve you well but possibly not in all situations but as you gain experience you will have a better idea of what you need and want.

[bassinfla82]

I would try to learn using the best reel I can it will be better in the long run

[SirSnookalot]

I have read many posts about b/c with brakes.  Have yet to discover why they are needed.  I'm certainly no b/c expert but my surf reel (avet mxj) casts a mile, has no brakes and it's not even level wind. 30 minutes of practice for 2 days, no more backlashes.