overhand casting

[fish-fighting-illini]

 I can cat side arm spinning and BC and can pretty much put it about where I want it. When I try to cast overhand though it is a bear more so with a BC.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I'm getting better but it is a slow learning curve.

Wouuld come in handy on a crowded boat.

[Bassboy15]

Go out into your driveway and put a bucket or choose an area, try and cast to that area overhead, you just have to get used to it.

[fish-fighting-illini]

needs to be a little farther away to be realistic I think. Shorter would be even harder unless underhand.

What is it thasat makes it any harder anyway?

Any special tricks? Is it better to leave more line hanging or keep it very short?

[Triton21]

Pratice, Pratice, Pratice, Start with a heavy weight, cast softly at first, (don't try to throw a mile to start), educate your thumb. After you master that cast learn roll casting, pitching, flipping, reverse side arm. all useful at times.  Leave aabout 6 inches of line from rod tip.

Kelley

[ILfisherman]

I've found that when casting a bc overhand, the best thing to do is to cast from 10 o' clock(behind you) to 2 o'clock(release in front of you) with a snap at the release. The snap is VERY important to a long and backlash-free cast. Of course, all of this can be done assuming you set your spool tension and magnets accordingly....

[Bladesmith,]

I see some good suggestions on here, especially answer # 3, except he forgot to mention that you need to bring your rod tip back to the 10 o'clock position with sufficient force to " load "  ( flex ) your rod tip so that when you bring your rod tip forward to the release point at 2 o'clock ( or later if you want to make a lower cast to avoid wind interference ) the force of the rod straightenning out will actually assist in moving the lure forward, allowing you to cast further with less effort. I learned this years ago fishing tournaments, when it wasn't uncommon to make 1000  casts in a days fishing. Your casting arm will tell you the difference after a couple hundred casts. It also adds to the consistancy and accuracy of your casts.

[fish-fighting-illini]

Blade that would make sense as to why I see all of the big boys on the shows throwing so hard. They must be loading up the rod maybe I'm going too easy with it. I've got the thumb thing down nd cast cast most all others but overhand kills me.

I'll give it another shot and post how it comes out.

[grimlin]

I cast better going sideways with spinning or baitcasters than overhand.I think overhand throws make a bigger splash...spooking fish.

[J_Young]

I had the same problem when I first learned how to use a baitcaster. The quality of my equipment had alot to do with it. I had a beat up Shakespear Sigma BC, and could NOT for the life of me cast overhand with it. I wouldnt even attempt it with that reel even today. I fished with the reel for years, and then got a Plfueger President. As soon as I spooled the Plfueger up, I made an overhand cast and it was the most amazing thing in the world to me, it didnt backlash, it went where I wanted it to.   I was very happy.

For me its all in the wrist. When I cast, I snap my wrist and try not to use a lot of arm power after the 12 o'clock position while I am bringing my rod tip forward to cast. I generally let 6"-7" hang below my rod tip(6" being the rule of thumb). Just be sure to adjust your tension correctly and make small casts first before you try to empty your spool on the long bombs!

[Garnet]

Training look at the spot cast ,look at the spot cast. BC,Spinning look at the spot cast.

Garnet

[RobDar]

I can cat side arm spinning and BC and can pretty much put it about where I want it. When I try to cast overhand though it is a bear more so with a BC.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I'm getting better but it is a slow learning curve.

Wouuld come in handy on a crowded boat.

I have this problem. I am a side arm guy as well. You would not happen to be left handed would you? Stangely enough I was once told that ALOT of lefties natural casting is sidearm. It seems to hold true with the guys I know. Anyway...I have got the spinning overhand down...not as accurate as side arm but is getting there. It really does just take practice and doing it enough times to feel comfortable with it. The BC overhand I still am having problems with. I am told it just takes patience and practice but thus far all I have done is managed to frustrate myself.

[ILfisherman]

Bladesmith is right, I did forget to mention that I "load up" my cast by snapping it back a bit before I snap it forward. Usually, when I cast, my elbow barely moves from my side. The only part of my that is actively moving during the cast is my forearm and wrist. Once again, I can't stress enough how important the snap is to making an accurate, backlash-free cast. COMPLETELY STOP THE FORWARD MOTION OF THE CAST AT THE 10 'o clock POSITION!!! I was in the same position as you when I started until I read a gude to casting baitcasters that a guy on ebay wrote, which emphasized the snap. Another thing that helped was watching Bill Dance cast on his show. For some reason, I noticed that Bill Dance's cameraguy films him cast alot more than other shows. He has a perfect, accurate cast. If you watch closely, you will notice that his reel handles are straight up in the air throughout the entire cast and his elbow barely moves, VERY important!!

Anyway, hope I helped!

[Mrs.Bladesmith]

Ahah !!! Now I know why Bladesmith casts like that ! He used to fish with Bill Dance, back when we were all young and good looking.

Blade had me casting in the driveway, but I kept messing up. When we got out on the water, though, I did great. {Still can't cast in the driveway.} As for the splash scaring the fish, someone forgot to tell the fish to be scared. When they are active, a lot of times they hit it as soon as it hits the water.

Someone else mentioned having a good quality reel. That helps enormously. Hope you don't give up on the BC. I prefer using them because you have much better control of the cast.

[Zonked]

The one thing that helped me when casting overhand with a BC was making sure the handle  is facing the sky when you release your thumb. I roll my wrist as if I was turning a door knob counterclockwise. I found that heavier lures are easier learn to cast overhand with.

[BLUESKY]

Gotta go along with j_young, "For me its all in the wrist. When I cast, I snap my wrist and try not to use a lot of arm power" Too much Arm power always seems to end up in a birds nest. I'm not certain but I think it has something to do with arm causing the lie to move slower than the spool is turning , for an instant, and then it's all over.

[.dsaavedra.]

i got the same problem. i cant cast overheand w/ my BC. i can cast anyway i want w/ spinning, but only side arm w/ BC. it seems whenver i try to do an overhand cast i always get tangled i think this is because of the force applied from the overhand motion but the lure just isnt movin that fast. im not even applying much force into the cast either....maybe i should try snapping my wrist instead...

[bored_inda_ville]

There is no quick fix to casting overhand with a BC. The answer is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE then PRACTICE SOME MORE.  This is my first summer with a BC reel and at first I hated the thing. I would stand in the yard with a lug fighting it for hours on end. However, with practice I gradually worked out all the  kinks. I also made a point to change lug weights every 20 casts or so. This really helped with setting the reel up quickly for a new lure. (I'm poor, fish with one rod. LOL)

Another thing that helped me allot was watching Basspro on tv. Sounds crazy, but if you really focus in on the casting motion you'll see most pro's do generally the same things. The key is to mimic them. Once you figure out when to take your thumb off the line during the overhand cast life becomes great again. I started out sidearm, and still fall back to it in a tight spot, however it I'm going for distance nothing beats a two handed overhand cast. As for the thumb thing, I've found that letting go as soon as you start your forward motion works. IF you let go to soon you get a high arcing cast, but at least you are getting the bait out there. Fine tuning comes with time.

[.dsaavedra.]

yeah i noticed that they kinda just flick it, they dont really put much into it...maybe i'll try that.

[bored_inda_ville]

yeah i noticed that they kinda just flick it, they dont really put much into it...maybe i'll try that.

I've found that using a second hand on the bottom of the rod makes all the difference. I started out just using my right hand to overhand cast. Then I started really paying attention to the pros on tv and noticed they ALL seem to use both hands. When you give it a try you'll notice your second hand really allows you to load up the rod without "jerking" it.

[George Welcome]

How long to learn to use a bait casting reel? I teach people to be able to cast with a bait caster in under 5 minutes. If you are having difficulty with this type of reel it would be very beneficial to get with someone who knows what they are doing.

Reel setup is the key to working this rig. That takes knowledge, not practise.

[islandbass]

I can cat side arm spinning and BC and can pretty much put it about where I want it. When I try to cast overhand though it is a bear more so with a BC.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I'm getting better but it is a slow learning curve.

Wouuld come in handy on a crowded boat.

Unfortunately, I don't. Learning on my own, I thought the regular way to cast was overhand. It wasn't until I saw others fishing that I saw a sidearm cast.

One thing that can make it more comfortable is let the reel's tendency to turn to one side (Lefty reels, the handle will point to the ground after the cast) as opposed to having the spool facing you directly.

The wrist snap is good, but getting too wristy is not good.  If you ever played golf, you would know that most of the speed generated in the swing comes at the point the wrists release (snap) through when hitting the ball.  Applying too much force with the wrist can lead to bird's nests because you will have added too much "juice."

Just allow the rod to load the weight to let it fly and you'd be amazed at how far the cast will go.

[fish-fighting-illini]

bought a pretty decent quality BC ( shimano Citica) and a BPS MH extreme and the problem solved itself! Can pretty much cast overhand as needed with no birdsnests.

[fish-fighting-illini]

Man,

now I keep having these dreams about riding a horse with a hat and hanging Pflueger mooks and Diawa geeks from tree linbs!

???? Yikes!