Quote:
Originally Posted by kcward
Curious what you picked up for a baitcast rod and reel. I have been wanting to try one, but everyone I talk has tried it and got rid of them. Have you had success casting with it? Many backlashes I hear until you get used to it.
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For fishing lures over 1/4 oz like rapalas, spoons etc you can't beat a bait caster. I love having better control over my casts and being able to thumb the spool on bigger fish or in times where you have to turn a fish quick to keep him out of a tree, weeds etc. I also like the way they feel in my hands better.
I would use baitcasters all the time but they do have their limitations. Light lures is the biggest one, spinning reels work much better.
The thing with baitcasters is that you need to buy a quality one. Too many people just buy a cheap one and then think they are horrible when they can't get them to work properly. If you buy a good one then you have much better braking systems with a lot more adjustability and once you get the technique down you will like it.
I prefer Shimano and I like the Curado's. The Citica's are good too though. Some of their bit cheaper ones are probably decent too but I would step up to one of these personally.
Abu Garcia has some good reels too, the Revo S is a good value reel and anything higher up is also good.
That isn't to say that the cheap ones are useless though. I started with a Pflueger Echelon and it did ok. I also owned a cheaper Quantum and it was crap though. The cheaper they are the worse they will be with lighter lures so if you are chucking heavier lures you can sometimes get away with the cheaper reels. The cheaper reels will wear out on you quicker though, my Echelon was only really good for 2 years unlike my Curado which has caught a lot more fish with no issues.
Learning to use a baitcaster does take a bit of learning though. You need to learn how to properly set your brakes and spool drag, there are videos on youtube that show you how to do that.
Another comment about baitcasters is that I think they work better with braided line. I also prefer smoother lines too now that I started using them, power pro slick is my go to on a baitcaster now.