baitcaster suggestions

[boloson]

ok, as some of u know i have been practicing & now fishing with a baitcaster at the beginning of this past fall. getting pretty proficient at it but still backlash when i get too excited. people say they can cast about 50 yds on a baitcaster. i thought i was casting pretty far until i cast out a spinning gear for my little nephew & casted just as far, if not further then my baitcaster. my set up is a 795 dobyns swimbait rod with a curado 301E spooled with braid & i mainly cast cranks. what am i doing wrong?

[Bender]

That should cast pretty far I would think. What kind of crankbaits are you casting? Maybe they are too light to go very far. How many brakes do you have ON?

[boloson]

i have 1 set of brakes on & i mainly use LC cranks. pointers & the lv 500's cast far but the other top water stuff...not so far. and i wouldnt say they cast even close to 50 yds. the thing that makes me scratch my head is the fact that my spinning gear cast just as far if not further. if i shut off all the brakes i tend to backlash bad especially when attempting to cast for distance

[Apt79]

Your rod has alot to do with how far you can cast your lures, and the lure size has alot to do with it too. I have two crankbait rods and their both 7'4 m with moderate action tips and I can cast them a mile with a bigger lure on and with a little lure on it goes 1/2 mile. Some reels can cast farther than others also. If I had to say the most important thing for distance it would probably be the rod, cause it sounds like you have a good reel.

[BigBassin144]

Lures need to be matched to not only the right reel, but the right rod.

Fishing with lures below or at the very bottom of a rod recommended range isn't going to be as effective. There is a minimum lure weight on rods for a reason. While the 795SBML is a great rod for swimbaits in it's lure range (1-5oz), it probably isn't the best rod for anything much less than 1oz, maybe down to 3/4.

I've gotten a few chances to use my Dobyns 765CB Glass and am very impressed to far. If you're looking to fish cranks lower than the 795's range, you should definitely check this rod out. It's got a soft tip perfect for fighting fish on cranks and casting cranks, even on the lighter end of the lure range decently. But then this rod has a surprising amount of backbone to it. I can sling a 1/2oz trap a long way, and the rod also does alright with cranks down to about 1/4oz (you definitely lose some distance, but it's not bad).

The 764CB RM (Randy McAbee Signature series CB rod) may also be a good choice for more medium sized cranks. I haven't used one on the water, but it felt great in the store and I've heard numerous good things about it. The 705CB is always a great choice for an all around cranker as well.

As for a reel, pair any of the rods I mentioned with a good crankbait reel (4.9:1 Zillion and Revo Winch come to mind) and you'll have a good combo ready to take on most of your cranking and treble hook lure needs.

Also remember, some lures are more aerodynamic than others. Crankbaits tend to cast well, and lipless cranks are like bullets. Other baits like spinnerbaits just don't cast as well.

[MIbasser]

As BB said. It's not the baitcaster, it's the rod. You have a broomstick trying to toss an 1/8 oz weight. Just not a good choice. My pointers are thrown on a 6'5" M rod, my traps (mostly 1/2 oz) are on a 7' M rod and topwater is on a 6'6" M rod. I have many tools for different jobs. Just like that rod is a tool, and the main job it has is chucking big, big swimbaits.

[boloson]

Ok now with that being said, I also have a quantum rod (DSLC701) BILL DANCE caster from bps and It's the same situation with this thing also. It is my starter & It's definitely lighter & the lure range is from 1/4 - 1 oz. I still can't cast as far as I think it should be going. Do u think It's operator error?

[Bender]

Something sounds odd, how tight do you have the spool tension set? I've never used a Curado 301, but I have several 200 and 201s and they cast pretty far. Maybe you can try something like a super spook just to see how far it casts. Those should be heavy enough to load up the rod and really launch a long way.

[islandbass]

Originally Posted by boloson

Ok now with that being said, I also have a quantum rod (DSLC701) BILL DANCE caster from bps and It's the same situation with this thing also. It is my starter & It's definitely lighter & the lure range is from 1/4 - 1 oz. I still can't cast as far as I think it should be going. Do u think It's operator error?

In addition to the excellent advice given, and given that the reel is properly set to the lure's weight and you have the right rod for the task, one other thing that might have been overlooked is actual casting technique.

I almost cringe when I see poor casting mechanics. One thing that really helps maximize casting distance is learning how to properly load the rod. When done correctly, one will be amazed at how far casts go with so little "effort" on a part of the angler.

Allowing the weight of the lure to load the rod is crucial for maximum distance on cast. You mention the occasional overrun when excited. This might very well be a cast made where the lure's weight didn't properly load the rod. You can get away with this with spinning gear, but not so much with casting gear. If you hear the rod whipping by your ear (with an overhand cast) and you don't feel the lure's weight rod beforehand, get your thumb to stop the spool from spinning cold turkey. That's a clue the excitement took over proper casting mechanics.

Lastly, line choice is another influencing factor. Generally speaking, lines with a thinner diameter tend to fare better at helping anglers make slightly farther casts.

[Fish30114]

I've fished with a lot of pros, and a lot guys who could be pros, and it is pretty universal amongst them that is a lot easier to cast spinning gear furhter than baitcasting gear. I don't think what you are experiencing is unusual.

As others have said, all else being equal, it may be easy to match distance, --e.g. same weight line, terminal tackle, and same rod, so double check that before comparing. I have the same reel as you, and even with the exact same length and action rods, 7'Shimano Crucials--Medium power fast action, and both with 12 lb Flouro (seaguar 100%) I can still cast my spinning rig (symetre 3500) further, and easier for me to do so at that.

I have one of the new series Lew's speed spools (the $90 version from BassPro) and with 35 lb braid and an St Croix Avid 6'6" rod, medium/fast action, I can cast just as far as with the same line on my Stradic 2500 series reel on the same rod (just a spinning version). It is my first experience with the new Crystal Fused Braid, so maybe that helps, but this is as far as I have ever been able to cast a baitcaster with 1/4 and 3/8 oz. baits.

One last thing to try, which other aluded to, is to simply try a heavier bait. It may sound a little 'basic' but buy or make some varying wait casting plugs, and see what you can do with them--it's worth the investment in time to me, I actually did it on our street one night when nobody was moving around very much, and measured the distances I was ACTUALLY casting, and it was surprising to me, sometimes further than I thought, and a lot of times not as well!!

Good luck to you!

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by boloson

Ok now with that being said, I also have a quantum rod (DSLC701) BILL DANCE caster from bps and It's the same situation with this thing also. It is my starter & It's definitely lighter & the lure range is from 1/4 - 1 oz. I still can't cast as far as I think it should be going. Do u think It's operator error?

I think in this case, it's probably the reel. Comparing rods and lure weights over price ranges is ok, but you can't compare a bill dance signature reel to a $250 Shimano Curado.

Another problem may be that the Curado 300 isn't really built for lighter lures either. it's built for line capacity and chucking larger baits a long way. You may want to look into getting a decent casting reel for the lighter stuff.

Also, what IB said about all those factors could be affect your casting.

Personally, I find I can generally cast farther with my casting gear. Especially bombing 1/2oz lures on my 7'6" crankbait rod and 7'8" jig rod.

BB

[boloson]

thanks for all the info guys. i agree that my rod is not designed for the size baits that i mainly use but i had to be sure & ask u guys first. didnt want to give in to the monkey just yet . on a good note i was fishing for 6 hours today & decided to shut off all the brakes. the thing cast about 50 yds....when it didnt backlash. ended up catching a 2 lbs LM & some dinks.