Tricks to bait casting reels?

[Home Wood]

Excellent pointers guys, thanks again. I could always buy a spinning reel for the 5 1/2 ugly stick and a 6 1/2 or another 7 for the Pinnacle reel. No point in letting a good rod go to waste. The lures I prefer to use are plastics worms/lizards..etc. I have several crank baits and look forward to see how those work. I like the plastics because you can work them in so many ways. Top water to bottom. Slow, fast, stop and go. From what I read my Abu set up will be fine for that, right?

[Buckski]

When adjusting the spools tension, get it so that it will hit the ground from a horzontial position 3 o'clock and press the button and the bait should hit the ground by the count of three.

For most fishermen a baitcaster has limited applications, up north most of us use spin for light line applications.
Bait casters main advantage is a high gear ratio for retrives. One turn of the handle will bring in more line than a spin reel. Othe than that I have notice no real positives. I use em for trolling now and don't even cast em any more. If I go musky fishing it could be a nice real for that, but I use a light action surf casting rod with a matching spin reel.

If ya watch the bass pros there was once a mad rush to fish bait casters, not its pretty much they style you fish and most deep water jig and drop shotters use spin gear.

all equipment has its advantages and disadvantages, Chen is right about loading the rod and letting kentic energy being released.

[1tigger]

I think part of the problem with a new baitcast user is they normally don't take the time to properly adjust the reel to the lure and they try and whip the lure out there for distance .
If the reel is adjusted correctly you wont have to cast very hard to get that distance .

[hookemandcookem]

I have used baitcasters on and off over a few years. I am still learning. My dad, 1Tigger, has taught me a lot about them. It all takes practice. I always try to cast the lure up not out, kinda like shooting a basketball and giving it some arch. I did pick up a tip in a Field and Stream magazine that says to put a strip of black electrical tape half way through your line that way when you get a backlash it dosent go deeper than the tape. If anyone has any thoughts or has tried the tape method, drop me a line.

[TrekJeff]

Congrates, you have evolved.  The reels you have picked up are excellent.  I prefer the Abu's but that's my opinion.  As stated previously...it's all in the feel, let the rod do the work once you've set your free spool.  Once you have it dialed in and have that feel for the rod, you'll be surprised on how light of jigs you can cast.  As long as your set up is balanced out you can cast anything you cast with a spinning rod.  I use both because of course it's a feel thing and you do have advantages over each other.
As far as the above tape thing...I've neer heard of it. It may be useful in the begining, but if you just set the reel for the wieght of lure you're using and let the rod do the casting, you'll have it.  I've always used mono, so I can't give an opinion on braids.

[Bartman44]

If it hasn't been mentioned already, don't overspool with line; if anything underspool a bit until you get the hang of it.

[jdfish]

I have used baitcasters for many years and wouldn't trade them for anything. However they are a tool for a certain type of fishing. They really aren't meant to be fishing very light line or trying to throw light lures of say less then 3/16 oz or 1/4 oz. The one thing I have found thrrough the years is  that true to form with almost everything you get what you pay for. Not to say that you should buy the most expensive reel you can find, but as I have upgraded my equipment I have found the reels to be much smoother and less problematic.  Just my two cents worth.

[Home Wood]

I've gotten a little better. Went out on the boat yesterday and Sunday. Tried the bait catsers,  but ended up going back to the spinning gear. I mean, I did want to actually catch something while I was out.  

[bigbucky1]

Just keep practicing even if it is just in your yard.   I have my 11 yr old son doing it either in the yard or out at the water at least 1 day a week to get used to the one he got for his birthday.  I am stilll new to the baiitcaster thing also, only about 5yrs, though been fishing for better than 25. I have gotten good enough now to throw a 1/8 oz jig and weight less plastics with the baitcasters I have.  And yes like said before even the guys that thing they are the best with them still backlash with them.  One thing I do now though with mine is fill the spool part of the way with a filler line, maybe some cheap stuff, then put the good line the rest of the spool.  My personal experiance is once you get good at casting it without to many problems the better quality line works better for less problems casting on the reel.

[fiddlehead322]

I tried baitcasters many years ago. I too went back to conventional spinning gear. Great for launching the Zara Spook to outer space , but a little too much machinery for brook fishig. I'm sure they have come a long ways since I tried them as well.

[Buckski]

Man I would like to try throwing pike and musky baits with em, but overall a speciality item!

[TrekJeff]

Nah, no more than anything else.  Any lure pictured in your avatar would be perfect.

[Buckski]

Gotta love throwing them big baits, and picking up line after darting a shallow diver around is its comfort range.
Alot of the sticks and cranks in there are trolled.
But hear ya.
Gotta love fishing a smaller boat with 7-8 footers with lures 6-9 inches big triple trebeles or two hogs on em. Makes ya pay attention in the boat.

[MXFisher]

Read the instuctions about the adjustments of the reel, and then practice, practice, practice.

[TrekJeff]

Yeah, definatly.  We were throwing 4-8" rapala's and redfins fishing for strippers down at Toledo Bend on the Lousiana side below the dam.  The bait casting reel gave you that extra power you wanted to have when the dam was generating and water was screaming by.  Not to mention when a stripper would hit.  Definatly the tool to have