Baitcaster snapping line ??

[smidsy]

Hi All,

I wanted to buy a Shakespeare Agility rod combo as I got one, and like it. Long story short, they are only available with a baitcaster reel now, so I thought it was about time I learnt to use one, as I cast squid jigs a lot.

https://www.catch.com.au/product/sha...combo-6982169/

Anyway, I dont think a baitcaster is good with a squid jig, the jig is too light, but I did buy a load of different lures, from BCF, Anaconda, Kmart and Big W and was having fun learning how to cast lures.

I put Dangan 25lb braid on it, as I wanted a very thin braid, but I dont think its very durable ?

Problem is, I cast, and I get the usual birds nests occasionally as I learn how to use it, but sometimes, especially if I make an aggressive cast, the line will just snap right off !

It has cost me lots of lures, some expensive, some cheap, but its just painful !

I may have damaged the braid on rocks, but that doesnt explain why the line just jams on a cast ?

What am I doing wrong ? Ive watched you tube vids, and they all talk about birds nests, but no one talks about the reel snapping the line ?

Is it me, the reel, the line ? Any ideas ?

[alleycat]

Tighten your cast control, some say tighten so when you click the spool the lure falls to the floor and stops when it makes contact but i find nothing is lost cast wise by tightening it just a tad more past this point..

[stevej]

Id say that outfit is too heavy for what your trying to do
it’s more of a cod type casting outfit for Spinnerbaits and heavier lures

12 pound braid and need a slightly longer rod to get some casting distance
You can cast lures that weigh 1/3 the weight of a squid jig on an appropriate outfit
To start with tighten the spool tension so when you click it the jig slowly falls to the floor
loosen it as you get better

[smidsy]

Id say that outfit is too heavy for what your trying to do
it’s more of a cod type casting outfit for Spinnerbaits and heavier lures

12 pound braid and need a slightly longer rod to get some casting distance
You can cast lures that weigh 1/3 the weight of a squid jig on an appropriate outfit
To start with tighten the spool tension so when you click it the jig slowly falls to the floor
loosen it as you get better

I'm new to baitcasters, so trying to understand ?

You mean the rod/reel combo is a heavy combo, but you then recommend I downgrade to 12 pound braid ? I dont understand that ?

I have given up on using squid jigs, although I did get better at it, and can use them if I want to, but the egg beater works better. But now im talking about other lures.

I tighten the spool tension as suggested, but I find casting distance is very affected, so I slowly loosen it out, and pay more attention to thumbing the reel, to get a better cast.

If I mess this up, I get a birdsnest as a reward, so thats fine, I can accept that, fu3k up, and get punished, get it perfect and get rewarded with a lovely effortless(looking) long cast !

Also, I start my first cast with a high brake setting, or a medium brake setting, and adjust between med to high. Anytime I have ever reduced the brake below med, it has ALWAYS birdnested regardless or lure weight, unless reel tension is so high you cant cast more than 10 to 15 meters.

So, Ive done my research, but im still learning, but what I dont get, is say I really want to kick it it in the guts, and give it a real aggressive cast, the line will just snap off !

On some occasions, it wont be an aggressive cast, it just a regular cast, and 3/4ths into the cast the line just snaps closed. Sometimes it breaks the line, and sometimes it doesnt, and the lure will just drop as if I have stopped the cast with my thumb.

Im wondering if the magnetic brake could be too sharp maybe ?

[stevej]

The line snaps from two reasons
its it wound back on under tension and loose loops form or when it birds nests the sudden stopping of the spool snaps the line

Light braid is easier to cast lighter weights with

what size lures are you trying to cast now ?
don’t keep changing settings just do cast after cast it can take thousands of casts to get to use to it and even then people still get overruns
Are you thumbing the spool or just relying on the mechanical aids ? , you use your thumb to control distance and spool control
I have all the brakes off and very light spool tension and thumb pressure does everything else

[smidsy]

The line snaps from two reasons
its it wound back on under tension and loose loops form or when it birds nests the sudden stopping of the spool snaps the line

Very specific question, does that happen to everyone, on all reels ?

So, when you use a baitcaster, do you just accept that occasionally, sometimes you will throw your favourite lure into the water and never see it again ?

Like, im wondering if thats just the way it is, or is it because I got a cheap bait caster ?

[stevej]

No you don’t expect it to happen
but it can happen same as a spinning reel

lol wait till you see $100 worth of swimbait go flying off into the sunset

[alleycat]

Very specific question, does that happen to everyone, on all reels ?

So, when you use a baitcaster, do you just accept that occasionally, sometimes you will throw your favourite lure into the water and never see it again ?

Like, im wondering if thats just the way it is, or is it because I got a cheap bait caster ?

Smidsy it should not happen, i use 5kg braid on my little Shimano stile baitcaster casting 3/th oz jigheads i can cast as far or further than with a spinning reel, take your outfit to a top quality tackle store and they should be able to work it out and help you..

[Volvo]

Birdsnests as you call them , Line not wound tight enough on your spool when you first loaded spool or line getting caught on a guide as you cast as well as all previousely mentioned can cause this to happen.

[stevej]

i should rephrase that as not wound on under enough tension

[chris69]

i should rephrase that as no wound on under enough tension

Yer squid jigs have no bibs so there’s no tention while retrieving there’s the start of his problems.

[Lovey80]

Yer squid jigs have no bibs so there’s no tention while retrieving there’s the start of his problems.

yep this is what cost me some lures when I first had a bait caster. I don’t own any these days.

Smidsy, take a larger lure with a bib and go for a slow troll up the river. Let all the line out and wind it all back on under decent tension. That should solve half the problems.

[disorderly]

Yep my money is also on the braid not been wound on under correct tension..

Its a mystifying and frustrating phenomenon that can do your head in and cost you both money and fish till you figure it out.. ...

First time 15 yrs back I blamed the new braid and respooled with a new brand of braid which fixed it of course...
Didnt happen again till last year when my missus new spin reel caught a tree branch driving up the driveway and just about spooled her reel after a couple hundred metres so when I walked back with the rod to retrieve the line along the driveway I obviously didnt have enough tension...

Next trip missus started to get busted off on relatively small fish but because I had bought 2 identical new reels I knew it wasnt the braid and went over her rod and guides closely thinking that might be the issue but couldnt find anything....it wasnt till the guy at the tackle shop suggested the tension would likely be the issue that the problem was solved....he unspooled and respooled it which of course fixed the problem....

[smidsy]

I don’t own any these days.

You dont own any, so you gave up on them altogether ?

Yep my money is also on the braid not been wound on under correct tension..

Its a mystifying and frustrating phenomenon that can do your head in and cost you both money and fish till you figure it out.. ...

First time 15 yrs back I blamed the new braid and respooled with a new brand of braid which fixed it of course...
Didnt happen again till last year when my missus new spin reel caught a tree branch driving up the driveway and just about spooled her reel after a couple hundred metres so when I walked back with the rod to retrieve the line along the driveway I obviously didnt have enough tension...

Next trip missus started to get busted off on relatively small fish but because I had bought 2 identical new reels I knew it wasnt the braid and went over her rod and guides closely thinking that might be the issue but couldnt find anything....it wasnt till the guy at the tackle shop suggested the tension would likely be the issue that the problem was solved....he unspooled and respooled it which of course fixed the problem....

I'm putting new braid on it today. When putting it on, I can hold the line with a cloth for tension. but how tight should it be ?

Im thinking reasonably tight, as if I was pulling in small medium size fish ?

[Lovey80]

You dont own any, so you gave up on them altogether ?



I'm putting new braid on it today. When putting it on, I can hold the line with a cloth for tension. but how tight should it be ?

Im thinking reasonably tight, as if I was pulling in small medium size fish ?

I have a couple of Shimano calcuttas left over that I now use on my offshore bait jigging rods. After a while I realised that I could pitch a lure 99% as effectively/accurately as any bait caster can, yet there’s never a birds nest and those times I want to really cast it as far as possible I can just have crack without worrying about all the BS that comes with bait casters. Now it’s spin reels all the way unless I’m trolling offshore.

P.S. I’ve cut down on the different types of combos I own but really stepped up the quality on the spin gear. A 5000 Shimano Stella is a thing of beauty. Sure it’s over matched for a lot of river/dam stuff but it covers so many bases. If they brought this reel out with a bait runner function, I’d buy two more tomorrow.