What weight would you use to practice with your first baitcasting real

[jwtrader]

Hey guysa,

I just bought a boat load of gear including three baitcasting reals; Abu Garcia Revo SX HS and some Skeet Rease rods. I am wanting to practice, yesterday i had a 1/4 oz weight tied to it. The guy at Gander Mountain showed me to set the breaks so when i push the button that the weight just slowly drops down, I did this. It seemed either i pushed to hard with my thumb and the line just looped back at me, or i didnt push hard enough and  "bam" next hour getting tangles out. He said that if I get backlash just pull it through the real and dont grab it. Well it seemed that there was always a loop under the line about half way through the spool. Is that just backlash or does it mean the real isnt spooled tied enough? Also, how long does it take to get the hang of this thing.

Any Advise is appreciated.

Jim

[MarineMichael]

First congrats on the purchases.  You didn't list the lure ratings on the rod, so I can't be specific on the weight to use.   For me it was easier to learn with a heavier weight lure.  I was using a MH rod rated for lures to 1 1/4 oz lures and the easiest to learn with was a 1 oz lead head with a 5" super fluke trailer.

Find a lure at the upper end of the lure range for the rod you are using and practice with that.  Once you get the hang of it you can start loostening the spool tension a little at a time.  Remember that if you go to a lighter lure to adjust the spool tension again.

[jwtrader]

It was a "crankbait" skeet rease rod that is all i know. How do I tell what it is rated for?

[Stasher1]

Buy this assortment pack...

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Practice-Plug/product/13377/-577396

Start with the 1/2 and work your way down to the 1/4.

Once you get used to casting, you can use these to practice flipping and pitching in the yard.

[slonezp]

Practice, practice, practice.

What lb test are you using. If you have too heavy a line and too light a weight that will also cause problems. The section of the rod just in front of the handle will have a line weight and lure weight printed on it.

[MNGeorge]

Start with a weight at the upper end of your rod's capabilities, adjust the casting drag on your reel a little on the tight side and begin casting sidearm.  Sidearm is much easier than overhead for some reason.  Once you start to get the hang of it, gradually raise the angle of the rod until you get to the overhead angle you prefer.

[jwtrader]

Practice, practice, practice.

What lb test are you using. If you have too heavy a line and too light a weight that will also cause problems. The section of the rod just in front of the handle will have a line weight and lure weight printed on it.

The lure weight is 1/4 to 3/4, line weight is 10 15 lb. Im not sure what the guy at Gander mountain spooled on it, it looks like 12lb

Any thoughts

[WanderLust]

Good advice so far. When I first got my Curado I practiced using a SPRO frog.

Wrong line mixed with a light lure = kiss of death.

Just keep casting, focus on smooth & steady.

[slonezp]

The brakes and cast control are different. The cast control is the knob under the star drag which, after you depress the release will cause the lure to drop at different speeds. The lure should just barely drop. The revo sx has a magnetic brake adjustment. Set it to the highest # and then work your way down as you get more comfortable. Don't forget your thumb control. Rest it lightly on the spool when you cast. Again this is something that will take practice to learn how the cast feels.

[Josh Bassman]

I still practice in the back yard. I work on hitting targets and keeping my bait low for a quiet landing. I practice with the weight and line I'm planning on using.

If you are having a hard time, lighter line and a heavier weight will make it easier. But, before you go out on the water, practice with that you plan on using.

Baitcaster can drive a newbie crazy, but once you get the hang of it you'll never want a spinning reel again.

[NJBasstard]

I also started using a BC reel recently. I started out with a 3/4 lure with the brakes set between 5 & 7 casting sidearm until I started getting use to thumbing the spool. Once I got a little more comfortable I casted as far as I could, pulled out an additional 10-15 yards of line off the spool and put a small piece of tape on the spool. This helped from the backlashes getting deep into the spool and saved me a lot of time untangling line. As I got use to it I just started setting the brake lower and trying different lure weight..

[new2BC4bass]

Most of this has already been stated. 12lb. is good. 15lb. would also be good. Use 1/2 oz. min. lure wt. 5/8 oz. or even 3/4 oz. would be better. Cast sidearm. Be smooth. DON'T try for distance. Don't worry about accuracy yet. If you are use to spinning gear, then you will find that your release timing is way off. It'll come. Once getting distance sidearm and you switch to overhead, softly lob the lure. Unless you've got your release down, you will throw short causing a backlash because the spool will still be spinning too fast.  Taping the spool a bit past your longest cast is not a trick that I've tried yet.

Don't over tighten the spool tension. I was. Better to use more brakes. I'm using mostly Daiwas. Was told over tightening the spool can damage a small plastic part. Have no idea if your reels would be affected the same way.

I learned (sorta) last year, but have to relearn this year. Reels have been cleaned, relubed properly, bearings upgraded and spool tension set the way an expert caster does it. Spools are now faster. Faster spool speed makes it harder to learn casting. (Why mine were over tightened.) The upside is once I learn to cast my Type R reel well, any other reel should be a piece of cake. I'm not going to touch the spool tension from where he set it. Instead I will be using the Mag. brakes. Haven't had a chance to cast one yet, so I don't know just how much I have to relearn.

How long it takes to learn depends on how much time you spend practicing, how hard you start out throwing, line size, lure wt., reel quality, your coordination, and how well you notice the little things. I'm sure more experienced users could add to this list. Awareness is one place where I could be better...lots better. You need to keep in touch with the spool without interfering with it...else you will shorten distance. I sometimes can feel the line "fluffing" on the spool on hard casts. Haven't learned yet how to deftly slow it down at this point.

My personal opinion at the moment is that the really expert casters somehow know spool speed of their reels at all times, and are able to subtly slow it down throughout the cast as necessary. I also would be willing to bet that many aren't even conscious of doing it. Just like expert shooters tell you the shot should come as a surprise. Bull. I can guarantee they have excellent control over trigger squeeze and know exactly when it is going to trip.

[Mr SwimJig]

Like everyone has stated, practice practice and practice.

Some things to remember as you are learning.  Don't cast into the wind, keep your break a little tighter then you think you need, don't cast around any obstacles, examples, trees, fence posts etc... anything that you might possibly hit your rod or lure on, don't try to cast to hard, nice and easy at first.  All little things, but things that can really irritate you very quickly, trust me I learned the hard way.

Set up some targets at different distances and practice casting to them, as you get accurate at one distance then increase it a little bit.

But, PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE

SJ

[jwtrader]

The brakes and cast control are different. The cast control is the knob under the star drag which, after you depress the release will cause the lure to drop at different speeds. The lure should just barely drop. The revo sx has a magnetic brake adjustment. Set it to the highest # and then work your way down as you get more comfortable. Don't forget your thumb control. Rest it lightly on the spool when you cast. Again this is something that will take practice to learn how the cast feels.

How slow should the lure drop? I have the break set at either 9 or 10 and i have the spool control snug and the 1/4 oz drops very very slowly. I guess my question is how fast should a 3/4 oz weight drop if the break and spool controll are set correctly. I am going to be switching from the 1/4 oz to the 3/4 oz weight as most have said start at the upper end of the rod rating.

WHat do Ya'll think

Jim

[Mr SwimJig]

To set your cast control knob, 1st set your brake dial to ZERO, then adjust the cast control knob to where the lure just barely drops very slowly.  Then adjust your brakes to around 7 or 8 or so and start there.

SJ

[jwtrader]

I do believe I am doing it backwards. I set by brake to 9 or 10 then adjusted by spool control knob, so I should do it the other way?

Jim

[Mr SwimJig]

I do believe I am doing it backwards. I set by brake to 9 or 10 then adjusted by spool control knob, so I should do it the other way?

Jim

Correct, cast control, then brakes.

SJ

[jwtrader]

Thank you so much. Will it make a significant difference in helping me cast correctly, I hope so?