Hello all!! im new to this board, great board too!! well i have some questions with a baitcaster. im kinda new to baitcasting but im gettin the hang of it..lol. ive been working with it and casting nicely right now but im only using a spinnerbait on it...i think its a 3/4 oz. is that a good idea to only be using one type of lure and weight or should i try something else??? also any other tips and tricks on using a baitcaster will be great too!!!
Many thanks for the help and great lookin board....lookin forward to hearin from everyone!!
outlaw
[signature]
[
] Welcome to BFT Outlaw, Im new at baitcasters too , and I find that I have to fine tune eachtime I switch weights, but if its not much , it don't need much tuning. You'll find that there will be alot of help here with all your questions cause you have alot of good people that come to BFT !!
Flagmanonice............................
[signature]
Welcome outlaw,
New to baitcasting huh? good for you. like he said, its a good idea for a beginner to fine tune his or her reel after switching weights big in difference. you do this by turning the cast control on the handle side of your reel. by making it looser, it puts less pressure on the spool and allows it to spin faster and more freely. this will allow your lure to go further, however, it will result in more backlashes, bird's nest, overruns, whatever you wanna call them. i'm sure you have had experience with these already.
another little tip, when you make your cast, while the lure is still in flight, turn the reel up side down so that it is facing the water. this allows the line to come off more freely and results in a longer cast.
you have to train your thumb. if you feel a backlash during the cast, and it is getting bad, it is in your best interest to stop it. or else ten minutes of your fishing time will be wasted.
the more line you have on your spool, the better. just don't put too much line on it. the more line there is, the better the cast will be. it is very hard to explain this, i read it in a magazine. trust me it helps.
joe
[signature]
that is and interesting aproach,
I too am new to bait casters, I received 150 reels from Bass Pro Shop in The Great Lakes Crossing mall here in oakland county michingan.
I have picked up several different moddles and for the life of me I cant get them to cast properly. they eather wont cast or I get a massive over spin of the baroll causing a nasty rats nest in side the reel and I have to end up cutting the line to clean it up.
you have any suggestions on how to set the reel for the proper tention?
[signature]
Never have gotten the hang of using a baitcast reel. So I only use them in two conditions. Drop them straight down or troll off a boat or float them out on a balloon from the bridge. Otherwise, just give me my spinning reels everytime. [crazy]
[signature]
well, I used to have this problem all the time. practice makes perfect, as they say. what you can do is not try to cast really hard. when you bring it back behind you, watch it all the way. and just move your arms slowly when you cast it. do it at a park or something with just a weight.
start off small. dont go for the longest casts right away. remember, it isnt the hardest or fastest swing of the arms that makes the longest cast.
let your thumb off of the spool at about 11 o'clock. just past your shoulder.
you'll get it... it just takes practice.
joe
[signature]
our very own baitcast guru ! what do you know about ocean city baitcast reels . i have one with all kinds of adjustments on it , it's got me baffeled ![crazy]
[signature]
went fishin today, caught a couple small strippers. used my baitcaster and didnt have too many problems....needed more line..lol. came home...put new line in it and tied on a smaller spinnerbait...3/8 oz i believe. it was gettin dark on me when i was tryin to cast with it.....ill have to try tomorrow and see what i get!!!
Thanks for all your help everyone!!!
Outlaw
[signature]
Hey there davetclown,
I gotta share this tip to guys new to bait-casting, conventional reels. If you get a birdsnest, STOP! Don't MOVE a muscle! Calmly place your thumb on top of the mess on the spool and press down hard, real hard. Next, with pressure exerted, s-l-o-w-l-y turn the handle 7 or 8 times to reel in more line. Take the spool out of gear and slowly pull the line gently straight out from the spool. Half the time, your tangle will magically be taken care of by this process. What happens is that the line re-aligns under the pressure.
Try it! it does work! Especially with 15, 20 or 30 pound test.
JapanRon
[signature]
to tell you the truth lonehunter, i know nothing about ocean city reels. sorry bro.
good job outlaw... practice makes perfect, so do a few fish inbetween practice sessions!
joe
[signature]
your probably right, I will have to plan a day to do nothing but work on casting the bait caster. thanx
[signature]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Welcome to BFT message board. I still have lots of blowups with Baitcasters but hope this help you. First Baitcaster reels have mechanisms built into the reel that allow you to control the spool speed and reduce the amount of overruns. But the single most effective spool control method is your thumb! Basically getting the most out of your baitcaster is a matter of thumb education. During the cast you should keep your thumb near the spool. If you think the cast is going too fast or is heading for the trees you can stop it immediately with your thumb. You can also start to feel an overrun happening as the loops of line start to form you can feel them with your thumb and do something about it. And most importantly you can stop the spool spinning as soon as the line hits the water. I have found when casting if I stop the spool with my thumb just before the bait hits the water I have less overruns. As you get better and better at this you can also use your thumb to fine tune the spool during a cast and get your bait or lure right into the correct place.
Most good baitcaster reels have two mechanisms to control the spin rate of the spool. They are usually called something like magnetic or friction cast control and centrifugal brake system. Fancy names but simple to operate. The magnetic cast control is usually a round knob on the same side of the reel as the drag and the handle. This knob is tightened or loosened to retard the spinning of the spool. You can modify this setting while you are fishing. You usually have to change this as the weight of what you are casting changes. A heavier casting weight will make the spool spin much quicker at the beginning of the cast. You need this knob to stop the spool spinning out of control. The lighter the weight the less control you need. If it is too tight you may find the weight in your cast is insufficient to get the spool spinning at all.
The centrifugal brake system on baitcasters most have two. Some are on the side of the reel and can be modify when fishing. Most are numbers from one thru ten start on ten and work down until you get the right number for the bait you are using. You will know when it gets on the right number. But some centrifugal brake system are found inside the reel. You have to pull the reel apart to make changes here. Be warned most baitcaster have a lot of springs and internal parts. I would not recommend taking them apart. The brakes are usually on the opposite side to the drag knob and handle. The brake system is a series of four to six knobs in a circle around the inside of the reel. These are used to provide extra control on the spool. You can start with all of these set to on and as you become more confident with your casting you can start turning these off. Both of these mechanisms reduce the speed that the spool can move, and therefore reduce the distance you can cast. As you get the hang of the reel you can start turning these off and see your casts really fly.
Your reel should include the specific instructions for the setting of both these controls.
Here are the basics steps you should use to set the magnetic cast control:
Rig up the rod with the sinkers/hooks or lure you want to cast.
Tighten the magnetic cast control knob all the way up.
Put the reel into free spool, with the rod up suspending the sinker etc.
The line should not be coming out.
Loosen the magnetic cast control knob slowly until the line will start to come out.
Be careful that it does not start to come out so fast that you get another birds nest!
Then tighten back a little way. The line should not move unless you jig the rod up and down. When you do that
the sinker etc should move down a little way.
Try casting now. If you still have overruns tighten the cast control knob.
This will give a reasonable setting for the weight you are casting. Once you get your thumb educated you should start backing this off so as not to reduce the distance you can cast.
Another thing to consider is the type of line you use when casting. A stiff line with a lot of memory will increase the number of overruns. Because these lines are not supple they stay looped up as they come off the reel. These can foul up the spool and cause overruns. Also it is much harder to get these overruns out. Probably the best line to use would be one of the braids. These have no memory and will come straight off the spool.
[center] [/center]
[/size][/font]
[signature]
that sounds like it just might work. I am sure I will have the oppertunity to try it in the next couple weeks when I pick up a bait caster and start my 8 hour pratice.
thanks...
[signature]
way cool , i'm making a copy of the post and printing it out for a wallet reference guide . i'ts been a lot of years since the baitcasters have seen daylight . looks like it's time once again . thanks , uour pal lonehunter .
[signature]
hey guys dont let those reels sit unused gathering dust sell them me !!!!
[signature]
hey thanks byrumjr. you did a whole lot better job of trying to explain that than i did
] I always like to see people learn.
good luck guys!!
joe
[signature]
hey Out Law,
Whenever you change weight size try playing with the cast control knob. If it is a newer baitcaster (low profile kind, they look like theyve been squashed) it should have a magnetic control on the left side with some numbers, something like 1-10?? If not that kind there should be a metal knob to the left of the handle and the star drag.
I think that the Ocean City reels were made by PENN?? If not they are identical to them. Ive played with them, didnt have any intrest in them though (rather have my new Penns and Newell)
Good luck
Aaron
[signature]
Thanks everyone for all your help!! I've been working with it the last few days!!
Thanks again!!
outlaw
[signature]
hey outlaw, and davetclown, how are you guys doing on that baitcasting? are you guys getting the hang of it yet?
joe
[signature]
hey joe im doin pretty good with it!! just got back from a week long fishin trip!! didnt get very much fishin in cause of rain and other stuff going on!! i did catch a pretty nice largemouth probably around the 8 inch size!!! i didnt catch it on the baitcaster though. i did fish with the baitcaster, still using the 3/8 oz spinnerbait on it...lol. i didnt have too many problems with it....i did have one major backlash happen to me and it really wasnt my fault really....well ok it was my fault...lol. but anyway i had a whole lotta fun[cool][cool]!!!
outlaw