I think your trying to cast to far and not letting the rod do the work for
you. Practice casting only 25 to 30ft to begin with. Then build up from
there.


"Dre" wrote in message
...
Hi all, first of all I would like to say I really enjoy the newsgroup.
Your
tips, stories, etc. make the days at work go by a little faster and the
fishing a little easier each time so thanks for that. Anyways, to the
question...

My buddy recently gave me a baitcasting rod and reel and I've been having
quite a hard time learning to use it. It currently has 12 lb Trilene XL
Smooth Casting line in there. The way I set the spool is lets say I have a
tube on, I will set it so that when I press the release button, it will
slowly take line, not drop freely to the floor. I also keep a steady
pressure on the spool when casting but almost every time, the line gets
loose on the spool and eventually tangled. I was wondering if I'm simply
using the wrong line for this type of reel or if I just need more
practice.
Honestly I prefer using braided line (fireline) because of lower memory
and
better sensitivity but my buddy wasn't sure if I should use it in a
baitcasting reel. We fish mainly for Smallmouth and for the occasional
Pike
around here so I don't really need a heavy line. I currently use a light
rod
with spinning reel spooled with 8 lb fireline and I find it does an
awesome
job. Anyways, any help on which line would be best and any tips on casting
and best setup for the reel would be appreciated as I really would like to
learn to fish with this type of rod/reel combo.

I know I'm asking a lot here but go easy on me guys I'm new to fishing and
still learning day by day!

Thanks!

Dre