I have a Shimano crestfire bantam, i am kind of new to using a baitcaster but i cant get this reel to work the greatest, my dad bought it for me for christmas and he said that it was around $50. Just wondering if anyone else has the same reel, and do you have any luck with it or did i did i get a bad reel.\?
Baitcasters are tough to get used to at first. I introduced a friend to them last year and it took him over 16 hours of fishing with it before he started becoming used to it. Of course now he loves it.
All my new baitcasters lately have been Shimano Curados so I can’t help you out on your specific reel.
I agree that baitcasters are hard to use at first and you have to make sure it is adjusted correctly for the size lure you have tied on. If you haven’t already, check the instructions that came with it to see how to adjust so it doesn’t overwind or backlash. Here is a simple rule of thumb: push the button and let the lure start to spool off line and drop toward the floor. If it doesn’t drop when you push the button, loosen the nut that controls the tension (not the same as the drag) until it starts to drop slowing but steadily. If it drops quickly and hits the floor and a bunch of lines keeps spooling off (backlash), then tighten down that nut a little to slow the drop. At that point the reel is set as well as it can be.
The other thing that can cause problems when you are new to baitcasting is putting too much wrist into the cast that whips the tip like you do with a spinning rod. I have less trouble with I use a slower whole arm type movement and not as much wrist.
I also have the Shimanno Curado and really like it, but I also have an old Shimanno Bantam that gets a lot of use.
How some of this helps.
So is it easier if i just get in the boat and start practicing a little more?
Also what is the adjustment on the opposite side of the drag, How do you adjust that?
One more question, should i start by using a heavy bait and then work my way to the smaller baits, and should you be able to cast things like small rapalas (shad raps and other floating lures)?
Don’t know if you want to read this but here is another thread on baitcasters. Baitcaster
Does anyone know where i might find an owners manual for a Shimano Bantam Crestfire 200B? Any info would be helpful
when i first started i didnt have any body to tell me what to do and didnt do any lookig around for help at all. it was all trial and error. about 10 spools of line later i finally got the hang of it. when your starting out you cant just whip it out there like a spinning reel. its takes some finesse. thats what i did the first time and there went a spool of line. i just thought that i could whip it out there as hard as i could. i think a side arm cast is easier and more accurate than an over the head. youll want to start out with your break a little tight and start out wiht a heavier lure. it depends on what rod you have too. i started out with a 6 6 mh st croix which was a little heavy for a first timer. a lighter rod will help you get that extra snap and get the bait moving a little more than a stiffer rod. also my first reel was a abu c4. again not the easist combo to get started with. i think if i started out with a lp baitcaster it think it would of been alot easier. but keep trying and dont get discouraged. and when you do get a backlash, 90% of the time they look WAY worse than they actually are. keep at it and gl. o btw try not to cast into the wind at first either. lol just my $.02
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
