baitcasting rant..

[Bantam1]

Maybe the rod you are using is not correct for the application? It might be too heavy and not loading properly to get that good cast. I bet you are trying to force it to cast further and this is why you are backlashing. Typically 3-4 break weights is more than enough breaking to allow for a long cast and not backlash with the Citica.

[championmayday]

some people just cant use a baitcaster and/or like them. nothing wrong with that, myself i cant stand spinning reels because i cant seem to use them worth a crap. just use what works for you and have fun thats what fishing is about anyway.

[bilgerat]

Quit beating yourself up. There are a lot more people than you think that use spinning only. One extreme example is Fish Chris, who's caught a pig or two on spinning gear (ultra lite no less )

[Hammer 4]

Saw the op rig in the flea market..good prices imho, someone should jump on this..

[farmpond1]

Don't give up on it yet.  I've been using baitcasters for years and yet early this summer I had a two day period where nearly every cast turned to shinola.  I couldn't explain it then and I still can't.  But the situation/my technique corrected itself and most of the time, casting isn't a problem.

Usually, I advise folks to be a little heavy on the thumb at first and gradually lighten up.  I can't advise on how to use your particular reels gizmos.

[I.rar]

like i said , i fished with it fine for the past few months without any problems. same two brakes , same way i set the tension knob as well. i just lost my touch.

i will jump on another BC when i get more funds. ive always liked spinning reels better anyways, its what i learned to fish on. my birthday and christmas is right around the corner , so depending how i feel about the situation then , the wifey may put a citica e under the tree for me.

also , the more i stick around , the more you will see i dont like to stay with one setup. for whatever reason , i like to try different things even when what i have works fine. im the same way when it comes to car audio. ive been through more speakers than id like to think about.  ;D

[Raul]

It was the year 1983, a friend of mine from Guadalajar ( who owned 3 tackle stores ) just inaugurated another store where I live. I went to visit the store and there is was, the strangest looking reel I 've seen, I was used to spincasting and spinning reels, have never actually seen a BC reel before, to me it looked like a miniature saltwater reel with extra dials. I asked Jorge what it was and he said it was a baitcasting reel. The price ? obscene by my poor student on an allowance standards.

So for a good 5-6 months the reel stayed there, they were so uncommon in Mexico that almost nobody knew anything about it ( let alone how they worked ); but it already had me coveting it. So when summer vacations arrived I asked Jorge if he could gimme a summer job at the store, he said "no problema" you can work at the store. I worked all summer and at the end of my summer job I told Jorge if instead of giving me money he could give me that reel and a rod as payment, "Sure !" he said, not only you can get both but also with the employee 's discount gran some line and some baits.

Finally the object of my desires was in my hands, I got a Silstar BC and a Silstar rod ( the brand of reels the store sold along with Penn ). I got a spool of 10 lbs test Stren line ( when it was manufactured by DuPont ), filled the reel and went to a pond to break it in.

Pressed the line release button and held my thumb against the spool, made a cast and .........  , as you can imagine the line got all tangled up on a megabacklash  >, not knowing how to untangle the line I reached for a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut the line, leaving me with about only half of the line, but I 'm like fine fighting roosters, don 't matter the other rooster is beating the living carp out of me I go for more, I 'm stubborn as a mule. Same s*t happened again on the next cast  :, couldn 't make another cast cuz I was out of line.  :-[

Went back to the store for another spool of line and filled my reels again, next day I went to the pond and this times it only took me three casts to run out of line, it went on on the 3rd, 4th and 5 th spools of line but I wasn 't going to allow the dang thing to beat me.

One day when I was at the store wasting some time a gentleman from Celaya arrived, his name is Manuel Puente, he saw another reel Jorge had brought ( identical to mine ) for sale, looked at it and left it on the counter, we talked and I told him I had that reel and had all sorts of trouble with it, he made me some questions and that day I learned what the cast control is for  .

Armed with new knowledge I took my reel for a try and began playing with the cast control cap, suddenly the backlashes began to diminish in quality and quantity. Then I began playing with the braking system and so on.

So, to make it short, you want to quit ? DO IT ! there 's nothing wrong in quitting or ....... chomp one of your balls and keep trying until you get the hang of it.

Nowhere is written that when you are born you already know how to cast with a bc reel without backlashing.

[I.rar]

good story.

im not quitting , just throwing it on the 'back burner'. im keeping both my balls.  ;D

[Big Tom]

I am not entirely convinced that it is all you though.  You said that you oiled the reel before the outing that gave you so much trouble.  If that is the only variable that has changed (same rod, some old baits, etc...) maybe something isn't right with your reel.

Maybe someone more experienced with reel maintenance can chime in.    

[.RM.]

I would say that the reel is/was breaking in. The cc and breaks had to be backed off to get the distance you wanted. Then you oiled the reel, you don't say what you oiled.

So many of the new reels when first opened are greased on the shims and I have actually seen white grease in the bearings this alone will slow a reel down. Then add oil and you have a very slick area, will make a reel change.

Over time any reel will need to be readjusted, you cannot expect a new reel right out of the box to stay setup during a break in period of a season.

I have serviced and tuned many a reel that were over 2 season's old, and when the angler first takes them fishing I tell them they will need to re-learn their reel.

On out of town/state work I enclose in the box a note that the reel/s has been set to zero (my way of saying the free spool = cc is set so there isn't any lateral play, and all breaks are turned off).

I also agree with bantam1 here that maybe the rod isn't the right rod for the baits being casted or casting technique.

Also I have known anglers that get so mad when they don't catch they will place blame on the gear and sell it, and I have seen some blame other anglers...

I would say keep the system, and get back to fishing with what your comfortable with. Then at a later time when you have time off of the water, start practicing again.....

Just an old service techs .02¢

Tight Lines All!!!  

[I.rar]

im well aware of the difference from how it casted when i first received it from how it casts now after the oiling. i cleaned and oiled the spol shaft and bearing. basically the first page off shimanos bait casting reel maintenance page - http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/customer_service0/reel_maintenance_instructions.html and this has made a huge difference. i would recommend everyone who hasnt done this to their BC reels , to do it if you have noticed a decline in performance.

i am not blaming anything or anyone but myself for the backlashes. its obviously my fault they occur. i have been contemplating selling/trading it for a spinning reel for some time anyways. i may keep it and give it more time , but i will always feel more 'at home' with spinning outfits.

[I.rar]

after some serious thought and going through this thread many times , ive decided to keep it. im almost embarrassed i let it get to me , but man was it frustrating.

the rod is rated from 1/8 - 1/2oz iirc , and thats what ive always been casting with it. maybe a little heavier , but never anything lighter. like RM said , i may just have to re-learn it.  :

[grimlin]

after some serious thought and going through this thread many times , ive decided to keep it. im almost embarrassed i let it get to me , but man was it frustrating.

the rod is rated from 1/8 - 1/2oz iirc , and thats what ive always been casting with it. maybe a little heavier , but never anything lighter. like RM said , i may just have to re-learn it. :

You're not alone....I feel the same way sometimes.  ;D

I'm a little rusty when spring time comes around after a long hard winter up here.  :-[

[K_Mac]

squertz

I have been working a lot lately on pitching with lighter weight lures on a BC, and I can feel your pain. I have made some progress, but am still trying to find the line between too free, too tight, and the right amount of thumb. If I could land a lure as quietly with a spinning outfit I wouldn't bother, but I can't. I will keep working at it and hopefully enjoy the journey. Good luck.  

[Bigs]

Just gently put it out there and it will come natural as long as u dont force it. Thats my only advice. Its like learning to drive a stickshift. All it takes is a lil practice. Wind or no wind, makes no difference. Dont worry bout how far u cast it at first, distance will come. Focus on finding a motion that works for u and stick with it. Finesse it out there. Once u master it you will love the control you get with it. Just my 2 cents.