Those Baitcasters are Awesome

[CAGE RATTLER]

Cage,
I don't think you can cast farther with a BC. You can adjust the drag system, but there still is noticeable line drag during the cast. For me, distance is not the issue because I can move to position in the yak as well as actually work the bottom via jigging. For very light tackle casting, I use spinners.

Thanks for the reply.
At least I know its not me totally.
I guess I was just trying to get more out of a baitcaster than they are meant for. But I still need some practice and probably some good tips on using baitcasters properly.

I run into alot of breaking fish and bird shows out in open water and distance is important when the birds and fish are moving away and you want to try one last cast into the frenzy. Or If I dont get positioned close enough.

I'm not one of those that drive right into working birds. I try to get ahead of them and hope the school comes my direction which it usually doesnt...lol.

[OBX_RAT]

OBX,
Sure looks like you're an Abu guy. What kind of yellow line is that? One thing about Abus, they sell them in many color, so you can collect the flavors....lol

The Yellow line is 17# sufix tritanium gold and the color is Neon Gold

[MetroMan]

I have always used spinner reels, but this season I am planning on trying out bait casters. In fact, I already have two for trolling....but it's super simple to use them for trolling...so those don't count.

I'm gonna be buying a low profile bc to mate with a casting rod I picked up at the flea market. I'll probably say "f*ck this" after a few bad bird nests lol

[MTDluvsFishin]

Thanks for the reply.
At least I know its not me totally.
I guess I was just trying to get more out of a baitcaster than they are meant for. But I still need some practice and probably some good tips on using baitcasters properly.

I run into alot of breaking fish and bird shows out in open water and distance is important when the birds and fish are moving away and you want to try one last cast into the frenzy. Or If I dont get positioned close enough.

I'm not one of those that drive right into working birds. I try to get ahead of them and hope the school comes my direction which it usually doesnt...lol.

The nice thing about a baitcaster/conventional relating to distance is that you can supertune/customize them with fast bearings, different viscosities of bearing lube, and gear grease.

Doing these things allows you to refine the speed of the freespool, thus potentially increasing distance.

however....

Proper adjustment of the reel is another major factor in distance. Too many brakes / magnets (if the reel is so equipped) applied and the spool spins much slower thus robbing you of distance. Overtightening the spool tension knob and putting to much pressure on the spool shaft and the spool spins much slower.

Birdsnesting can always be an issue with conventional reels. My last trip on the surf my squall 15 looked like bozo the clown's hair when the shock knot caught on my glove. 8Nbait landed 10ft in front of me. For me two big factors (especially on low profile reels) that can help reduce birdsnesting are a trained thumb and not overfilling the spool with line.

I still get great distance with my spinning setups. The difference is when I want to try and get something a little extra I can simply turn down the amount of braking that is applied to my conventional reel and use my thumb to slow the spool when i see the "fluff" in the line.

Just my .02 cents

[Ahab]

I've been contemplating a move to a baitcaster for years, but have held to the old adage, "if it aint broke..."

I was planning to get a rig for trolling, so that I could use the free spool feature. But, after just finishing Shawn Kimbro's book on light-tackle fishing, I'm going to give it a try at jigging the bridge pilons, per his suggestion. I went middle of the road on both rod and reel to see if I could master the technique before I laid a lot of money out.

It should come in the mail either today or tomorrow - I'll keep you posted as to my progress.

[Pinch]

its more getting the rythym down than anything. Good luck!

[tufnik]

If you guys want to try light tackle BCs, I believe you will do it justice if you get a decent BC. I haven't used a "cheap" BC, but I'm guessing it won't perform as well as a more expensive one. My first low profile BC was about $140, but I got it on sale for about $80. It performed very well.

Maybe someone else can chime in on starting with a "cheap" BC. I consider "cheap" as maybe $80 or less regular retail.