FS Digest

Every single time I cast my BC rod I get a nest in my line. It’s insane, how do you people use these things?!!

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by ah6

FS Digest

Tried different line and weights.... nothing. Nest every single cast

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by ah6

FS Digest

What type line are you using? What lb test? How heavy is you're lure? How tight are the brakes? Are you guiding the line out with your thumb as you cast?

All these take play in a BC. I've learned never use Fluorocarbon if you are using light lures. Bird nest almost every time, especially on windy days. With that said I use fluoro for moving baits such as chatterbaits.

I have the best time using braid, more specifically 25lb braid with the same thickness 8-10lb mono. I still can't cast weightless lures on it but I can cast very light lures. I use this with a Texas rig - Spinner bait and everything in between.

Make sure brakes are adjusted accordingly, i was taught rule of thumb for beginners is set the brakes so when you open the reel, your lure slowly drops to the ground and when it hits, you shouldn't have a backlash.

I was also taught to do this with every change of lure considering they are all technically different weights.

Also, one last thing I learned is don't cast too hard. The baitcaster will do the work for you, if you cast too hard, there is a good chance you might get a back lash.

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by notolerancejr1

FS Digest

Thank you I’ll try to update to braided and mess with the breaks more. I’m probably over casting as I’m a very large individual, think D1 college football o line

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by ah6

FS Digest

I'm in the same boat, 6'4" heavyweight state champ and D1 player. People think its easy to cast less but man oh man its just second nature to cast hard and not notice it for us big guys

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by notolerancejr1

FS Digest

Grip it and rip it

I’ll even think about not casting hard but in that split second moment right when the muscles start the motion the whole thing changed to “hell yeah slang that crap!”

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by ah6

FS Digest

Be careful which braid you buy. Some super lines and braided lines are worse and it’s sometimes harder to pick out the backlash. For example, the Berkeley X9 is horrible on a bait caster.

I have 65 pound Sufix braid on one for pitching, flipping, and frogging and have never had it backlash.

But really I’d recommend like 20 or 25 pound mono to start. Cheaper, easier to pick out backlashes, etc.

If you’re used to other reels, you’re probably trying to really whip it. Back off a bit and just toss it out there. That will help.

The other thing you can do is pull out about 50 yards of line and out tape on the line still on the spool. Use this to practice some gentle, shorter casts to get the settings right. It will prevent the really big birds nest backlashes you’re getting.

It takes some time but worth the effort in the end.

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by SuccessiveApprox

FS Digest

At least for me it was a lot of messing around with the drag and the brake and every setting thing on the reel that I could until I just got used to it and found a perfect setup for me

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by 19hwest17

FS Digest

It’s tough because I try something and pffftodnwaldhicdkskskehwi bird nest

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by ah6

FS Digest

Yea it took me a while of trial and error for me to get mine figured out

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by 19hwest17

FS Digest

You need to adjust the spool tension knob for each bait you tie on. Adjust it so when you press down on the reel button, the spool should unwind slowly and when the bait hits the ground, it should not continue to unwind.

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by Burgers_and_Pizza

FS Digest

Lol you need to have a heavy ass lure on to whip that thing full strength haha this is not to sound condescending or talk down to you in any way.. but what is happening when you get birdsnest typically is the spool thats holding all the backup line is spinning too much or faster than the line can be taken out.. unless the weight of the lure can pull out that slack thats being created fast enough, you are gonna birdsnest.. the brakes and tuning are important, but i think even more so is making sure the lure weighs enough to take up the slack.. different lines play different off the reel, so that matters as well.. but i have found as long as the lure weighs enough, i dont get many backlash or birdsnest.. tight brakes and too light of a bait and my casts go way off point and not far at all

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by Captain_P

FS Digest

Thank you!

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by ah6

FS Digest

No problem..! Gotta look at it this way, no matter what you will at some point birdsnest up.. timing your thumbing of the line when the lure hits will help with the little backlash you can get sometimes at the end of the cast.. you will waste some time, and some line in the process.. but not using baitcasters will limit how effectively you can fish a certain technique.. for sure can "get away" with throwing damn near any lure made on a spinning reel, but how it handles the lure, the fight etc will be drastically different.. how serious is fishing to you..? Lol

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by Captain_P

FS Digest

I’m getting more serious but I’m extremely inconsistent. I have a spinner as my go to but it’s 6’6” and always stuck to the shore with no boat and small ponds near me are over fished

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by ah6