I am looking at picking up a baitcasting setup, now i haven't used one of these before and wondering if anyone has some "tips and tricks" they would be willing to share. I have gathered the basics, kinda.. Also does anyone have a recommendation as to what brands i should be looking at? I don't want to spend a lot of money JUST in case i end up hating it. But on the same token i don't want to cheap out and make the learning curve harder than it needs to be. And i would mainly be using it for bass fishing (if it matters) And on that note, if anyone has one for sale, i may be interested :biggrin:
I was looking at picking up my first bait caster to use as my 2nd bass reel but after much research I ended up with a 2nd spinning real/rod combo with a faster rod. I just decided to stick with what I know and all I heard about twisted lines steered me away. After researching bait casters I had decided on a shimano reel in the $80 range that had solid reviews for the price point. Cant remember the name of said reel off hand i'l but if I remember i'll let ya know. Good luck on the hunt. Oh it was the shimano Citica that I was looking at, the Curado is where its at but I wasn't looking to spend $180 on a reel alone.
I haven't spin fished or used a bait caster in a few years but we always used abu garcia stuff for musky. Hopefully BroCo chimes in, he makes custom rods and I am sure could be very helpful in steering you in the right direction. Good luck and have fun out there fishing!
i myself have a few bait casting rods. my new combo is a 7ft st croix avid rod with a shimano calcutta reel and i like that better than my low profile reel like my quantum tour edition. since your starting out, i think shimano bait casting reels are more easy to tune. they do not have the dial in numbers on the left or right side(depending on if your a lefty or right, the dial will be on the other side) so basically you'll have to just mess around with the tension on the left hand side of the reel to tune the lure/jig that you have on the rod.(that's if you get a shimano reel) the shimano curados are pretty nice like paul said but its a bit pricy.
Yeah I looked at the abu Garcia ones, they start out pretty affordable. the more I search the more I look at those. And this way I won't be heart broken if I bury it in my collection of other fishing equipment I never use any longer. I thought about just spending more on another spinning reel/rod, but want to try something new. Oh and speaking of right/left handed do you use it like a spinning reel? I'm right handed so I cast with my right reel in with my left is it the same?
i'm right handed but i do use my bait casting reels like a spinning reel in the left hand. i'm more comfortable in reeling in on my left hand than right. i've tried reeling in on my right hand, but it wasn't for me.
Not sure if you have already given it a shot, but if you are looking at trying something new I say try fly fishing. I only fly fish, after giving up the spinning rod a few years ago. After starting out for trout, I now focus on bass here in the cities, but plan on giving musky a shot too. Casting big poppers and streamers is a lot of fun. Just a thought.
man i watched some guy fly-fish and that looks like way to much work. Swing around and around and around then cast..Not to sure if i would enjoy that, then again i would need someone to train me to use that so i don't snag dogs/children while attempting that. But when i'm at walmart, i do look at those "flyfish in a plastic box" and go hum..then i think otherwise. and i have pretty wicked ADD when fishing, so i'm not sure if flyfishing could hold my attention without me doing something stupid. Don't ask what goes on when i'm fishing at 3 in the morning and my mind says "i'm bored".
What are you trying to fish for and what power rod are you looking at? I have an old Abu Garcia 5500-C3 on a medium heavy power, fast action Cabelas rod for trolling and heavy casting. For lighter stuff I like spinning rods/reels, but it depends on the weight of lure I'm throwing. I run Spiderwire on all my stuff, except for the looper rig. That gets 6 lb mono on the 12 ft rod. I still love the 5500 since it has the old thumb bar. I get very few backlashes if I set the bail tension properly. However, I've pulled in 35+ inch pike with my spinning setup, which is a medium power GLoomis GLX with a Shimano Spyrex. Nobody makes rear-drag spinning reals anymore which sucks.
View attachment 22264 I picked up a Quantum Energy PT bait caster a year back, I love it. I have fishing with other bait casters and I really don't like them as much. My buddy who fishes all the time buys cheap combo set-ups and spends his money on lures. I have to say that I am not regretting spending around $100 on this reel. I really like it a lot and have yet to fish with something comparable. 1. Buy a high gear ratio. I really think a 7:1 is a good way to go. That way you can burn it in after you are past your "fish-able" area. 2. Buy a 7" rod. I have to say, a good Medium-Heavy bait casting rod @ 7" is all I will ever own. 3. ASK the guys selling the stuff what they think! If you go to Joe's or somewhere similar... usually you will be dealing with someone who fishes. Similar to talking to a subie tech, they know their stuff. Don't be afraid to ask them.
I am mainly after bass, or the likes of northerns. I have my 5'6" spinning for when I'm out panfishing. And how can you use spiderwire? That stuff gets shreaded when I tried it, so I switched to fireline and love it. And ofspunk thank you, that's what I like to see. And I haven't googled the reel but do they still make them? Granted by the time you answer I'll have googled the crap out of it already.
Well Quantum still makes reels. So I would assume if they don't have the Energy PT they might have a new and improved model of it. I am sure the Quantum reels are all made the same. I would look for a low profile model and something that is 7:1. FYI: Wal-Mart sells Power-Pro (I think is the name) which is a braided line similar to the Sufix I usually use. It is about 1/2 the price of the Sufix at Cabelas or Joe's and works the same. I found it when i ran out of line last year and Wal-Mart was the only place open up north.
The one thing you have to be careful with using "super lines" is you have to make sure that the guides on your rod are made from a strong enough material, the shredding that you experienced is most likely from grooving in your guides. I like fire line personally, but I run mono on most of my rods. As far as a baitcasting reel, alot of the suggestions that were stated above are great. My personal favorite is the Shimano Curado. I have two of them, and one of them I have had for 10 years, and it still works as good as it did the day I bought it. You will pay more up front for a reel like this, but it will last a life time. Also be careful selecting the gear ratio, I have 5.2:1 , 6.2:1 and 7:1 reels, they all have different applications. If you fish alot of spinner baits, 5.2:1 would be the way to go. Top water applications were you need to recover alot of line in a hurry, 7:1. I use 6.2:1 reels for flipping jigs . I'd be happy to answer any questions shoot me a P.M. I build custom rods and have tested many different set-ups with different reels. Best of Luck
Everytime Ive tried to use a baitcaster for anything but carp (where the line will sit still for quite a while) Ive gotten very pissed, very fast, I always go back to my spinning combo, even when fishin for cats.
To avoid the birds nest of line, you must adjust the reel on every lure change. You will spend the first few trips taking out knots.... but it is worth it in the end. It is a learning curve, but if you don't adjust your brake and spool speed with every lure you will waste a lot of time on birds nests.
I've heard that that's the biggest issue that people get frustrated with, and don't you also need to change with wind? I mean its a learning curve, but from the searching i've done it seems the pro's out weigh the negatives to learning this. And the "shredding" only happened with the spiderwire stuff, i switched to mono, didn't like my ability to pull it free from the weeds, and switched to fireline. Which has yet to fray, and is some tough stuff.
I adjust with my thumb for wind. Depending on my lure, how far I want to cast, how I cast, wind and everything else.... I use my thumb as a fine tune to keep from getting a birds nest. I cannot use mono on a bait caster. however, I know a lot of people that use it. I personally like to use braided line because it does cut through weeds and I feel is easier to un-knot. Plus I fish Bass and Northern, and I cast more than anything else, so I have no need for mono. I know it isn't true, but I always feel like mono is just going to snap on me. I really hate using it. Braided line does fray, but you just have to keep an eye on your line. I always try (to remember) to check it after I pick up a snake (northern). They seem to be the cause of most of my lost lures. They bite my line, I cast after I catch them, and snap.... there goes $7. oh, if money isn't an issue. I was fishing with a guy on opener that had a braided "tracer" line. It was green and black, alternating every few feet. It was really cool line, and it was a good way to watch were your stuff was going. Not sure if there is a "true" function to it, but I really liked it.
I think a lot of times, and I know it was true for me, people buy a cheap reel because they don't want to spend a buch of money on something they are not sure is going to work for them. In my experience the cheap reels are much harder to cast.
That tracer line i saw that too, at the local runnings stuff wasn't cheap from what i remember. And have you seen the colored stuff that changes every 5 or 10ft i don't remember off hand (its all the colors of the rainbow) and broCo, i love using my walmart ugly sticks 9 bucks a pop, 14 with a reel. Still works now. but you are dead on, they are harder to cast, the bearings go out after one big fish, and braided line eats them alive. and for the sake asking, what would a "budget" baitcaster run? I have been digging around at cabelas/gander/sheels and would need both rod/reel. I don't want to drop a ton of money, but want something that will get me the feel of using the baitcaster. Since i can upgrade if i like what its doing for me, and want it cheap enough in case i hate it.
I've never had an issue with Spider Wire myself, but I've heard of other people having issues. I like braids because some do not degrade from the sun, and often do not have "memory" like mono does. It depends on what I'm trying to do though. I keep an extra spool with some light mono for certain situations.
My dad got me that reel for the mid-range line this x-mas.... that ABU black max reel seemed really nice, it had a good feel and flow to it, similar to the PT I currently use.... but the rod feel through so I returned the reel. That is a great deal because usually that reel is $45 - $50. The expensive one made me drool... I love my Quantinum and will buy another one, when my Energy PT breaks. http://www.overstockbait.com/ (above) not a bad site for cheap stuff.
that is a nice little site, and yes that last one made me drool a little too, but the wife instantly said no..so i guess i'll have to wait a few months after i get my mid-ranged guy and swap em out if i like it. Since she won't be able to tell the difference between a 70 dollar combo and 400 right?? oh and i like how it says "for a premium money-saving combo" i laughed a little and is that price range going to get me something ill be at least happy with? $70-$100 maybe a little more. I will have to go up to cabela's/gander and actually look/ask around. since i know for sure the last time i was up there i saw reels alone going for more than the "wife won't let me buy" option.
If you are in my area. Check fleet farm .... they have a lot of stuff.... and check www.basspro.com (bass pro shop). Sometimes online is a great way to shop.
