Baitcasters

[mikench]

I wonder how many members own one these and use it regularly. I have an Abu which is right handed and I've never really mastered it. Being an idiot I often forget to reset the magnetic and normal drag when changing lures if significant weight differences are involved.

I think a left handed reel would suit be better ie you cast with your right hand( one handed) and reel in with your left hand as I do normally with a fixed spool reel. At the moment I cast with my right hand and arm but switch to my left to reel in.

Shimano have brought out a digital electrical drag system on their Curado Baitcasters to prevent( supposedly) birds nests on an overrun and whilst I've read mixed reports on them, i wonder if anyone has used one

 

[Pete Shears]

I have a LHW multiplier for using with jerkbaits and my best suggestion is practise,practise and a bit more practise then every 6 casts secure a treble on the lure to a fence post and walk off 50 yards of line and wind back on very tightly - loose coils lead to birds nests.The other thing never mentioned is your hans controlling the spool gets soaking wet,not the best thing on a cold winters day.

 

[steve2]

I have both LHM and RHW the right hands ones are now rarely used. They were bought when LHW weren't available.
The chopping and changing hands with the RHW drives me crazy on a days lure fishing. It's like all things having they right tool for the job makes life easier.

 

[sam vimes]

I have an old Masterline Toothy Critter LHW baitcaster from the time I got brainwashed by the UK tackle industry's first big push into new styles of lure fishing (dirty great jerkbaits). I used it quite a bit until I got sick to death of catching nowt. I suspect that the current lure fishing fad is a bit more appropriate for UK waters, but I'm not remotely tempted to try it.

 

[David Gane]

As a right-handed person I've got a left-hand wind Shimano Caius reel that I use with a Savage Gear Butch light rod. It never even occurred to me to buy a right-handed wind one and I get on fine with it, although I have to admit that it's not my favourite set-up. I tend to use it most when fishing from a boat when I want a short-range sideways cast to get under low-hanging trees.

I must say though, I don't use it one-handed. Maybe I have weak wrists, but I really don't find casting that way at all satisfactory. I prefer to cast it two-handed with my left hand holding the butt of the rod. With a left-handed wind this is simple enough to do and it radically increases the casting distance.

As for drag, the reel has the magnetic system but although I have it set on a very light drag I don't bother adjusting it. Instead I find that casting with a constant very gentle thumb pressure from my right thumb on the spool works best. I think I've heard this called "the educated thumb". I feather the reel just as the cast is reaching the limit of its distance and then stop it entirely just as it hits the water to prevent over-run. You do have to watch what you're doing (ie keep a close eye on your lure as it goes through the air) but the method works perfectly well.

 

[keora]

I wonder how many members own one these and use it regularly. I have an Abu which is right handed and I've never really mastered it. Being an idiot I often forget to reset the magnetic and normal drag when changing lures if significant weight differences are involved.

I think a left handed reel would suit be better ie you cast with your right hand( one handed) and reel in with your left hand as I do normally with a fixed spool reel. At the moment I cast with my right hand and arm but switch to my left to reel in.

Shimano have brought out a digital electrical drag system on their Curado Baitcasters to prevent( supposedly) birds nests on an overrun and whilst I've read mixed reports on them, i wonder if anyone has used one

You're right - if you normally cast with your right hand, it's better to use a baitcaster with the handle on the left hand side of the rod. This is with the rod held so that the reel and the rings are on the top side of the rod.

Changing hands to switch from casting to retrieving is a pain.

I've used a Shimano Curado baitcaster a lot when lure fishing for pike, with lures from about 10 gms to about 45 gms and 35 lb bs braid. It's a very good, although it can't easily cast light lures less than about 10gms. No matter how much force you put in the cast, with a light lure you can't create enough kinetic energy to spin the spool freely.

I've never had problems with over runs and birds nests, apart from a couple of times when I first bought it. I set the brakes so that 2 or 3 of the 6 tiny cylinders in the braking mechanism are working. I rarely have to adjust them.

When I first started bait casting I bought a 6.5 ft bait casting rod with a short handle. It was terrible - a poor caster, stiff as a poker, and striking was ineffective at long distances as you can't instantly pick up a lot of line. I got rid of it and now use a conventional 9ft Drennan spinning rod.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I have both right and left hand winding baitcasters and I sometimes cast with either hand, being ambidextrous is just a matter of practice. Also, as some of us argued on here many years ago, one chap (Ron Clay I think) said "You have to develop an educated thumb." to know when to slow the spool in the initial stages of the cast and stop it as the lure hits the water. That is so true!

As has been said, with practice you can master it without all the magnetic gizmos on the reel.

 

[mikench]

Thumb are you listening?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mikench]

I'm curious as to the heaviest lure members possess and use regularly. A baitcaster needs a heavy lure to function correctly ie at least 15g. Some rods have a casting weight limit of 140g which would be some lure?

 

[steve2]

I'm curious as to the heaviest lure members possess and use regularly. A baitcaster needs a heavy lure to function correctly ie at least 15g. Some rods have a casting weight limit of 140g which would be some lure?

I have rods rated at the weight and use lure up to that size. Which when you think about it is a lot less than what we cast as dead baits.

 

[David Gane]

Steve - in my case it's not about casting massive lures, although I tend to use ones at the heavier end. As I said, I generally use my baitcaster from a boat where I will typically take four or five rods with me, made up and ready to go for a quick change. When I switch to the baitcaster it's usually to help me make a flat, sideways cast under a low tree. I find that the shortness of the rod makes it easier to achieve a flat, low cast.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

A baitcaster needs a heavy lure to function correctly ie at least 15g.

I must admit, very light lures don't work too well with a baitcaster so I would just take a spinning rod for light lures casting up to 15 or at most 20grams.

This Yankee video explains the thumb brake well.

 

[mikench]

I'm loôking at a baitcaster rod but find the specifications confusing.

This is a quote about a Gunki model
The 210cm length offers the power of 5-18g, whilst the 198cm rod offers a power of 7-21g. Each rod has a casting weight around 129g.

I always understood that the power figures were the recommended casting weights so where does the much higher figure of 129g come in?

Ps. I think the 129g relates to the weight of the rod. It's the AD site.

 

[steve2]

Not really sure but in the AD write up it says casting weight 129g

Try this website it may be more helpful.

La nature pour passion - Gunki › 25-how-choose-gunki-rods-reels

 

[mikench]

Thanks Steve, a similar rod has a casting weight guide of 7-28g and it's weight is described as a similar figure. I think AD have got it wrong.

The website then says a max casting weight of 35g. Why not describe the rod as a 7- 35 g then?

 

[terry m]

I use an ABU Baitcaster very regularly, it is paired with a 60-100g 9Ft lure rod and they work great together. Must confess that many of the lures are closer to150g but still works well.

When lure fishing also carry a 10-40g spinning rod with a Shimano Exage FS reel.