Baitcasting

[Mike G]

Baitcasting is one of many ways of fishing for smallmouths and largemouths. I am for it because it is a great compliment to use of lighter tackle like spinning and fly gear. It falls between spinning and flycasting in difficulty, but it is worth spending the time to learn how to cast. Improvements in technology are making the perenial problem of backlashes less of a problem.

 

Though there is a lot more I could say, you might be more interested in what Buck sed. In Spoonplugging Buck Perry said that a medium baitcaster with 15# line is the perfect outfit for casting applications. He said that because it gave him the best in two kinds of control. First was control of the presentation of the lure. Second was the control of a fish once he hooked it. Buck was all about control even when it came to rods and reels.

 

I will stop here and drink some Bud. (Figuratively that is. It is not even 8:00 AM yet.)

[Travis]

BPS makes a great line of bait casters. Low quality reels for me means back lashes and frustration. I picked up a BPS Tourney Dual Bearing system when it was on sale. Wonderful reel, a lot cheaper than the revo's which are great, I have it spooled with #12 - I hate going larger. Right now it is 6'6" however it should be on 7'2" are larger crank rod.

[Jonn Graham]

Travis is right. Buy a crappy first baitcasting reel and you won't be happy and will become frustrated. Couple more things to consider when first beginning to learn to baitcast:

 

1. Don't pair your reel with a pool cue for a rod. Start with a medium action

2. don't overfill your spool when you are first starting out.............you will be asking for problems. Fill it about 3/4 full

[Kev-mo]

Learn how your casting control knob and mechanical or magnetic brake works. Be aware that changing lure size/weight will require an adjustment in one or both of these areas to avoid backlash, over or undercasting and accuracy. Keep your thumb ready to stop the spool in case of mistake. Just like anything there is a learning curve...

[Gary L]

I have been upgrading my equipment down here in Missouri from the Bionic Stuff I bought when I first came here in 2005. I have settled on the Carbonlite Reels and Carbonlite Rods from Bass Pro Shop. They have been great in every way for me and are light and sensitive. For a Crankbait combo I would select the Carbonlite Rod in 7' Medium weight with a Moderate action and couple that with a Carbonlite Reel and some good 12lb. test line of your choice for fishing the rivers of Illinois. I use Seaguar 15lb Fluorocarbon down here because of the ultra clear water. You will have a quality setup that will cast beautiful with proper setup and last for a long time. If you plan on using it for Spinnerbaits like Eric uses that substitute the rod for a 7' Heavy weight rod with Xtra fast tip. This will also work well with Jigs.

[Rich Page]

I use a 6'2" mod/fast medium rod with an Ambassadeur C3 reel, spooled with spiderwire fusion #12 test line (discontinued), for casting 5" Senkos to trick smallies. A good habit to get into, when using a BC rod, is to adjust the brake every time changing lures. To properly do this attatch the lure, then: hold the rod at a 45 degree angle, tighten the brake, engage the spool release, loosen the brake until the lure begins to fall. The spool should coast very little when the lure hits the ground. This is a good starting point

Starting out baitcasting is greatly different fron casting a spinning rig. Think of casting a high lob instead of thowing it at the target. Also, casting into the wind is like hitting a golfball, "The harder you swing, the greater the chance for disaster!". Good luck and enjoy.

[Mike G]

Lots of good advice for the beginner here assuming someone wants to begin. I love to hear your favorite gear. But we should not get ahead of ourselves with tips and fine points.

 

Since spinning is easier, why would anyone even consider a baitcaster?

[Steve S.]

Lots of good advice for the beginner here assuming someone wants to begin. I love to hear your favorite gear. But we should not get ahead of ourselves with tips and fine points.

 

Since spinning is easier, why would anyone even consider a baitcaster?

 

A baitcaster is just a fishing tool, and some tools work better than others depending on what you're trying to do with it.

 

Is it easy to fish a spinnerbait with a spinning outfit? Crankbait? You can do it, but is it easy and efficient?

[Travis]

Lots of good advice for the beginner here assuming someone wants to begin. I love to hear your favorite gear. But we should not get ahead of ourselves with tips and fine points.

 

Since spinning is easier, why would anyone even consider a baitcaster?

 

 

Spinning is easier than fly casting so why would any one consider fly fishing? See what I am saying?

 

I have gotten used to a baitcaster, never thought I would. I wouldn't throw a crank bait with out one. Better speed than spins. As far as muskie and pike.. much better reel. Less of a fight and better for the fish when CPR.

 

Rich, I have a C3. I don't use it often. It is great reel for muskie or trolling on the back of my kayak on a larger lake for big fish or even coho and kings ... considered light gear for that type of fishing. I think the bait casters in question are low profiles.

 

Other tips I find that'll help is that I moved to left handed models. I will go back and forth changing from spin and bait reels - that can get tricky. Right spin handles are on the left, right baitcaster are on the right. Go left.

 

Kevin nailed it. They are balanced reels and you need to tune them in. If you release the trigger and the lure doesn't fall or if it falls too fast it is not set right.

 

Another tip, take out a little more line then you can cast and put black tape over the line. Reel the line back in. When you practice this will help with bird nest. It'll stop the line from slipping.

 

Also braided line. I know guys that love them on baitcasters, I don't. If you use braided line you need a some good mono backing to help, again, from slipping.

 

 

Granted as far as the river and smallies, spinners.

[Mike G]

Baitcastings really comes forward with fast retrieves for buzzbaits, crank baits, and spinner baits. Spinning gets awkward in these cases with the reel hanging off center and the bail making wide loops around the spool. Can you palm a spinning reel? With casting you have a compact reel close to the center axis of the rod. It seeems a lot less tiring than burning the same baits with a spinning outfit.

 

Left or right hand? Don't go there. I am a righty and am very comfortable with the right handed baitcasting reel. The switch comes naturally. After the cast transfer reel to palm of left hand. Since I go on and off with carpal tunnel issues in the right wrist, it also also distributes the stress more evenly between hands. That said, long ago I swithed my fly reels to reeling left handed like spinning. Now I find a guy named Lefty recommending that with a fly rod you should reel with your dominant hand because you may not be able to keep up with a big fish reeling with your off hand. There's another reason for me to reel with the right hand.

 

This is a matter of personal feel for lack of a better word.

[ronk]

I think it's best to hold a rod regardless of the kind with your dominant hand & reel with the other.The former will give you better rod control fighting a fish.I can't believe Lefty says otherwise for ffing as Mike alleges.Firstly you can reel just as fast with either hand.Secondly & more to the point we all use single action flyreels which makes it impossible to keep up with a charging fish.The only thing you can do is hand retrieve the line stripping it in over the rod hand's index finger as fast as possible.

[Mike G]

Believe me, ronk. I have no reason to lie.

 

Or see for yourself in Lefty Kreh's Ultimate Guide to Fly Fishing, (first paperback, 2006) p. 115-116, he says, "While a few anglers who have for many years used their off hand to crank a fly reel may do well, the average person will perform a great deal more efficiently if he does this with the stronger hand. That means that a right hander will do best to reel with the right hand." That's what the man sez.

 

The relevance of this to baitcasting is that it points to a possible advantage in reeling with the stronger or dominant hand. Now I do not even follow Lefty all the way on this one. My rule which applies to me only is as follows:

 

If the reel hangs below the rod like a fly reel, spinning reel, or underspin reel, I crank with my left hand. If the reel sits on top of the rod like a baitcaster or spincaster, I crank with my dominant or right hand.

 

If someone wants to get into baitcasting, the ideal thing would be to borrow reels to see which hand seems best to crank with. I have a lefty friend who let me try his baitcaster. I was not comfortable with the the left hand cranking even though I do it all the time with spinning and fly rods.

 

Different strokes for different folks!

[ronk]

Thanks for the info Mike.Guru or no Lefty's all wet on that one.

[Travis]

Thanks for the info Mike.Guru or no Lefty's all wet on that one.

 

Fair enough. but I was using a righty for a long time until I went left. I won't go back. I cast better, I set hooks better, I thumb the line better. So there is a need of argument to "go there" I know a lot of anglers that have swicthed after years of righty abuse and they feel they same way.

 

Said best, hold it in your hand. - Better yet. Cast it and reel it.

[Mike G]

Travis,

 

???

 

Let me get this, do you cast with the right hand and crank with the left now? Whereas before you casted with the right hand and and cranked with the right hand? Maybe it is academic since not everyone fits the tackle manufacturers assumption of normal.

[ronk]

Fair enough. but I was using a righty for a long time until I went left. I won't go back. I cast better, I set hooks better, I thumb the line better. So there is a need of argument to "go there" I know a lot of anglers that have swicthed after years of righty abuse and they feel they same way.

 

Said best, hold it in your hand. - Better yet. Cast it and reel it.

Lefty was talking about flyfishing not baitcasting. While switching the rod from the dominant hand to the off hand was once commonplace among ffers that practice has long since gone the way of silk lines.In all my years of ffing I don't recall ever seeing it done.That being said I also think it's a wierd practice for even a baitcaster.

[Guest]

Yet another spoonplugging thing to feel bad about. I don't troll and I haven't gotten around to using a baitcaster. Sure do think about it after tearing up spinning reels with crankbaits though. Two good smallies on the 400 size spoonplug today so I don't feel too bad. Should have started throwing them earlier in the day.

Phil F

[Scott Ferguson]

I have been using right handed baitcasters forever. I just purchased a new one and ordered a left hand model by mistake instead of a right. Instead of sending it back, I decided to keep it. I used it extensively fishing today and found it only took a few casts before it seemed natural. There were only 2 times during the day that I almost switched it from my right hand to my left to begin cranking. I wonder how it will work if I fish with 2 baitcasters during the day, one left and one right. Will I be able to keep them straight?

I like baitcasters for some cranks, the bigger ones, and for walking the dog topwaters. I always used them for pike fishing with big spinners and spoons and I'm using them more when I smallie fish with bigger baits or when I'm fishing for green bass.

[Mike G]

I will stick to pointing out advantages of bait casting no matter which cranking configuration one chooses. RH or LH is, IMHO, a personal preference. That assumes one wants to use a baitcaster at all. So far what has been said seems to come down to power in a small package. Baitcasters are compact even though they handle the heavier lines and lures that go with much bulkier spinning reels. As we noted, it is hard to palm a spinning reel due to its configuration. Baitcasters seem more easily balanced in the hand.

 

Let's talk about cast distance records--casting, spinning, single handed fly, and 18' spey rod. I googled these from several sources. If you do not believe me, do your own searches and tell us what you found.

 

These are US records for tournament distance casting (note that usually specialized "distance" tackle was used}:

 

Tackle/record distance

Casting/313.46 yards

Spinning/284 yards

Single handed fly casting/243 feet

Spey casting (18 ft rod)/222 feet

 

Casting seems to have a 10% edge when it comes to distance. It is said tha surf casters have long known this advantage. Think of a boxing match where one guy's arms are longer. The oponent has to make up the difference with strength and skill. The reason some times given for the longer distance for casting is physics. In spinning the momentum of the plug has to pull the line off the fixed spool throughout he entire cast. In casting there is this same pull from the momentum of the plug, and there is also a push from the rotating spool. The spool has forward momentum that throws the line forward. This can be good or bad. We get better distance if we control the momentum properly with thumb and the reel's braking system. We get a backlash if we do not.

 

That is all I have to say about the advantages of bait casting. I hope reaaders have more to say. I thought the interest level might justify a Basscaster forum to compliment the Bassbugger forums--like a place of our own. Does it?

[Mike G]

I wonder how it will work if I fish with 2 baitcasters during the day, one left and one right. Will I be able to keep them straight?

 

I like baitcasters for some cranks, the bigger ones, and for walking the dog topwaters. I always used them for pike fishing with big spinners and spoons and I'm using them more when I smallie fish with bigger baits or when I'm fishing for green bass.

 

Scott, try it and tell us how it goes.

 

I always thought of baitcasting as a big bait technique. Santa gave me a Curado 200E7 with a 6' Medium rod. It is easy to cast 1/4 oz lures on 12# line with the outfit. The rod is rated 1/4 to 5/8. With 8 or 10 pound line I might even handle smaller baits It seems baitcasting is not just for big plugs.

[Scott Ferguson]

 

That is all I have to say about the advantages of bait casting. I hope reaaders have more to say. I thought the interest level might justify a Basscaster forum to compliment the Bassbugger forums--like a place of our own. Does it?

 

We already have a Gear and Techniques forum, your are reading it now. Aside from the reel, what other differences are there in baitcasting vs. spinning that would require an entire forum to discuss?

[Jonn Graham]

Switching hands is for the birds. I know the big pros do it, but they only do it because that was the way they were taught when they were young. If they wanted to, they could take the time to learn to fish by not switching hands. If you are just getting into baitcasting, then, by all means, buy a reel that matches your normal patterns (if you are right handed, you should be reeling with your LEFT HAND and vice versa)

[Mike G]

We already have a Gear and Techniques forum, your are reading it now. Aside from the reel, what other differences are there in baitcasting vs. spinning that would require an entire forum to discuss?

 

The same comment would apply about having two separate fly fishing forums, wouldn't it? The equivalent forum for "Bassbugger Submissions" would be a lure making forum, spinners, jigs, spoons, molded soft plastics, spinnerbaits, plugs. There is some overlap with spinning there. The equivalent forum for Bassbuggers would cover casting tips and other casting specific questions. Most will say there is some difference in the rhythm and timing of casting such that you cannot group it with spinning. Baitcasters are a distinct minority, I think, fewer than the Bassbuggers or spin guys. Fly fisning is not spinning is not baitcasting. Once you set up specialized forums for one technique, logic supports setting up other forums for other techniques. Haw about Center Pinning?

[Scott Ferguson]

The same comment would apply about having two separate fly fishing forums, wouldn't it?

 

Not at all. Fly tying among fly fishermen is is very common but lure building among hardware guys is not. At least it is not common enough here in the ISA to justify it's own forum. Nearly half of our members say they fly fish. The combined number of topics posted on the forums just pertaining to fly fishing is almost 600. Where as the number of posts in the Gear and Techniques forum is 400 and many of those are about boats, and waders. 7 of those posts were about fly gear, 2 about center pinning and none about lure making. The activity level of the fly fishermen in this group easily justifies 2 forums where we find the one forum for the "hardware guys" is just right.

Our experience has shown too many forums topics on sites like these is not a good thing. We find the fewer the better and adding more is unlikely unless there is overwhelming support.

[Mike G]

That is a good answer. The high interest in fly fishing justifies the forums. And you defined the requirements for having a separate forum that way.

 

Grahamm's Swim Jigs and Float 'n Fly jigs are about the only lure making I see being posted. I can fix some of that by showing off some Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits, and jigs that I make. Rich has a few chenille creations that fish best on underspin gear. Though there's always Eric, I do not see many others using the baitcasting gear regularly.

 

When I posed the original question, I suspected there was not support for the Baitcasters forum based on response to this thread up to this point. Not a lot are doing it. Luremaking seems the same. No groundswells happened. If anyone is interested in taking up baitcasting, I hope they have seen some reasons to look further here.