Bait Cast First Timer

I just treated myself to my first bait cast reel and, based on many of your suggestions, went with a Shimano Curado. I picked up the Curado and a BPS Extreme combo for $169. I've been using the Shimano Sahara spinning reels for some time and like them (one on a BPS Extreme and one one a BPS Bionic Blade), so it wasn't much of a stretch to go with this bait cast combo.

For learning purposes I had the reel loaded with 17lb mono. I positioned all of the plastic "active brakes" to the on position, grabbed about a 1/2 ounce worth of plastic bait, and headed to the pond behind my house for some casting practice. Someone should have had a movie camera running because that's when the comedy began.

I remembered someone mentioning the cast control knob and that it should be adjusted such that the lure gently falls to the ground/water/floor when the spool is released. Ok, I held the rod up, released the spool, watched the lure fall quickly to the ground, and then watched my first overrun! Uh, gee, maybe I should have had my thumb on the spool just in case the cast control was too loose?

Score so far: 1 overrun - 0 casts to the water.

Now, anyone who grew up on spincast reels knows that the push button on the reel locks the line when fully depressed - right? And a bait cast reel probably does the same thing - right? Wrong! So I push the clutch bar, swing the rod behind me and discover the lure impacting the bank behind me. Plus, you know it, of course the spool is spinning and creating the second overrun.

Score so far: 2 overruns - 0 casts to the water.

While I have been using nothing but spinning reels for a while, they don't have the push button/clutch bar, so there has been nothing to erase my spincast memory of thumb timing. While I now had the "clutch bar does not lock the spool" code broken, the release timing was whole other lesson to learn.

On my second attempt at making a cast I had my thumb positioned to depress the clutch bar and instantly contact the spool, thus holding it from rotating. I made a beautiful overhead cast, letting go of the spool about the same time in the swing that I would have let go of the button on the spincast reel - and made resounding thumb on the ground with the lure just a few feet in front of me! You know what happens to the spool when the lure stops like that? Right, it keeps going. I did react with my thumb but was still looking out over the water for a fraction of a second, expecting to see the lure flying across the water, and didn't quite react in time.

Sore so far: 3 overruns - 0 casts to the water.

Had that cast gone just another foot or so, I would have made the water! The next cast was about 10 feet longer and I'd finally made the water.

Fortunately, I'm not totally inept and was making some very good casts before heading back to the house about an hour later. I only had one more overrun and caught it in time to make it a small one. The hardest part to get through my head was how early in the cast you need to release the spool.

Just thought I'd share this to ease the frustration of others new to bait cast reels. For me, it's the lake tomorrow and then, after I've built my confidence with this monofilament, some better line. I'll bet some of the super braids will cast further.

Are the braided lines more problematic regarding cutting in or overruns?

JimC

I think it's _far_ easier to cast a baitcast reel with a side throw, rather then an over head throw. Which leads me to my second mention. Try casting my twisting your wrist... _not_ by throwing your arm around like your throwing a baseball. You will have _much_ better control over the line as, instead of moving the reel and stopping it to draw out line, you will be letting the lure build up speed and peel off line from the reel. I'm not sure I can explain very well but try it. I think it will be much easier.

I'm fairly new to bait casters myself..I started out with mono and have just started moving over to braid..as explained ot me, braid can be a tad harder to cast because of its weight but regardless of that it's more difficult to pick out backlash, especially bad backlash.

This was what I was told and may not be 100% accurate to your situation. Since I've switched to 30lb power pro, I've found no issue with casting and no real additional difficulty getting out backlash.

Your mileage may vary..i certainly recommend you become proficcent with mono before trying what may be more advanced.

Christopher

It took some practice, but I was able to get the lure out some pretty good distances. It also flew some really short distances from time to time. I tried overhead and side casts with about equal success - and failure. There were some overruns but they were pretty minor. Usually they were just line becoming too loose on the spool. That makes an interesting sound when casting. Think I'll call it "line fart". I am happy that I never really had one of those huge "nests" to pull out. I'm trying to error on the side of too much thumb and that might have saved me couple of times.

Using this 17lb mono to train with seems ok except for the stretch. I've been using nothing but PowerPro for a little over a year and am used to the non-stretch performance. The first bass of the day hit out at the far end of the cast and when I went to set the hook I nearly fell over backwards! I normally could put the rod that far back without the fish flying through the air towards me. With mono it's hard to tell if the hook is set or not. I'm also usually able to easily tell the bump of a weed or pad apart from the bump of a fish. Not so easy with the monofilament. I think I'll put the braid on pretty soon. I sure miss it.

Oh, I also broke the line on the last cast of the day. It was an overhead cast and the line broke off at the reel. I have no idea where the lure went. I also have not dug the end of the line out of the reel yet.

This is great fun and I'll be back at it tomorrow. Thanks again to all for the freindly words.

JimC

Problem solved!

Dan

Thanks,

JimC

Keep at it! The first Curado for me was the hardest one to purchase, but when you realize what a sweet reel it is, the others come easy.

Still learning myself, after several years... Charles

PS: Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans!

mhood

They're not fool-proof! :-)

The problem is, also like in golf, there are different swings/motions/casts that can be used, so you have to find a version of each that you like (overhead, sidearm, flipping/pitching, etc) and then practice them until you don't even have to think about it. Every year, prior to my first trip out (which is usually in February here in NC), I will dedicate a few warm afternoons to standing on my front casting deck, on the trailor, in my back yard, casting at targets around my back yard. Warms those fishing muscles back up a little, and gets me back in tune with the nuances required for each rig, at each casting distance, with various casting styles and lure weights. I know, sounds crazy, but I fish like I golf, not often enough, and I never go out to the course without hitting the driving range first, so in that regard fishing is not different to me. I like to "tune up" before hitting the water too.

Then you'll know (after putting in the practice), when all is said and done and you're casting like a champ, and catching fish as a result, that people calling it luck are simply uninformed. To me, luck is simply where preparation meets opportunity. Ergo when you perfect that side-armed, lure-skipping cast, you'll be better prepared to use it when you come across that abandoned dock that *must* hold a couple of nice hawgs underneath it... :-)