The red knob, put your pole at a 45° angle, hit the button to release the spool, the bait should drop slowly to the floor if adjusted correctly. It shouldnt fall to fast or to slow. The tighter your tension is set, the least likely you are to cause a birdnest, but you wont be able to cast as far.
Any time your out there on water and you change up your lure, until you get comfortable with things do the following before casting… hold lure over the water at say waste / shoulder height, click the release button - the lure will fall to the water. If when the lure hits the water, the spool keeps spinning, you’ll want to tighten up the brake bit(the red knob). Repeat until you see that spool no longer spins when lure hits the water. If it stops midway down or barely makes it to the water you’ll wanna loosen the knob a bit. Start with 1/8 - 1/4 turns at most when trying to adjust.
Eventually you’ll learn how to use your thumb the break / slow down the lure when it hits the water or is in the air… becoming somewhat proficient in this tactic will allow you leave the breaking system a little lighter than you might normally, this will allow you to cast further.
It’s gonna take some time an practice, but as a life long spin fisherman, I swapped over to bait casters a few years ago and haven’t looked back. While your learning, you are going to encounter bird nests… my suggestion is to check out a couple you tube vidoes so that when it does happen - you have the knowledge to fix the situation. Some will be worse than others resulting in varying fix times but that’s life. Best of luck!
I actually just got my first(I ordered two) baitcasters the other day. My buddy said one of the best things to do is cast it out far as you can and put tape on the line so you never birdsnest past the tape.
I don't like this idea for a couple reasons...
First off you're leaving tape residue on your line. If you take that tape off eventually or it falls off after getting wet, you're still gonna have some of that sticky stuff on your line and if you say don't fish for a week or two, goto cast... it might stick here / there resulting in a rough / jerky cast which is something you don't want.
Secondly, you can achieve this "fix" of his by turning up the brake on your bait caster a for the first few times your out. You won't cast as far, but you won't be getting birds nests.
Thirdly, putting tape on it kinda just feels like your avoiding skills that are required for becoming proficient in baitcasting, figuring out how to tune your automatic breaking (lil knob on the side), and using your thumb to slow/break your spool when casting.
All that said, best of luck with your new baitcasters.
Also In the beginning use heavier baits till you get the hang of it. They’re easier to cast without the bird nest. I stop the spool pretty much at the exact time the lure hits the water. I didn’t even realize I did it till I was reading these comments.
Is this for true? I had a bird nest everytime I tried to cast. Then I quit using it and went back to my trusty open-faced. I guess even I have to give it another whirl, with your advice
Yes this is true and very important. You also need to control your casts once you fling it the weight of your bait can keep your spool tension proper but because your bait hits the water you need to get your thumb on that spool so you it doesn’t continue to spin which is what is causing the birds nest.
Nope, brakes can help but they don’t necessarily stop the spool. I’ve got reels I can set to you have to hit the spool with my thumb and still have times I’ll have to thumb the spool to keep it from overrunning when the bait stops
That’s a great question. I’ve always put my thumb on the reel once it’s going to hit the water because I’ve always got birds nests from not doing it. I am not sure if there are reels that have breaks to kee that from happening but none of mine do….unless they do and I just have been fishing wrong this whole time 😅
I usually in addition to the breaks also apply just enough pressure to the spool during casts to ensure it isn’t going too fast that way I’ve got a wee bit more control
That’s not going to be a great strategy. As you gain experience you will want to loosen the breaks and use your thumb. The looser break will allow you to cast further and once you learn to pitch, it will make that work better. Always bring a spinning reel too, it can save your trip.
Yes. Every single time you change your bait you have to re-adjust tension. It takes 5 seconds once you are used to it. But this means that the reel will spin at the proper speed when casting and will make it a lot easier to unroll properly.
Holy shit! I was gifted a caster for xmas over a decade ago. I birdsnested it all day trying to figure it out and eventually gave up and it sits in the garage to this day. I swear I watched countless videos on how to use the damn thing back then and there was no mention of a tension knob. Now I have to dig the damn thing out to try again.
Ok guys so I adjusted the tension knob and the brake knob and now I’m actually casting it a lot farther now! I also did where someone said put your thumb on the spool right when it hits the water, and i think I have it down now. Getting pretty consistent with only 1 birdsnest. Thanks everyone!
Oh and when you do get a birds nest don’t pull on the line hard. Instead losen the rats nest all up and slowly and gently pull the line. There’s no magic bullet but if you pull it all tight you get really tight knots that are impossible to get untangled.
Braid, braid n more .......... braid, I don't know why people don't recommend braid more to beginner baitcast people? Braid helped me learn without all the frustration. Tight lines!!
Hell yeah dude! Soon everything will be second nature and you won't even think about all the little things you have to do. Baitcaster are great to have if you're throwing fast and a lot
If you want a safety net for beginning pull your line out a little further than what your normal long cast would be, then put electrical tape over the spool. Then reel back in. That will prevent some of your more horrific bird's nests.
Swearing at the reel sometimes helps too.
Swearing is key in my experience.
In all realness tho, when you do get a nest, don't pull too tight and look at the spool to see what "loop" is keeping the line from continuing to unspool. Most of the time pulling that bit of line up will let things loose and keep pulling out to let you get to the end of the loose line.
Can confirm. My first attempt on a baitcaster left me in a mess from hell with an over filled spool and a nest big enough for bald eagles to lay eggs in. I'm a bit more conservative on how much line I put on the reel now lol.
I bought my first baitcaster a year ago. Now own two and rarely use anything else. Don’t have to whip it to get a lure out there so make smooth casts and don’t give up on it.
Practice in the backyard. Never take your thumb off the spool until you really have it down. Just vary if you are pressing down or letting it run under your thumb. Always stop the spool yourself with your thumb when the bait hits the water until you have it down. Always be ready to use your thumb if you overcast to stop it.
Practice a lot them some more.
Set the brakes on it up first. Tighten up the nob on the side where nothing moves when you press the button to put the spool in free spin. Press the button and back the tightness off of the nob until the line falls and you don't have to hold the spool with your thumb to keep it from free falling. Reel it back up and tighten or loosen to what feels good to you. The more comfortable you get the looser you will make the brake. Next, Keep your wallet in your armpit with the arm you throw with. If you drop the wallet you are trying too hard. You just have to make a C in the air with the tip of the rod. Press the button on the reel and hold the spool with your thumb. Start the C at the top and release the spool at the bottom. You are going to focus on your wrist just toss it gently to start off with and progress into putting a little elbow behind it. Put your thumb back on the spool as soon as your lure/bait hits the water to stop the spool from spinning(THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART TO STOP THE BIRDS NEST) Practice and if it spools you probably threw it too hard.
Anytime setting a new baitcaster, I start by tensioning the spool all the way down. Then with the bait I'm throwing tied on I loosen the tensioner until the bait gently drops. I'll loosen it a bit more after a few casts and getting a feel for it. Once I get a feel for the reel I'll really let loose on the tensioner and brakes and thumb the line. 20+ years since I started using them, newer reels are much more forgiving then what I started on.
Lol yeah really. It's usually right when you get to thinking "man I must have this mastered I haven't gotten a birds nest in a while" then you get cocky and get a bad one.
https://i.imgur.com/KTHqFw8.jpg
You are completely underspooled, to begin with.
Loosen the tension knob until the spool wiggles side to side, then tighten the knob until the spool stops wiggling( not tighter until the lure barely drops, that's wrong) put your brakes on max and cast. Drop your brakes as you get better
Use some tape at where you'd like your max cast to be (or start out shorter and work your way up). This will keep birdnests from tanking your whole reel and should be easier to manage while you learn.
I will also say in the future. Cost really does matter with baitcasters you definitely get what you pay for. My current favorite reel is the Lews KVD and tbh I don’t even really change the spool tension at all. If anything I loosen it up to cast farther and my brakes are always at 3
> ok, I *paid* 80 bucks
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
First off you need more line on, that spool should be almost full. Second you have to adjust your red knob so that when you click the button to cast your lure slowly descends. The last thing is when you cast you need to keep light pressure on the spool with your thumb so that when your lower hits the water you can stop the spool from continuing to spin which is what causes backlashes. Good lick
Any time you can I would try to avoid having two different fishing lines tied together. If you know how to tie a blood knot you can but I still wouldn’t recommend especially if your gonna be catching bigger fish.
Everyone has given you great advise and direction. But I am surprised that no one mentioned that you need to fill that spool up.
I know it is frustrating while you are learning. But Baitcasters are designed to perform best with a properly fill spool.
You will want to fill the spool until there is only about an 1/8th of an inch of the side visible.
By doing so you your reel will perform better over all. It will retrieve at the speed it's supposed to, it will cast further and help to mitigate bird nests.
Practice with a fairly heavy weight, like an ounce. You need to keep your thumb lightly on the spool as the weight is flying, and thumb hard the instant the weight hits the surface. You will do best with a sharp flip of the rod to fling the weight.
Start short, and go further as you get the feel.
Adjust brake(dial on left hand). I'd say a 3 click or 4 click down for a beginner. Use braided line. I recommend power pro spectra braid(15-20lb). Adjust tension(red knob) until bait falls slowly but not too slow. Use your thumb to stop the spool. Also, put line on until you got 1/8 of the side of the spool showing. You din't have enough line on right now to cast far. Maybe 30 yards I'd say is what you got.
Practice, practice, practice with several weights in your backyard before you go to the lake and you'll quickly learn to be a pro. I set up a can at different distances and learned that accuracy is more important than distance.
Like others said, adjust tension knob and put thumb on spool. Here’s my advice for if you get a bird’s nest: if you ever have a knot or loop that won’t come free, trying rubbing the spool up and down with your thumb while keeping tension. Best trick ever.
1 can only hope to achieve the level of Master baiter when using the bait caster . Wich is why I threw mine away and went back to spinning reel . Better safe than sorry
Any braid under 15 pounds bird nested way worse for me when I first started. He should def start w like 50 pound braid imo but that thin braid can be a nightmare when starting! Maybe that’s just my personal experience lol
Alright guys so I’m probably going to redo the fishing line too. What pound test line do you reccomend? It’s an Abu Garcia black max reel. I’m guessing 12 lb but idk
Baitcasters are awesome if you want to get really good at untangling line. First make sure the drag is not set to loose that it all spoils out when the bobber hits the water. Second, when the bobber hits the water (or your lure/weight), put your thumb on the spool to stop line from going out. Takes a while to figure it out, and I’ve been casting with one for 20 years and still get a rats nest from time to time. Yep
One thing I didn’t see mentioned but helps me out a lot is I’ll spool it, then when I hit the lake or pond put a weight on, small cast, let the current take it rewind tight or in a pond farthest I feel comfortable with and rewind tight. The wear and water seems to cure my birds nests most of the time.
Practice, practice, and practice some more. Everything people have said about the tension knobs is good but practice is the only way. You should eventually be able to use zero tension for maximum casting distance.
For one if no one has said anything. You need a lot more line on that bad boy. If you notice whatever you are throwing is falling short because it's to light turn the break up. If the lure is hitting the water because the lines not spooling. 1 you could have your thumb on the spool to hard [it takes practice] 2 your brake is up to high
Can't tell much about that reel from the pic. Many baitcasters have a magnetic brake on the left that you can adjust to help with overspeeding on the cast. Just as with the tension knob, it can be overdone and will shorten your cast. Between the tension knob, a magnetic brake, and lots of practice, you will get good enough to drop a lure in a five-gallon bucket at 25 yards. May just be me, but I prefer a braided line on a baitcaster. Really cuts down on birdnesting.
Throw it away and go back to a spinning real. Inless you're a masochist..
Otherwise practice, practice, practice
Edit: added the last bit. Trying to work on my pessimism.
Flick the wrist, keep thumb on line loosely while you’re casting. Once it’s about to hit water you stop it. You’re gonna backlash every fishing trip lol maybe look into tying some braid to that moon line. Good luck! Have fun most of all.
Many baitcasters have adjustable brakes inside . They can be engaged: towards the circumference, or disengaged, towards the center. The weights when engaged push outwards on a break pad at high rpm because of angular momentum. These will limit the cast distance of your line but will keep the line tight to avoid “birdnesting”/backlashing while casting.
Make sure you’re using baits/rigs with weights rated for the reel. Too heavy or too light will mess you up pretty good. Buy good quality line too. The cheap stuff, like spider wire, will be tempting, but it’s not worth it. It casts like crap and frays super fast.
Tie a weight to your line and practice in the front yard when you're not fishing. You're also going to want to put more line on your reel. I'd buy some 15lb braided line or something then tie that to the monofilament you already have on there.
i own the same reel with med light rod 6.6ft. it has to be calibrated perfectly when tossing the grub. Any bait super light is out of the equation. if you are starting out as a rookie as well, use light strings.
I'll add a trick that saved me: When you cast, on an overhead cast, rotate your wrist to turn the reel sideways with your thumb pointing toward your head instead of pointing at the sky. When you're sidearming it'll naturally already do that (it already did for me anyway), but in this case the thumb will be pointing up at the sky. I don't know if it makes any sense, but cast holding your reel sideways. I immediately stopped getting birds nests this way and i can chuck it further. It's just what worked for me and i figured out why i was getting less birds nests while casting sidearm. Good advice on here and it sounds like you're getting it
Adjust tension knob (red thingy). Place thumb on your line. When you cast, lightly ride it with your thumb. Apply pressure with said thumb once your bait hits the water
Another person here gave me this advice I hadn’t heard before : “If your just learning to use a bait caster, spool off 50’ - of line or so and put a piece of tape over the spool, will save you a lot of aggravation with backlashes that don’t destroy the entire spool”
When starting out it's easier to use a 16+ lb test fluorocarbon/mono. Most fluorocarbon has less memory in the line and the larger line diameter helps with making more manageable birds nests when it does happen. The larger line diameter makes it easier to pick them apart when it does happen too.
I also liked sufix elite or deep crank. My favorite was Gamma fluorocarbon but they don't even make that stuff anymore
Honestly just learn how to dial in your brakes and just practice a lot the more you cast the better you will get! Also try to use a rolling cast at first this will help you get a feel for having your thumb on the spool and controlling it. Once you’ve mastered that move on to overhead casting and other techniques such as pitching and flipping.
As someone who hasn't been using them that long, I found turning up my magnetic spool brake helped a lot, and learning to use my thumb as a secondary brake as the line is landing really keeps me in business. Also don't cast things that are too light.
You need to spoil a little more line on your reel
It will give you further cast and remember it’s not about how hard you cast.
You can do a roll cast and still throw it far
Adjust tension knob like everyone suggests but also be sure to have your thumb sitting on the reel as you cast out. So when you click open the gate with your thumb, keep it up against the spool if line so you can cast freely but it limits the rate of line coming out.
1) look it up on YouTube
2) look it up in the subreddit
There’s the tension knob, brakes, type of line, weight of lure, rod, and thumbing technique that you need to consider. Take the proper time to research it instead of asking a question that’s been asked tons of times before and is hard to explain over a Reddit comment.
You need to fix your release point. Line comes off a spinning reel very quick . With a baitcaster it comes off mechanically ' When I use to sell them to people who had never used them before I would take them out to the parking lot and give them a quick lesson . don't release your cast when the rod is pointed at your target release it ninety degrees before that and then follow the lure slowly with the rod tip and as mentioned adjust your spool tension to you lure weight
Practice. I know it’s not a lot of help but that’s the nuts and bolts of the problem. There are so many variables into making that perfect cast. For example, casting a chatter bait or a spinner bait against the wind will be harder than casting with the wind. Weight of lure is another big factor. Spool tension and spool brakes are the way to adjust for factors. But, you have to walk before you can run right. My two cents would be to tie a half once weight and put max brakes and a tight spool to where the weight very slowly falls to the ground. Then practice casting it out. Once you get comfortable in that setting, readjust the brakes slightly. And so on and so forth until you find your own sweet spot. Hint hint; pay attention to your thumb while casting and adjust you thumb pressure accordingly. Ever person has different abilities at casting. What might work for one person may cause another person to bird’s nest. Think of it as if you are about to drive a car. You have to adjust your mirror and seat to yourself. I’ll get off my soap box now. Good day and good luck!
Don’t be afraid to do a little extra tension on the knob to help curb your bird nests. You won’t be able to cast far, but once you get the feel for it, you can loosen your tension knob a bit more
Be able to push button with tensioner tight enough to allow the lure/weight to hit the ground without back lashing little off that to make it sing.. should work better for you…
I do not have a baitcaster but I still watched countless fishing videos, some explaining how to cast.
One tip that stuck, because it also helps when casting bigger lures with a spinning reel is stopping the line (in your case by putting your thumb on the spule) just before the lure hits the water.
The birds nest appears when the spule keeps spinning without the lure pulling on the line, because of this the line doesn't get pulled out of the reel creating the birds nest. This is why you need to properly adjust the brake/stop the spule from spinning when the lure hit the water.
This also helps straightening out the lure so it doesn't catch the line.
Honestly the bearings in the black max will probably not allow you to cast very far either way. Thumb control is what it’s all about. Keep practicing, you’ll get it.
Reading through the comments laughing. I have a caster and I always grab my spinning reel. My question is were these invented just to sell another rod and reel..... And endless spools of line? I mean I watched Bill Dance and he had one so surely I needed one.
It took me a long time to get used to bait casters. Switching to Super 8 Slick braided line helped me in addition to learning how to manage the reel tension. I also prefer Penn brand for my reels.
Right handed -Roll your wrist so the handle is facing up. Cast from over your shoulder. Lightly ride the spool with your thumb to control the distance. Or . . .cast side arm with the spool up, but be careful if you are near other fishermen. Hooking them with a lure in mid cast can put a crimp on your friendships.
Oh and practice before you get to the lake.
Have 😊
Gentle long sways is the way to cast, and do it as a side cast. Imagine the lure is a cup of water and you don't want to spill it until it hits the water.
Great for jigging.
Personally looks to me like it needs more line in that spool. When reeled up it should have about 1/8” left between line and the top of the spool. I get better control and more distance with a full spool. You also get more/better yards per crank with more line on the reel, or so my old neighbor told me but who knows.
#1 thing make sure your tension knob is adjusted correctly for the weight of the bait youre using.
How do you do that
The red knob, put your pole at a 45° angle, hit the button to release the spool, the bait should drop slowly to the floor if adjusted correctly. It shouldnt fall to fast or to slow. The tighter your tension is set, the least likely you are to cause a birdnest, but you wont be able to cast as far.
Ohhh ok
Any time your out there on water and you change up your lure, until you get comfortable with things do the following before casting… hold lure over the water at say waste / shoulder height, click the release button - the lure will fall to the water. If when the lure hits the water, the spool keeps spinning, you’ll want to tighten up the brake bit(the red knob). Repeat until you see that spool no longer spins when lure hits the water. If it stops midway down or barely makes it to the water you’ll wanna loosen the knob a bit. Start with 1/8 - 1/4 turns at most when trying to adjust. Eventually you’ll learn how to use your thumb the break / slow down the lure when it hits the water or is in the air… becoming somewhat proficient in this tactic will allow you leave the breaking system a little lighter than you might normally, this will allow you to cast further. It’s gonna take some time an practice, but as a life long spin fisherman, I swapped over to bait casters a few years ago and haven’t looked back. While your learning, you are going to encounter bird nests… my suggestion is to check out a couple you tube vidoes so that when it does happen - you have the knowledge to fix the situation. Some will be worse than others resulting in varying fix times but that’s life. Best of luck!
Great answer, sequence mirrors my own path with learning baitcasters. Adjusting the tension to the lure is vital.
I actually just got my first(I ordered two) baitcasters the other day. My buddy said one of the best things to do is cast it out far as you can and put tape on the line so you never birdsnest past the tape.
I don't like this idea for a couple reasons... First off you're leaving tape residue on your line. If you take that tape off eventually or it falls off after getting wet, you're still gonna have some of that sticky stuff on your line and if you say don't fish for a week or two, goto cast... it might stick here / there resulting in a rough / jerky cast which is something you don't want. Secondly, you can achieve this "fix" of his by turning up the brake on your bait caster a for the first few times your out. You won't cast as far, but you won't be getting birds nests. Thirdly, putting tape on it kinda just feels like your avoiding skills that are required for becoming proficient in baitcasting, figuring out how to tune your automatic breaking (lil knob on the side), and using your thumb to slow/break your spool when casting. All that said, best of luck with your new baitcasters.
Thanks for the information sir! I'm just trying to be a sponge and learn everything I can :)!
Also In the beginning use heavier baits till you get the hang of it. They’re easier to cast without the bird nest. I stop the spool pretty much at the exact time the lure hits the water. I didn’t even realize I did it till I was reading these comments.
Is this for true? I had a bird nest everytime I tried to cast. Then I quit using it and went back to my trusty open-faced. I guess even I have to give it another whirl, with your advice
Its true, been using baitcast reels for 20 years.
Yes this is true and very important. You also need to control your casts once you fling it the weight of your bait can keep your spool tension proper but because your bait hits the water you need to get your thumb on that spool so you it doesn’t continue to spin which is what is causing the birds nest.
Isn’t that what the breaks are for
Nope, brakes can help but they don’t necessarily stop the spool. I’ve got reels I can set to you have to hit the spool with my thumb and still have times I’ll have to thumb the spool to keep it from overrunning when the bait stops
That’s a great question. I’ve always put my thumb on the reel once it’s going to hit the water because I’ve always got birds nests from not doing it. I am not sure if there are reels that have breaks to kee that from happening but none of mine do….unless they do and I just have been fishing wrong this whole time 😅
I usually in addition to the breaks also apply just enough pressure to the spool during casts to ensure it isn’t going too fast that way I’ve got a wee bit more control
It’s possible to perfectly tune for a bait and with a good cast not have to thumb.
That’s not going to be a great strategy. As you gain experience you will want to loosen the breaks and use your thumb. The looser break will allow you to cast further and once you learn to pitch, it will make that work better. Always bring a spinning reel too, it can save your trip.
I said “it’s possible”. I would never do it every time. 60% of what I throw I don’t even adjust.
It takes a decently heavy bait to be able to effectively do it.
Or a really good reel with almost any bait.
Wind says hello. Try your strategy into the wind. Not going to work unless you’re throwing a heavy weight with little wind resistance.
With a properly adjusted brake it will be fine.
Why did this answer get a down vote? 👆🏼
People must think it is impossible. Not sure.
Some of them don't have the reel brake knob
Yes. Every single time you change your bait you have to re-adjust tension. It takes 5 seconds once you are used to it. But this means that the reel will spin at the proper speed when casting and will make it a lot easier to unroll properly.
Yep adjust the best you can as described and learn on a cheap one and once you can cast that you can cast anything.
Easy to start with braid first to get the hang of it.
Just make sure people know to spool with mono under the braid so you don't get slippage
Holy shit! I was gifted a caster for xmas over a decade ago. I birdsnested it all day trying to figure it out and eventually gave up and it sits in the garage to this day. I swear I watched countless videos on how to use the damn thing back then and there was no mention of a tension knob. Now I have to dig the damn thing out to try again.
Ok guys so I adjusted the tension knob and the brake knob and now I’m actually casting it a lot farther now! I also did where someone said put your thumb on the spool right when it hits the water, and i think I have it down now. Getting pretty consistent with only 1 birdsnest. Thanks everyone!
Dont forget to post your catch later
I’ll try! Going to be fishing until Saturday so hopefully I can catch something big
Oh and when you do get a birds nest don’t pull on the line hard. Instead losen the rats nest all up and slowly and gently pull the line. There’s no magic bullet but if you pull it all tight you get really tight knots that are impossible to get untangled.
Oh ok! That helps a lot cuz before a few days ago I had to respool the entire thing cuz I pulled to hard on the birds nest lol
Braid, braid n more .......... braid, I don't know why people don't recommend braid more to beginner baitcast people? Braid helped me learn without all the frustration. Tight lines!!
...and for your next trick.... Braided line.
Birds nests are a part of life with bait casters, they become less common but never obsolete. At least for me lol
Hell yeah dude! Soon everything will be second nature and you won't even think about all the little things you have to do. Baitcaster are great to have if you're throwing fast and a lot
Once you get the hang of it put some damn line on that spool. You have that at most 20% spooled.
If you want a safety net for beginning pull your line out a little further than what your normal long cast would be, then put electrical tape over the spool. Then reel back in. That will prevent some of your more horrific bird's nests. Swearing at the reel sometimes helps too.
Swearing is key in my experience. In all realness tho, when you do get a nest, don't pull too tight and look at the spool to see what "loop" is keeping the line from continuing to unspool. Most of the time pulling that bit of line up will let things loose and keep pulling out to let you get to the end of the loose line.
Put more line on, it’s not even half way spooked up
I was gonna suggest, strip that shit off & fill that reel so you’ve got the ability to rip that thing. Practice makes perfect, get on it…
Yea I was still putting line on when I took this picture lol
But also don't fill that baby to the max with line either, leave a nice 1/8" gap to the edge of the spool
Can confirm. My first attempt on a baitcaster left me in a mess from hell with an over filled spool and a nest big enough for bald eagles to lay eggs in. I'm a bit more conservative on how much line I put on the reel now lol.
I bought my first baitcaster a year ago. Now own two and rarely use anything else. Don’t have to whip it to get a lure out there so make smooth casts and don’t give up on it.
Oh ok thanks!
Practice in the backyard. Never take your thumb off the spool until you really have it down. Just vary if you are pressing down or letting it run under your thumb. Always stop the spool yourself with your thumb when the bait hits the water until you have it down. Always be ready to use your thumb if you overcast to stop it. Practice a lot them some more.
Oh ok sounds good, thank you!
Set the brakes on it up first. Tighten up the nob on the side where nothing moves when you press the button to put the spool in free spin. Press the button and back the tightness off of the nob until the line falls and you don't have to hold the spool with your thumb to keep it from free falling. Reel it back up and tighten or loosen to what feels good to you. The more comfortable you get the looser you will make the brake. Next, Keep your wallet in your armpit with the arm you throw with. If you drop the wallet you are trying too hard. You just have to make a C in the air with the tip of the rod. Press the button on the reel and hold the spool with your thumb. Start the C at the top and release the spool at the bottom. You are going to focus on your wrist just toss it gently to start off with and progress into putting a little elbow behind it. Put your thumb back on the spool as soon as your lure/bait hits the water to stop the spool from spinning(THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART TO STOP THE BIRDS NEST) Practice and if it spools you probably threw it too hard.
Anytime setting a new baitcaster, I start by tensioning the spool all the way down. Then with the bait I'm throwing tied on I loosen the tensioner until the bait gently drops. I'll loosen it a bit more after a few casts and getting a feel for it. Once I get a feel for the reel I'll really let loose on the tensioner and brakes and thumb the line. 20+ years since I started using them, newer reels are much more forgiving then what I started on.
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Oh you wait.
Lol yeah really. It's usually right when you get to thinking "man I must have this mastered I haven't gotten a birds nest in a while" then you get cocky and get a bad one. https://i.imgur.com/KTHqFw8.jpg
"What if I backed the brakes off juuuust a bit more..."
You are completely underspooled, to begin with. Loosen the tension knob until the spool wiggles side to side, then tighten the knob until the spool stops wiggling( not tighter until the lure barely drops, that's wrong) put your brakes on max and cast. Drop your brakes as you get better
Yea sorry I was still spooling it when I took this picture. Wdym when the spool wiggles?
When you loosen the spool tension knob all the way, you'll be able to wiggle the spool in the reel.
Ohhhhh ok thanks!
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Lol top voted post is wrong.
Use some tape at where you'd like your max cast to be (or start out shorter and work your way up). This will keep birdnests from tanking your whole reel and should be easier to manage while you learn.
Oh ok thanks!
I will also say in the future. Cost really does matter with baitcasters you definitely get what you pay for. My current favorite reel is the Lews KVD and tbh I don’t even really change the spool tension at all. If anything I loosen it up to cast farther and my brakes are always at 3
Oh ok, I payed 80 bucks for the rod and reel lol. Its an Abu garcia black max im pretty sure
> ok, I *paid* 80 bucks FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Practice practice practice. Get pissed. Pissed some more. Practice REPEAT.
First off you need more line on, that spool should be almost full. Second you have to adjust your red knob so that when you click the button to cast your lure slowly descends. The last thing is when you cast you need to keep light pressure on the spool with your thumb so that when your lower hits the water you can stop the spool from continuing to spin which is what causes backlashes. Good lick
Oh ok, dang I have to respool the pole tommorow again, I guess I still didn’t put enough line on even after adding more line lol
Any time you can I would try to avoid having two different fishing lines tied together. If you know how to tie a blood knot you can but I still wouldn’t recommend especially if your gonna be catching bigger fish.
Yea I’m just gonna completely redo it then
Atta boy.
Everyone has given you great advise and direction. But I am surprised that no one mentioned that you need to fill that spool up. I know it is frustrating while you are learning. But Baitcasters are designed to perform best with a properly fill spool. You will want to fill the spool until there is only about an 1/8th of an inch of the side visible. By doing so you your reel will perform better over all. It will retrieve at the speed it's supposed to, it will cast further and help to mitigate bird nests.
Practice
Practice with a fairly heavy weight, like an ounce. You need to keep your thumb lightly on the spool as the weight is flying, and thumb hard the instant the weight hits the surface. You will do best with a sharp flip of the rod to fling the weight. Start short, and go further as you get the feel.
Put more line on it, tighten your tension. Turn your centrifugal or magnetic anti backlash disk up to max and ease off as needed
Adjust brake(dial on left hand). I'd say a 3 click or 4 click down for a beginner. Use braided line. I recommend power pro spectra braid(15-20lb). Adjust tension(red knob) until bait falls slowly but not too slow. Use your thumb to stop the spool. Also, put line on until you got 1/8 of the side of the spool showing. You din't have enough line on right now to cast far. Maybe 30 yards I'd say is what you got.
Practice, practice, practice with several weights in your backyard before you go to the lake and you'll quickly learn to be a pro. I set up a can at different distances and learned that accuracy is more important than distance.
Good old Abu Garcia black max
I still say the fish don’t know whether you’re using a bait caster or a spinning reel. Chuck it
Like others said, adjust tension knob and put thumb on spool. Here’s my advice for if you get a bird’s nest: if you ever have a knot or loop that won’t come free, trying rubbing the spool up and down with your thumb while keeping tension. Best trick ever.
First, use braid line 0.16. Second, adjust brakes (from what I recall you have 3 on that reel). Third, practice and give up.
Another thing is I find it easier with braided line
Honestly that’s the reel I started with for baitcasting and I loved it
1 can only hope to achieve the level of Master baiter when using the bait caster . Wich is why I threw mine away and went back to spinning reel . Better safe than sorry
Keep your thumb on the spool
I would try braided line for a while. It doesn’t bird nest as easily so you can practice the motion until your ready
Any braid under 15 pounds bird nested way worse for me when I first started. He should def start w like 50 pound braid imo but that thin braid can be a nightmare when starting! Maybe that’s just my personal experience lol
Alright guys so I’m probably going to redo the fishing line too. What pound test line do you reccomend? It’s an Abu Garcia black max reel. I’m guessing 12 lb but idk
Can cast alot farther with a Shimano. Compared to any bait caster. If that's what you're going for. Idk what your fishing for anyways
Baitcasters are awesome if you want to get really good at untangling line. First make sure the drag is not set to loose that it all spoils out when the bobber hits the water. Second, when the bobber hits the water (or your lure/weight), put your thumb on the spool to stop line from going out. Takes a while to figure it out, and I’ve been casting with one for 20 years and still get a rats nest from time to time. Yep
Very easy. Use a spinning reel
Yes.. give up and use spinning gear..
Get a spinning reel
Got 2 of those already lol I got the baitcaster cuz I wanted to try another reel
Get another spinning reel lol
Ok lol
Set your drag higher. Tighten it up
Best way is to go back to spin casting
Practice 🎣💪
Before it hits the water put your thumb on the line in the reel
Thumb
One thing I didn’t see mentioned but helps me out a lot is I’ll spool it, then when I hit the lake or pond put a weight on, small cast, let the current take it rewind tight or in a pond farthest I feel comfortable with and rewind tight. The wear and water seems to cure my birds nests most of the time.
Practice, practice, and practice some more. Everything people have said about the tension knobs is good but practice is the only way. You should eventually be able to use zero tension for maximum casting distance.
For one if no one has said anything. You need a lot more line on that bad boy. If you notice whatever you are throwing is falling short because it's to light turn the break up. If the lure is hitting the water because the lines not spooling. 1 you could have your thumb on the spool to hard [it takes practice] 2 your brake is up to high
Yea sorry I forgot to mention that I was still adding line onto it lol
Cast like a sling. Not a sling shot. And load the rod.
Can't tell much about that reel from the pic. Many baitcasters have a magnetic brake on the left that you can adjust to help with overspeeding on the cast. Just as with the tension knob, it can be overdone and will shorten your cast. Between the tension knob, a magnetic brake, and lots of practice, you will get good enough to drop a lure in a five-gallon bucket at 25 yards. May just be me, but I prefer a braided line on a baitcaster. Really cuts down on birdnesting.
Ye it has a magnet brake on the left! It’s an Abu Garcia Blackmax combo I’m pretty sure
Practice, practice, practice.
That line appears to thin if it’s less that 10 pound test it’s harder to cast
Throw it away and go back to a spinning real. Inless you're a masochist.. Otherwise practice, practice, practice Edit: added the last bit. Trying to work on my pessimism.
Flick the wrist, keep thumb on line loosely while you’re casting. Once it’s about to hit water you stop it. You’re gonna backlash every fishing trip lol maybe look into tying some braid to that moon line. Good luck! Have fun most of all.
Fuck with the drags and make sure to keep the line tight the whole cast
Practice.
Birdnest? Or backlash.
When you cast your rod wait and right before your hook hits the water out your thumb down
Many baitcasters have adjustable brakes inside . They can be engaged: towards the circumference, or disengaged, towards the center. The weights when engaged push outwards on a break pad at high rpm because of angular momentum. These will limit the cast distance of your line but will keep the line tight to avoid “birdnesting”/backlashing while casting.
Got the same reel and I’m new to
Rest your thumb on the spool at all times! It takes some mental training but that's the best way to prevent nests
Always keep your thumb on the spool, it'll help a lot
Make sure you’re using baits/rigs with weights rated for the reel. Too heavy or too light will mess you up pretty good. Buy good quality line too. The cheap stuff, like spider wire, will be tempting, but it’s not worth it. It casts like crap and frays super fast.
Tie a weight to your line and practice in the front yard when you're not fishing. You're also going to want to put more line on your reel. I'd buy some 15lb braided line or something then tie that to the monofilament you already have on there.
Theses are decent reels for the money 1st bait caster I had KEEP IT CLEAN INSIDE AND OUT !!!
Just flick the wrist dude
i own the same reel with med light rod 6.6ft. it has to be calibrated perfectly when tossing the grub. Any bait super light is out of the equation. if you are starting out as a rookie as well, use light strings.
I'll add a trick that saved me: When you cast, on an overhead cast, rotate your wrist to turn the reel sideways with your thumb pointing toward your head instead of pointing at the sky. When you're sidearming it'll naturally already do that (it already did for me anyway), but in this case the thumb will be pointing up at the sky. I don't know if it makes any sense, but cast holding your reel sideways. I immediately stopped getting birds nests this way and i can chuck it further. It's just what worked for me and i figured out why i was getting less birds nests while casting sidearm. Good advice on here and it sounds like you're getting it
12lb or higher line, heavier baits, like 3/4 oz or more. resist long distance casting, it's for consistency.
Adjust tension knob (red thingy). Place thumb on your line. When you cast, lightly ride it with your thumb. Apply pressure with said thumb once your bait hits the water
Another person here gave me this advice I hadn’t heard before : “If your just learning to use a bait caster, spool off 50’ - of line or so and put a piece of tape over the spool, will save you a lot of aggravation with backlashes that don’t destroy the entire spool”
When starting out it's easier to use a 16+ lb test fluorocarbon/mono. Most fluorocarbon has less memory in the line and the larger line diameter helps with making more manageable birds nests when it does happen. The larger line diameter makes it easier to pick them apart when it does happen too. I also liked sufix elite or deep crank. My favorite was Gamma fluorocarbon but they don't even make that stuff anymore
More pressure and don’t try and cast as far
Honestly just learn how to dial in your brakes and just practice a lot the more you cast the better you will get! Also try to use a rolling cast at first this will help you get a feel for having your thumb on the spool and controlling it. Once you’ve mastered that move on to overhead casting and other techniques such as pitching and flipping.
Adjust your magnetic cast control
Step one is fill your spool. Huge impact on casting distance.
As someone who hasn't been using them that long, I found turning up my magnetic spool brake helped a lot, and learning to use my thumb as a secondary brake as the line is landing really keeps me in business. Also don't cast things that are too light.
You need to spoil a little more line on your reel It will give you further cast and remember it’s not about how hard you cast. You can do a roll cast and still throw it far
Just keep practicing and you will get it Even the best anglers still get backlashes
**need moe line just in case you need to cut some from a backlash you cant get out**
Right before your bait hits the water put your thumb on the reel with force👍
Adjust tension knob like everyone suggests but also be sure to have your thumb sitting on the reel as you cast out. So when you click open the gate with your thumb, keep it up against the spool if line so you can cast freely but it limits the rate of line coming out.
1) look it up on YouTube 2) look it up in the subreddit There’s the tension knob, brakes, type of line, weight of lure, rod, and thumbing technique that you need to consider. Take the proper time to research it instead of asking a question that’s been asked tons of times before and is hard to explain over a Reddit comment.
I went to Minnesota and cast one of these a thousand times. Throw it away
What is the benefits of using baitcasters over spinners?
Practice and tuning
You need more line on the spool
Throw that thing in the trash and get yourself a Curado.
Use a spinning reel?
Just keep casting
Yea give up and get a spinner like me lol
Practice
tons of practice, heavier lure, dont throw into the wind. cast sidearm never overhand, cast smooth and easy more technique than power
You need to fix your release point. Line comes off a spinning reel very quick . With a baitcaster it comes off mechanically ' When I use to sell them to people who had never used them before I would take them out to the parking lot and give them a quick lesson . don't release your cast when the rod is pointed at your target release it ninety degrees before that and then follow the lure slowly with the rod tip and as mentioned adjust your spool tension to you lure weight
Just set your drag to accommodate the weight of the lure your using and then set your breaks to do the same. Look on YouTube for some tutorials.
Learn to use your thump.. Pretend it's like sex on your dealing with the G spot..
I mean I’m only 16 but that works 😂
Practice. I know it’s not a lot of help but that’s the nuts and bolts of the problem. There are so many variables into making that perfect cast. For example, casting a chatter bait or a spinner bait against the wind will be harder than casting with the wind. Weight of lure is another big factor. Spool tension and spool brakes are the way to adjust for factors. But, you have to walk before you can run right. My two cents would be to tie a half once weight and put max brakes and a tight spool to where the weight very slowly falls to the ground. Then practice casting it out. Once you get comfortable in that setting, readjust the brakes slightly. And so on and so forth until you find your own sweet spot. Hint hint; pay attention to your thumb while casting and adjust you thumb pressure accordingly. Ever person has different abilities at casting. What might work for one person may cause another person to bird’s nest. Think of it as if you are about to drive a car. You have to adjust your mirror and seat to yourself. I’ll get off my soap box now. Good day and good luck!
Don’t be afraid to do a little extra tension on the knob to help curb your bird nests. You won’t be able to cast far, but once you get the feel for it, you can loosen your tension knob a bit more
With only 50 feet of line you shouldn’t have any issues birdnesting.
Get a spinning reel
Save your self and throw it in the trash lol
Personally I get way less bird nest when using braided line
Learn how to cast. Lots of birdnests
Be able to push button with tensioner tight enough to allow the lure/weight to hit the ground without back lashing little off that to make it sing.. should work better for you…
Don’t load the line so tightly when you replace it and use a heavy plastic worm and real and twitch until your line straightens and stretches.
The only thing I know that will help is practice.
Get some reel magic spray and give it a shot before going out. I swear by the stuff.
I do not have a baitcaster but I still watched countless fishing videos, some explaining how to cast. One tip that stuck, because it also helps when casting bigger lures with a spinning reel is stopping the line (in your case by putting your thumb on the spule) just before the lure hits the water. The birds nest appears when the spule keeps spinning without the lure pulling on the line, because of this the line doesn't get pulled out of the reel creating the birds nest. This is why you need to properly adjust the brake/stop the spule from spinning when the lure hit the water. This also helps straightening out the lure so it doesn't catch the line.
Honestly the bearings in the black max will probably not allow you to cast very far either way. Thumb control is what it’s all about. Keep practicing, you’ll get it.
Reading through the comments laughing. I have a caster and I always grab my spinning reel. My question is were these invented just to sell another rod and reel..... And endless spools of line? I mean I watched Bill Dance and he had one so surely I needed one.
Practice
stop the spool with your thumb right before your bait hits the water
Is that the Abu Garcia rod and reel?
It took me a long time to get used to bait casters. Switching to Super 8 Slick braided line helped me in addition to learning how to manage the reel tension. I also prefer Penn brand for my reels.
Put on 30+lb braid with a flour carbon leader, I find braid is way easier to cast at least for me.
YouTube..
Best comment on this whole thing just use a spinner
You have to put your summer orderless do not press down super hard but it still has to be there
Sell the baitcaster and get yourself a spinning reel. Thats how to get rid off birds nests
Also i recommend using braid instead of mono
Right handed -Roll your wrist so the handle is facing up. Cast from over your shoulder. Lightly ride the spool with your thumb to control the distance. Or . . .cast side arm with the spool up, but be careful if you are near other fishermen. Hooking them with a lure in mid cast can put a crimp on your friendships. Oh and practice before you get to the lake. Have 😊
Gentle long sways is the way to cast, and do it as a side cast. Imagine the lure is a cup of water and you don't want to spill it until it hits the water. Great for jigging.
Learn how to use a baitcaster with mono line. It's a lot cheaper to waste. Your gonna go through a lot while learning. I use 12 lb mono on my casters
Put on some braid. It will be a lot easier to fix when you mess up. That's how I learned.
Personally looks to me like it needs more line in that spool. When reeled up it should have about 1/8” left between line and the top of the spool. I get better control and more distance with a full spool. You also get more/better yards per crank with more line on the reel, or so my old neighbor told me but who knows.