Learner Baitcaster problems

[bluey123]

Hi,

I recently purchased a Daiwa Millionaire CVX253. It is a nice reel but I am having lots of problems with birdsnests. I know it is par for the course when learning to use a baitcaster.

I put 20lb Platypus pink on it and I have had heaps of problems. This line said "for experienced anglers" and I am definitely not that when it comes to baitcasters.

Would going to a less advanced form of mono help? Also, reducing the breaking strain to 12 lb or so? I am only using mono until I get the hang of it and then want to put some braid on. However, at ti's current cost I cant afford to waste it.

Any tips on using a baitcaster? I set the magnet to 8 and the doco says 6 is a good starter so I dont think a 10 would allow any reasonable distance casting.

[Lachie1]

Practise, practise and more practise!!! ;D ;D Thats what it took for me and eventually u'll get the hang of it. Also use your thumb on the spool when u cast to controll overrun

Cheers, Lachie

[bluey123]

Thanks Lachie,

[bluey123]

Thanks Lachie,

Got the thumb bit down but still get a bit of overrun. I know there is a technique there and hopefully I will eventually master it

Michael

[Wesley_Pang]

Micheal,

I've got a CVZ253 with 30lb Bionic Braid and Loomis 665 rod. I have the Mag setting at 6. The Diawa is light years ahead of the ABU 6000C I tried about a decade ago.

I'm more at home with a flyrod than a baitcaster. With a bit of practise I'm not getting too many birdnests. I use a sort of sidearm round house cast. Timing is no so critical as a overhead style.

I guess you can experiment with the Mag setting and casting styles. A casting session with an experienced caster may be of some help too. I guess it practise, practise.

Wes

[Quinny69]

If casting overhead(not to the side) stop the rod at about 11 Oclock for starters.Dont try and fire straight at the target,just gently pich the lure and keep the rod pointing up above the horizon :-/.Pretend your flicking an apple of the tip,,,,,, Hard thing to explain,maybe get some hands on tips from your local takle shop. And like every1s said PRACTICE.

[krazyfisher]

start with the mag setting on 10 and work your way down the most important thing is to not try to cast to far start casting about 8-10mtrs softly when you get that reducer mag setting I have had a few daiwa's and there biggest problem is they can be too smooth to learn with but a great reel. I also have found that birdsnests happen with mono or braid I personal found less with braid and easier to get out

[Luke]

Hi Blue,
The way I learnt was to tighten up the friction or magnetic control up tight. Put your rod tip up in the air with lure or bait on the end and then loosen off the friction until your lure starts to VERY slowly release. Retighten friction just a tad. You should be able to jig the rod up and down and the lure will fall but then stop of it's own accord again when you stop jigging. If you try this do it with different weights and you will find that you have to readjust the friction as the heavier the weight the faster the spool will spin and the quicker the weight will drop - simple just tighten up the friction for heavier weights and get the balance to slow it down. If you have it set so it comes off quick you have to be good with your thumb whereas you can let the friction control the speed(won't get as long a distance but give yourself time) until you get better and you just thumb it as it hits the water to stop the spool spinning. After all if your bait is in the water you don't really want your spool still sending out line at 100 mph. You are ready to cast but like the others said get your thumb control going and as you get better start giving yourself a little less friction. I'd get rid of the mono and stick with the braid even when learning as it doesn't have the memory problems ( personal opinion but I reckon you'll find it much easier to learn and you won't waste as much as you think). I believe they are easier to untangle than any other sort of reel-just by backspinning the spool slowly and finding the offending loop and picking it back out. Anyway my opinion good luck with it. :)
Cheers Luke

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Diito what Kray and Luke said. If you're just starting out tighten the magnets up. As you get more confident decrease the setting.
You know your ready for snag bashing when you can consistantly drop a lure into a cup every cast.

[lordy]

there are 2 main points of birdnesting

1. birdnest at the start: more practice, higher mag weight settings (or more breaks on shimano).

2. birdsnest at the end: easy fix, thumb down on the spool as the lure hits and tighten up the friction control knob.



Mag/brake weights: are little like engine rev limiters. They try to stop the reel from going too fast, normally at the start. Not a great help at the end of the cast. With the brakes the faster the reel spins the more work they do to slow it.

Friction knob: is like a handbrake its on all of the time and slows the spool gently. I doesn't help much at the start because the its a low constant pressue. As the lure slows in the air due to air resistance, it helps because it slows the spool too. When you get better you can bend/break the rule that says set it to drop the lure slowly. If you have a bulky light lure you might want to turn it up more because the wind will slow the lure faster than the spool slows, likewise a metal slug won't slow much through the air so you can back it off a bit. For now keep it done up as you have it.

The spool is a drum and you are trying to start it rolling by castly the lure. Tie a cricket ball to a full coke bottle on 3m of line, throw the cricket ball and when the slack comes out of the line the cricket ball jerks to a stop and the coke bottle jerks into movement (this is bad for a baitcaster). Try and cast smoothly, don't go for distance to start with or you tend to jerk the spool (which just makes the lure stop and the spool spin fast birdsnest). You want the lure to be pulling on the spool before you release it. Don't go hard to get distance or it'll with birdsnest, just go smooth since you are a novice. Once you get the feel of it you start loosing off the brakes to get more distance. You will get more distance with less weights than you will by belting it harder. When you get better then try and cast it harder.

[bluey123]

Thanks to all the great responses....Definitely a lot of tips there and I'll try and put them in practice next session. Who said fishos dont offer much info? This website definitely puts this theory down. (maybe we dont give up our secret spot...but then it wouldnt be a secret would it?)....In any case...thanks for all the responses.

Bluey