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Stickmarsh / Farm 13

When I ask this question at the seminars I have hosted as to which reel most anglers prefer to use most hands go up for the spinning reels. When I ask for the hands for bait casters along with the hands comes the one word that all seem to say at once BACKLASH!!!

    I myself started throwing a bait caster reel some 35 years ago. They have come a long way since then for keeping the notorious backlash from happening. But with hours of practicing  either in the yard or better yet on the water I got better and better at it so that I prefer this type of reel over a spinning reel ninety percent of the time. What I want to do is to maybe help someone by explaining some facts and techniques to both of these reels as to making life easier for the angler in mind.

 BAIT CASTING REELS

    Most newer reels these days have pretty much made the backlash goes away and user friendly. There are two reasons for this. If you look at the reel you will find a control knob that is next to the reel handle. This knob will control how tight or loose the user can make the spool revolve when the thumb bar is engaged for a cast. Each and every time you change out lures it must be adjusted. With this in mind let's say you have a lure tied onto the line. Releasing the thumb bar and letting the lure fall slowly towards the floor the line should stop as the lure touches the floor when set correctly. If the lure hits the floor and the spool keeps going the line will over ride itself on the spool which in turn a backlash is formed. Reeling the lure up again, this time turning the knob slightly and dropping the lure once again you will see if this is corrected or another adjustment is needed. What you don't want is the lure to drop and not get to the floor either.

    Now that we have the first part mastered lets look at the next important part of the reel for cast control. Usually on the opposite side of the cranking handle will be a access side plate that you can open and get to the spool of your reel. When you open this side plate you will notice your brake system which will have five or six weights. The casting characteristics of the reel is easily modified by switching all or a combination of the weights "on" or "off".

    To turn a weight on simply push the weight out from the center towards the outer rim. I usually have two weights on at all times even though I have been throwing these reels for over 35 years. A beginner may want four out of the six on until they become more accustom to the reel. These weights come in handy on windy days as well. If the wind is blowing you can have more weights on so the backlash don't happen as much while tossing the lure into the wind. Keep in mind that the more weights you have on your distance will diminish.

    I feel that my accuracy is far more controllable when casting up against mangrove shore lines or docks as my thumb can control when I want the spool to stop. I also believe the use of these reels and a quality rod can fight a big fish away from structure better than a spinning combo can.

SPINNING REELS

    As I said earlier I do use a spinning reel about ten percent of the time. I like to throw this type of combo when the wind is blowing or I am throwing a light lure. This is by far the best way to get distance with a lighter lure.

    There isn't as much to do with a spinning reel compared to a bait caster to control the line as it comes off the spool. But there is a technique that I used to control my cast much like using my thumb on the casting reel. When I am tossing lures next to structure or a sighted fish I use a technique called " Feathering The Line ". What is meant by this is as you cast  towards the object in mind and the lure gets closer to it take your free hand ( the one that's not holding onto the rod ) and keep it close to the spool of the reel and let the line gently slap your fingertips as it comes off the spool. Just before the lure goes into the brush or onto the dock simply put the free hand onto the spool, this will stop your lure from going into the structure. With practice you can get the same results for cast control as a bait casting rig. by trying this.

    All in all the most important part of all this is practice, practice and practice to make a good day a great day for fishing.

Copyright © 2005 [Indian River Adventures]. 

All rights reserved. Revised: 28 January, 2006 .