backlash waiting to happen?

[crankbait2009]

last night i went out fishing and every cast that was thrown didnt feel right. about mid cast, the line on the spool felt really loose like it was getting ready to backlash. i checked the brakes, and i have the setting from 1-10 as well as a free setting. i always have mine set at 10. i have also messed with the drag setting but i dont think that the drag would cause this. am i wrong?

what else could be the issue? i thought about when i spooled the reel, the line was not tight while spooling but i actually had the line really tight to avoid any sloppiness. unless the line is relaxing/stretching making it looser.

any ideas? i did not receive backlash.......yet, but would like to avoid it. :-/

[Busy]

Try adjusting the nut that holds the spool in.  I adjust this whenever I change lure weights.

[hjerk24]

Check your knob that adjusts the rate of fall of the lure.  If it seems like the spool is turning fast, turn it back a little at a time, and cast a few, this might help.  If that doesn't work, then maybe take off the line, and try again, if all else fails, have it done by a local shop.  Have done spooling line on myself often, and had no problems, even if put on looser.  Sounds like finesse control knob issues.  You'll get er' right.  Good Luck.

Berkley makes a cool line spooler, and it works great.

Here's a picture.  They sell at Bass Pro and Cabelas.

[WRB]

Do you have thumb? If you do, try using it to apply light pressure to prevent the line from spring off the spool. Relying totally on the reels anti backlash mechanism will not prevent the spool from over traveling the line in all conditions, lure weights or rod action.

Also try line dressing like KVD's, wet line tends to stay on the spool a lot better then dry line.

WRB

[crankbait2009]

yeah, i check the lure falling knob before casting.  every time i change the lure, i test the fall rate.

[crankbait2009]

wrb - my thumb never leaves the spool.  i let it drag on the line lightly then right before it hits the water i press firmly.  dont ever get backlashes when it hits water but line is just loose between here and there.

no matter which weighted lure i use it still does it.  3/8-1oz.

would the line dressing seriously help this issue?

[zaraspook_dylan2]

yeah, i check the lure falling knob before casting.  every time i change the lure, i test the fall rate.

I had the same problem. It seemed like my reel settings weren't helping, but as its been said before, you cant completely rely on your reel. What I found helps a ton, is for the first .5 seconds of your cast, yes .5, you thumb the spool. I think that at this section of the cast is most likely to cause you a birds nest, rats nest, backlash whatever you call it theres many ways to call it. So just that very short period of thumbing the spool, really helps against your backlash. This has also been said before as well, but check your settings for each bait you put on to. I set mine so the bait just barely starts pulling line out. And a lot of it is just practice as well, I started using a baitcaster when I was 13, and its taken me a year to mostly stop getting the backlash.

[SoFl-native]

last night i went out fishing and every cast that was thrown didnt feel right. about mid cast, the line on the spool felt really loose like it was getting ready to backlash. i checked the brakes, and i have the setting from 1-10 as well as a free setting. i always have mine set at 10. i have also messed with the drag setting but i dont think that the drag would cause this. am i wrong?

what else could be the issue? i thought about when i spooled the reel, the line was not tight while spooling but i actually had the line really tight to avoid any sloppiness. unless the line is relaxing/stretching making it looser.

any ideas? i did not receive backlash.......yet, but would like to avoid it. :-/

first off....

What brand line is it?

What lb test is it?

What reel do you have?

[crankbait2009]

line - yo zuri hybrid

12lb test

BPS - extreme baitcaster reel - 6:4:1

[Dan:]

was it windy?

[crankbait2009]

no wind what so ever

[MarauderYak]

If the lure "jerks" the spool to get it started you're going to get some amount of backlash.  In other words, if the maximum force applied to the spool is not at the instant you release it (slack in the line).  This is most commonly caused by a decelerating the cast at the moment the spool is released.  The lure then reaches the end of available slack line, jerks the spool, and that force instantly slows the lure down.  That will build a good amount of slack line at the spool very quickly.

[crankbait2009]

MARAUDERYAK - correct me if im reading this wrong but are you saying there was a chance that i could have been slowing down the casting with my thumb without even knowing it?  i tried to take my thumb away completely and didnt see any different result.  due to habit maybe i still came in contact with it.

i first thought that i was throwing a crank that was not 3/8oz as it said.  but would the weight really be that significant to effect the casting?  i casted a 3/4oz lure as well, and same thing.  so i figured that ruled that issue out.

[21farms]

by any chance, is this a BPS extreme reel with the free zone braking system? i have two of them and, whether i set the mag brake dial at 1 or 10, it seems to make hardly any difference at all.

anyway, it sounds like your cast control knob is too loose. it is the knob on the handle side of your reel, under the drag star. tighten it until your lure falls smoothly to the floor when the thumb bar is depressed.

[crankbait2009]

to bemore specific:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_103926_100001001_100000000_100001000_100-1-1?ordProd=Y&CMID=TOP_selectitems#itemDetail

model #ETX10HE

[MarauderYak]

MARAUDERYAK - correct me if im reading this wrong but are you saying there was a chance that i could have been slowing down the casting with my thumb without even knowing it? i tried to take my thumb away completely and didnt see any different result. due to habit maybe i still came in contact with it.

i first thought that i was throwing a crank that was not 3/8oz as it said. but would the weight really be that significant to effect the casting? i casted a 3/4oz lure as well, and same thing. so i figured that ruled that issue out.

No, slowing down the spool with your thumb at ANY time during the cast will only help prevent backlash.

Let me give you an extreme example to try & explain...     If you were to let out 4 or 5 feet of line, hold the lure with your non-casting hand and pull back on it to load the rod, then release the lure (holding the rod still) and take your thumb off the spool.  The lure will will go flying forward, and when the rod finishes unloading the line will then go slack until the lure pulls the slack out.  When the lure reaches the end of the slack line it starts the spool spinning.  But the energy needed to start the spool spinning slows the lure & you immediately have the spool spinning out more line than the lure is taking.

That same situation can be created with casts.  For example if you "snap" cast and the rod is already unloading or completely unloaded before you let go of the spool.  To avoid this, just make sure you are still accelerating (or at least not slowing down) the cast at the point you release the spool.

[crankbait2009]

im not sure that i am doing that but i will pay attention next time out and see what happens.  i never had this issue prior to last night so something had to have been adjusted some way or another to start now.  :-/

ill check the other things in this thread that everyone has suggested and we shall see what happens.  maybe it is as simple as re-spooling.

[islandbass]

If it seems to nearly bird's nest during the cast but corrects itself, that is usually the result (from my own experience) of a certain section of line that is loosely placed on the spool.  No matter how hard you throw it, it will almost seem to bird's nest through this section of loose line, but, once the spool gets to the line that is more taut relative to that loose section, the reel seems to correct itself and perform as usual.

If this is the case, all you need to do is ensure during your retrieve that the line lays back onto the spool with some tension.

Also, lures are not equal in terms of castibility even if the weight the same.  It isn't necessarily the weight if they weigh the same but their aerodynamics. A 1/2 oz. popper will be less hassle to cast than say a 1/2 oz. double bladed spinnerbait.