Need Some Advice For Matching Rod And Reel

[QUIENYO]

So, this is my first post here. I've been lurking for a while and trying to glean as much as I could from the forums and articles. What a tremendous resource this site is.

I live in Tucson, AZ and fish from shore on ponds and rivers mostly. In the summer months (six month out of the year), I hit a bunch of small ponds and catch a bunch of 12-24 oz bass. I'm relatively new to fishing and have the fever. My current set-ups are;

Spinning-

Shimano Spirex 1000FD with a 6'6" Cabela's Fish Eagle II rod with Berkley Fireline Crystal #14

Casting-

Abu Garcia 5501C3 with a 6' Quantum CXC60M with Pline #50 braid

(Brand new)Shimano Curado 51e with Allstar 7' MH fast with Pline #50 braid

Rods-

Allstar 7'6" H fast

Shimano vtc7' MH fast

I had been using some cheap mono, but was tired of the memory causing the reels to puke every week. I bought some Berkley fused fireline and a spool of #50 Pline braid.

So recently I bought the Shimano 51e (TW $109) and bought three rods via Craigslist. the two old Allstar Platinums, one 7' m/h f and the other 7'6" h,f. The third was the old Shimano vtc70m/h f. From what I've read, the 7'6" A.S. is best used as a flippin stick and the other two seem interchangeable for jigs, soft bait and TX rigged worm set-ups. This sounds perfect, since TX rigged senkos and soft baits are what I mainly use.

The problem is that I'm terrible with the casting reels. I have the settings correct, but am getting frustrated with my casting abilities. No real backlash problems, but casing for distance will be the death of me. Maybe 30-40 yards. I know both the casting reels are capable of much more. Everything I read on the 51e says it is a great casting reel. The Abu is supposed to be some kind of a distance wonder reel. Not for me. I don't know if the line choice is slowing me down or what, but I'm pretty sure its operator error.

I've decided to commit myself to become more comfortable with these casing reels. My question is, given the rods, reels and lines listed, which would provide the best set-up for casting and flippin TX rigged baits and 3/8 jigs?

All feed back is welcomed. Thanks for any help.

[new2BC4bass]

Are you casting with one hand or two? I started with baitcasting reels last year so any advice I give won't be from an expert.. I'm not that uncoordinated, but it did take me some time to learn. Maybe my advanced age slowed down my learning curve. Obviously I still have a long ways to go. I put into practice a few things this year that I was slack on last year. I still use two hands when going for max distance though.

I have an old Abu...a 5001C that I bought many years ago, then put away from lack of skill. No internet back then. At least not for me. Didn't know anyone using baitcasting gear to get advice from. Haven't spooled it since getting back into fishing last year. The 51E I just got a short time ago. My 51E is spooled with 8 lb. P-Line. I'd hate to guess what my distance is, Seems good to me, but I suppose it can be a bit deceiving on the water.

Some of this advice flys against what is commonly given to beginnners. First I fill the spool. Second I keep minimum spool tension. I made these two changes this year. It required re-learning to cast, but resulted in longer casts. Third I started loading the rod on the back swing. Fourth I try to be smooth. One of the quickest ways for me to backlash is to be jerky on the backcast or on the reversal. Put these together, and I am getting as much distance (or more) as last year but with less effort. You didn't say how long you have been using the 5501C so maybe all this advice is academic. If you're not backlashing, then either you have some experience, or you've got the spool tension set pretty heavy and maybe the brakes too although I know you said the reels are setup correctly.

I'm going to have to make a trip to my local park so I can pace off a few casts. I couldn't say with any certainy what distances I am getting. You should be getting good distances with that 51E. Don't know about the Abu.

I personally would be using the 51E on one of the 7' MH Fast rods, but admit to no experience with those particular rods.

[roadwarrior]

1. Engage 4 brakes

2. Tighten cast control, then loosen up a bit as you gain confidence

3. Hesitate momentarily on the backswing as the rod loads, then follow

through smoothly without "flicking" the tip

4. Rotate your wrist during the cast so that the spool faces inwards,

across your body

5. With your thumb, stop the line just before the lure hits the water

6. Practice with 1/2-3/4 oz weights or aerodynamic lures (lipless cranks)

7. Don't focus on accurancy until you gain a better feel for casting

[Hooligan]

Uh, if you're casting 30-40 yards, that's MORE than plenty of distance. I'd be willing to say that the only time I cast beyond about 60 feet is when I'm either cranking or fishing deep jigs.

[QUIENYO]

Thanks fellas. Sounds like I need to beat up some weights in the back yard. I will set two more brakes and start practice casting.

I feel like like I need greater distance since I'm shore casting. There are some spots that are accessible only by 40 or 50 yard casts. I don't have too much trouble reaching with the spinning set-up, but the accuracy leaves something to be desired.

Merry Christmas-

[roadwarrior]

I think you mean "feet" not "yards". An average cast is 25-30 yards.

[NBR]

Exactly like Roadwarrier said. One other tip think about your wrist motion with the reel handles up for an overhand cast. Then regardless of whether you are casting sidearm., overhead or roll casting use the same wrist action. Back handed is the same motion just reversed. This doesn't mean you should not have any arm motion.

Being able to loosen the cast control without backlash will add to your distance but you must get your thumb ewducated to prevent to many backlashes.

I've been doing this for a looog time and still practice in the driveway when I have a chance waiting for ice out in the spring.

[QUIENYO]

So, yeah, I'm more than likely thinking the distances are longer than they are. I'm just not getting the distance out of my casting rods compared to my spinning set-up and think it should be the other way around.

I definitely need to work on wrist motion in my casting. That is the nice thing about Arizona; I can work on the motions year round. I feel your pain NBR, I went to high school in the lakes region of NH. Those are some long winters. I'm in Arizona now and don't fish when it drops into the 40's. I'm getting soft.