Promoting the Sport of Fishing

A Practical Guide to your First Baitcaster

By Alfonso K. Ajello

The baitcasting reel is an effective weapon that is available to the bass fisherman, and an important tool to have in ones arsenal. Many accomplished fishermen today use the baitcaster, with great effectiveness, but information disseminated to help the beginner is spotty at best.

This pamphlet is a one stop guide that is geared to help the beginner master this important fishing tool.

This guide will help familiarize you with: Baitcaster Anatomy Reel components and functionality Basic Casting

Why Choose a Baitcasting Reel

The baitcasting reel affords better line control than spinning reels, allowing for more accurate casting. Fisherman gain better control of the cast, enabling them to slow the lure so that it softly lands in the water without spooking nearby fish. This is critical when flipping baits into heavy cover. Baitcasters also allow you to maintain contact with the lure so that you can detect even the most subtle strikes. When it comes to cranking power, baitcasters beat spinning reels hands down. This is critical when attempting to pull a large fish out of heavy cover.

BAITCASTER ADVANTAGES Control Sensitivity Power

Getting to Know Your Baitcaster

Low-profile baitcasters are totally different than spinning reels or even a saltwater conventional reels, as the later can be used right out of the box. Low profile bait caster will require some tweaking to get them ready to cast. Before fishing a new reel, it is important to spend some time reading the manual to learn where the features lie.

Investigate Everything
The manual will help you determine where the components are located that you will be using in the field. Find the following: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Clutch Star drag Casting control knob Level wind system Spool Braking system

Most baitcasting reels utilize some sort of braking system to assist the angler in combating backlash or spool overrun during the cast. The braking system can be intimidating, but familiarizing yourself with it before you start fishing will be helpful later on. Most baitcasters utilize one or both of two different types of braking systems, either a magnetized system or a centrifugal system. Your manual will help determine which your reel has.

Baitcaster Anatomy
Low-profile baitcasters have a palm side, and a handle side. Opposite of a spinning reel, right-handed baitcasters have a handle on the right side, and left handed baitcasters have the handle on the left side. The palm side of the reel is designed to fit the contour of the hand. This comfort in hand is a primary advantage over round baitcasters. If your reel has a braking system it will be located on the palm side of the reel. The handle side of the reel contains the handle and casting control knob. Beside the handle you will find the star drag

In the center of the reel is the spool, and just behind the spool is the clutch bar, which can be depressed with the thumb to disengage the spool and pay out line so you can cast. In front of the spool is the levelwind system that guides line onto the spool evenly as you retrieve.
Levelwind System Star Drag Handle

Braking System

Spool Clutch Bar Cast Control Knob

Basic Casting
Once you have introduced yourself to the reel, the best thing to do is practice in your back yard, not on the water. Practice in a controlled environment, with no distractions, is the best way to gain confidence. Set up a target and get started. The adjustments you learn to make during backyard practice will help you avoid problem later, when you are chasing lunker bass.

Adjustment #1: Casting Control Knob

The early part of the cast, or the instant when the bait is launched, is when the casting control knob is most important. If your casting control is too loose, or free, you will backlash (tangle) early in the cast. Tighten your spool control knob all the way . Hold your lure or casting plug at just about eye level. Depress the clutch bar and watch as the bait falls to the ground by its own weight. Your bait should float in the air for a moment before beginning a slow descent. It should take 3 seconds or more for the bait to hit the ground.

Your next step is to back off the tension on the spool control knob until the bait floats freely to the ground, with minimal pressure from your thumb.
Keep in mind that if your spool is set too tight you will not be able to cast for any distance, so it is important to find a middle ground.

Adjustment 2: Braking System

The reels braking system concerns the middle part of the cast, or when the lure is traveling though the air by its own momentum. The braking system (passive braking) should allow the bait to travel through the air naturally while not allowing the speed of the spool to out pace the speed out going fishing line. First set your braking system to the maximum setting. Find the sweet spot, or the point in which the braking system makes it easiest for you to control spool rotation when your lure is traveling through the air. Try casting to a target. Remember that your braking system is set to the maximum. If you are having difficulty reaching your target, or you are getting backlash, it is because your braking system is impeding the rotation of the spool. It is now time for you to back down the braking, one increment at a time until the lure travels naturally through the air. The objective is to be able to find a point in which you can comfortably cast your lure decent distances with little effort. Braking should be subtle. it should feel like the breaking system is not involved even though it is doing its job.

If the braking is set correctly, backlash will not be occurring during the middle part of the cast when your lure is traveling forwards or upwards.

Adjustment 3: Active Braking

Active braking is the action the angler physically takes to control spool speed and avoid backlash. Because of the way the low profile baitcaster is designed the anglers thumb will instinctively get into the act during casting, and active breaking takes care of itself. If you are having trouble it is most likely because active braking is occurring at the wrong time, either too early or too late. Feathering of the spool with the thumb should occur at the point in which the lure reaches its apex, meaning when it loses upwards, or forward, momentum and is about to begin accelerating downward (late in the cast). Remember when your lure hits the water it is being stopped short. This interruption in momentum must also be accounted for. The spool should be eased to a stop as the bait hits the water. If you break too fast you will short cast, if you break too late you will backlash. The forward momentum of the lure and the forward momentum of the spool must be synchronized in order to avoid backlash.

Diagnose Your Backlash

How and when backlash occurs will tell you exactly what you are doing wrong. 1. Early in the Cast = Adjust Casting Control Knob 2. Middle of the Cast = Adjust Braking System 3. Late in the Cast = Adjust Active Braking

Choosing a Baitcaster
The first thing you should consider when choosing a baitcaster is your budget. Quality baitcasters range in price from $75 to $500. However the most critical factor to consider is the style of fishing you plan to do. Once you determine your budget go to your favorite bait & tackle store and ask to see some reels. Hold the reel in your hands to feel how it fits in your palm, ask questions to determine which reel fits your style of fishing. See if you are comfortable with the orientation of the reel components such as the clutch, spool, & drag, and you will want to see the braking system in person and get an idea of how to operate it. Attend the big fishing expos that come along in February & March. Most of the big reel manufacturers attend these shows and display all of their newest reels. They allow you to handle their reels as long as you desire, and will answer any questions you may have.

Whether you choose your favorite bait & tackle shop or you choose to wait until the next fishing expo, ask a lot of questions and have fun with the process of finding a reel that is right for you.