10-27-2004, 09:11 PM
[cool][font "Californian FB"][#005000][size 3]This weeks Field & Stream has some good advise re setting up your bait casting reel to advoid backlash. [Oh what a nasty word][/size][/#005000][/font]
BASIC SETTINGS
On the side of your reel, under the handle and next to the drag adjustment, is a small, round knob. This is the spool-tension control, sometimes called a cast-control knob. It’s analogous to the hand brake on your car. I’ve never seen a baitcaster without one, and this knob is key to your initial success.
Most manufacturers instruct you to tie a casting weight or lure—say, 3/8 ounce—to the end of your line and to then tighten the cast-control knob enough so that the lure will slowly descend to the ground when the reel is placed in free spool. Trouble is, this setting is too light for most beginners. So tighten the knob another half-turn or so before you attempt a cast.
Don’t try to thumb or otherwise control the reel spool. Just make a gentle overhead cast. If the reel backlashes, untangle it and tighten the control knob a little more. After a very few casts and adjustments of the control knob, you’ll be able to make short casts without using your thumb on the spool and without any backlashes. Your casts will be short, but at least you’re getting started.
As you continue practicing, very gradually loosen the control knob between casts and start using very gentle thumb pressure to control the spool. Most beginners will start achieving fishable casts within 20 or 30 minutes by this route, while avoiding the tangles that defeat so many novices. Very quickly, you’ll be ready to use the subtler effects of your reel’s other cast controls.
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BASIC SETTINGS
On the side of your reel, under the handle and next to the drag adjustment, is a small, round knob. This is the spool-tension control, sometimes called a cast-control knob. It’s analogous to the hand brake on your car. I’ve never seen a baitcaster without one, and this knob is key to your initial success.
Most manufacturers instruct you to tie a casting weight or lure—say, 3/8 ounce—to the end of your line and to then tighten the cast-control knob enough so that the lure will slowly descend to the ground when the reel is placed in free spool. Trouble is, this setting is too light for most beginners. So tighten the knob another half-turn or so before you attempt a cast.
Don’t try to thumb or otherwise control the reel spool. Just make a gentle overhead cast. If the reel backlashes, untangle it and tighten the control knob a little more. After a very few casts and adjustments of the control knob, you’ll be able to make short casts without using your thumb on the spool and without any backlashes. Your casts will be short, but at least you’re getting started.
As you continue practicing, very gradually loosen the control knob between casts and start using very gentle thumb pressure to control the spool. Most beginners will start achieving fishable casts within 20 or 30 minutes by this route, while avoiding the tangles that defeat so many novices. Very quickly, you’ll be ready to use the subtler effects of your reel’s other cast controls.
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