Time to Take Baitcasting Seriously

[steelhead_stalkers]

I guess I had it backwards. I read about it from one of shimano's engineers a few years ago just forgot the order.

[Matt H]

Pull all the brakes out (remove) like an abu and back the spool tension all the way off, lose the cap, and learn how to cast it that way. Then theres no confusion on what to adjust. If you really feel like getting rowdy bowdy, crank down the drag and zip tie the drag star to the reel handle. Then all you have to adjust is the size of line to use. 25 lb brown maxima usually will fish most things around here

[Spade]

The VBS keeps it from blowing up on the second half of the cast, not the first.

If you're birds nesting right out of the gate then your spool tension is too low.
If you're birds nesting on the second half of the cast then you need some VBS to slow down the spool.
If you're birds nesting when your gear hits the water, then your thumb isnt adjusted right.

That's how I adjust all my reels atleast.

My VBS is too low, I can watch the birds nest appear during the cast and then I brake lightly with the thumb and watch it fade away just before the lure gets to the water. Sometimes not completely.

Pull all the brakes out (remove) like an abu and back the spool tension all the way off, lose the cap, and learn how to cast it that way. Then theres no confusion on what to adjust. If you really feel like getting rowdy bowdy, crank down the drag and zip tie the drag star to the reel handle. Then all you have to adjust is the size of line to use. 25 lb brown maxima usually will fish most things around here

HAHA I like Matts idea. It's like driving a turbo'd 5 speed Mustang for your first car.
The problem with the 25# is I like a little more line on the reel.

[ryank]

Gabe, what pound test line are you using? the finer the mono the easier it'll back lash.

[Spade]

I'm loading it up with 10# mono, but when I first loaded it up after the first (my) rebuild in Feb, it was 30# braid...that was fun.

[ryank]

I'm loading it up with 10# mono, but when I first loaded it up after the first (my) rebuild in Feb, it was 30# braid...that was fun.

What are you going to be using it for primarily, drift or spinner fishing? If you're spinner fishing you may want to bump up your line, I've been using 12lb P-line cxx for drift and spinner fishing and it has worked great, if you hang up you'll get alot more spinners back. 10lb will work great, but if you hang up as much as me, it'll save you some $ in the long run.

Ryan

[Spade]

Thanks for the advise Ryan. I'll be drifting and spinners with this setup.

[Spade]

I took my 6600 spooled up with 20# UG on my XMG 10-20, last night and put a 6 shot slinky on it and practiced casting in the "alley" behind the house. I think I'm going to be back there practicing often. For most of it I was flinging the slinky in a downward angle about 30 feet in front of me. I'm too used to spin cast and flinging instead of swinging.

[steelhead_stalkers]

That 12 lb cxx is strong stuff! I used to use it for Springer fishing with spinners on the feather river in CA. Never lost a fish from a break off! I think it breaks at over 20+ lbs. I love p-line for mono.

What I was reading a few days ago on a shimano boat was how the VBS brakes are centrifugal. They were saying its for the initial speed of the cast (ie centrifugal force) causes the weights that are in the out position to move all the way out helping slow the spool down and backlash while the little hand knob is supposed to be set for the weight you are throwing so that when gravity takes over it does not fall faster than its weight. Makes sense to me.

[RollinontheRvr]

I turn off my VBS and use my tension knob on my Pfleuger Supreme. I have seen the backlash come and go like you describe Gabe and end up letting out a little extra line at the end of my drift to take up the slack line on the spool. It just depends on my thumb control and brain cramping at the time... The one thing I have never been able to do though is cast a #1 or #2 spinner or a couple of #5 split shot like Osmosis does. That always amazes me when I see him do that.