I don't know what I could add to Steve's treatise, he's forgotten more about
fishing and equipment than I'll ever know. I use spinning only now but I
used to use a baitcaster for 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits. I gave it up for no other
reason than it lacked the versatility that I wanted. Believe me, my spinning
tangles are far worse than any backlash I ever had.

The point I wanted to make, though, is to not let it get into your head.
Learn to use your thumb and how to adjust two controls and follow Steve's
advice. BAITCASTING IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!

"Cheeky *******" wrote in message
...
This enforced me trying the bait caster I was given and just put in my
truck to try today but chickened out.
Past tries I had too many professional overcast.

CB

Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers.com wrote:
"Dave" wrote in message
...
I have a Shimono bass casting reel. I am new to casting for bass. My
problem is that every time I cast with this reel I get a birds nest
of line bunched up on my reel. This is very frustrating. My question
is how do I properly cast this rod & reel so that I don't have this
problem? I am so fed up with this happening that I want to give up
on casting reels and stay with my open face reel.
Thanks a lot for your help and suggestions.

You don't say which baitcasting reel you're using, but here's some of
my thoughts when people say they're having problems with baitcasting
tackle.
Baitcasting tackle was designed with heavier line and lure
combinations in mind. Casting rods usually have more power and
backbone and are better used in areas where there is more cover and
snags likely to be encountered. Much more pressure can be applied to
a fish to muscle it away from snags than with typical spinning
tackle. Light lures are typically much more difficult to cast on
baitcasting equipment too. One thing I see all the time is people
are trying to cast lightweight lures. Start out with nothing lighter
than 1/2 oz. and stay using heavy lures until you can casts
consistently for at least an hour without a backlash.
There is a longer learning curve to casting with baitcasting
equipment too over spinning. It's not something that people usually
pick up and immediately begin pounding out 100 foot casts, but it's
not impossible. Then too, many people make the mistake of spending as
little money as possible on a baitcasting combo because they are not
sure if they'll like it. Bad Idea #1....

Bad Idea #2 is putting cheap line on, again they don't want to spend
a lot on an outfit they're not sure is going to get used. And, based
on the knowledge that they're going to have some backlashes, they buy
the cheapest line available. This is definitely the wrong thing to
do.
Bad Idea #3 is IF they practice at all, they start with too light of a
casting plug and try to muscle that lure out there as far as they
can. Then they get frustrated when they get backlashes and before
long, park the rod and reel.

Bad Idea #4 is new users don't understand how to adjust the reel's
braking system.

Bad Idea #5 is because of a combination of the first four, they park
that #$%^@#! rod and reel in the garage and claim "I just can't use
one of these things!"

Let's break these five Bad Ideas down.

#1 - There's a reason rods and reels are priced the way they are. Cheap
reels are built with cheap components, so they're not
free-spinning and smooth. This makes them difficult to cast in the
first place. I've had clients show up with cheap tackle and even I
had difficulty casting their gear, even though I've been using
casting tackle for over forty years.
#2 - Cheap line has a lot of memory and is stiff. This makes the
line not flow through the guides well and makes it more difficult to
cast. Mono line, when it gets backlashed gets kinks. Kinked mono
line is a weakened line. My suggestion is to load the spool up with
50 pound PowerPro. Yes, it's expensive, but it doesn't get weakened
with kinks and 50 pound is a large enough diameter to pick out
backlashes.
#3 - There is a technique to using a baitcaster and it takes practice.
Casting lightweight lures with baitcasting tackle is a difficult task
and that comes only with time, experience and practice. Start with
at least a 1/2 ounce practice plug and don't even think about casting
for distance initially. I tell clients new to baitcasting that until
they can consistently cast thirty feet without a backlash that they
shouldn't even consider trying for greater distance. That comes with
time and practice.
#4 - I don't know what it is, but many of the clients I've had that
have issues with baitcasting tackle have no concept of any braking
system for their reels and no clue that there are different
adjustments to be made for different lure weights! I guess reading
the manual is some violation of the "Man Code." Take the time to
read the manual and actually understand HOW THE REEL WORKS!!!!

#5 - Again, because of the first four B.I.s, they stop far too soon.
Evidently no one wants to look inept, or "I'm a man dammit, I can do
this," or they're too proud to ask for help/instruction, it's easier
to quietly admit defeat and go back to spinning tackle.

Get out the manual and ACTUALLY READ the darned thing so you know how
it works. If you no longer have the manual, there's a good chance
you can find one online. Download it, print it out and READ it!!! Once
you understand the principles of the reel's braking system,
you're ready for the next step.
Tie on a 1/2 ounce practice plug and head for the back yard. Adjust
the cast control knob on the side of the reel fairly tight. If it
has a magnetic control, adjust that to the middle setting. Holding
the rod horizontal, push the freespool button and take your thumb off
the spool. The lure should slowly fall and if the reel is adjusted
properly, when the lure hits the ground, the spool should make no
more than 1/2 turn. If it makes more turns, pull out the loose line
until you're down to tight line, reel back up, adjust the tension a
little tighter and try it again. Do this until the fall rate is
correct for the practice plug's weight.
IF you have the reel adjusted properly, and IF you can cast a
pushbutton spincasting reel, you can use a baitcaster. The same
motions are used between a Zebco 202 and a Calcutta 200, with the
addition of one extra step, clamping your thumb down on the spool
just before the lure hits the water or the practice plug hits the
ground.
Don't try to rocket out long casts with a flat trajectory. Concentrate
instead on making easy lobbing casts ten to twenty yards
at most. Stop the practice plug when it's about three feet in the
air. Keep doing this until you're consistently casting without
backlashes. As you become more comfortable, start adding a little
more effort into the cast. You will find that additional distance
will come. Once you're at the end of that cast distance on the reel
setting and you're not backlashing, you can back off a little on the
cast control (the little knob by the reel handle) and you'll find
that you'll be backlashing again.
Your thumb needs a little education during all of this. You don't
have to raise your thumb all the way off the spool, simply raise it
1/8th of an inch off the spool, and you'll feel the "beginning" of a
backlash. Then you can lightly apply pressure and feather the line,
eliminating the backlash before it happens.

Now practice, Practice, PRACTICE!