Casting Distance For Baitcaster

[chromedog]

I have used casting reels for the last 3 or few seasons so I am still a noob at them. I have gotten decent at it but I have a question. How far do you cast with say a 1/2 lure on it? I can throw a 3/4 red eye shad to the moon, but if I put on say a 1.5 crankbait (3/8 oz), it goes about 20 feet, maybe. I have the tension knob set so that it just hits the water and stops and the magnetic brake about 5. I probably have 3 of the 6 internal brakes on (i think they are on, lol, three are "out" and three are "in"). Can anyone point me in the right direction? I would hate to throw everything under 3/4 oz on a spinning rod.

Thanks.

[Korea_Bassin]

What kind of line are you using?

[Stasher1]

Your rod plays a critical role in casting distance. What's your complete setup, rod/reel/line?

[chromedog]

I should of posted that.

1 - 7' MF Rod with a Carbonlite reel - spooled with 12lb yo-zuri

2 - 6'6" M Rod with a Carbonlite reel - spooled with 12lb yo-zuri

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Your rods should have a lure weight range rating on them. While there is no industry standard regarding these ratings, the sweet spot usually lies near the middle of the range. Some reels are better suited for throwing lighter baits and the bait profile affects flight as well.

[islandbass]

Which set are you using for which lure?

The other thing, if all else is equal, the lure's aerodynamics can influence distance. For example, you can probably toss a 3/8 spoon a country mile even in windy conditions, but you should not expect a 3/8 spinner-bait to go the same distance. Those flapping blades can hinder the distance the spinner-bait will fly.

What reel are you using? As you know, not all casting reels are equal and some will cast lighter weights better. This might or might not be the case until you have tried making adjustments to your reel's settings.

From what you've described, I think I would loosen the cast control even more. Personally, I tend to have my cast control setting much looser than you've described and I am willing to believe many others also prefer a looser setting.

If all of your experimenting with the reel's settings fails to work, you might very well have learned the lower weight limitation of your reel. I don't think this will be the case, but it will be possible. To give you a reference, my reels, with two brakes on and four off, and a loose cast control, make short work of 3/16oz. With some fine tuning, and the lure being aerodynamic enough, 1/8th oz 80ft. with the right line.

[chromedog]

I am using the BPS Carbonlite reel. The 7' MF, which has a maximum rating of 1/4 oz to 3/4 oz was the one I was throwing the 3/4 oz red eye shad, a country mile. I chose to throw a 1.5 sk squarebill on the 6'6" M which is a rating of 1/4 oz to 5/8 oz and knowing the 1.5 weighs approx. 3/8 oz and I couldn't get the thing to go farther then I could of thrown the whole pole, lol.

[J Francho]

Rods will usually throw baits in the top end of their stated range better than the bottom.

[.ghoti.]

For those dual braking reels, I would start with the centrifugal brakes set three on, three off.Turn the magnetic braking to 5. Set the spool tension so that when you drop the bait, the spool will over-run just a turn or two when it hits the ground.

Now try it out, using your thumb at the end of the cast. Start backing off the mags until you get comfortable with them off.

When I still had BPS reels with dual braking, I had two on, four off, mags off, and spool set looser than what I described. With a little thumb training that's where you'll end up.I used the magnetics to correct for wind. If I was tossing baits into the wind, I'd turn the mags on. Higher wind, higher setting.

That's a very nice little reel. It should be able to toss 3/8oz cranks as far as you want to. A little farther on the 7' rod than the 6'6".

[.RM.]

I have used casting reels for the last 3 or few seasons so I am still a noob at them. I have gotten decent at it but I have a question. How far do you cast with say a 1/2 lure on it? I can throw a 3/4 red eye shad to the moon, but if I put on say a 1.5 crankbait (3/8 oz), it goes about 20 feet, maybe. I have the tension knob set so that it just hits the water and stops and the magnetic brake about 5. I probably have 3 of the 6 internal brakes on (i think they are on, lol, three are "out" and three are "in"). Can anyone point me in the right direction? I would hate to throw everything under 3/4 oz on a spinning rod.

Thanks.

I would start by setting the lure drop rate (cast control) with ALL The BRAKES turned off!

Then once the drop rate is set, start by setting all brakes back to 50% and if you still aren't getting your distance and the system (rod/reel) is balanced, drop to 40%, 30% etc.. If still not getting your distance then it might be time to tune your reels...

Good Luck & Tight Lines!

[chromedog]

Thanks guys, looks like I am going to have to tinker. I knew I had to be doing something wrong. Figured that since I was so afraid of bird's nest, I got use to setting things too tight.