I'm a beginner with a bait caster.

[Jackson Gore Ar.]

What tips can you guys give me? Brakes are set on 7 as I try to get some good casts without back lashing in the yard. Also what are some good affordable reels? 100-150$ range.

[Dave A]

Just keep practicing, Lew's reels seem to be pretty easy to adjust.

[CatFan]

Be sure your weight is sufficient for your reel. Be sure your rod is light enough that you can load it up to get the weight to launch. Start with a side arm cast, and try short casts until you can back the brake off below 5, then work to get a longer distance. Practice, practice, practice.

[Jamie]

Spool it up with some cheap mono line and get on the water. It won't be long before you get the hang of it. Throw something like a chatterbait or spinnerbait because they are easy to cast and won't tumble as much as a crankbait will at first.

[Bronzefly]

I highly recommend the Daiwa Tatula SV TW for beginners. The SV system in this reel is very forgiving and allows you to focus more on technique and repetition with a much lower chance of backlash. The Tackle Trap is running a heck of a deal for BBC members on the reel, which now includes a redemption form for a great looking HUK Performance hooded shirt. Here is a link to the thread here on BBC about them. Feel free to PM me or call the shop for more information.

Daiwa Tatula HUK Performance Promo BBC Link

[coreynov902]

I would suggest keeping an eye on the "Reels for Sale" section of this site. You can find some very nice reels that guys are selling for $125-$150 with very little use on them. If you are absolutely wanting new, my personal preference is Shimano or Daiwa, and you should have a few options for each in your price range.

When I first started using a baitcaster, I tightened the spool tension knob to where the bait would barely fall when I pressed the thumb bar. Keep the brakes pretty high and the spool tension pretty high until you get the hang of thumbing the spool. Gradually loosen the spool tension knob until you're at a point where you can move the spool side-to-side a tiny little bit with your finger, and that's as loose as you want to go with the spool tension knob. From there you can begin reducing the brakes, but remember that different baits may require different brake settings. If you're casting a 1/4 oz bait you're going to probably want your brakes set a little looser than you will with a 3/4 oz bait. This is what worked for me when I was learning, but others may have a different approach. As stated earlier, practice, practice, practice. That's the only way you'll get better.

[ScottOz]

My son just bought a new Shimano SLX Dc online for about 125.00. Dc controls make it crazy easy. Invited the brother in law over that only can use a zebco. Casted perfect everytime.

[Fishin is life]

Spool up with cheap mono, pull out a full cast of line and wrap tape around the rest of the line. This will allow you to learn while making a full cast but if you do get a good backlash itll only go as deep as the tape. Thatll keep you from having to cut all the line off and respool everytime you backlash. Go out in the backyard and set up solo cups at random distances. Tie a 1/2oz sinker on and learn to cast into or really close to the cups. Learning to control your distance will really help when you do get out on the water

[TMG]

^
Try the tape trick.

[new2BC4bass]

What tips can you guys give me? Brakes are set on 7 as I try to get some good casts without back lashing in the yard. Also what are some good affordable reels? 100-150$ range.

It would help to know the reel you are using in order to give some set-up recommendations for 'that' reel.

You can buy a Fuego CT for around $75. Sportsman's Warehouse has the Tournament MB for $110. You can easily find a Tatula SV for $160. There is a LH 8.1 on ebay for $153.54. If you don't mind used, you can find many quality reels on this site for sale. Majority of my reels were purchased used. About 57. Only one needed to be sent to a professional for repair. It is now one of my favorite reels. An Airy Red tuned and upgraded.

The Patriarch XT and older gold colored Carbonlites are dual brake reels and easy to set up. Here is a quality reel. I prefer the looks of the originals to the Type R CT versions. Personally don't think they are as easy for a beginner as the others I've mentioned, but no getting around the fact that they are quality reels. http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1035446


General advice is similar to what many already mentioned. Use a weight in the middle to a little above the rod's recommended weight range. Absolutely don't try for distance. I started with a side arm cast...only because I didn't know of the roll cast back then. I suggest using the side arm roll cast. It avoids the rod's having to stop on the back cast for the forward movement. Anything you can do to smooth out the cast will be very beneficial. A baitcast reel absolutely hates jerky movements.

I'd suggest a cheap 12# mono/co-polymer to learn with. Actually that is my preferred line on most of my MH rods. A softer line will have less memory. Berkley XL, Sufix Elite, Sunline Super Natural and P-Line CX all handle very well on a baitcast reel. Of those I personally prefer Elite. No doubt there are others I haven't tried...yet. Almost forgot. Cajun Line Red Cast is another cheap line that handles very well.

[Fishysam]

Aim high


so you think you know where to let your thumb go, do it 10-20-30% earlier aka aiming higher.

Start with something that will fly good without slowing down while in the air like a jig or squarebill and only cast in the 70-90% power range for a while. Low power and full power are both problematic.

[MJMJ]

If you're throwing in the back yard, tie on a 3/8 or 1/2 or weight. Turn your brakes to 0. Tighten the spool tensioner knob (the k ob under the star drag) back off the tensioner knob until your weight barely falls. Turn your brakes to 5. Use e the tape trick as stated above. A side arm cast is the same motion as throwing a side arm throw in baseball, ( or skipping a rock) it's all in the wrist. As stated above don't go for distance (that will come the more you practice). Once you can cast without much difficulty, turn your brakes down. Remember, right before the weight gets ready to hit the ground , use your thumb to lightly feather the spool, so your weight lightly hits the ground. The newer diawa reels need to be set up differently (watch some videos if you buy one) practice, practice, practice, before you buy a new reel. Like mentioned above, you can buy used and get a nice reel or 2.

[pabasshawk]

Spool up with cheap mono, pull out a full cast of line and wrap tape around the rest of the line. This will allow you to learn while making a full cast but if you do get a good backlash itll only go as deep as the tape. Thatll keep you from having to cut all the line off and respool everytime you backlash. Go out in the backyard and set up solo cups at random distances. Tie a 1/2oz sinker on and learn to cast into or really close to the cups. Learning to control your distance will really help when you do get out on the water

^^^This^^^

I used the tape trick with both my sons when they were first learning to use a bait caster. I just made a cast that would be as far as they were going to cast then pulled a few extra feet of line out and placed a piece of painters tape over the line remaining on the spool and reeled in the line. Now they could cast and any backlashes would only go as deep as the tape and were easy to pull out. They were able to learn to adjust the tension knob and practice without getting discouraged by nasty backlashes.

[fluke1987]

The Daiwa Tatula SV is a very easy baitcaster to learn on and will last you a long time if you take care of it. I try to start on 15-17 Berkley Big Game. If you can teach yourself to learn on that you can cast just about any type of line. Plus if you birdsnest bad you aren't destroying a $30 spool of fluoro or braid.