How exactly do you cast a conventional or a bait caster from a pier?
- Thread starter Reel Newbie
- Start date
Yes. OTG cast. Off the ground. Mostly a surf-casting style but I do it with all of my bait/casters or conventional reels on rods 8-12’. It’s an easy way of leveling out, loading the rod properly, and reducing backlash (and I am not using magnetic braking on any of the reels). Think of a baseball swing of a bat.
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I have a rebuilt 8' Garcia rod that I sometimes cast like that. The thing has some weight to it and it DOES swing like a bat. Lol I let a friend try it out and he asked how fish with that rod. I just told him that he's just spoiled.
There is another cast I do with a light weight and bait. It's sort of like a downward sword chop. I hold the rod about 70 degrees straight in front of me. With the line out close to the reel, I let it pendulum. With the rearward motion of the line, I do a downward chop. This causes the line to want to do a 360. Then you release the spool depending on timing.
There is another cast I do with a light weight and bait. It's sort of like a downward sword chop. I hold the rod about 70 degrees straight in front of me. With the line out close to the reel, I let it pendulum. With the rearward motion of the line, I do a downward chop. This causes the line to want to do a 360. Then you release the spool depending on timing.
I guess there is a real learning curve to conventionals on a pier, huh? I’ve tried to fish with it at the Catalina mole, but even with overhead casts I couldn’t get it very far out, and taking off the brakes only led to a backlash that ended with a lost krocidile spoon. I figure that this reel can be better used to crank up some smaller pier species, and I know for a fact that the guy I bought it off of used it for throwing buctails at stripers in the surf. Guess it’ll just take some trial and error to find out.
-As Derek and Mav said, a little practice.
-Main thing is you learn thumb control on a conventional or bait-caster (especially if it has no magnetic braking).
- It is good to start with your thumb in the middle and then rotate it over and brake on the side plate as line is flinging out. And, most important of all, stop the spool when it hits the water (you can let it drop some more to the bottom after you do this if you wish.)
-Main thing is you learn thumb control on a conventional or bait-caster (especially if it has no magnetic braking).
- It is good to start with your thumb in the middle and then rotate it over and brake on the side plate as line is flinging out. And, most important of all, stop the spool when it hits the water (you can let it drop some more to the bottom after you do this if you wish.)
Those Abu Ambassadeurs are awesome once you get used to them. Which model do you have?
First make sure your rod isnt too stiff. Make sure whatever you are trying to cast isnt too light. Make sure your line isnt too thick/heavy. Tighten down the spool tensioner and let off little bit at a time when you get more used to the action. You can try to lube rotating assemblies with heavier grease, usually works well but inconsistent.
With this reel you are prob trying to put too much muscle into the beginning of the cast, then it nests up- the key is a smooth cast and follow through with your swing, dont abruptly stop the rod swing. And as others have said, youve got to use your thumb as brakes, i like to brake on the spool side, some like to thumb the line, whatever feels comfortable to you. Once you get it down, they usually cast for miles.
OR you can mag it and you can cast without thumbing the spool if you like but you will sacrifice distance.
Low profile baitcasters are a bit different, i like to use a little more wrist action. They are much more forgiving than conventionals and most have adjustable mag brakes, but again the trade off is distance.
First make sure your rod isnt too stiff. Make sure whatever you are trying to cast isnt too light. Make sure your line isnt too thick/heavy. Tighten down the spool tensioner and let off little bit at a time when you get more used to the action. You can try to lube rotating assemblies with heavier grease, usually works well but inconsistent.
With this reel you are prob trying to put too much muscle into the beginning of the cast, then it nests up- the key is a smooth cast and follow through with your swing, dont abruptly stop the rod swing. And as others have said, youve got to use your thumb as brakes, i like to brake on the spool side, some like to thumb the line, whatever feels comfortable to you. Once you get it down, they usually cast for miles.
OR you can mag it and you can cast without thumbing the spool if you like but you will sacrifice distance.
Low profile baitcasters are a bit different, i like to use a little more wrist action. They are much more forgiving than conventionals and most have adjustable mag brakes, but again the trade off is distance.