Baitcasters

troutspinner

troutspinner

Nuts & Bolts Guy
Gremcat said:
Tough being built backwards. I’m not but my 10 yo is. Makes me realize how biased we are to RH. Easy to design work cells for RH average until you have a LH kid. Def causes me to see the challenges. Right eye dominance might make hunting easier but I’ve not tested him yet. I just buy agnostic guns for the moment. Spinning reels are t bad switching sides quick but I don’t know how that plays out with baitcasters. Quit being backwards, make it easy on yourself.
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I am right handed. My point was about people switching hands with baitcasting reels. I’ll never understand how someone can cast with their dominate hand and then hook with the less dominant hand or vice versa. Cast and hook with your dominate hand, period.
 
B

Bootfoot

Well-known member
I’m right handed as well and hold every rod in my right hand and I turn every reel with my left hand. people Do it the wrong way because when baitcasters first came out they put the handle on the right side so you were forced to cast and then Switch hands to reel. Finding a baitcster with the handle on the left side was next to impossible and not Many were made. Equally strange was how they called them a left handed reel when a reel with a handle on the left is actually for a right handed person. fisherman aren’t the brightest bulbs.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
In the 60’s and 70’s we called that right handed when you cast with the right hand. I think it was the fly fishing world that helped change that. They use the terms right hand retrieve and left hand retrieve and that is a bit more accurate imo. Anyway I switch after hand surgery and I now cast Left handed and retrieve right. The exception is with spinning reels.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
I have a scenario that I think I'm seeing and want you folks that use baitcasters to comment on. I purchased 15lb mono from KastKing. I can cast it nicely but have had to cut it of twice now. I found a spool of 12lb BigGame and decided to try it. Wow what a difference. Much nicer.
This has me puzzled and I really like KastKing Line on my Spinning Reels. But on the Baitcaster it seems too stiff and doesn't lay flat. The BigGame lays flat and Smooth across the spool and casts much further. Is it possible that stiff less flexible line is not a good choice for BaitCaster?
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
Never mind. I found this thread and it does seem like soft line is best for bait casters:


I am running Cajun Red on one of my spinning and one of my Spincast reels and love it. I see in this article that a bunch of these folks are using it on bait casters and so I may try that as well. For now I have 12lb BigGame and it is working well.

You know we've had line discussions frequently since I joined this group and I just didn't believe there could really be a significant difference btwn brands but wow it is quite noticeable.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
I have been amazed how easy casting is at night. You can even tell early on if you’re about to have a backlash.
Anyone else use baitcasters at night?
I still prefer spinning reels when it’s dark.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
baitcasters require allot of the same hand coordination that Spincast reels require. I was told otherwise by many but it is true.

Though I’ve not caught one fish on either of my two baitcasters I bet I will soon.

Today was a Kietech minnow day so it seemed There were different Kietech Minnow configurations on each of 5 rods but the one on my old pushbuton caught all the fish. It was just a bare 4” kieteck on a #2/0 hook, hooked straight through the front.
 
Don

Don

Well-known member
Wo
Don said:
baitcasters require allot of the same hand coordination that Spincast reels require. I was told otherwise by many but it is true.

Though I’ve not caught one fish on either of my two baitcasters I bet I will soon.

Today was a Kietech minnow day so it seemed There were different Kietech Minnow configurations on each of 5 rods but the one on my old pushbuton caught all the fish. It was just a bare 4” kieteck on a #2/0 hook, hooked straight through the front.
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wow, That was coarsely written at one in the morning.
Remember when I said that big baits don’t catch big fish. I was just being a contrarian. What big baits do is sort out the sizes. I used a 4” minnow. The water was relatively clear. The minnows on jigs got no strikes. The minnows just hooked through the head we’re attacked all day by gills and rockies. Had they been my normal 2 or 3” keiteck then I’d have been removing dinks all day. I kept a bare minnow on my trusty antique zebco all day and that is the only rig that caught fish, surprisingly. This particular zebco was an 60-70’s model, gold model, ball bearing. It can cast a minnow a country mile. It’s on a 6’ pistol grip modern rod….resets were instantaneous.
 
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Blackcat Outdoors

Blackcat Outdoors

Well-known member
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Picked up the first baitcaster I've had in years today. I posted in the "what did you buy today thread" these are on clearance at Walmart here for $50.

I spun some 20lb braid on in the parking lot and hit a local bond on the way home. My first impressions:
1. I need some practice casting with it. Only got one backlash, until I got the hang of it again but I need to work on accuracy and distance a little.

2. I'm not a huge fan of switching hands to retrieve. This is right hand retrieve and I cast right handed. It works, but I definitely need to get used to it.

3. I definitely like it for top water lures and jerk baits. Nice action and fairly stiff for that. Not sure about texas rigs yet. I'm going to have to play around with it a little more for that.

All in all I'd say it's a great buy for $50. Didn't hook up on anything yet, so I'm going to withhold final judgement until I land a few with it.
 
troutspinner

troutspinner

Nuts & Bolts Guy
Nice @Blackcat Outdoors

Keep us up to date with it after you fish it a few times. See if it holds up and gets the job done. I am in the market for a Lews reel but not sure if I want to jump in at the typical price I spend for a Shimano or go more budget friendly.
 
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