Rhino Baitcaster, RBC 330 reel: is this thing nice or no?

[MNcz]

I picked this up at Fleet Farm and I'm new period to fishing. I can cast this thing ok but not great (I have a spinning reel too that's much easier to cast). I'm using a kind of light jig with a rapala lure box taped around it as a practice plug to cast in the yard until I get it down, and I'm using 20 lb mono line on it.

But there is something strange to me: this one has a thumb bar style button. The reel comes off towards the back, pulls through that guide that is part of the thumb bar(under to over), and goes around the top and through the front passing through the front guide (that goes back and forth and makes it reel evenly). Rigging it this way is the only way that seems to make sense to me. The weird thing is the only way I can get it to cast is if I push the button, which locks it instead of releasing it. Then I adjust my line tension and drag correctly with it locked, (with these 2 thumb screws that must be the "brakes" already set a certain way beforehand), put my thumb on the reel, then turn the crank to unlock. The button flips up. And I'm able to cast.

I'm going to the bait shop with it tomorrow and going to get some crawlers anyway. And I'll ask them what's up with this rig. Any input is welcome. Mostly I'm interested to know whether or not it's a crummy rig, and if I should exchange it for another one. All the stuff I Google though seems to indicate this is a decent reel, but please let me know your opinions.

Thanks,

cz

edit: probably it would help to add i bought it in a combo package with a 7' heavy rod. i'm intending to use it for fishing wider sections of the Mississippi and St. Croix, maybe Minnesota River too, in places where there are hopefully channel cats.

[MNcz]

i figured it out. you press gently and then click it down all the way when you cast to your destination. seems like a good enough setup. i like it.

[rushing]

when i first got heavily into catfishin i got a rhino spinning reel that had a bait feeder function. Worked just fine and served me well until i eventually upgraded. I gave it to a buddy and its still in use. It should serve you well until you are ready to upgrade.

[MNcz]

Props rushing for listening to Aesop Rock! Yes I can't sleep in the summer probably because we have like 3 months of good weather only each year. So I just spent 2.5 hours in the yard casting. Also I found 1 out of 30 guys on YouTube demonstrating baitcasters who showed the trick of how to remove bird's nests. It does work most of the time, this put your thumb on the line and loosen the tension. No clue how it works but it does. Not every time though. I'll put the spinner with only 8 lb. test in the car too in case i get a bird's nest and don't want to bother with it when I'm out.

Off to Coon Rapids dam east!

And thanks for the opinion. I don't know much of anything about this stuff but it's a little on the generic feeling side, yet you can rock it pretty far if you do it right. It sucks bad overhand casting. I like putting my right arm out then swooping motion left and cast. That works pretty nice.