I've only used spinning set-ups and recently purchased a mid-low end casting combo at Dicks. It is a Quantum and seems ok quality. $100 for the set-up. The sales person said it was easier to learn on mono and spooled it up with cheap mono 8# test.
I watched some youtube videos and leaned to adjust the brake and drag to the weight of lure and can cast it without backlash fairly consistently.
My problem is I can't cast it more than 20 ft. It just feels awkward as hell. I'm a lefty and the handle is on the right side of the reel, which seems right. Being a braid user I'd like to respool it with some good 15# test to help increase distance. I'd like to have a casting rod for topwater fishing frogs and such.
If anyone has any suggestions, tips or advice on how to cast and properly set-up a casting rig, or insight on how to learn it would be greatly appreciated. Currently it's sitting in the corner collecting dust, as I got too frustrated to keep using it.
I watched some youtube videos and leaned to adjust the brake and drag to the weight of lure and can cast it without backlash fairly consistently.
My problem is I can't cast it more than 20 ft. It just feels awkward as hell. I'm a lefty and the handle is on the right side of the reel, which seems right. Being a braid user I'd like to respool it with some good 15# test to help increase distance. I'd like to have a casting rod for topwater fishing frogs and such.
If anyone has any suggestions, tips or advice on how to cast and properly set-up a casting rig, or insight on how to learn it would be greatly appreciated. Currently it's sitting in the corner collecting dust, as I got too frustrated to keep using it.
i agree your brake probably isnt set properly but also a word of advice especially for beginners you shouldntt be using 8lb line on your baitcaster. for getting started i would switch to somewhere around 14lb mono cause light line and baitcasters is usually a recipe for disaster for an "uneducated thumb" . i had one baitcaster spooled up with 8 lb fluoro early this season and i was throwing weightless wacky rigs on it with no issues until i left it in my car on the first hot day and the line never recoverd, backlash every cast so i just switched back up to 10 lb and left it but i use casting gear 98% of the time im bass fishing and have a seasoned thumb . braid will make picking out backlashes easier cause you can horse out a knot without kinking the line like you would mono or fluoro but 15lb is a bit thin and will give you problems, remember baitcasters are generally a workhorse reel and for the most part are designed for heavier diameter line. do yourself a favor and pick up a cheap spool of 14lb trilene xl and use it til the end of the season. you are going to backlash and get wind knots n all kinds of s*** that will piss you off but you are better off learning with xl mono so when you get a nasty bird nest you can learn how to pick it out by experiance rather than having a youtube vid show you what to do that way when you make the switch to either light line or braid next season you will have learned the hard way and have a good idea what to expect and how to remedy any issues you may encounter.just stick with it and dont get frustrated and once you educate your thumb you will find it very enjoyable to use casting gear. as for your brakes you basically want to hold your rod out at a 90 degree angle and click into freespool,let your lure hit the water and see if your spool keeps spinning without slowing it down with your thumb, if you get a birdnest than apply a little more brake and try again. when just getting started you want your brakes slightly tighter than you normally would because the magnets will kinda take over for your thumb until you are used to using your thumb to slow your lure down before splash down then gradually back off of the magnets as you get better. on a cheaper reel you most likely only have magnetic adjustments and no centrifigul brake, so the knob on the right (if it is right hand retrieve) will push your spool closer to the magnets and the clicker dial on the left will push the magnets closer to the spool so essentially the right hand knob is course magnet adjustment and the left dial is fine tuning magnetic adjustment. sorry to wright a book lol. check youtube on how to adjust your reel properly to try and avoid getting spiderwebs
Holy s*** do I feel like an idiot! It's actually a Pinnacle Extant Pro. Model seems to be EXP100. The rod is also Pinnacle, 6'6'' med/heavy.
I want to beef up the line, and use braided, but I can hardly use the thing already and I'm not sure if it's me or an equipment issue. I think the line is too light, and I'm not a fan of mono. I've done some homework and learned the mechanics of a casting reel, practiced a few hours and took it fishing maybe 10 times. I tend to cast over the shoulder naturally with a spinning rig, giving it that little snap at the end of the ark and can launch it pretty damned good and with good accuracy.
When I use a casting rig the whole motion of the cast seems wrong. Like throwing with your weak hand. I see guys just give it a little flick of the wrist and launch it without bringing the rod behind their head. I fish almost exclusively out of a kayak and often am often casting one armed to the side and this seems like an ideal technique. Is there some basic casting technique I'm missing here? I just can't get the feel of it.
I want to beef up the line, and use braided, but I can hardly use the thing already and I'm not sure if it's me or an equipment issue. I think the line is too light, and I'm not a fan of mono. I've done some homework and learned the mechanics of a casting reel, practiced a few hours and took it fishing maybe 10 times. I tend to cast over the shoulder naturally with a spinning rig, giving it that little snap at the end of the ark and can launch it pretty damned good and with good accuracy.
When I use a casting rig the whole motion of the cast seems wrong. Like throwing with your weak hand. I see guys just give it a little flick of the wrist and launch it without bringing the rod behind their head. I fish almost exclusively out of a kayak and often am often casting one armed to the side and this seems like an ideal technique. Is there some basic casting technique I'm missing here? I just can't get the feel of it.
Its justva matter of what feels good to you. Personally if I need to really get some distance ill do an underhand roll cast almost like swinging a baseball bat but nowhere near as hard and don't follow threw, ill swing sidearm starting with the rod tip slightly behind me in a slight upward swing then snap the wrist to stop it once my rod tip is pointing towards where I'm aiming. I almost never overhead swing a baitcaster
it's all about setting the brakes correctly - internal, externally, and the lure tension knob. you don't want them too tight or loose when starting out. practice casting and using your thumb to control the line coming off the spool. that's the part you want to master so you're relying less on brakes and can get as much distance as you want. i think 10-12 lb, mono is pretty good to start with. you won't get as much distance with heavier line.
my opinion only and no offense intended. learning to use a baitcaster can take time, learning to use it in a kayak would not be my idea of fun. you can do everything with a spinning setup except pitch and flip. to do that you need to stand up. if you can't stand up you don't really need a baitcaster. you can use a heavier spinning rod for frogging and jigging. I believe that Stratos uses a spinning rod for frogging by choice.
The only Extant on the Pinnacle web site is a spinning reel. I also found reference to an Extant baitcaster on TackleTour from 2008. You may have this older model or you may have a newer model that was branded specifically for Dicks. Two years back I purchased a Quantum reel from Dicks that turned out to be private labelled. They put an original price on it of $129 and had it "marked down" to $80 so that it looked like a great deal. Truth was, it was a rebadged version of another Quantum reel that listed for $80. Talk about deceptive practices. I ended up returning it for credit because it was a piece of crap.
I was hoping to find a diagram of the braking system on your reel to determine if you have a magnetic or centrifugal system. Magnetic systems typically have a rotary dial brake adjustment on the side opposite the handle. On a centrifugal system, you must take the side cover off (side opposite handle). There you would see a series of adjustable weights around the end of the spool that can be moved toward or away from the center. Further out increases braking.
If all this fails and you still cannot cast the rod, see if Dicks will accept the return. If you used your Dicks Scorecard then they will have a record of the purchase.
I was hoping to find a diagram of the braking system on your reel to determine if you have a magnetic or centrifugal system. Magnetic systems typically have a rotary dial brake adjustment on the side opposite the handle. On a centrifugal system, you must take the side cover off (side opposite handle). There you would see a series of adjustable weights around the end of the spool that can be moved toward or away from the center. Further out increases braking.
If all this fails and you still cannot cast the rod, see if Dicks will accept the return. If you used your Dicks Scorecard then they will have a record of the purchase.
Damn bassinbrooksy, that explained every question I've ever had about casting reels! Droppin the science! Thanks man!
I'm thinking it's more a problem with thumb and casting technique after reading your comments. Trying to avoid a backlash probably makes me go heavy on the thumb, and even on my spinning rigs I cast at an angle over the shoulder or side arm since I primarily fish out of a kayak and you can't always make your body face the direction you want to cast.
That was very helpful and gave me a ton of inspiration to figure this damned thing out. I really appreciate your insight.
I'm thinking it's more a problem with thumb and casting technique after reading your comments. Trying to avoid a backlash probably makes me go heavy on the thumb, and even on my spinning rigs I cast at an angle over the shoulder or side arm since I primarily fish out of a kayak and you can't always make your body face the direction you want to cast.
That was very helpful and gave me a ton of inspiration to figure this damned thing out. I really appreciate your insight.
I've asked rookie questions on other sites and got some good advice, but you guys are hitting the nail on the head.
samf I've got a decent grasp of the mechanics, but yeah, applying them in a real scenario is another story. What do you think about 30# braided?
oldfisher Exactly. Fishing from my kayak is like sitting on the floor. Casting in front is easy but you can't always rotate your body to face the direction you want to cast.. I was skipping a frog on top and through the pads at Baldpate pond on Saturday and landed 2 nice LM in incredibly shallow water using heavy spinning gear and a frog.
bloomagoo It does have a magnetic rotary dial system. I don't believe it's the gear at this point, I need to get the proper line and practice... a lot.
samf I've got a decent grasp of the mechanics, but yeah, applying them in a real scenario is another story. What do you think about 30# braided?
oldfisher Exactly. Fishing from my kayak is like sitting on the floor. Casting in front is easy but you can't always rotate your body to face the direction you want to cast.. I was skipping a frog on top and through the pads at Baldpate pond on Saturday and landed 2 nice LM in incredibly shallow water using heavy spinning gear and a frog.
bloomagoo It does have a magnetic rotary dial system. I don't believe it's the gear at this point, I need to get the proper line and practice... a lot.
This can make all the difference in the world! I just finally adjusted my Revo Winch to where I want it. Enjoy the info! 
Setting the brakes is very simple on the low profile styles of Shimano and Ambassadeur reels. Just remove the cover on the left side and pull out one of the 6 plastic weights to tighten the brakes or push it in to loosen the brakes. Revos have a knob on the right side that are usually finger tight (but could require a screwdriver to loosen). It must be loosened before the left plate can be removed. The round style Shimano reels (Corsair & Calcutta) are a little more complex. The brakes are in the same place and they are basically identical, but you must remove the spool from the right side of the reel to get to the brakes.
Many reels have brake control knobs on the left side of them (usually instead of centrifugal brakes). In most cases, you can tweak them by following the same procedures as the brakes. They will usually have +- or more/less written on them. "+" or "more" usually means more brakes - not more distance. So, don't get that confused. Also, don't get the brake confused with the friction adjustment.
Here is the link I found to the info above that was pretty simple and descriptive:
http://www.bassfishing.org/BassFishingTips-HowToTweakABaitcastingReel.htm
Setting the brakes is very simple on the low profile styles of Shimano and Ambassadeur reels. Just remove the cover on the left side and pull out one of the 6 plastic weights to tighten the brakes or push it in to loosen the brakes. Revos have a knob on the right side that are usually finger tight (but could require a screwdriver to loosen). It must be loosened before the left plate can be removed. The round style Shimano reels (Corsair & Calcutta) are a little more complex. The brakes are in the same place and they are basically identical, but you must remove the spool from the right side of the reel to get to the brakes.
Many reels have brake control knobs on the left side of them (usually instead of centrifugal brakes). In most cases, you can tweak them by following the same procedures as the brakes. They will usually have +- or more/less written on them. "+" or "more" usually means more brakes - not more distance. So, don't get that confused. Also, don't get the brake confused with the friction adjustment.
Here is the link I found to the info above that was pretty simple and descriptive:
http://www.bassfishing.org/BassFishingTips-HowToTweakABaitcastingReel.htm
yeah i agree learning a baitcast reel on a kayak is probably not ideal and you can get away with heavier lures like frogs with the right spinning rod set up. 30 lb. braid shouldn't be too bad. you just don't want something too think or thick to start. keep adjusting the brakes and then gradually back them off as you get a hang of it. you'll get it down with practice.
