New to baitcasters

[Hick727]

Alright im new to baitcasters so I was wondering whats a good quality baitcaster for a beginner?

[mww24]

i would look for somthing with a cast control on the outside of the reel. not the little pins you have to move on the inside. that will help you with backlashes when first stsrting out.and be easier to operate. i have couple abu garcias i like that were fairly inexpensive. another thing to know is you want to set the reel for every lure you tie on. you hold your rod at angle and adjust the tension knob usually located by the handle till the lure falls slowly and the spool stops spinning when the lure hits the ground. i have a abu that was around 70 that i like. i also have an old shimano i bought 11 years ago that i love that was cheaper. but i also have a couple quantum energy's that were around 180. spend as much as you want but the reels i paid 70 for work great. just have to take care of them and practice your casting.

[Jordpederson]

Cabela's has a good combo that has magnetic anti-backlash that was around 40. Its a good combo and the reel is tough.

[Dark Cloud]

Good advice from MWW24.

Im fairly new to baitcasters and as long as I adjust the reel for each lure, I dont have any problems. Practice and letting the rod and reel work the cast are key also. It is definatly a diff casting motion than a spinning reel. And for some reason casting sidearm is much easier...

I was frusterated with two lower end reels but wasnt ready to spend big $$$. I settled on a quantum pt accurist for $99 that im very happy with. I also went with the 7:1 ratio that I really like. It is much easier to slow myself down if needed but also have the easy speed if neccesary...

[Esox_Magnum]

A Revo S is a good reel to learn on, I taught my wife and daughter on a Shimano Curado, my wife now uses a Revo Toro without any problems and both her and the daughter only cast 2-3 times a year. I'm one who doesn't use brakes or the cast controls, I just use my thumb. I taught my daughter and wife both to cast this way to and they picked it up easily.

[herefish101]

Shakespeare just introduced a baitcaster called the e-z cast, i'v never used one but just recently read about it in an article from icast. If what they say is true, this is the perfect beginner baitcaster. I cant post the link because it is to another fishing site, but it's so new that i could not find it on any of the big catalog companies. I think if you search the net enough for "Icast" or Shakespeare EZcast low profile baitcaster you should be able to find something. Either way this reel has an auto break that is diferent than the common magnets, this thing thumbs the spool for you. I would like to find one just to see if it works. I learned the hard way just like everyone else, trial and error. At least with the trial and error method you also learn how to untangle a backlash in the process. Good luck.

[pulleye16]

THERE IS NO SUCH THING!!! LOL...I have owned one for five season and still can't figure the stupid thing out. I usually spend more time untangling birds nest then fishing...

p.s. Use cheap line the first few times cause you'll end up cutting if off and throwing it out anyways

[rugbymn]

Like the guy above said, that Shapespeare caster that debuted at icast is supposed to be the bee's meow. The reporter said they were having people huck a lead weight at a brick wall about 5 yards away as hard as they could and there wasn't a single backlash.

[Moe Szyslak]

Have all shimano and love them. Have had close to a dozen birds nests (all my mistake) and have yet to require cutting line. Now that I understand what causes the birds nests I fail to see how I will ever have to cut line the future.

Purchased a cheap $40 model when I started with baitcasters and never could get it to work how I wanted. The cast control features are a necessity in my opinion.

[mabr]

Price, Buy what you can afford without hurting the wallet becuase once you get used to them your going to want more.

Practice practice practice, then practice some more. Not on the water yet because it going to irratate you way more becuase of lost fishing time. I wouldnt let my kids or wife fish with a baitcaster until they proved to me in our yard that they could actually cast it well enough to fish with it. You need to be determined to learn it, and I recommend practicing with a spinnerbait tied on. Its heavy enough to cast fairly easy and once on the water you can use what youve been used to. Dont expect to use shad raps for a while. Lite lures are tough even for the experienced. Also dont worry about distance yet either that will come in time. Accuracy and consistancy is way more important.

Read the directions, learn how to adjust your reel (tension knob, magnets) Use HEAVY line 25lb +(mono)to start with, its way easier to pick out back lashes and its easier to cast.

Again dont give up on them. To many people just accept they cant do it. It just takes time.

Good luck you wont regret it.

[SpecialK]

Check this link out. Really good tips for clearing backlashes from pros

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=clearing+backlashes&aq=1m

[Fish Head]

It seems like most people are saying buy an inexpensive one to learn on. I suppose there's nothing wrong with that... but when I read your post, my first thought was to buy a quality one if you can afford it. I think the better reels have better anti-backlash control. Just my 2 pennys.

Also, you didn't mention what you would be using the reel for.

[rugbymn]

In all honesty, they're not that difficult to learn. Don't let it scare you. Sure, you'll get a few backlashes, but if you spend an hour in your back yard tossing a sinker, you should be able to get the hang of it and be ready to use it when you hit the water.

Just don't try to cast it over the moon your first time out. Start by just tossing it about 10' or so. Gradually progress to full, managed casts. In no time, you'll feel like it's part of your arm.