Baitcasters

[Jayball]

Well last week I walked into TFH to pick up minnows and walked out with this Abu baitcaster… https://www.thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?imageSku=2908610&enlargeSkuz=20420&C=023&GETPRODUCTSBYCLASSG=023&D=02. Funny how that happens isn’t it? I forgot the minnows.

Anyway I always wanted one of these and I needed a better trolling set up anyways… so there you go. I plan to hunt some lakers soon so this should suit me fine. Very solid reel. After some fun on the water with a couple massive bird's nests, I read the instructions (why do that first right?) and am now getting the handle of using the drag and brake systems together although it took alot of getting used to.

Question: For you more experienced bait-caster folk… any tips or trick for proper use and maintenance? I find the brake system very sensitive. Does anyone really use it a great deal for casting? Or does it really shine when it comes to downrigging and trolling for pike and LT.

Thx in advance.

[SushiUnagi]

I have heard to initially set it up with 4 out of 6 brakes on so it would be a bit more forgiving and still provides you a feel for using it. Also depending on the lure/weight you are using. Hook it up, then let go on the reel to see how fast the lure drops to the ground. It should be slow and steady and by the time it hits the ground it should stop without much backlash. Personally I love using them baitcasters more so than spinning reels...but find it much more effective/easier to use on a heavier lure. Like bigger 5 diamond spoons and rapalas for pikes/walleyes, etc. I always use it for casting and sometimes trolling...but I find casting works best, for me anywyas.

Hopefully you will love it too! I've heard you either love it or hate it (due to birds nests).

Cheers,
Sushi

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

Jayball .

Baitcasters are awesome , been using them for 6 or 7 years now , absolutely love them , I get a way farther cast then with a spinning reel .

As for the rats nests , you got to adjust the brake and bale speed to the size of lure your using . To adjust this put the hook or lure your going to use , hold rod up and push the button like your going to cast . The lure should fall to to ground at a steady pace not to fast nore to slow . If its to fast tighten things up slightly and re try , and if to slow loosen it slightly vice versa .

Its best to have braided line on there , I have 80 lb on my main bait caster and 40 on the other 3 , lets me tie a lighter leader on if I want .

Dont let the rats nest deter you from casting with it , and never cut your line , just find where the line is looped over , and pull that loop then pull the main line from where it comes from the bail out onto the eyelets of your rod, keep pulling until its untangled and your set to , cast it agian and untangle . Ive been using mine for as long as I have and still get the odd rats nest .

Send me a private message if you have any other questions would be more then happy to help you out . Or even come hang out fishing sometime and get it all squared away , ive help a few others do the same thing , now casting like pro's .

[TexasTornado]

Baitcasters can cause you a lot of grief the first couple times out. The other two guys offer good advice. If you thumb properly you should avoid backlash's, it's when you get in a panic or get lazy is when most of the problems start. Otherwise best reel you'll ever fish with when throwing large lures. I prefer spinning the lighter stuff.

[lone wolf]

Does anyone really use it a great deal for casting? Or does it really shine when it comes to downrigging and trolling for pike and LT.

Thx in advance.

I have owned a number over the years and use them almost exclusively for casting from shore (do not have the luxury of a boat yet). They are definitely better suited to larger lures and there is a sharp learning curve for the beginner. Birds nests are part & parcel of that curve - and we all still get them from time to time. However once you learn how to cast properly you will be hooked !! Adjusting the brake properly is very important. The best piece of advice is to pay attention when you are casting. The second the lure hits the water put your thumb on the spool to stop it rotating. This will prevent most, if not all, of the dreaded birds nests. After you have played your first big fish on the reel, you will appreciate what a phenomenal drag system they have and be very reluctant to go back to a spinning reel.

Hang in there and feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.

[ericlin0122]

i can never figure out how to cast baitcaster.
it's even harder than learning fly fishing. :angry3:
not worth the effort to learn this if you can learn spin casting in no time.

[Jayball]

Thx to all for your wisdom. I appreciate the time you took to respond. It sounds like patience and practice are key... and really learning as much as I can about the reel (which i don't think I have done just yet). The point about thumbing at the moment when the lure hits the water... good advice. Makes sense and I cant believe I never thought about that. But I suppose if you set up the reel properly, you might not have to?

bbj... thx in particular for your guidance. I keep mainly to Pigeon as I have a little cabin in Mulhurst. I am familiar with your posts on here and I know you spend much time out there. Does your ankle allow you to get out much these days? We should connect one day out there esp for a good night fishing session. I still have not caught a burbot. From mid - June to Labour Day I am out with wife and kiddies almost every weekend.

[Jayball]

i can never figure out how to cast baitcaster.
it's even harder than learning fly fishing. :angry3:
not worth the effort to learn this if you can learn spin casting in no time.

I have learned through the years... that there are two I will ALWAYS make time for: My wife/children and anything related to how I can be a more skilled fisherman.

Odd... I have A.D.D. so bad that I can't sit down at work to write a report. But yet... i can spend hours online learning about new rods and reels what others have to share about fishing.

I just need to get my work done FIRST ;)

[fitzy]

I love my baitcaster, I bought a cheap one to see if I liked and looking at options now to upgrade. There is nothing better to fight big fish with, it is a little tricky to cast small lures with though.

[dodger]

$200.00 reel, $200.00 rod and I hate it for casting. I use it for jigging now.
Dodger.

[mustardb]

$200.00 reel, $200.00 rod and I hate it for casting. I use it for jigging now.
Dodger.

X2

Just can't get the casting figured out. Love it for jigging and trolling, however.

[jeprli]

I hated baitcaster at the beginning, then i started changing rods, three of them until i found what suited me the best.

What i found is that one piece rods are superior to two piece rods. Distribution of "bend" when casting lures in a one piece rod is more evenly distributed therefore giving you better control on the cast. It's like a catapult.

Two piece rods seem to be too bendy in the top portion and too hard on the bottom piece, then once you cast with it the top portion keeps vibrating and line is slowing down at the tip because of all the movement. With one piece rods this is almost non existent, faster the rod better feel you get for it and once you cast with it, rod tip will come to a standstill right after you release your thumb from the spool.

My current set-up is a quantum accurist(has a pitching switch) with a left hand retrieve paired up with Browning Citori 3/8-2oz 8' xfast action, heavy power. Loaded it up with suffix 30lb braid(no need to use super heavy lines, it will only help you to destroy your gear).

For practice put on some cheap mono line in a 20-30lb rating and just cast 1oz weight or whatever you desire.

Make sure you try couple of different rods before you settle down, and don't pay much attention to what the forum says, find what feels right for you not what somebody thinks is right. I like my setup for heavy jigging and heavy gliders, but who knows how someone else would feel casting with it.

[fitzy]

I hated baitcaster at the beginning, then i started changing rods, three of them until i found what suited me the best.

What i found is that one piece rods are superior to two piece rods. Distribution of "bend" when casting lures in a one piece rod is more evenly distributed therefore giving you better control on the cast. It's like a catapult.

Two piece rods seem to be too bendy in the top portion and too hard on the bottom piece, then once you cast with it the top portion keeps vibrating and line is slowing down at the tip because of all the movement. With one piece rods this is almost non existent, faster the rod better feel you get for it and once you cast with it, rod tip will come to a standstill right after you release your thumb from the spool.

My current set-up is a quantum accurist(has a pitching switch) with a left hand retrieve paired up with Browning Citori 3/8-2oz 8' xfast action, heavy power. Loaded it up with suffix 30lb braid(no need to use super heavy lines, it will only help you to destroy your gear).

For practice put on some cheap mono line in a 20-30lb rating and just cast 1oz weight or whatever you desire.

Make sure you try couple of different rods before you settle down, and don't pay much attention to what the forum says, find what feels right for you not what somebody thinks is right. I like my setup for heavy jigging and heavy gliders, but who knows how someone else would feel casting with it.

I was checking out a citori at the bass pro, looked like a nice set up and had good feel, how does it handle the 1/4 to 1/2oz stuff?

[Cal]

Well last week I walked into TFH to pick up minnows and walked out with this Abu baitcaster… https://www.thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?imageSku=2908610&enlargeSkuz=20420&C=023&GETPRODUCTSBYCLASSG=023&D=02. Funny how that happens isn’t it? I forgot the minnows.

Anyway I always wanted one of these and I needed a better trolling set up anyways… so there you go. I plan to hunt some lakers soon so this should suit me fine. Very solid reel. After some fun on the water with a couple massive bird's nests, I read the instructions (why do that first right?) and am now getting the handle of using the drag and brake systems together although it took alot of getting used to.

Question: For you more experienced bait-caster folk… any tips or trick for proper use and maintenance? I find the brake system very sensitive. Does anyone really use it a great deal for casting? Or does it really shine when it comes to downrigging and trolling for pike and LT.

Thx in advance.

Congrats on buying what I concider one of the all time best reels ever made. I fished with mine pretty much exclusively for about 5 years. I found that most of the "advantages" that people assign baitcasting gear are either exagerated or flat out lies but I enjoy using it anyways. They are pretty easy to master though I recomend learing with mono since it is easyer to untangle and your going to be cutting some line off at first.

Set the resistance so your lure just barely spools line off at first and the let it off between casts untill you find a good setting for the lure and conditions. When you make the cast dont load the rod and "snap" it as much as a spinning rod untill you've got an educated thumb, the swing should be smooth with you releasing the line quite a bit earlyer than you would with a spinning rod so the line is coming off while you are still swinging. Doing this helps the spool accelerate smoothly and progressively rather than abruptly and forcing you to slow it down with your thumb later in the cast. Keep your thumb ready incase you fling your hook straight at the water, no anti-backlash system I've tryed can compensate for your hook going from 60-0 ten feet in front of you. Once you've used it more you will find lots of other ways to cast but this is the easyest way to learn. When I was in alaska I watched a guide show my wife how to use casting gear withing a matter of minuits showing her how to cast like this. The guide couldnt beleive that I wasnt getting rats nests since I tend cast like I'm using spinning gear as I was never shown any different, took me far longer than just a couple minuits to learn to do it my way though.

[gramps73]

$200.00 reel, $200.00 rod and I hate it for casting. I use it for jigging now.
Dodger.

I hear you on that one, they get used for bouncing the bottom and that is it..

[ericlin0122]

but guys I have one stupid question.
what you plan to accomplish with baitcaster v.s. spin?
longer casting?
better drag?
cast BAIT?

what are the benefits?
from what I think is, it's just a marketing thing. I don't really think they work better.

[Cal]

but guys I have one stupid question.
what you plan to accomplish with baitcaster v.s. spin?
longer casting?
better drag?
cast BAIT?

what are the benefits?
from what I think is, it's just a marketing thing. I don't really think they work better.

Pretty much the only advantages I've found are

The bait clicker, handy for fishing slip sinker rigs or dangling bait when ice fishing this feature doesnt even come on many models any more. You can accomplish roughly the same thing with spinning gear using a toothpick and a rubber band though.

Being able to thumb the reel while making casts that must be very acurate or while letting out line while trolling or jigging. If you know how to feather a spinning reel it works just as well.

Longer casts and handling bigger lures and all that is just BS. There are far more things that baitcasters do way worse than spinning gear than things that they do marginaly better. I enjoy using baitcasting gear but I get tired of magazines, ads, and other sportsmen making claims about casting gear that just arent true.

[freeones]

$200.00 reel, $200.00 rod and I hate it.
Dodger.

X3.

They simply don't "feel right" to me.

Pretty much the only advantages I've found are

The bait clicker, handy for fishing slip sinker rigs or dangling bait when ice fishing this feature doesnt even come on many models any more. You can accomplish roughly the same thing with spinning gear using a toothpick and a rubber band though.

Being able to thumb the reel while making casts that must be very acurate or while letting out line while trolling or jigging. If you know how to feather a spinning reel it works just as well.

Longer casts and handling bigger lures and all that is just BS. There are far more things that baitcasters do way worse than spinning gear than things that they do marginaly better. I enjoy using baitcasting gear but I get tired of magazines, ads, and other sportsmen making claims about casting gear that just arent true.

X2.

My expensive Curado collects dust.

[Jayball]

Congrats on buying what I concider one of the all time best reels ever made. I fished with mine pretty much exclusively for about 5 years. I found that most of the "advantages" that people assign baitcasting gear are either exagerated or flat out lies but I enjoy using it anyways. They are pretty easy to master though I recomend learing with mono since it is easyer to untangle and your going to be cutting some line off at first.

Set the resistance so your lure just barely spools line off at first and the let it off between casts untill you find a good setting for the lure and conditions. When you make the cast dont load the rod and "snap" it as much as a spinning rod untill you've got an educated thumb, the swing should be smooth with you releasing the line quite a bit earlyer than you would with a spinning rod so the line is coming off while you are still swinging. Doing this helps the spool accelerate smoothly and progressively rather than abruptly and forcing you to slow it down with your thumb later in the cast. Keep your thumb ready incase you fling your hook straight at the water, no anti-backlash system I've tryed can compensate for your hook going from 60-0 ten feet in front of you. Once you've used it more you will find lots of other ways to cast but this is the easyest way to learn. When I was in alaska I watched a guide show my wife how to use casting gear withing a matter of minuits showing her how to cast like this. The guide couldnt beleive that I wasnt getting rats nests since I tend cast like I'm using spinning gear as I was never shown any different, took me far longer than just a couple minuits to learn to do it my way though.

Thx for this... I will try this weekend.

[jeprli]

but guys I have one stupid question.
what you plan to accomplish with baitcaster v.s. spin?
longer casting?
better drag?
cast BAIT?

what are the benefits?
from what I think is, it's just a marketing thing. I don't really think they work better.

Stronger drag, most standard baitcaster has twice the drag power over comparable spinning reel.

Longer casts into the wind, less belly in your line therefore you can instantly work you lure. Better control of the lure casting distance. Since there is no loose line on the cast, baits tend to cut the air like an arrow instead of spinning in all directions like spinning outfits are known for. Also baitcasting rods have their "spine" upside down which makes them very fast on hookset or for example ripping jigs through weeds.

Where most spinning rods are built with their guides on the spine(for durability, and some would argue sensitivity) baitcsting rods are mostly built with the guides on opposite side of spine(again some argue it accounts for greater casting distance, some say it is for sensitivity). One thing is true baitcaster rods break a lot easier when fully loaded beacuse of the guide/spine setup, they're just too sturdy on the lifting side.

Baitcasters are just plain durable, and have a lot less moving parts than a spinning rod, pinion shaft has much better load distribution, and there is no bail wire, just a simple thumb button.

Big bulky baits are just a pain to work with a spinning outfit, with a baitcaster it is a little easier on your hands.

Gliders for an example have to be worked in a way where line is always slack, to fish these baits with a spinning outfit you'd have to respool your line quite often or make long false casts to tighten the winding on your spool. Wit bc you just keep pressure on the spool with your thumb. Same story goes for topwater lures that use walk the dog retrieve.

I still favor my spinning gear, but baitcaster is just simply better in certain things and that is when i use it.

Sure I bought mine from curiosity more than anything, but it paid of in my case.

Also worth mentioning is that sal****er baitcasters and freshwater rods are built differently and made of different materials, so no comparison between the two.

Hope that answers some of your curiosity...

[Tcw]

still new to this fourm stuff, but like te input,
Have fiirst caster, cheaper quantum, first cast , first fish, yes I struggled
at first, but it comes down to touch,. Is now my favorite. perfect, for casting to weed beds with control. It is thumb touch for control, and attention, or you will have the nest. Easy undo.
Thats my 2 cents



Tcw

[LineLeader]

Same, I picked up a baitcaster two months ago to handle some heavy line that my spincast reel wouldn't. During the last wind storm I got a major backlash on my first cast so I switched back to my spincast... and wow I love my baitcaster! Nothing that I've tried beats it for casting and jigging. Great control.

Some tips that I find work: I turn my reel to the side when I end my cast, I keep the line 1/8 of an inch from the top of the spool, and I re-set the tension every time I put a new jig on it. Other than that its all about thumb control and a lot of experience.

[Cal]

Stronger drag, most standard baitcaster has twice the drag power over comparable spinning reel.

Longer casts into the wind, less belly in your line therefore you can instantly work you lure. Better control of the lure casting distance. Since there is no loose line on the cast, baits tend to cut the air like an arrow instead of spinning in all directions like spinning outfits are known for. Also baitcasting rods have their "spine" upside down which makes them very fast on hookset or for example ripping jigs through weeds.

Where most spinning rods are built with their guides on the spine(for durability, and some would argue sensitivity) baitcsting rods are mostly built with the guides on opposite side of spine(again some argue it accounts for greater casting distance, some say it is for sensitivity). One thing is true baitcaster rods break a lot easier when fully loaded beacuse of the guide/spine setup, they're just too sturdy on the lifting side.

Baitcasters are just plain durable, and have a lot less moving parts than a spinning rod, pinion shaft has much better load distribution, and there is no bail wire, just a simple thumb button.

Big bulky baits are just a pain to work with a spinning outfit, with a baitcaster it is a little easier on your hands.

Gliders for an example have to be worked in a way where line is always slack, to fish these baits with a spinning outfit you'd have to respool your line quite often or make long false casts to tighten the winding on your spool. Wit bc you just keep pressure on the spool with your thumb. Same story goes for topwater lures that use walk the dog retrieve.

I still favor my spinning gear, but baitcaster is just simply better in certain things and that is when i use it.

Sure I bought mine from curiosity more than anything, but it paid of in my case.

Also worth mentioning is that sal****er baitcasters and freshwater rods are built differently and made of different materials, so no comparison between the two.

Hope that answers some of your curiosity...

See the problem is that people always compare regular medium action spinning gear to heavyer baitcasting gear. If you compair heavy spinning gear to heavy casting gear the advantages of duribility and handling big lures are made even more marginal. Also people compare the average priced spinning reel (under $80) to the average priced casting reel ($130 - $150 ish). Of course the drag on the baitcaster that costs twice as much is smoother. The only reason you need more drag power is if your puting very heavy line on, at which point the drag doesnt even matter for most freshwater fishing. Another problem is nobody seems to know how to feather their casts with a spinning reel, if you can feather your casts properly it will cast much the same as a casting reel. I enjoy casting gear the same way I enjoy driving standard, even though I prefer it for some minor intangibles I have to be honest and say that much like standard transmissions there are very few actual benifits.

[lone wolf]

...... no anti-backlash system I've tryed can compensate for your hook going from 60-0 ten feet in front of you.

You should see what happens when you are not paying attention and leave the lure in the bush on the riverbank behind you ..... while following through with the cast :sign0161: Never in my life saw a mess like it !!!!!

Didn't even try to disentangle it - just reached for the knife :budo:

[SushiUnagi]

Oh yeah exactly like lonewolf mentioned...which I forgot to mention, right when your lure hits the surface of the water, or even before it does, thumb down!!

Also make sure you keep your eye on your lure at all times when you cast it out...sometimes when I make a crappy cast and launch my lure 30 feet in to the air...lost sight...then when I see a splash it was all too late...
So if your lure hits the water before you even notice it...you will get the birds nest. :angry3:

I find casting with baitcasters is so much easier (once you know how to do it). Technicalities aside, I just find it much more convenient and I could cast it out much faster than spinning reels.
Baitcasting: depress the button, thumb on reel, cast out, thumb down, reel in
Spinning: hold on to line, open the bail, cast out, close the bail, reel in
:fighting0074:

To me its much quicker because you don't have to open and close bails with every cast...I guess it all comes down to personal preferences.

As for casting distances, the rod length has much to do with it as well. But since baitcasters can handle heavier lure, you're essentially casting a heavier object, which in turns gives you more momentum to work with.

I think spinning reels are like muskets, and baitcasters are like rifles. Muskets when shot the bullet/pellet (sp?) is actually spun around to reach its distance...generally not as far as if the bullet can travel in a straighter line like from a rifle. Just my 2 cents. I am sure there are people out there who could cast a spinning reel very far as well.

[ericlin0122]

So in the end it's only better for casting big lure.
from my experience, in Alberta, 95% of the time you don't need to go big.
A Rapala CD7 is more than enough on bow all year around, a smallest 5 diamond is more than enough for stocking pond.
5% of time in the very late/early season, big pikes might be interested in bigger lure.
So this gives maybe 5% of time a baitcaster MIGHT be better.

Spending that money might as well as buying better spin gears or even invest money on better flying gears.
just my 2 cents.

[Cal]

So in the end it's only better for casting big lure.
from my experience, in Alberta, 95% of the time you don't need to go big.
A Rapala CD7 is more than enough on bow all year around, a smallest 5 diamond is more than enough for stocking pond.
5% of time in the very late/early season, big pikes might be interested in bigger lure.
So this gives maybe 5% of time a baitcaster MIGHT be better.

Spending that money might as well as buying better spin gears or even invest money on better flying gears.
just my 2 cents.

pretty much this, and theres plenty of large lures that dont weigh much like bucktails and balsa rapallas. Medium spinning gear will cast these just as well as casting gear.

[BlackHeart]

Baitcaster are tougher with kids fishing but once they hook into a salmon the benefits if the drag wheel adjustment show up. Definitely have them practice on the lawn before spending the whole fishing trip untangling rats nests for them.

One of the big disadvantages of the spinning reels is casting heavy weights with 30lb braided line - cuts into your finger. Or 30lb mono with memory and having to let more line out to get rid of the extra loops springing off the spinning reel.

dodger, freeones, if you want to unload those reels/rods let me know as I need to outfit my boys with baitcasters for salmon.

[alpineguy]

Baitcasters are also a level wind system which does not put twist in your line when reeling in. Accuracy and speed of recasting are second to none IMO. Trolling and jigging are also nice as it is easy to change the amount of line in the water with the click of a button.
I learned to use a baitcaster 18 years ago and would never go back to a spinning reel. A better quality baitcaster will help you cast as they have better braking systems. Also start with light limp line, brake and spool set a little tight and don't try to muscle it. This will give you shorter casts but less chance of backlash IMO. As you master it slowing decrease your brake and spool tightness. Watch a video, there are subtleties like thumbing the reel that take some time to pick up.

[Jayball]

Thx to all for your advice. Good stuff. I actually went WSS last night to talk to somebody there as well. They gave me a rig and I practiced a bit in the aisle and made a few folks run for cover:scared0018:. That was fun.

I got the hang of it... thanks to all of you for your advice. the piece about using the using a good rod is key as well. I actually walked out of WSS with a new bait-casting rod.

Next time i am not bringing my wallet. and i still forgot my minnows!!!