New To Baitcasting Reels
I purchased an Abu Garcia Black Max on eBay a few days ago and tested it out today. This was my first time ever using a baitcasting reel. I cast it a few times with the brakes all the way on, but then when I turned the knob off a little, I got backlash. I was just thinking, if I am using heavier lures, will I need to keep my thumb on the spool to slow it down some or are the brakes going to be doing all the work for me? Is there anything wrong with my reel or is this how it should be?
Practice, practice, practice.....
Nobody gets it the first time. If it has brakes, turn them all on. Adjust the tension knob. First start out with heavier weights. You don't have to cast with all you might. Just take simple cast. Get use the your thumb pressure.
Practice, practice,practice, and then practice some more.....
Thanks. I'm pretty sure it is a tension knob and not brakes, but I'm really not sure of the difference.Originally Posted by fish4keep
it has brakes, its the knob on the left. The knob on the right is the tention.
Is the tension knob going to do anything? And I'm pretty sure it is the opposite. Tension knob on the right and brakes on the left. I have a right handed reel.
Read the manual if it came with one. That will explain some of the technical jargon and tell you how to set it up. You will understand the inner workings of the reel a lot better afterward, and then you can understand how to set it up to cast differently depending on your situation.
Basic way to tell if your settings are correct is to put the reel into free spool and the let the lure/weight drop from the height of the rod. Don't touch the spool while it is dropping. If the reel backlashes when the lure hits the ground you need to adjust your settings. If it has a smooth, controlled drop without backlash you are good to go.
The "brakes" are to control backlash at the beginning of the cast. The "tension knob" controls backlash at the end of the cast. I'll assume you got the backlash after your lure hit the water? If so, tighten the tension control knob to minimize that, like BSP said, you want the lure to drop in a controlled manner. Keep practicing, it'll come.
Last edited by klocked; 09-25-2009 at 10:03 PM.
There was no manual because I got it factory reconditioned. I think it might backlash when it hits the ground even if I have the brakes all the way on with a heavier lure.
I got backlash in the middle of the cast. I always stop my spool with my thumb as it hits the water.
Every reel casts differently.... You should always keep some sort of thumb pressure on the spool. Even the lightest amount of pressure makes a difference. Like bsp said...you should adjust your spool tension(knob on the right of the reel) with your rod at a 45 degree angle to where if you take your thumb off the spool, your lure/weight will fall slowly and not backlash when it hits the ground. Ive been using baitcasters and conventional reels for a few years and still backlash every now and then. Dont give up!
Start with a 1/2oz weight. Nothing heavier, nothing lighter. Turn on your brakes all the way, keep on casting, and as you get better, slowly turn them off.
Yes, you will need to apply your thumb. The more brakes you have on, the less thumb you need, but you still need it regardless.
On a right handed reel, the brakes are on the left and the tension knob is on the right. The brakes are for abrupt tensioning or untentioning of the spool and the knob does the same, but is much more subtle. Think of it as the coarse and fine focus of a microscope.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote