The wonderful world of Backlash!

[MississippiBoy]

Everyone feel free to tell me how stoopid I am, because I've told myself that plenty already tonight.

I just bought a new baitcast reel off eBay (it's new to me, anyway). I went ahead and put a bunch of some old 20# mono I had laying around on as backing, then tied 30# PowerPro on. I used up the last of that spool of PowerPro, and I wasn't sure I had enough. So I thought "I'll just put on a couple of split shot, take a few casts out in the cul-de-sac, and see if I get anywhere close to the knot between the mono and braid."

Like I said, this was gonna be the first casts with the new rod/reel. The spool on my old Abu reel is pretty stiff, especially compared to this one. (Does the word "foreshadowing" mean anything to you?) First cast, no problem. Kinda short, but ended up closer than I would like to the mono. Second cast I made a little harder to see if I would get all the way to the knot.

Guys, I thought my reel was going to eat me. I swear the line was growing, because the reel felt heavier once the line had finally quit coming after me. It reminded me of the time a big-city news reporter asked an old farmer the best way to grow kudzu. The farmer said "Take a piece of kudzu about 6 inches long to where you want to plant it. Throw that piece on the ground, and run like hell!"

Little Shop of Horrors, anyone? "Feed me, Seymour!!"

Anyway, I pick at it and pick at it, doing no good at all. Finally, I give up, come back inside, get my scissors out of my tacklebox, and go to cutting. It takes me every bit of 45 minutes to get that big mass of angry nylon off my new reel.

Now, I'm outside under the carport, cussing myself for being an idiot, while my wife has dozed off on the couch. Her little daschund puppy is almost a year old now, and very curious. Like the dumba$$ I am, I had left my tacklebox open on the floor after I'd gotten the scissors out. I've never had much luck catching crappie on some small green jigs I have, but apparently daschunds love 'em. She pulled out 5-6 of them out of the box and started playing with them, until one eventually gets stuck in her nose. So she yelps, scares the beejezus out of my wife, and goes tearing around the house with this bright green bug thing hanging off her nose.

The wife freaks, grabs it off of her, and throws it across the room. She figures out what it is, gets me, and we go hunting for jigs under the couch, the coffee table, etc. The dog's fine, not even any blood, I don't think. The reel is now empty again, and this story is finished.

The moral is: "Practice with cheap mono first, and work up slowly to long casts. Otherwise, you might end up sleeping on the couch."

[senko]

lol great story

[bamabassman]

another reason i never buy the high dollar line. i always backlash these days, lmao. would go broke in 2 trips.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

Like the dumba$$ I am, I had left my tacklebox open on the floor

The moral is: "Practice with cheap mono first, and work up slowly to long casts. Otherwise, you might end up sleeping on the couch."

ok class repeat after me.
#1 rule of fishin "if you leave it open something will get into it" this includs but is not limited too.thrashing fish,dogs,cats,parrots,and monkeys..

#1 rule of baitcastin learn to cast it with cheap mono first.....

can't help you with the couch thing except. "always buy a comfortable one"

zooker

[JB]

keep you mind on what your doing during the cast, start off with a very heavy weight and try short distances, after you get comfortable learning to ride the spool with your thumb, start practicing with lighter weights.

[lunker-lander]

At least you got a new reel.......

-Lunk-

[BigBassin144]

LL, way to think positive.

BB

[Lilmoosecountry]

Throw the braid out the window. Buy some MONO. Apply Reel Majic at least once every outing & your set. Yes the bait monkey does bite on ebay aswell.

[chubs]

A easy way for a person just starting out on a Baitcast is just spool out 60 ft or so of line and put a small piece of scoth tape on the spool.this way you'll only ball up a of the line that is not secured by the tape.
I have taught both my kids and my wife this way.

[lunker-lander]

Definitely a good training tip!

-Lunk-

[bamabassman]

question... does reel magic really work? never used it. but if it does, i'll buy a case, lmao.

[Lilmoosecountry]

Yep it works. I've used it for 20yrs now. It retards the line. Makes mono allot more castable. I guess it would work on flourocarbon. Not much need for it in Braid.

[bassnman30]

The KVD line conditioner works on flouro. line.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by Lilmoosecountry

Yep it works. I've used it for 20yrs now. It retards the line. Makes mono allot more castable. I guess it would work on flourocarbon.

yes it works on mono very well. but not on floro worth a dam i have used reel majic for 15 years on mono it rules kvd stuff on floro..

zooker

[lunker-lander]

How do you apply both of these conditioners?

-Lunk-

[bamabassman]

yes how do you apply it? just spray it on the spool? i am going to get some this saturday. and thanks a bunch! maybe i won't birdnest so much now.

[Lilmoosecountry]

You just point it at the spool & apply a small burst right on the spool. It comes in a pump bottle & Aerosal.

[bamabassman]

thanks i wil get some this weekend.