In article , mart915
@REEMOOVEfrontiernet.net says...

"AJ" wrote in message
.net...

Fished all morning with my trusty Calcutta 150, St Croix 6.5' medium
fast rod, 10 lb. Berkley Sensation, and had zero backlashes, which is
pretty much normal. Sure glad I had it when that Northern shot out from
nowhere, hit the lure 3 ft. away from the boat going like a freight
train, and dove under the boat into the weeds. He pretty much trashed my
spinnerbait, but I figure it was worth it.

I don't know why baitcasting would serve you better than spinning in that
situation if you were also using 10# line and a similar strength rod and
proper drag setting.

Maybe, but I think he would have popped the bail open and taken the
loose line around the lower unit. I've had Northern that follow hit on
an L-turn or figure-8 close to the boat, but this wasn't like that. I
don't know how fast they can swim, but he was really moving parallel to
the boat and hit at a right angle 3' away. I was wearing polarized
glasses and saw the flash or I probably would have lost the rod. Not
real big just ~32" with a bad attitude. IMO the drag on a Calcutta is
about as good as it gets. My 150 is 5 years old, has taken salmon out
Lake Michigan, hauled up a 20lb. catfish, numerous Northern, Smallmouth,
and Largemouth out of the weeds.

I do use spinning as well and have a nice 7' ML on the boat for more
vertical presentations and keep a 6'L in the truck for promising streams
and ponds - I don't think I would use a baitcaster from shore.


I'm not sure what it's called, but what happens to me with spinning
reels, particularly wide spool ones when I try a cast just a little
farther than it wants to go, is about 100-200 loops of line come off the
spool all at once and try to make it through the first guide. The abrupt
stop sometimes send whatever was tied on the end off into the deep blue.
Unlike minor backlashes on a baitcaster, there's no way to fix this
mess.

I call them spinning tangles or birds' nests. I use only spinning these days
but when I used some baitcasting years ago I didn't have many backlash
problems and what I did have were not nearly as bad as spinning tangles
which, fortunately, don't occur that often. If you're getting 100+ loops
coming off at once you may be using a line that's too stiff for spinning
reels and/or allowing loops to form on the reel spool.

That may be, but I suspect it may be from not enough tension during the
retrieve with light surface lures, stop and go retrieves, or when bottom
bouncing a jig. Then a harder cast pulls it all off. Fortunately spool
changes are easy.