How long did it take to get the hang of baitcasting?

[returnofthefish]

I got to practice bait casting for an hour today. I know that the cast control knob meeds to be adjusted based on the weight of the lure. The brake system helps slow down the spool when its free spinning and Im suppose to stop the spool with my thumb when the lure its the water.

Casting overhand got me 15 to 20 feet with 6 brake pins on. Side casting got me an extra few feet. The reel had on 10 pound line and the weight was less than 1/2 oz.

At what point during casting do I let the thumb go? The guy that sold me the reel said at 12 o'clock. I feel like Im letting the thumb off at 11 o'clock. How long did it take you guys to get the hang of it? Im open to any tips. By the way, my first birdsnest was so bad, I had to cut off a bunch of line. The growing pains:-({|=

[The Quadfather]

return/fish,

I have owned a curado for about 18 months. Honestly I use it mostly as a level wind when in the downrigger. But lately I have taken out bassing. You are talking all the right points regarding the adjustment in lieu of weight, brakes, etc.

I have found that when casting over hand, I get greater distance if I release the lure at about an 11:00 position when throwing overhand. If I put a lot of loft on the lure it gets the most distance. With a spinning rod I might release the lure like a bullet at 90 degrees straight out as you pitch. Try that sometime, I can only assume that it gets better. But even with the high arc loft, I can prob. get 80-100'.

[Gonefishing]

I have a Curado, a Calcutta 400, Caclcutta 400TE, and a 6500C myself. I'd use my Abu Garcia more often if the darned drag would actually work but that is another issue in itself.

I usually cast at the 11 O'clock/10:30 position, casting at 12 results in a cast that goes straight up and falls right in front of me. As for weight, I've never been able to cast anything with less than 1.0 Oz (Except with my Curado 3/4 oz) so the 1/2 oz is amost too light for me.

The more weights you have locked down the shorter the cast range becomes (for me). So the best I can say is keep changing till you find something that works. The control know is also critical. Once you get the settings right you will be a happier baitcast caster. Rats nests are part of the learning curve. Also use your thumb when the line is making its decent into the water. Once it hits the water and thumbs off that line its hello even worse rat nests (my experience).

The quality of the line also seems to play a part in how well the reel performs while casting.

It just takes time to learn the reel.

[Bodofish]

Ah grasshooper, To truely be able to cast you must not worry about the knob but instead adjust your thumb. When your thumb is adjusted you will then be casting and casting well. Do not rely on gizmoes to help you cast. It comes from with in.....

[natetreat]

I have two baitcasters now. It took me a full day of forcing myself to fish with it to get the hang of it. I fish with the spool on reel loose with very few of the brakes on, and just use my thumb with my curado, but with my new one it's different and kind of a pain for some reason. You get used to a particular reel, how hard you can fling a particular weight before the spool will spin too fast so you know you have to thumb it.

Are you getting rats nests at the begining or end of your cast? The ones at the beginning are because you need to thumb it, at the end because you have to stop the spool cold when it hits the water, before letting it sink.

To get the maximum distance it's best to use the weights that your rod is weighted for. Good quality line helps too, ten pound mono will be more difficult to cast than braid when using lighter weights.

[rjn cajun]

You are going to spend some money on new line till you get used to it. Good line is a must and only you can tell that. When you find it you`ll be amazed at how smooth it feels reeling and coming off and not to mention distance. I`ve been using a bait caster for years and still to this day I do not use the brake. I use my thumb from the time I begin the cast till it hits the water. I just never have been able to trust mechanics and risk them failing then spend hours to cut it out when I should be fishing. Birds nest are more then half the reason guys use spinning reels. Don`t get me wrong because I use them also. Good luck and with like anything else practice practice.

[Amx]

The thumb should be lightly touching the spool at all times, usually, or until you're GOOD at it, that way you can feel what the line is doing without watching it and you are ready for anything. You can feel the line ballooning too much and slow things down. Also be ready to slide your thumb over to the side of the spool so you can touch the SPOOL and not the line to slow down the spool but let the line settle down and re-tighten on the spool - heard that MANY yers ago - easier said then done tho. Pracise.

Cast EASY!!!!! NOT making a hard powerful cast, easier is better.

You should be able to cast a 1/8th oz lure with a GOOD reel and proper rod for that weight and proper line. I can and I have a cheap reel.

Slow down the spool BEFORE the lure hits the water. There are videos on Youtube on how to cast. Also maybe find a member here that lives close to you and have them show you and teach you in person.

[Gringo Pescador]

Take all of the hints above, they are all spot on.

I have been using a baitcaster for two years now, by no means am I anywhere near an expert, but here are a couple more that helped me.

When casting, twist your wrist so that the baitcaster is moving sideways (so that when you finish your cast, the reel is turned to the side, and not upright). I don't know why, but this really helped me.

Go to a field, pull off some line (as much as you think your casting distance is plus another 30' or so) take a 2" piece of black tape and wrap it around the spool, then reel the line in over it. Now when you do get a rats nest, it will only go so far.

When fishing - take two setups, your baitcaster and a spinning setup. When you are having a bad baitcasting day and are getting frustrated, just set it down, pick up your spinning reel, fish, relax, and try it again later. I still do this and have found that over time I use the spinning reel less and less, but do prefer it for some types of setups over the baitcaster.

[tnj8222]

The key to not backlashing is keeping the bait fluid. Dont let it jerk or bounce the cast needs to be smooth. Dont overpower your cast. This is only my fifth year using a bc but I can skip a jig under a dock with the best of them so keep at it. Kvd dvd pitchin to heavy hitters really helped me when I started using them.

[jens]

Well over a year for me. And there were plenty of times when I wanted to toss that mutha trucker in the river.. Like some above, I forced myself to use it and use it and use it. I rarely will use my spinning set up anymore. I just love fighting fish on my Curado. I still have troubles casting light weight.. but I always carry my spinning gear with me just in case.. I suggest picking up a big spool of line. There were plenty of nests I created that I just said eff it because the nest was deep in the spool.

[G-Man]

My father started me out on a bait caster for river fishing. It didn't take too long to get the hang of it, perhaps being young helped. The easiest casting motion to learn is the sidearm toss. Use two hands and just rotate the body and rod using a slight upward angle. The overhead toss is for the advanced users and in my opinion causes the most birds nests. Once you have the forehand toss down, try a backhand toss, same motion just backhanded. The skill you are looking for is getting just enough on the throw to barely get the lure to where you want it to land. If you get this feel down, you won't even have to use your thumb to stop the spool when you gear hits the water. One last bit of advice, if you don't have a crochet hook in your fishing vest, get one. They are a great help in working out a birds nest.

[Rich McVey]

My wife had one that an ex got for her. She didnt use it so I stole it from her and use that most of the time.

Heavy baits worked best for me when first learning. Kept the spinning reel close by so I could switch back when frusterated.

Now bait casters are about all we use when Musky fishing, everyone except me drops back to a spinning reel for Bass and Trout.

[bcalvert]

Two years for me and i agree and have tried most if not all of the suggestions mentioned. One thing that really helped me in the beginning was to practice thumbing the spool while i sat and watched T.V. in the house. Sitting down, hold the rod in front of you with the tip at about 10 - 11 o'clock. Release the spool keeping your thumb on the spool. Release pressure with your thumb letting the lure drop toward the floor. Just before the lure is going to hit the floor, stop the spool with you thumb. Rinse and repeat for a sitcom or two.

Here is a good tip on removing backlashes, something to try prior to breaking out the crochet hook.
Backlash Removal.

[Anglinarcher]

LOL - It took me about two trips, but the first trip was nasty. My son still cannot do it and won't try anymore. My fishing partner has lost his will, so I will wait another couple of months and buy the baitcaster from him cheap.

I can cast a BC with either hand, but I can throw a ball or write with either hand as well. Some just cannot get the hang of casing with a BC.

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Spinning Reels are great. The bad news is that some people will be forced to use Spinning Reals forever.

[returnofthefish]

Ah grasshooper, To truely be able to cast you must not worry about the knob but instead adjust your thumb. When your thumb is adjusted you will then be casting and casting well. Do not rely on gizmoes to help you cast. It comes from with in.....

Funny one Mr Miyagi. Wax on, wax off should change to thumb on, thumb off. :bounce:

[returnofthefish]

Thanks everyone for the input. The store spooled on Berkely Big Game line on for free. The guy at OE recommended Pline Fluarocarbon line. He stated that its stiff and I would be able to feel everything under water. I cant justify spending 20 bucks for the line when the chance of bird nesting is high right now. The Berkely Big Game is cheap at Walmart on the other hand.

Im gonna tie a 1/2 oz sinker and practice for now. The rod is rated 1/4 oz to 5/8 oz for plastics.

[fear_no_fish]

Turn the brake on just a little to start with and really get the thumb part down, I have my break release all the way off on my bait casters. The better you can use the thumb as a break release the better you will cast. Just practice with shorter casts until you get it down then go longer and longer. Youll get it soon enough, good luck! :thumleft:

[wolverine]

I've got nearly 60 years time in on baitcasters. Starting with hand me down reels that had direct drive, no drag system or level wind. Today I have several big dollar reels that have all of the bells and whistles. I still get backlashes on occasion. Not often, but they still can happen. Practice being smooth both on the back swing and the forward cast, herky jerky is backlash time. Keep your thumb close to the spool at all times as you can usually stop a backlash from getting out of control if you thumb the spool quickly. Learn to cast without using most of the cast control pins. The more pins that are engaged the less distance you'll achieve. Way too many folks engage all the pins and then cast hard and fast trying to get distance. Also when the wind is blowing hard in your face, break out the spinning reel. You'll spend more time with gear in the water fishing and a lot less time picking out backlashes.

[tnj8222]

Practice with light weight to not just half ounce. First trip out with a crank or soft plastic will get you a backlash on the first cast if you dont practice with a light weight. Get used to the half ounce with short to long casts then go to a quarter ounce.

[racfish]

After 2-3 birdsnests you learn very quick about using baitcasters. I can cast my Penn 209 like it was a Ambassador. Just like anything else . Learn the reel and its functions. Especially the use of the star drag for casting.