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  1. #1
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    Beginner baitcasting tips?

    I'm a baitcasting beginner and I'm looking for tips and suggestions to help accelerate the learning curve and minimize difficulties. I've ordered a magnetic brake reel on a 7' medium/heavy action rod. Thanks.

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    #2

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (booty0)

    Welcome aboard.

    Learning to fish with a baitcasting reel can be somewhat intimidating, but it is not really as difficult as it seems.

    Some suggestions I would make are to use heavier line than normal to start with, at least while practicing your casting in the backyard. The heavier the line is the less you will be able to spool up, and the less it will backlash.

    Take off enough for a standard cast, and then wrap a piece of electrical tape around the remaining line. This will keep the line tight and stop it from backlashing.

    Use a fairly heavy casting plug 1/2 oz or so, and set the spool tension (brake) so that when you depress the spool release, the spool will barely start to turn and the pplug will slowly fall to the floor.

    Reel in line until the casting plug (or bait using) is about 10-12" from tip of rod. Depress spool release and allow thumb to hold spool.

    If you hold the reel so that is sideways (with your thumb on the side rather than the top) it will also help prevent backlashes.

    Use both hands and as you make a cast, allow your thumb to ease pressure on the spool, but not come off completely.

    Practice practice and practice, until it becomes an automatic motion without having to think and you will be ok.

    It will only take an hour or so before you will be casting without any problems, and you will be ready to start using the gear on the water.

    Be forearned, you will get backlashes. It happens to every angler, regardless o how long you have fished the reels. Conditions sometimes cause this, as well as weight of lure, etc.

    Casting light weights or into the wind seems to cause the most problems.

    Once you are comfortable with the set up, you will want to learn to pitch and flip to help control the baits better in tight quarters.

    After you start fishing a baitcasting setup, it will become all you want to use.

    Good luck!




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    #3

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    Wow! I wasn't expecting Baitcasting 101, but I certainly do appreciate it! Thanks!

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    #4

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (booty0)

    Sorry, guess I do get a bit long winded at times

    I am sure some others will also add a few tips to this list as well. The most important thing is to not get frustrated or intimidated while learning. If you start to get angry or frustrated, put it away for a while and try again later.

    It really is not as hard as it appears.




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    #5

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    Well.....I'm a newbie too. Got my first baitcasters a couple of months ago. My biggest advice is always.........always always alway always maintain some thumb pressure on the spool even if ever so slight. Its very easy when you first start to let that thumb stray from the spool and even though this will give you nasty birdnests its not all a bad thing because it will give you lots of practice respooling your baitcasters. Hey.....you got to learn respooling to at some point so your first probable mistake will actually teach you and give you some good practice at respooling.....lol.

    Learning to cast was the weirdest thing for me because once I mastered casting without getting a birdsnest I was having a terrible time with my accuracy and then one day in the driveway I did something right and from that point on I havent had any problems. It just happened on one cast.....I did something different.....soemthing right I guess and then it was easy from that point on. Also, keep the breaks on at first! The other problem I had was all my casts were going left of my target.....you really have to experiment with when to release the spool. For me I had to learn to release the spool a lot earlier than what I started out doing. It aint that hard.....you will get the hang of it.

    Tom

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    #6

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (TomC)

    Same here. Just starting out with them. After a lot of practicing I've learned that keeping the bait as low as possible through the flight also helps with not having birdsnest. It keeps the line tighter through the time it's in the air and makes it easier at less for me to control the line with my thumb. I learned to try and stay away from the line having a high arc. Having just started out, that's when I was getting the most backlashes. This is just my opinion and things I've learned from a lot of practicing. I am by no means a pro at it and still get many backlashes, but I hope this help a little.
    Good luck.
    2016 Jackson Big Tuna
    Addicted to Kayak Fishing!

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    #7

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (LAChamp)

    I would say about 90% of my casts are either pitching or a sidearm cast just above the water.

    Anytime the bait stalls or slows down during the cast, the spool on the reel will be turning faster than the line is coming out and viola- birdsnest. Whenever that happens (and it will) just make sure you pull all of the line out until itlclears itself completely, and the keep it tight as you rewind it back onto the spool. If possible, make sure you pull the line off and allow it to fall into the water. This will help prevent tangles somewhat as you are rewinding it back.

    I have been fishing with these reels since I was about 14 or 15 and still get some pretty nasty backlashes at times. It is all a part of fishing them. After a while you will learn that you have a lot more control with these reels though, or at least I do.




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    #8

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    yeah what Bass Hawk said. wow great seminar bass hawk, i even learned a thing er two.
    Will Scaife
    2003 Stroker, 2014 Yamaha SHO 250

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    #9

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips?

    Once you get the feel, then start to practice accuracy. Buy a pack of pie tins and set them up around the yard and try to land on them. Different distances and angles help. I found I tended to backlash on longer casts at first. You can also practice pitching the same way. All good advice above. Curt

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    #10

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    Great tips Don! Only thing I would add is a little more emphasis on how much casting into the wind contributes to backlashing. A lower trajectory is called for and a realization that if the wind is strong enuff to stall or significantly slow down your lure...you will likely get a backlash.

    One last tip (that works for me anyway)...I use more wrist action than arm action when casting...and I try to maintain contact with the weight of the lure throughout the casting motion..if you can feel the lure you will likely make a smooth motion..which also serves to reduce backlashing (and improves casting accuracy and control)...






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    #11

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Fish-N-Fool)

    Good points Greg. With spinning gear you really use some whip action and the rod's tip, but not so much with BC gear.




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  12. Member MarkNY's Avatar
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    #12

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    Don has some great tips and if you follow them you will be casting like a pro in no time. One thing I was told at one of the bassmaster classes years ago and it holds true, you start out "thumb dumb". Your brain and thumb need to get on the same page in order to cast and control your reel. If you cast and have to think about it for one second that's too late...instant backlash. If you are backlashing at the begining of the cast tighten up the cast control knob. If it is happening just before the bait hits the water increase spool weights. On a reel with three weight positions engage 2, with 5 engage 3 etc. Try to practice with the wind coming from your back. That could be discussed later in Baitcasting 102

  13. Member Mike Adams's Avatar
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    #13

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Mark from NY)

    Don no body minds when its a long winded post when it is as informative as yours. I HATE long winded posts that are pointless. Thank you for ALL of you great advice, and keep it coming.


    Mike

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    #14

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (booty0)

    try casting sidearm. it will help you learn to use your wrist.

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    #15

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (bentrod202)

    One analogy given to me years ago is think of it in terms of golf. You want the same stroke with every club in the beginning. The pitch of the club determines distance. With the baitcaster, let your thumb determine distance, using the same stroke for every cast. When you become comfortable with that, then you can start playing with spool tension, rod position, etc. It has worked for me. I can backlash with the best now!

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    #16

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (Bass Hawk 87)

    <TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bass Hawk 87 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
    Take off enough for a standard cast, and then wrap a piece of electrical tape around the remaining line. This will keep the line tight and stop it from backlashing.
    </TD></TR></TABLE>

    Nice tips!! I especially liked the one about the electrical tape. I never would have thought of that.

    Bill

  17. γνῶθι σεαυτόν, μηδέν άγαν iwillkechu's Avatar
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    #17

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (752se)

    The way I learned is to take whatever lure I was going to use with that rod/reel and make it weedless. (Either by hiding the hook in the plastic or removing treble hooks completely) Then I would stand in the yard and cast, cast, cast, cast, cast. Be prepared, your neighbors will think you're nuts and give you funny looks. Just tell them you are gopher hunting. Cats love to play too, but make sure you don't have any hooks on it at all!! Settin' the hook and fighting a P.O.'d pussy cat in the front yard could be an adventure. (Although if caught on tape could get win Amer. Fun Home Vid and get you a visit from PETA)

    I've heard pie tins are great for accuracy with casting.....but for pitching and flipping, I heard that you should use CoolWhip containers filled with about an inch and a half of water and set on an old newspaper. If you can flip it in without getting the newspaper wet, you did it right. I guess this could work with a pie tin too.



    If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.

  18. Member SmallieChaser's Avatar
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    #18

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (iwillkechu)

    Great thread. I too am about to learn the caster. Good advice I recieved on another site is to get a decent reel to begin with, don't skimp. Many have suggested the Curado as a good one. I have a Daiwa Procaster- Z (from ebay) matched with a BPS pro qualifier (MH- 7"), I hope the reel is decent. One issue I had: harder time spooling line onto it. The instructions talked about using the "slot" in the spool, tie a knot in the line, 2 turns of the handle, take line out, tie clinch knot.... WHAAAAT! Wow, not like my spinning reels. What's the way to do it? Alot of tension? I'm putting 14lb. Trilene XT onto it, thanks. Dave H
    ______________________________________

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    #19

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (booty0)

    The biggest and best thing for me was practice, practice, practice. I found a baitcast reel at a pawn shop for around $20 and I would cast as much as possible each and everyday. Also, picking out all those backlashes was a key motivator for me to take this thing serious.

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    #20

    Re: Beginner baitcasting tips? (booty0)

    Don this thread is worthy of pinning....great tips






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