First time with new baitcasting combo

Hi guys I have been using spinning reels for the past 8 years or so for my bass fishing, but today I went out and bought myself a pinnacle tetra baitcasting reel. Anyways I have never fished with a baitcaster before and I wasn’t doing very good with it today. I was getting a few birdsnest’s and wasn’t able to cast very far. Any suggestions or hints would be great. I spent a lot of money on this combo, but if I can’t get used to it I will have to exchage it for another spinnning reel. Thanks

I am no expert but my tips would be to change the spool tension for each lure you use. Simply release your spool with the lure attached and adjust the tension so that the lure has the slightest drag. Also on your casts keep an extremely light thumb pressure on the spool (extremely). The first baitcasting reel I bought I stripped the #@$% out of the gears and I’m still not sure how so take your time learning before trying to make the uber-cast

So your saying that I should set it with each different lure I use so that it just falls to the ground slowly and stops coming off the spool when it hits the ground. I think that I am understanding some more now. I will have to get back out on the water and keep playing with it. Any other suggestions welcome and thank again for the tip.

It will come in time. I remember when I first got mine, I had more birdsnests and tangles you could believe. Now I turn the tension right off and can cast a country mile. But I still get a few, some days more than others. Practice makes perfect.

A while back, I took out my boss out who wanted to learn how to run a baitcaster…

He had very little fishing experiance at all…to protect my equiptment this is what I had him do…

With the lure of choice on, tighten up the tension so that the lure wil not drop on it’s own….when pitching/throwing the lure DO NOT snap the tip, but make the 3 Oclock to 10 Oclock in a smooth motion….get this down to where you can lighten up on the tension little by little….(good point above to keep little thumb pressure) and when the lure hits the water your thumb should firm up on the spool…

soon you should be able to adjust your distance by thetension and pressure of your thumb on the spool…each lure the tension should be adjusted to it’s weight like stated above…

at the end of the day this fella was doing a very good job with my rod and reel…we were pitching cranks up on Rainy River…

good luck !!

I always adjust my tension for each lure. I hold the rod out in front of me and let the lure drop to the water, when it hits the water, the spool should stop. Also while you are learning its a good idea to watch your line when casting. As your line arcs toward the water, use your thumb to slow down the spool. Just before the lure hits the water, stop the spool. The use of a good powerline (fireline) will also help if you do birdsnest as it doesnt kink like mono does. As far as distance casting goes…unless you are using heavy lures your distance isnt going to be that great. Good luck!

I use a bait caster 90% of the time and this is what works for me.Adjust the tension on the exterior spool with the outside adjustment so when you push on the thumb bar and the lure hits the ground your spool stops turning.Also check your owners manual to see if there are internal weights that you can adjust if so adjust these according to manufactures suggestions.When you get it dialed in properly you can cast into the wind with little problems.Another hint don’t fill the spool to capacity, leave at least 3/16 of the top of the spool showing .This makes a big differance in casting and avoiding birdnests.

Now that you have all gotten good with your baitcaster do you still use your spinning reels very much. Once again thanks for all the tips I am sure they will help.

60/40 spinning to baitcaster

Once I learned to use the baitcasters, I keep my spinning reels around for people that go fishing with me. I dont ever use them. The above posts are great, very good tips. Take some time and practice, start off with short casts then work your way up to the long ones, once you get it down, you will have a blast with it, I can cast much futher with then, but always keep my thumb ready to feather the spool.

Cattin_Addict

Buy yourself a practice plug, and practice in your backyard. Hopefully, away from neighbors eyes, as they always ask hows fishing when your obviously not on the water.
Once I’ve gotten mine down, I only use a spinning reel for pitching under docks.

Practice casting at home first and get used to the reel. You don’t want to pick through a bird’s nest on the water (been there, done that). Also, I think your reel has a dual brake system – a centrifugal and magnetic control. Turn the magnetic control all the way up and get used to ‘thumbing’ the spool. Backlashes occur when the spool is spinning faster than line can be released. Controlling the spool speed is important. As you get used to the reel, turn the magnetic control down. Adjusting the spool tension is also a good way to control the spool, the lure should drop slowly – about a foot per second. As you get better at casting you’ll probably rely more on your thumb than a magnetic or centrifugal cast control. For your first few casts you might want to strip off about of hundred feet of line and place a piece of tape on the spool. That way, if (when) a backlash occurs, the tape should prevent it from digging in. And don’t get rid of your spinning reels, you’ll always find a need for those.

My advice is to not try to throw a light bait, at least until you’re an ace with the heavy baits. The best baits to learn with are rattletraps and spinnerbaits.

Start out in open water and if there is any wind, be sure it is behind you. Set tensions as stated above, and with a heavier lure, cast overhead using some arc. Stop the spool with your thumb just before it hits the water. Use a follow through motion keeping your rod tip pointed at the lure. Use an easy casting line such as stren 10-14# test. A longer rod(6’6″) with at least a 6 inch handle is easier to cast. Use both hands and be smooth. Don’t forget to use some arc at the beginning. How to get out backlashes might be a new thread.

Not to sound like a broken record, because most everything useful has been covered but I’d encourage you to keep those spinning reels available and boat ready/present because if you need to pitch anything really light, it’s just easier to ace the ol’ spinning reel than refine the art of baitcasting something too light to really pull your line off the spool properly.

As for the learning techniques, check ebay for a Shimano video…….. “Baitcasting 101”. It covers most of the points mentioned above but will add a visual example to what’s going on. Maybe go out with a friend or someone from the site here that’s really good with a caster.

I’ve been working on my “expertise” for about 4 years now and I just discovered my best experience this summer. I don’t know the differences between the Pinnacle Tetra and the Pinnacle Tara, but the Tara has a braking action that really simplifies all this “thumb contact” your being well advised of. The Tara is best set up with the Magnetic brake on 75%, adjustable brakes at 50%, and spool tension at the proper tension for your lure to begin a slow fall. With this set up, I can cast a country mile with most lures I choose, into the wind, crosswind, or with the wind, without dragging my thumb!!!

I’ve been fishing with a couple of guys on the site here that can attest to my casting distances but the Tara outperformed what those guys saw by quite a bit with no greater effort.

Practice, practice, practice…….. but I’d encourage you to work with someone that actually knows the technique well. You’ll learn better and faster than just working solely on your own.