# Bait cast backlash... how not to?



## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

I have never used a bait cast reel in my life, but just went and bought an outfit to cast for Musky.

I'm starting to get it figured out, after having the line backlash about 10 times... figured out that the spool tension has to be 'just so' to allow the bait to go, and the reel to stop - but sometimes when I think I got it... it does it again!?

Can someone give me some idea what I 'should' be doing to minimize or eliminate the backlash?!

Oh... it's a Abu Garcia (model doesn't come to me) with a thumb release, and 80 lb. braided line. I'm throwing light weight surface spinners (probably .7 ounces) up to about 3+ ounce lures.

I guess practice makes perfect - but there's a heck of a lot more to pay attention to, vs. an open face spin-cast!

~ Rainbow


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I'm going to keep an eye out on West Branch for the guy trying to cast a big musky outfit picking out his backlashes.

Seriously tie on your lure you're trying to cast. Adjust your spool tension knob (or whatever it is called) till your lure slowly drops to the ground.
Do thise each time you change lures.
You should have that knob under your drag star wheel if you're using a 6500.
Also for practice you can cast your lure out as far as possible and put a piece of tape across your line and spool. 
That way if your lure hits the water and stops and your spool keeps spinning because you didn't stop it with your thunb in time, the line will stop and not backlash.
Good luck trying to cast a light weight lure with a musky telephone pole and 80 lb braid. 
Practice with your heavier lures first and work your way up to the lighter lures.
I still cannot throw a jig with my baitcasters.


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## Pike (Apr 7, 2004)

Good advice by Lewzer, a couple other things to try.

1. Use your thumb and feather the spool as you cast. This will take practice but you will always want to maintain slight contact with the line. Once you practice this and get the feel for it, the brake on your reel will not be as important. A friend of mine actually removes the brake from his reels.

2. Not sure what kind of rod you have set up with your Abu, but if it has a fast tip let the rod do the work. I see a lot of people just try to hard. Relax a little. 

Pike


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## Lynxis (Sep 21, 2009)

Ive used a baitcaster for going on 15 years now. Every now and then, with a fresh spool of braid, ill get a backlash.

Have to cut out the backlash, and then ill never get another backlash with it.

Maybe has something to do with large amounts of line on the spool making more momentum... or fresh line having different properties than used... who knows.

Point is, you could be doing everything right, and still get one.... at least it seems that way to me.


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## xxpinballxx (Jul 18, 2010)

Im in the same boat as you Rainbow....but I was there last summer. I bought a cheap baitcaster just cause it seemed to be the next level of reels. I always used open faced.
I read up on spooling it and got the line on with the right amount of tension. Used a slightly heavier lure than I would have liked cause I knew at first it was easier to use with some weight to it. I still got birds nests every cast for about 6 hours! I could not get the hang of it.....Making sure the tension was right on the drag system to where it very slowly dropped and everything. After one day of that I gave up on the hobby that summer. I was just so frustrated. 
I went out and got a open faced this year and am back having fun and enjoying fishing again. I recently picked my baitcaster up from my nephews house and am wanting to get back to practicing in the backyard but not sure its something I'm cut out for. 

Hope this thread helps us both out!


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## fshnfreak (Feb 24, 2007)

u also need to adjust your spool break which should be the knob on the same side as the reel handle when u loosen it the spool turns faster and when u tighten it the spool slows down. adjust your brake so that when u release the spool the lure falls at a rate of speed slow enough that the spool will stop when the lure hits the ground or water. keep in mind this wont stop backlashing but will help tremendously. its also very important to keep your thumb on the spool at all times just easing up on the pressure while your lure is in flight and increasing the pressure before your lure hits the water. i realize most of this has already been discussed but i couldnt help myslef since i was in the same boat 6 years ago. now im not tryin to brag but with the right gear i am casting 1/8-1/4oz lead heads and 3" twister tails during the river run for walleye with my bait casting gear. while everyone else is playin and losin those spring eyes im winchin em in with 10lb test.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Get a casting plug and practice with that. Make sure it is heavy enough to cast easily. Light lures are harder to cast with big baitcasters.

Set the spool tension knob and then set the brakes. I don't know if your Abu has the mag brakes, the dual braking, or the non-adjustable centrifugal brakes like in the C3. Without the model, it is hard to help you further. It is round or low profile?


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Thanks for all your suggestions!

At least now I don't feel like a complete idiot... and it seems it's a pretty common problem for newbies to baitcasters.

As for the model - it's blue, so just looking at Abu Garcia's web page... I believe it's a Ambassadeur® C4 Series.

But something I didn't know - and the sales person didn't mention - is that there are right OR left handed reels!? Open face reels can be changed to either - at least the ones I've used.

It was odd that I would be casting with my right hand and then have to change up (in mid flight) to get my right hand on the handle!? I normally cast with my right hand and reel with my left hand... it wasn't a major pain, but not real comfortable or natural either!?

The sales guy seemed to know what he was doing, and knew about Musky fishing - can't understand why he didn't even ask about the right / left handle or how I like to reel?! (Gander Mountain in Twinsburg).

One thing I still have to look at is the star drag though.
I had the line spooled at the store when I bought it.

As I was on the water and reeling, I noticed that the handle was 'cocked' and it looked like the nut holding the handle and star assembly was on crooked.

It also seemed that the star drag was REALLY tight in both directions, but it also seemed to be working!? At least that part of it I was familiar with from using trolling reels, with star drags and counters.

I still haven't taken it off or looked at it to get that straightened out.
I just hope the nut (hardware and the guy who put it back on) didn't strip the threads there!?

I think I need to go back to where I bought it and exchange it.

Through trial and error, I pretty much had already figured I HAD to keep my thumb on the thread, and would apply hard pressure as soon as the lure hit the water.

I had also figured out the part about adjusting tension so that the lure would drop slowly to the water.


So... thanks again for all your repsonses!
I'm sure I'm on the right track and just have to get a couple things straightened out - other than my line and handle - and I'll be fishing instead of struggling with backlashes!


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Lynxis said:


> Ive used a baitcaster for going on 15 years now. Every now and then, with a fresh spool of braid, ill get a backlash.
> 
> Maybe has something to do with large amounts of line on the spool making more momentum... or fresh line having different properties than used... who knows.
> 
> Point is, you could be doing everything right, and still get one.... at least it seems that way to me.


Interesting...
I had the line put on when I bought it from bulk, by the sales person.
It seemed to be the right amount of line - and I looked at that - but that's good to know!


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Pike said:


> Good advice by Lewzer, a couple other things to try.
> 
> Not sure what kind of rod you have set up with your Abu, but if it has a fast tip let the rod do the work. I see a lot of people just try to hard. Relax a little.
> 
> Pike


The rod is (I think) a Heavy Fast Action, St. Croix 7.5'.
For spending $300 bucks I sure don't know much about my outfit do I?!
Actually I wasn't really 'shopping' for a musky outfit - I had gone in to by some flies... but they don't sell bulk flies any more. I've been 'thinking' about buying a musky outfit, and 'just like that'... spur of the moment - hair up my ass - decided 'Hey - I could really use a musky setup!' LOL

Didn't even care how much or what - exactly - just knew it would be a baitcaster and heavier rod for 1-6 ounce lures (ended up with a rod for 1-3 ounces), but I like St. Croix rods - have used their fly rods for years and the Wild River Salmon / Steelhead rod.

I had already looked at the Abu Garcia reels, and that seemed to be as good as any place to start!?


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Lewzer said:


> I'm going to keep an eye out on West Branch for the guy trying to cast a big musky outfit picking out his backlashes.


Yeah... that'd be me!!! LOL


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

Lefty reels are much better....IMO.


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## Lynxis (Sep 21, 2009)

with a large rod, i dont know that switching hands is that big of a deal.

put your left hand low on the handle, put your right hand on the reel.

cast with both hands, and as its coming down start moving your left hand up into position.

after the lure splashes, engage the reel with your right hand.

its natural after you do it for a while.


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Lynxis said:


> with a large rod, i dont know that switching hands is that big of a deal.
> 
> put your left hand low on the handle, put your right hand on the reel.
> 
> ...


Yeah... you're right!
Once I got used to it (remember, I've never used a bait caster until now) - it was pretty natural - and easy. In fact, later that day I was using a spinning outfit and found myself wanting a baitcaster. Now I need to get one for bass and learn how to do some flippin'!!? LOL


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

I recently just got back into baitcasting (after a few year break, due to all the frustration!!) So I feel your pain! 

What helped for me, (after I learned how to hone in the right breaking pressure for each lure, etc..) was to watch how the pros casted with it (youtube, or wherever.) To me, it's a _*completely*_ different casting motion than when using spinning gear. Watch how Kevin Van Dam chucks a spinnerbait with one, you'll see what I mean.

Think of your thumb as the clutch on a manual transmission car. From a stop(beginning of a cast,) if you let it out too fast, you stall (backlash.) Take too long to let it out, you slowly putz forward (short cast.) The key is to vary your thumb's pressure according to the strength of your cast!

Also, when first starting out, dont try to cast as hard as you can -- you're just askin for trouble. Get a feel for it with moderate casts first, then work your way up.


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## AbuGarciaFan (Jun 21, 2010)

whjr15 said:


> I recently just got back into baitcasting (after a few year break, due to all the frustration!!) So I feel your pain!
> 
> What helped for me, (after I learned how to hone in the right breaking pressure for each lure, etc..) was to watch how the pros casted with it (youtube, or wherever.) To me, it's a _*completely*_ different casting motion than when using spinning gear. Watch how Kevin Van Dam chucks a spinnerbait with one, you'll see what I mean.
> 
> ...



thats actually pretty good advice. good analogy. thats how i started. now i do pretty well with a baitcaster. but i still have to train my thumb better so i can turn the brakes completely off. my question is do pros or guys that are VERY good with baitcasters eventually even turn the spool tension knob "off"? is it it correct for everyone to set the spool tension knob to where the lure drops to the ground at a slow but steady drop even for pros?


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Well, after a little more practice, and the tips here - and reading the manual that came with the reel... I've got it pretty much figured out.

As for the tension, the manual that comes wth the reel, says to adjust the tension for every lure, so that when you give the tip of the rod a slight jerk - the lure should move about 10" to start off. Once you start casting, you can adjust it slightly.

One thing I found is that as the line comes off the spool during the cast, if it has any slack, you run the risk of getting backlash. So, with each adjustment, keep an eye on the line to see if it's got free-flying slack as it comes off the spool... I have now learned to use both the tension and thumb pressure.

I keep my thumb on the spool as I cast, with just enough pressure to help keep the line tight and not flying off.

I also found that unraveling is easier if you take the main line to the lure, and pull it back over the spool and out the back of the reel (so it's unwinding from under the spool). Sometimes it's a matter of going backward and then forward, to locate the spot it got caught. It's almost impossble to wind it up or pull it out from the front of the reel. Of course, that's also probably easier with 80 lb. line too.

As for casting, I've found that it works best if I cast straight overhead, from 10-2 o'clock and 'snap' the rod tip... rather than trying to side cast as I would with a spinning outfit. Not that it can't be done... it just works better for me if I keep the reel upright, rather than sideways. Who's Kevin Van Dam?! Isn't he that kick boxing dude in the movies?! (Just kidding)

Good advice here from all... thanks for your feedback!


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

Rainbow said:


> As for casting, I've found that it works best if I cast straight overhead, from 10-2 o'clock and 'snap' the rod tip... rather than trying to side cast as I would with a spinning outfit. Not that it can't be done... it just works better for me if I keep the reel upright, rather than sideways.


Exactly! Using the centrifugal force to gain momentum rather than the "start at 2 o'clock and snap" medthod, for me, is much much much easier and wayyyy more efficient! (Which is what I was talking about when I mentioned a different casting motion.)

And once you get better, try slightly loosening the brake (not TOO much though!) I like mine to be set to where the lure will fall freely (from a straight drop,) but will stop within an inch or 2 after hitting the water. The tight brake where the lure only drops when shaking is more for just starting out, and will result in far shorter casts. 

But of course, like everything else, it's all a matter of preference -- once one actually learns the art of no backlashes!! LOL


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Lewzer said:


> Also for practice you can cast your lure out as far as possible and put a piece of tape across your line and spool.
> That way if your lure hits the water and stops and your spool keeps spinning because you didn't stop it with your thunb in time, the line will stop and not backlash.


I can not stress enough how well this works to eliminate big backlashes. I taught my son this way 20 years ago and used in on all of my fathers reels when he got on in age and things didn't work as well as they used to.

This technique is not just for practice. Leave the tape on all the time. If you happen to get a big fish that pulls line the tape just pulls up and more line goes out.

This does not eliminate backlashes but it great minimizes them and backlashes are confined to only the amount of line before the tape. Easy to get out


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## Flashball (Aug 26, 2009)

All great advice. The settings are important by lure weight as mentioned, and the test drop of the bait when it hits ground should also stop, or nearly stop the spool from spinning as whjr15 mentioned.

Also make an adjustment based on wind. Casting into makes a difference as the lure will slow down while the spool keeps spinning at the set rate. The side arm cast works well into the wind for me because of a lower starting point.

Quality of reel plays a huge role. Cheaper models controls fall out of adjustment after a few casts. Better ones hold the settings longer. I use nice mid-price Pflueger Presidents.


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## Fishin365 (Feb 3, 2009)

what part of the cast are you getting the backlash? beginning or end?

1. if at the beginning of your cast, adjust the magnets or centrifugal brakes. Since it is an Abu, this adjustment is not available unlesl you have the version with magnets.

2. if it is at the end of the cast, adjust the spool tension near the handle. just as described before, set it so the bait falls slowly. you may have to go even tighter since you are throwing heavy baits.

i have been using baitcasters since i was 6 years old (22 years ago). i have had my share of backlashes, trust me. i can now throw 1/16 oz jigs for crappie farther than an ultralight with 4 lb test line. it is a skill that won't be mastered in a day, year or several years. just like fishing.


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## Rainbow (Oct 24, 2005)

Fishin365 said:


> what part of the cast are you getting the backlash? beginning or end?


Usually at the end, but sometimes in the middle of the cast - when it happens... but like I said, it's happening less often now that I know how to start off. Tension and thumb pressure were the two major culprits.


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## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

When I'm throwing heavy baits (pike or Musky) I have it set so that It BARELY falls on its own from the rod tip. Some times i even have to jiggle the rod a little to get it to go. With the heavy baits I would rather loose a little distance instead of having backlashes! When I got my first baitcaster I had a backlash on one of my first few casts.......Once the lure got the the end of the line it snapped right off and I lost it! Never again!


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## WPM (Jun 9, 2006)

Fishin365 said:


> what part of the cast are you getting the backlash? beginning or end?
> 
> 1. if at the beginning of your cast, adjust the magnets or centrifugal brakes. Since it is an Abu, this adjustment is not available unlesl you have the version with magnets.
> 
> ...


I started to say "No way! A 1/16 oz jig can't develop the inertia to start a freespool spinning", but then I remembered a technique I heard about years ago in which you actually START the spool with your thumb, which results in even less drag than an open-face. Is that what you do? Talk about a learning curve - don't think I could ever master that! ("Course, I gotta ask what kind of baitcasting rod you use for pitching crappie jigs.) 

As for the RH/LH issue: my buddy and I both switched to LH reels years ago so we wouldn't have to switch hands. But one year in Canada (aka The Vacation of 10,000 Casts) I discovered that it's nice to give my right arm a break once in a while. I was using my old Speed Spool (RH) and developed a technique that I now find totally comfortable. I keep my left hand in the "retrieve position" at all times and use my left thumb to feather the line. When I cast, I use my right hand, placed below the left, to supply most of the power for the cast. With my left hand as a fulcrum, I can get plenty of energy from almost any position with very little effort. When the lure lands, my left hand is already in position and my right just starts reeling.


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