My advice on first baitcaster.

[MattinOK]

   This forum section gets more, "What first bait caster" threads than Steezs have bearings every day. Most of these people are interested in reels in the fifty dollar range. After going through the "Buy a cheap reel first" song and dance I have a recommendation for all potential bait casting buyers. BUY A GOOD REEL TO START! If you learn on a cheap reel (like I did) you WILL have to relearn your casting practices. Personally I wait for clearances (some good one's at Academy right now) to buy reels and 50 to 75 percent off retail. I think you should look for a aluminum frame, bearing supported spool, good braking system, good drag, and smooth (good bearings). Look for all this in your favorite brand, maintain it well, and you will have a good reel to learn on, that will last you a long time. If you decide you hate bait casters; you can sell it for almost as much as you payed for it (if you buy on clearance). Sorry about the rant, but after experiencing it first hand, I wanted to rant a while.

[Grey Wolf]

Great advice.

[ChiCityBasser]

I agree on it being good advice and I still have my Prodigy B/C after getting a very inexpensive Shakespeare B/C as my first one.

[auburn bass man]

X2 on everything.  Its a lot easier to learn on something that works right.  After you have made your investment, tie on a medium-heavy wieghted lure and set the breaks on a higher setting.  When you feel more comforable, reduce the lure weight and break setting.  It just takes time.

Jake

[Quitlimpin]

I agree 100%. I've "outgrown" alot of gear over the years.

[MuahMan]

I took the advice and started out with a Curado E200, Revo STX, and a Shimano Core MG100. No turning back to spinning now even though 40% of my baitcasting casts land in a tree branch, 40% result in a backlash, the other 20 percent end up in the water 20 feet short of what I was aiming for! Could hit a quarter from 75 yards with my spinning stuff though.

Hopefully I can get this down in the next few months. Hard to catch fish when you are spending all day pulling line off the spool. It's funny because I thought I had it down pat after a day of fishing open water. Then when I got home and fished the canals and shoreline the problems started. I forgot how bad inaccuracy can ruin a day of fishing.

[K_Mac]

I took the advice and started out with a Curado E200, Revo STX, and a Shimano Core MG100. No turning back to spinning now even though 40% of my baitcasting casts land in a tree branch, 40% result in a backlash, the other 20 percent end up in the water 20 feet short of what I was aiming for! Could hit a quarter from 75 yards with my spinning stuff though.

Hopefully I can get this down in the next few months. Hard to catch fish when you are spending all day pulling line off the spool. It's funny because I thought I had it down pat after a day of fishing open water. Then when I got home and fished the canals and shoreline the problems started. I forgot how bad inaccuracy can ruin a day of fishing.

As good as you are with spinning, with those reels and the proper rods for the lures you're throwing, you will figure it very quickly. You understand the amount of energy it takes to reach the target, and that is a very big part of the puzzle. The rest is just practice. Good luck. 8-)

[roadwarrior]

Start by using ONE REEL ONLY. I would

start with the Core. 4 brakes on, 2 off; cast

control tight, but not cranked all the way down.

Practice casting at a 15-20 yard target, but don't

focus on accuracy at this point. First train

your thumb and learn how to cast the reel.

8-)

[steezy]

This forum section gets more, "What first bait caster" threads than Steezs have bearings every day.

Steez have bearings? I thought the spool floated on clouds, it certainly feels that way. :

(apologize for hijacking your thread)

[Micro]

I always hate when someone says they want to buy a cheap baitcaster to see if they like baitcasting.  You're cheating yourself when you do this.  You'll never like cheap as much as you will appreciate quality.

[cart7t]

This forum section gets more, "What first bait caster" threads than Steezs have bearings every day. Most of these people are interested in reels in the fifty dollar range. After going through the "Buy a cheap reel first" song and dance I have a recommendation for all potential bait casting buyers. BUY A GOOD REEL TO START! If you learn on a cheap reel (like I did) you WILL have to relearn your casting practices. Personally I wait for clearances (some good one's at Academy right now) to buy reels and 50 to 75 percent off retail. I think you should look for a aluminum frame, bearing supported spool, good braking system, good drag, and smooth (good bearings). Look for all this in your favorite brand, maintain it well, and you will have a good reel to learn on, that will last you a long time. If you decide you hate bait casters; you can sell it for almost as much as you payed for it (if you buy on clearance). Sorry about the rant, but after experiencing it first hand, I wanted to rant a while.

Nonsense.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1246369553/

It's all in knowing which low cost (cheap) baitcaster to purchase.  I could teach a newbie to throw a baitcaster a lot easier on a 4600 series Garcia or a BPS Extreme, both can be had at around $50 on sale vs a Revo STX which sells for around $150, best price (old version).

There is quality, low cost gear to be had out there. Once you're above $150 for a reel you're picking nits.

[MattinOK]

This forum section gets more, "What first bait caster" threads than Steezs have bearings every day. Most of these people are interested in reels in the fifty dollar range. After going through the "Buy a cheap reel first" song and dance I have a recommendation for all potential bait casting buyers. BUY A GOOD REEL TO START! If you learn on a cheap reel (like I did) you WILL have to relearn your casting practices. Personally I wait for clearances (some good one's at Academy right now) to buy reels and 50 to 75 percent off retail. I think you should look for a aluminum frame, bearing supported spool, good braking system, good drag, and smooth (good bearings). Look for all this in your favorite brand, maintain it well, and you will have a good reel to learn on, that will last you a long time. If you decide you hate bait casters; you can sell it for almost as much as you payed for it (if you buy on clearance). Sorry about the rant, but after experiencing it first hand, I wanted to rant a while.

Nonsense.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1246369553/

It's all in knowing which low cost (cheap) baitcaster to purchase. I could teach a newbie to throw a baitcaster a lot easier on a 4600 series Garcia or a BPS Extreme, both can be had at around $50 on sale vs a Revo STX which sells for around $150, best price (old version).

There is quality, low cost gear to be had out there. Once you're above $150 for a reel you're picking nits.

I didn't mean all sub 150$ reels are junk. I simply meant get a GOOD solid reel to start, no matter what the price range, and you'll be set.

[Fishbone]

Today's bait casters are a dream (even cheap ones) compared to what I fished with as a kid. This was before spinning reels were invented, or in this country.

Casting something as light a 1/2 oz took skill with the nasty non-bearing mechanism and cord like fishing line. Half the time when bait fishing it was easier to pile the line on the bank and hand throw it out into the water. Backlashes were monumental. ;D

[umahunter]

hmm i learned with a piece oh crap. then moved up. mastering that piece made it very easy to get great performance from better reels

[shootermcbob]

My first baitcaster was a Shakespeare dimension plus graphite framed 10 bearing reel that I purchased with a cabelas tourney trail rod. Price for the combo was 49.00 on sale. I used that set for about two years. I liked it so much, I bought another combo that same summer. To this day I think that is a fine reel. Once I learned how to use it I I had ZERO problems with it. I sold both of them to a person on another site and he could not believe how nice those reels were. The "best" , kinda like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder, or end user.

[tennwalkinghorse]

This forum section gets more, "What first bait caster" threads than Steezs have bearings every day. Most of these people are interested in reels in the fifty dollar range. After going through the "Buy a cheap reel first" song and dance I have a recommendation for all potential bait casting buyers. BUY A GOOD REEL TO START! If you learn on a cheap reel (like I did) you WILL have to relearn your casting practices. Personally I wait for clearances (some good one's at Academy right now) to buy reels and 50 to 75 percent off retail. I think you should look for a aluminum frame, bearing supported spool, good braking system, good drag, and smooth (good bearings). Look for all this in your favorite brand, maintain it well, and you will have a good reel to learn on, that will last you a long time. If you decide you hate bait casters; you can sell it for almost as much as you payed for it (if you buy on clearance). Sorry about the rant, but after experiencing it first hand, I wanted to rant a while.

Well Said

[Catt]

Any rod/reel is like a rifle/scopeit's only as good as the person standing behind it