Forays into baitcasting - Abu Ultracast

[MichaelAngelo]

Hello guys,

I'm a new proud owner of an old round baitcaster. The Abu 4601c Ultracast. From what I've read, this was the first model of the c3 series. They just decided to call the first c3's the "ultracast".

I decided to go the round route for the bigger spool capacity (and ironically got the smallest of the series LOL 4600 ), and I just like the down-to-business look of the round style reels .

Slapped on 20lb mono and, for the first time - was able to fish with 20lb mono without having it jump off of my spinning reel (help for this problem is appreciated LOL).

I practiced quite a bit today, experimenting with the spool braking and using my thumb. As the day went on I became accustomed to the program and I backlashed less and less.

Anyone remember their first time using a baitcaster? I'm open to all advice!

[Giuga10]

(09-19-2012 10:43 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  Hello guys,

I'm a new proud owner of an old round baitcaster. The Abu 4601c Ultracast. From what I've read, this was the first model of the c3 series. They just decided to call the first c3's the "ultracast".

I decided to go the round route for the bigger spool capacity (and ironically got the smallest of the series LOL 4600 ), and I just like the down-to-business look of the round style reels .

Slapped on 20lb mono and, for the first time - was able to fish with 20lb mono without having it jump off of my spinning reel (help for this problem is appreciated LOL).

I practiced quite a bit today, experimenting with the spool braking and using my thumb. As the day went on I became accustomed to the program and I backlashed less and less.

Anyone remember their first time using a baitcaster? I'm open to all advice!

Hey Michael,
congrats on the new rod I currently use a Medium action baitcaster and love it. One word of advice always try to keep the diameter of the line on the higher side as it will birds nest (backlash) less. I use 40 lb power pro super 8 line with 10lb diameter and it runs very smoothly as the thickness hugs the reel well. And as you gain experience with it your cast will drastically improve. One downside to using a baitcaster is that its really only good for casting with heavy lures as opposed to a spincaster that you could cast 5 feet with an empty hook (not saying you cant with a baitcaster its just wayyy harder ). All in all there very fun rods to fish with and the casting mechanism will provide more accurate and precise casts which really helps for casting under trees for bass and for other tight spots ect....ect.... Hopefully this helps .

Good luck and enjoy the new rod,
Giuga10

[OldTimer]

For me - on baitcasters or surf reels - I find I get better feathering if I use the edge of my thumb on the spool edge rather than press on the line itself.

[MichaelAngelo]

Thanks for the advice guys. OT, I actually naturally started using the side of my thumb after an hour or two so that's sound advice .

[OldTimer]

Less friction burn too...........

[MuskieBait]

Here's a little tip for practicing your cast and minimizing bird nest issues.

Bird nest is caused by a spool that is spinning too fast. When you lure is reaching the end of the cast, its momentum is reduced. It can no longer keep up with the spool speed and line is no long kept taunt while coming off the spool. So in the end, the spool continues to spin, the line continues to unwind off the spool, but there is nothing to pull the extra line coming off through the rod guide.

To minimize the amount of line you need to sort out in case of a bird nest, you can pull out the desired amount of line you wish to cast (eg. 100 feet), then put a piece of electrical tape on the spool, then respool the line you have pulled out on top of the tape. If you did backlash, the amount of line that overrun will stop at the tape. So in the worst cast scenario, you would only need to sort out 100 feet of line.


Another tip...

It is easier to cast with a spool that has been wet as opposed to a dry spool. With heavy mono and a fast spinning spool, it's not uncommon to get a thumb burn trying to slow the spool down. This is more of a issue if you were casting heavier weight (2oz and up) at a long distance (50 yards plus). The bigger the reel and spool, the more momentum is in the spool once it gets spinning, and the harder it is to stop. If you cast my Jigmaster, you'll understand very quickly LOL. Some of my friends actually bring a bottle of freshwater to wet the spool before making the first cast.

You were doing pretty well yesterday. But let's graduate from the 20-30 feet cast you were making and extend that to 50+ feet cast...and then we can try to get you to cast 70+ yards on the conventional reel.

[Tyger]

(09-20-2012 12:41 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  To minimize the amount of line you need to sort out in case of a bird nest, you can pull out the desired amount of line you wish to cast (eg. 100 feet), then put a piece of electrical tape on the spool, then respool the line you have pulled out on top of the tape. If you did backlash, the amount of line that overrun will stop at the tape. So in the worst cast scenario, you would only need to sort out 100 feet of line.

I like that tip, great for learning!

[MichaelAngelo]

I practiced some more today, and it feels great to get more and more distance as I'm able to turn the braking down.

I did get a NASTY birds nest today, but NOT from casting. I had forgotten to engage the reel and I jerked the rod tip... OUCH... big backlash that took me 15-20 minutes to sort out. I was trying to fish for the loop holding my line back and trying to sort it out that way. Any more tips for ridding backlashes are appreciated!

I tried the trick where you put thumb pressure on the backlash while cranking forward... but that didn't seem to help some rather nasty tangles .

[Giuga10]

(09-20-2012 11:05 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  I practiced some more today, and it feels great to get more and more distance as I'm able to turn the braking down.

I did get a NASTY birds nest today, but NOT from casting. I had forgotten to engage the reel and I jerked the rod tip... OUCH... big backlash that took me 15-20 minutes to sort out. I was trying to fish for the loop holding my line back and trying to sort it out that way. Any more tips for ridding backlashes are appreciated!

I tried the trick where you put thumb pressure on the backlash while cranking forward... but that didn't seem to help some rather nasty tangles .

I'm able to get some pretty nasty backlashes out in about 5 minutes by using this method.

Apply slight pressure to the spool with your thumb and pull the line out (the same way the line comes out when it casts) with your other hand. When you cant pull it anymore you can look into the reel and see an arch of line stopping the regular line flow. Pull the arch out as much as you can (this time from the top of the spool/where you put your thumb in).

If you do it correctly the line will flow out nicely and just repeat for every arch of line you see. When I first got my Caster I would backlash it on purpose to get better at untangling and I found this strategy the most affective.

Hope this helps,
Giuga10

[fishfight]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDI5kwR5zjc

untangling backlash thumb tricks video, takes less than 2 minutes to untangle a backlash