Baitcasters?

[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]Hi All, I am on this quest to learn how to use a baitcaster. I was just wondering if anybody had any tips for a beginner? Any info will help, as I am clueless about baitcasters. Thanks in advance for any info.[/#ff4040][/font]
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[Tarpon4me]

There is one huge tool that you can utilize that will keep the birds nest out of the spool, and keep you fishing longer.......The break on the side of the reel. The break is the little knob on the side that controls the tension on the spool. You'll notice that the tighter the break is, the less freely the spool spins when in free-spool. The trick is to tie on what ever rig or lure you're going to use and set the break accordingly. Here's how to do it:

Hold the spool with your thumb. Engage free-spool on the reel. If your rig drops to the ground when you take your thumb off of the reel, tighten the break a little bit.

REMEMBER! Righty tighty, lefty loosey

Reel up the slack, and try it again. What you're shooting for is when you engage the free-spool on the reel, that the break be tight enough that you have to gently shake your rig to get it to reach the ground. If you have to shake it hard, it's too tight and won't cast very far. If it's too loose, well, you'll find out. Once you get good with the reel, which will take time, you'll be able to use the reel with the break set very loose. You'll get more distance and more accuracy in this way. I wouldn't recomend buying a very expensive line to spool it up with either. You'll probably ruin a good bit until you get better with it. I know I did. I hope this work for you
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]Thanks Tarpon4me. I will have to give that a try. I am just using old line that I have for "practicing"[/#ff4040][/font]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Hi there Kraizee_Skot - what kind of a baiting casting reel do you you have now?[/size][/green][/font]
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]A cheapo that I am trying to learn how to use.[/#ff4040][/font]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][size 3][green]The reason why I asked is because I had several reels that were quite old. Back lashings seemed to be a way of life. They I went and bought a Shimano Batam Curado which has several adjustments including Variable Brake System (VBS) [#008000]uses centrifugal force rather than magnets to aid in controlling the cast for increased distance and adjustability. This was a worthwhile investment.[/#008000][/green][/size][/font]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]I should have mentioned that you don't have to spend over $100 to get a good reel. Technology has come a long way and there are many fine reels available with similar features of my Shimano that can be purchased for a lot less $$.[/size][/green][/font]
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[Tarpon4me]

Dryrod's right, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get a good reel. 40 or 50 bucks will buy you a good reel. Last I checked, Abu Garcia 5000's ran right around that price. You can get a pretty good Quantum reel for around that price as well. Keep in mind, you're not going to tear your reel up by back lashing it, so don't be affraid to get yourself a good reel to practice with. Alot of anglers use specific reels for specific fishing methods as well. So feel free to indulge us with specifics as to what you'll be fishing for and how you'll be doing it. I know myself, I have an Abu for every situation, well, just about. I leave my big game offshore stuff to Penn. Then, other anglers may have 10 different brand name reels set asside for each function. I know of a few in BFT that do that. They might have a Saltiga reel they use for jigging because of the blistering fast gear ratio. Then, maybe a Calcutta series reel for plugging for it's smooth and compact opperation. Then use Shimano Tritons for bottom fishing wrecks for their ruggedness and bullet proof drag system for hoisting those naughty fish out of the snags. Or maybe you're just bass fishing.
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[Kraizee_Skot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#ff4040]I'll mainly be bass fishing with it. My uncle is an avid basser and he asked me if I wanted to tag along with him when he goes.[/#ff4040][/font]
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