Baitcast reels....is it just me?

[Timbaux65]

Ever see those guys on tv using baitcast reels throwing spinner baits like they weight a half a pound? The lure goes an easy 100 feet..effortlessly.

Me..I get a baitcast reel, and if I am not throwing a weighted worm, it either doesn't go very far..or it birdnests when I really push it.

I had a Procaster 2 many years ago and it was fine..but the three or four ohers I have had were like fishing with a Penn 109. Is it just me, or what?

[cal okeefe]

  HEY SHARON heres a spincast reel or what i call a openface reel.. this is not mine just a example

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Ive never liked baitcasters much... at least not for casting. I like them when I don't have to cast much, like pier fishing or when fishing below a boat.

Now I have a couple of nice ones, a Quantum and a Shakespeare. They have al the bells and whistles, friction and magnetic spool controls - and all that. But I dont use them for panfishing.

[Timbaux65]

I am primarily sacalait and bass fisherman seasonally. From spring to Fall, I am mostly going for panfish. When it turns cold, I shift over to bass and sacalait. I am an avid flyrod fisherman. Someone on the site sent me some home made files, and they were of professional quality. I got a decent sized tacklebox....

 

Still.....

 

There are days when panfish are not biting. Sometimes I enjoy the challenge of plastic worm and softbait fishing. For wormfishing, the baitcast reel is the ultimate.

 

I just have a hard time finding one that can cast the lighter stuff. For those of you who know bass fishing baits, the pro bass dude who showed up yesterday was throwing a Zoom Brush hawg plastic bait with no weight. He was doing this with a baitcast reel.

 

Makes me wonder..i bet, though, he paid $300 for that sucker.

[Tomas Daniel]

baitcasters are irreplacable in certain applications. i bass fish with nothing else. the ability to cast like the guys on t.v. requires the right equiptment, set up correctly and countless hours of experience.

[Timbaux65]

So............ I went out to spillway..not in boat. Just stand on side .

Put the Millionaire to use...first time actually on the water with it.

I knew it needed a little weight from my front yard practicing.

Tied on a lucky 13. Went to cast..it didn't go but 15 feet..and it swung way over to the side. I put a work and sinker on it instead..a little better..but still not good.

I then reared back and swung the rod sidearmed as hard as I could..it went a good ways but you don't make more than 2 or 3 casts like that at 46 yrs old.

Then I tried something..threw it again with all I had and didn't thumb it...the thing didn't birdnesst. The spool is so tight u don't need to thumb your cast.

Its going bac to Amazon.com

[Tomas Daniel]

there should be a brake knob on thcrank side of the reel. this adjusts the brakes on the spool....lefty loosey, righty tighty.....be careful though...too loose is worse than too tight.

[Timbaux65]

I'm telling ya,I tried to birdnest it..I been fishing with baitcasters for 30 years. . One big improvment over the older reels is when u go to cast..the wormgear that moves the line guide back and forth disengages so there is no drag on the cast..no resistance.

Th Milllionare and the Ambassadors do not have this feature. Stillll the reel wouldn't ast. Dsending it back to amazon.

[Timbaux65]

I loosened that ajdustment all the way out, screwed it back in slowly to where the spool was moving the most..and troed to cast. Its tight. Won't birrdnest.

[Dwayne Denison]

Alec, what is the lightest line you have used on this reel?

[Dwayne Denison]

here is  a good vid about baitcaster setup

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33zL1BI0oW8

[Timbaux65]

Really, its the reel itself, not the user. Some reels dont have the free spool that allows the bait to go out without resistance. I knew when I took the reel out the box it was going to do this. Its almost like casting with an old Penn reel.

I am going to get the Bass Pro reel thats on sale for 79 bucks. Supposed to be pretty good. The Daiwa Millionaire was disappointing, because it cant cast the lighter stuff, but that reel is smooth and strong. I loved it otherwise. It would be good for saltwater for sure.

[Ryan McCaw]

Baitcasters are just better for heavier weights and spinners for the tiny bait and lures we typically use. Yes, the baitcaster can be adjusted and with a LOT of practice you can become proficient. My question is why make it so hard on yourself? Get a spinning reel and have some fun catching big bluegill instead of fighting your equipment all day. I use baitcasters for bass and that is about all. You can can out spinners and worms alone, but those baits are still around 1/4 oz which is about the lower limit of a baitcaster (generally speaking).

I mostly use spinning gear and proud of it.