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Old 03-16-09, 09:17 PM   #1
pacmanrocks
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Default baitcaster question

I got my new baitcaster setup and took it out on the water. I tried to make my first cast with it and I could only cast about 5 foot. I have a BPS 7.0 foot extreme rod and bps baitcaster. My reel is set to 10 on brakes (max) and my drag is all the way tight almost. My dial is barely letting my bait fall on the line. I thought I set everything up. All I'm getting is backlashes and 5 foot casts from it. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong? I'm new to baitcasters so I need help. Do I cast overhand or am I suppose to side arm a baitcaster? I'm used to spinning reels.
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Old 03-16-09, 09:26 PM   #2
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well first of all you need to not try to sling it out in left field so to speak. start with little underhanded casts at first so you can learn how to use your thumb. mississippiboy said it best. "yopur thumb is your friend". try that and loosen up the brake a little to start with. not the drag, the brakes. and what are you slinging? how heavy is it? that will help figure out what you're doing wrong. i would start with a 3/4 ounce weight. and go from there. little flips underhanded, like pitching to a 4 yr old kid with a baseball. not JUST like a baseball. that was wrong to say, it is kinda like a little side ways underhanded cast, understand?
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Old 03-16-09, 09:30 PM   #3
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it took me hours to figure out how to do mine..

turn the brakes down a little and the little knob behind the star drag loose until it falls decent speed then throw it and keep your thumb lightly on it..

baitcasters are the best reel in the world once you lean to use them
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Old 03-16-09, 09:31 PM   #4
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hey man, bama said it pretty well.. listen to what he says and try it. ummm i can add to it is change the 10 to about 7 or 8, dont sling it? try a slow sidearm first, kinda hard to explain on the internet lol but look on it right beside or under your drag and there should be another screwing mechanism, if it is all the way tight, loosen it up if it is too loose tighten it up... let us know how it goes good luck!
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Old 03-16-09, 09:35 PM   #5
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bingham is right, thanks man. forgot to tell him where it is,lol. it is the other knob on the right. i get mine to just barely fall with whatever bait i am using, mine will fall when i twitch it just a little.
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Old 03-16-09, 09:41 PM   #6
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Well I have a big spinnerbait on it right now. I have it set where the nob is barely loose so that my spinnerbait is barely dropping down the line. This is where people say it should be set too. I might have it just a tad bit tight though, because the spinnerbait is barely dropping. As far as my drag is concerned, it's almost completely tight. I have it set where I can barely pull line in the lock position. I will try to set my magnetic brakes to 7 and see if this helps. I think the main problem is that I'm used to throwing overhand with a spinning reel and I tried to throw this spinnerbait overhand and it overspooled a little bit on me and would only cast like 5 foot out. I didn't try casting side armed yet. I tried to do a pitch but the same thing happened, I could only get the cast to go like 5 foot tops. I seriously don't want to set the brakes too low though because I'll definitely get a birdsnest since I'm new to baitcasters.
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Old 03-16-09, 09:48 PM   #7
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I've been setting them for about twenty eight years; heres how I do it..
you put on any weight lure and turn the brakes off... adjust the line drop so that the lure falls from the rod tip to the ground...hold the rod at forty five degrees... note that when the lure hits the ground, the spool only turns one more revolution....keep adjusting the line drop till you get it where it drops and one turn of the spool..thats a given anytime you change weights on lures..
then, put the brakes about mid way, like two one, four off, or if you have a dial from one to ten, put it on four or five.
Take it to the lake, use a side arm cast and feather it with your thumb, adjust the brake only till you either get the distance you want or no backlashes..plus dont throw overhand and hard with out really letting your thumb ride the spool..it takes some practice...
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Old 03-16-09, 09:58 PM   #8
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your drag has nothing to do with how it flings. tha ti sfor when ya get bit. and jb is right as well. pratice, pratice, pratice.
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Old 03-16-09, 10:07 PM   #9
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ok I'll just have to keep practicing. It seems very frustrating since I'm so used to spinning reels. This backlash thing is horrible. LOL!
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Old 03-16-09, 10:08 PM   #10
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When I started with a baitcaster, I decided not to use it on the water until I was confident with it. In the long run it made my fishing time much more enjoyable. So get out and practice in the yard on days You can't get on the water. Practice, practice, practice, then when You think You got it, then try it on the water.

Also invest in some type of pick to help get the backlashes out. Even the best still get backlashes.
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Old 03-16-09, 10:29 PM   #11
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The only thing i can add is you are not trying to throw the bait , a casting reel casts by how much you pre load the rod . Also man I would back the drag off about half way and only tighten it when you need to leaving the drag washer compressed like that will cause undue wear . Oh and use you thumb grasshopper when you get the hang of casting applie pressure to the spool right before the bait hits the water to put it in softly .




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Old 03-16-09, 10:34 PM   #12
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Don't I have to put pressure on the spool before it hits the water anyways so that it doesn't overspool?
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Old 03-16-09, 10:49 PM   #13
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Yep pacman, but there is a difference between just thumbing it to keep it from backlashing and thumbing it for a soft and quiet entry into the water. Sometimes I can get the bait to land very gently, then sometimes it looks like I threw a 5 pound rock in the water instead of a 1/2oz. bait.
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Old 03-16-09, 11:00 PM   #14
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I think I'll stick to learning to cast first. HEH!
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Old 03-16-09, 11:08 PM   #15
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Tie on a practice plug and head into the back yard. Tighten up your anti backlash control knob next to the star drag so that when you press the spool release lever, the practice plug does not move. No line feeds out. Now, press the spool release ...loosen the anti backlash control knob untill your practice plug starts falling. What you want to happen when you are new with this kind of reel is for the plug to fall to the ground, and once the plug touches the ground the spool stops spinning without back lashing. Try a few adjustments untill you get that smooth fall and no backlashes when the plug touches the ground without using your thumb to stop the line feed. Tighten and loosen the knob untill you achieve this part. Next, set your megnetic breaks on the other side of the reel at around 7. A little more than half way to maximum. That should have you good to go. Now practice, practice, practice.
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Old 03-16-09, 11:14 PM   #16
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what kind of line are you using? and test?
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Old 03-16-09, 11:33 PM   #17
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It was spooled for me when I bought the reel. They put 12lb mono (I think it was Trilene) on the reel.
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Old 03-17-09, 07:05 AM   #18
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ahhhh

mono on a baitcaster = bad news


at least for me it does..
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Old 03-17-09, 08:21 AM   #19
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It's hard for most people to do any over hand cast with a BCer. It's always best to do side arm! What size weight are you using? BCers don't cast light baits unless it's specifically deigned for light baits!

Are you pressing down on the spool when it hit the water? You must always do this with BCers, if you do not, you got a guaranteed back lash!

About the anti backlash control knob next to the star drag. every time you go out, make sure to that it is tight enough or loose enough so the line barely feeds out when you wobble the tip. .

Make sure you practices in the back yard before going out on the water!

Good luck, and good fishing!
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Old 03-17-09, 07:55 PM   #20
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I'd have to dissagree with ya MrPhoto. Sorry. I've used mono with baitcasters for 30 years and have never had any problem casting anything with it. Myself, I find flourocarbon lines a bit harder to cast with than mono. Braid is about the same as mono for castability for me.
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Old 03-17-09, 07:57 PM   #21
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i don't get a few of the comments above...why can't someone throw overhand? i do it all the time.
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Old 03-17-09, 08:11 PM   #22
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The Bass Pro Baitcater has a very fast spool. I have two of them. Heres what I found. Pick the bait of your choice. Now snug down the right bearing knob. It the cap behind the handle, not the drag. Push the line release in and adjust this cap so that the lure just fall and when it hits the floor the spool should just stop or even continue just a little. Leave the back lash control adjusted all the way. Now go pratiace a little. Side cast and use your thumb when the line first starts to leave the spool and then again just before it hits the ground. You will get better and better. The BPS reel is not as forgiving as others
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Old 03-17-09, 08:20 PM   #23
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yeah mono is ok for baitcasters.... all i use pretty much... mrphoto much just have some issues with his..... throw it softly sidearm.... dont throw it as hard as you can ..... at first just kind of snap your arm around
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Old 03-17-09, 11:39 PM   #24
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i have also only used mono on mine for the past 4 years until recently starting to use braid... my braid throws better for me on it but i have never had problems with mono...
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Old 03-17-09, 11:56 PM   #25
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I throw overhand too lowrider but usually only when I am casting for long distance. For most of my casting, it's either sidearm or pitching so that I can achieve a quieter splashdown of my lure and greater casting accuracy.
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