by dahlberg » Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:39 am
HI Duke,
Thanks for the post, and kind words!
The baitcasters of today are much, much, easier to operate than the non-free spool versions I grew up with, but do take a little more skill than spinning.
One of the real keys is to make sure the rod is not too stiff and the lure is heaviy enough to easily load it.
Another is to begin every cast with the rod tip pointed at the target. Make sure you load the rod on the back cast and make a smoothly accellerating stroke, just like a good fly casting stroke. Backlashes are caused when the reel spool is spinning faster than the lure is pulling out line. I.E, as the lure slows when the lure speed begins to decay or if you launch the lure with too much gusto and the spool rpms spike.
Teaching your thumb how to mitigate these differences in speed is the secret to avoiding backlashes.
All the Shimano baitcasters have little "breaking blocks" that operate on centrifigal force. YOu can choose to engage any, all or none of the blocks (the directions that come with the reel will show you how).
If the rod and lure weight are correct for each other the centrifigal break should prevent backlashes without needing to over tighten the "end play adjustment which puts constant friction on the spool, and kills any chance of a long cast.
As your skill increases you can engage fewer and fewer blocks.
My best advice is to practice.
regards,
L
Larry Dahlberg
The Hunt For Big Fish