Baitcasters

[leif-liden]

Does the way I spool my reel have anything to do with all the rats nests I get? I Know I am going to get them because I am new to a casting combo but i was just wondering! thanks guys!

[curado]

i normally set the spool on the ground so its vertical with all the holes pointing up and put the line through the 1st guide

[Anonymous]

supply spool vertical with the line coming off the top, I put it on a nail in the wall.

spool on reel on rod with the reel on top of the rod with the line going thru all the guides and reel level eye and over the top of the spool

put a little tension on the line by running it thru your fingers just before the reel

nuttin else you can do.

Set up the reels adjustments tight until you get use to them/it thru lots of practice, and loosen adjustments as you get better. It's also great to have someone show you and coach you on the spot. I never had that and had to learn on my own, I do ok, but not great.

[fear_no_fish]

The line always comes off the spool the same way it goes on the reel (baitcasters or spinners) apply a little tension and your line should be fine. Baitcasters just take practice, keep at it and good luck

[cogitator]

A good way to adjust your tension is to put the weight you usually use on the end of the line and loosen your tension until the weight barely falls. This is a good starting point.

[goodtimesfishing]

A good way to adjust your tension is to put the weight you usually use on the end of the line and loosen your tension until the weight barely falls. This is a good starting point.

that is what made me get the hang of it...great starting point.....maybe tight enough to start to go down but stops before it hits the ground.

[islandbass]

I would have to say no if I understand your question. If you spool line on with a moderate amount of tension, you will be fine. You can add tension by feeding your line through something like a phone book (in the upper 1/5 of the book) and set your drag tight enough to ensure you can retrieve line.

Bird's nests are the result of angler error 100% of the time. :compress:

Since you say that you are new, I highly recommend that you do not practice with a weight less than 1/2 ounce and use mono of at least 10# test. In general, for the beginner, the thinner the line's diameter and the lighter the weight of the lure, the more difficult it will be for a beginner to manage. Please note I didn't say the experienced angler. The aerodynamics of the lure can also impede a beginner's learning. For example, you might have a inline spinner and a jig that weight the same. If the wind kicks up, the inline spinner, although it weighs the same as the jig, has a higher potential to give the novice grief to.

The advice given of setting the reel to the lure's weight is very good. Once the reel is set to the lure in question, there is really only a couple things to keep in mind, and the most important thing I tell a beginner is this, assuming the reel is set to the lure's weight...

After you make the cast, no matter what happens, your thumb must STOP the SPOOL from Spinning BEFORE the lure hits ANYTHING, be it the ground, a shrub, or the water's surface.

How you stop it is irrelevant... Stop it cold turkey or feather it to a stop... It doesn't matter. I taught this to a friend who never even knew what a baitcaster was, and after I did, he didn't backlash once in a 4 hour fishing outing.

The other thing that gets newbies, especially if they come from a spinning background is failing to properly load the rod with the lure's weight. On a spinning outfit there is no consequence for such sloppiness. However, on a casting outfit, that will spell bird's next more likely than not. If you hear that whipping sound with your rod going forward as it whizzes by your ear (on an overhead cast) and your lure did not yet load the rod, put your thumb on the spool immediate and start your cast over. This type of cast adds a lot of energy into the casting equation such that the spool will spin faster than it pan out line and the result is usually a bird's nest.

Also, the release time of the thumb off of the spool with a casting outfit is slightly earlier than that of your forefinger coming off of your rod with a spinning set up. Given an overhand cast with 12 o'clock above you, and 9 o'clock in front of you, the approximate point the thumb comes off of the spool would between 12 and 1 o'clock.

If your lure slams into the ground right in front of you, that is the tell tale sign that the thumb let go too late. If you see the lure shoot up quickly with a high "rainbow" parabolic trajectory, that means the thumb let go too early. With sidearm casts, for a right-hand caster, casts shooting to the left are late releases.

Lastly, higher quality casting reels are easier to learn on and usually will handle lighter lures better than lesser reels. Good luck.

[flinginpooh]

And dont try and power your cast. Nice fluid motion. When you get a fluid motion down and the thumb pressure down youll be able to take your brakes down to nothing just free spool put light lead on and still get it out there a ways. Over powering your cast causes backlash almost every time.

[leif-liden]

I have been out almost everyday and kinda getting the feel for it! its alot harder then some people make it out to be. i think i will still pack my spinning combo in the truck with me when i head to the river next. thanks for the help guys! good luck:salut:

[natetreat]

I just got a new one, I told a few guys what I did. Sit on the couch and watch tv, with a weight on. Let the weight drop. Stop it right before it gets to the floor. From different heights. It works really well that way you get the hang of stopping the lure.

[tnj8222]

I have a cheap bps baitcaster that is still hard to cast with my experience on a bc. Expensive reels cast easier and the brakes are way better.

[leif-liden]

I have just abu garcia bc and it seems to be working really well for me. I never thought about sitting on the couch and practicing that's a good call might have to try that when its a bit cold out

[ingi]

islandbass, thanks for the input, i think i learned more from what you wrote than about 10 other online things that I have read up on...I read about the ball bearings and blah blah it is better to have a rod with 3 or 5 good ball bearings than 10 bad ones but I dont think I have ever seen any BC's that say the type of ball bearings. Has anyone tried the quantum code or quantum kevin van dam baitcasters, read some mixed reviews...

[coretron22]

I agree...Great tips here! Thanks for posting the thread and thanks for the great replies.
I also got a new BC recently...my first. I've been practicing in the yard also. Seen the youtube vids, read all the tips, but this thread, especially islandbass's "your thumb must STOP the SPOOL from Spinning BEFORE the lure hits ANYTHING" tip, (wrong name edited) flinginpooh's "don't overpower" tip, and Natetreat's couch practice tip...

Awesome. I went out yesterday after reading and threw several perfect/on target overhand and sidearm casts without an issue.
Another realization I had was the fact that to get better distance with a BC with lighter weights, it is more about freeing up the brakes and learning thumb control than throwing harder. So as a beginner, that reel will be for my heavier baits, while the spinning reel is for my lighter weight stuff for now.

[jerrysgonefishing]

I found that if I spooled heavy thick line on and then practiced out on the parking strip it worked well. With the heavy stiff line when it does birdnest it is fairly easy to straighten out and continue to practice. Then move on to the line that you would normally use.

[kzoo]

Another pointer for spooling line is don't overspool, that will cause bird nests. I typically leave an 1/8" left on the spool.

As for the way to spool it, remember all line has memory, just some are easier to condition than others, mono vs fluro. You should try to spool line the way it was it was originally spooled in the package.

Other than that practice, and maintain your reel by cleaning bearings.

[Brian253]

Here's one that nobody has mentioned, use a good line with low line memory, I used to have a backlash problem on my quantum when I used p-line, I switched to trilene big game and have never had problem since. All I fish is big game now. Another tip when I spool up I run line through all guides and put tension on the line as I spool up with my thumb and index fiber pinching the line right above my reel.makes for a nice tight spool, and prevents a birds nest on that first cast

[Fish-N-Fool]

leif-liden ,
IMHO it is much easier to learn a baitcaster if you have a quality rod/reel to start with. Cheap casting reels (IE anything made by Abu) LOL, are such a disadvantage that it makes most newbees to casting want to give up. Now a quality reel need not be super expencive, as I just picked up a new Curdado E7 off Ebay for 142 Bucks with freeeeeeeeeee shipping! Now that is a sweet reel for a sweet deal. You can pick up a good used 200 or 201 Curado for about $60 to $75. Another misstake that I think about 80% of all guys that use a bait caster do is buy the wrong reel. If you are right handed as you throw a ball with your right hand that is the hand you should hold the pole with and you should reel it with your left hand. This they call a left handed reel but IMHO it is a right handed reel. It never made any sence to me to cast with your right hand and then switch the rod to the leaft and reel in with the right. I know this will be nah-sayed by many, but I'm convinced that 80% of the guys out there are doing it wrong.

With all that being said here is a little Trick that may help you. It won't help you learn to cast, but it will make the rats nests you get easier to pick out. Make a long cast with a heavy lure in your back yard or as soon as you get to the lake or river before you get the line wet. Pull off a few more yards of line and cut a piece of black tape about 3" long and wrap it around the spool covering the line on the spool with it. Now reel the line you have out back over the tape. This keeps any backlash you get from going very deep in the spool and you have a lot less of a mess to deal with.
But as other have said having an Educated thumb is the best way to keep from getting birdnests.

[Bodofish]

I learned to cast with an Ambassador 5000. I don't think there is a better reel anywhere to learn on. When you've learned to cast one you can cast with any reel. It's just not that hard. Practice...... All the different types of braking systems are nothing more than a crutch for those that really don't know how to cast. Learn with a man’s reel then go spend some dough on a high dollar reel.

PS I've owned a bunch of reels and the Shimano bait casters are far from my favorite. Quantum PT is ten times the reel in my opinion and even the dreaded Abu's are better casters.

[Rich McVey]

And dont try and power your cast. Nice fluid motion. When you get a fluid motion down and the thumb pressure down youll be able to take your brakes down to nothing just free spool put light lead on and still get it out there a ways. Over powering your cast causes backlash almost every time.

Lots of practice for me. I rats nested so many reels. My main problem was just that. Trying to overcast.

Make sure you adjust your reel per manufactures directions. I still have a knob on one of my reels I have no clue what it is for.