islandbass

Wow! Looks like your bait monkey slapped you hard on both cheeks! ?

For your case, it makes sense to. Your idea definitely has merit in my book. Go for it. I don't have any duplicate rods but I don't mind the retie until I can no longer thread line through a Hook eye, lol.

How bad are the birds nests? The more severe the nest, the greater the potential for the line to get damaged, not only from the nest but also the undoing of the nest from angler yanking of the line trying to undo it. The next time you made a severe one, be on the lookout for parts of the line that are kinked. Every one of those is a possible place for the line to break anytime afterward. Btw, this type of line can happen with any line if the damage is great enough. As already mentioned, it won't hurt to see if one of the guides could be the culprit

Vanish is exactly what the fish will do. Consider yourself lucky you didn't lose those big fish. Of all the lines I have ever tried, vanish by far has been the worst. Change to a diffrent fluorocarbon line will likely be better for you. With that said, it would behoove you to check your line, both leader and standing end and the joining knot after every catch and occasionally after a few casts.

Everyone can relate. I don't think anything in how you set up your reel is off. Matter of fact, you have it dialed in. Since your birds nests are occurring at the end of the cast as you described, the culprit is very likely user error, lol. Here is THE golden nugget that all new baitcaster users need to understand. "Your thumb MUST stop the spool from spinning BEFORE your lure hits ANYTHING, be it the ground or the water's surface or a tree/brush." It doesn't matter how you stop the spool from spinning -- feather the spool to a stop or stop is dead cold. It is a cool feeling to feather the spool to a stop or something therapeutic for me. That is is the key and the bottom line result that must happen or overrun will result. it is the only casting thought I gave my daughter when she was 6 and she got it down on the first cast. For experienced baitcast reel users, this reflex is done without thinking because it has become second nature. For beginners, if they remain mindful that the spool has to stop spinning, they will be well on their way to having it become second nature for them. I hope the capped words don't come across as harsh as that is not the intent but instead to emphasize the items that are key to not get the nest at the end or anywhere in the cast. The adage, "it's all in the thumb," is true. Best of luck. Oops! What I wrote is for what to do after you cast your lure and it's about to land. Massbassin is right about how to fix your problem. I prefer to have my cast control set up to err on the side of being looser than tighter, but that is not ideal for the beginner.

I love my Cabelas mag touch rod to death. I don't think they make this line anymore so that part won't help, but IMHO, I think whatever the model, you are getting bang for the buck, especially when they're on sale. I have caught bass, salmon, trout,you name it and sensitivity is very good even though mine is a 2 piece rod by necessity.

Flouro - SeaGuar I used to use the one in the yellow and blue box but it got too pricey so I switched to the cheaper red label and it seems to work just fine. Whatever you do, I highly recommend staying away from Vanish. Why because when you have a fish on, that's exactly what it's going to do... Vanish. P-Line - Their CX is a great line and CXX when you need a stouter line. If there were a draw (this doesn't bother me however but I know it does other anglers) back, the line has some memory to it. Mono - To be honest, I've tried Stren, Spiderwire, Trilene XL, XT and Big Game, Ande, Sufix and they're all good. Some companies like Sufix and Trilene ahave a "tough" version (XT) and a "finer" version (XL and Elite) that can also suit your preferences.

I gotta calm my bait monkey down, lol. I might suffer from the over sensitivity too. Even an ugly stick is sensitive in my hands so if I had an NRX, it might be information overload, lol. Congrats on your new rod!

That "fluff" overrun you described sounds like line dig. When the spool stops spinning dead midcast, that suggests to me that that section of the line on the spool was "dug in" too tightly for the speed of the spool to overcome. My observations on how line dig occurs is when a lure is stuck and I started yanking hard with the rod trying to free it, which in turn, makes the braid "dig into itself" on the spool. I don't call them true birds nests. Fishballer hinted at what I think might be the culprit. I used to experience line dig with 30# braid, but honestly, I don't recall what I did to no longer make it an issue. Are you using power pro by chance? It is their 30# braid that seemed to have the least problem with line dig. Perhaps you can put on 10# mono and see if you can duplicate your problem. If you can't and you're casting without problems, it would suggest that the 30# braid was likely the problem. Step up to 40# braid which has a thicker diameter and the problem might disappear if you wish to keep using braid. Let us know what you find out.

Being that new, it is probably got damaged enroute to you or the store if you bought it from one. Or, if you might have a little nephew who stepped on it accidentally and didn't tell you, lol. I am sure they will inspect the damage to ascertain the true cause of the break. Lamiglas, a local company in my area deals similarly to what iabass8 described. They assess the damage and tell you what your options are. If rod companies replaced every rod we break free of charge, they'd all go broke. Fortunately, for the OP's case, being that new, I'd be inclined to think they'd replace it without issue.

I am a shorebound angler myself, but if a two pound bass was pulling line that fast, that would suggest to me that it was set too low to begin with. You didn't specify what reel type you are using but I'll guess spinning gear? One of the the neat things about a baitcaster is that your thumb can serve as a "secondary" drag if I were to give it a name. 10# line is very strong. I honestly think your line will be more bound to break from the result of unseen wear and tear on the line or cover than a drag set to max or you pulling to hard. I don't think this is concern you can let go. This is just me, but I prefer to give the fish a sporting chance and setting the drag that high kind of takes away to sport a bit IMHO from the battle between fish a man, which is what I am after. I probably would change that philosophy if I were tournament fishing however, lol.

Only your bait monkey could answer that question.

I can relate, believe me. Been there, done that so many times, I can't count that high. Consider yourself in good but rare and exceptional company. Executing this type cast intended to go parallel to the bank that ends up on is a skill that only a true rod-wielding jedi could hope to attain, lol.

@grumpy: I would have to say yes, to your question. Definitely. Sometimes my cast with spinning is a mere flick of the wrist. One thing I learned is sometimes if your casting reel is not dialed in getting too much wrist increases chance for overrun for those whose thumbs haven't yet been seasoned enough to compensate for the extra speed that can be generated by the wrists. Indeed that "heave" cast you described is what I was trying to get at about making that mega cast, the rod is being whipped so fast that the rod didn't get loaded. Yeah, Glenn has some good videos. If I'm not mistaken, be lives in my neck of the woods (Pacific Northwest) but I haven't met him yet.

Raul is right. Everyone is different. However with that said, let's get one thing clear. A “right-handed” baitcaster is now labeled as such because it is for a right-hand dominant person and vice versa for a “left-handed” reel. What it does mean is that a right-handed casting reel is labeled this way because the angler’s right hand is going to turn the crank regardless of the hand dominance of the angler. I made the “mistake” (it really wasn’t one) of buying my an RH casting reel because I assumed since, I’m right-hand dominant, this should be for me. It was awkward and uncomfortable but I trained myself to use to make me a better-rounded angler. I can now use either but I prefer LH reels. We can make a general analogy with baseball. A right-handed baseball player will put his mitt on his left hand to catch the ball and use his dominant hand to throw the ball. When we cast, in essence, we are throwing the lure. So theoretically, a right-hand dominant person should (key word should) feel more comfortable with a LH. There are of course always exceptions. For example, if they learned with RH casting reels since they were young, it is already ingrained in them. Also, even in baseball, some right-handed players actually are more comfortable batting the opposite way. Bottom line? Try both. Unless you are ambidextrous one or the other is bound to feel more comfortable to you. It makes me wonder if the inventor of the casting reel was left handed, lol. Raul, glad to see you’re still here! -ib

Based on what you described, my best guesses are 1) you being new (don't worry, we're all been there, myself included and I wore those shoes) and 2) casting mechanics. When I first started fishing, I had no one to show me the ropes so I had to rely on books like fishing for dummies, but books can only take you so far. The rest is trial and error and learning from experience and mistakes. Luckily for me, I like to analyze and trouble shoot. From my experience, I learned that: If the casts you are making are "sky high" such that the cast goes farther vertically than forward (more of an inverted V trajectory instead a nice parabola), chances are highly likely that the angler is letting his finger off the rod to release the line too early. Sometimes, in addition to this, the angler did not allow the lure's weight load the rod and instead used speed generated with his arms to make the cast. Signs of this? You hear your rod whipping and nothing to show for it except a sky-high cast. Also, when whipping your rod forward you did not feel the lure's weight load the rod. Being able to use the lure's weight to load the rod to make a cast is absolutely key to making the most efficient casts with the least amount of effort and not necessarily throwing as hard as you possibly can. Find some open space outside sufficient that you won't break any windows and tie on about 3/8 or 1/2 oz. weight. Next, go through the steps to make a cast, i.e., hold the line between your forefinger and the rod and open the bail. Picture a clock with 12 o'clock above you, 9 in front of you, 3 behind you. Hold your rod out pointing at 9 o'clock and the weight dangling about 1.5’ from the tip. At a moderately-fast pace, bring the rod to somewhere between 12 o'clock and 1 o’clock and stop abruptly while trying not to let the rod go passed 1 o’clock AND without letting the line go. If done correctly, you will feel the lure’s weight bend the rod behind you and after the rod loads, it springs forward like a catapult. Repeat this until you get a feel of the rod bending backward and then springing forward. After you get accustomed to that, try the same drill but start 12 and bring it back until about 2-2:30. Once again you should feel the rod get loaded by the weight. You can also gently rock your rod back and forth from 10 to 2 letting the weight load the rod both ways. The purpose for this is for you to get an idea of how the weight loads the rod. The reason for the relatively heavy weight is so that you will definitely feel it. Now that you got that, it’s time to actually let go. Ready? If your casts are still going sky-high, we already know that the line is being released too early. Using the same clock convention, the release point going to be between 11:30 and 12:30 give or take a little from there for a good cast. For that sky-high cast, the line was likely released before 2 o’clock. If you find your casts slamming into the ground, then the release time was too late. Sidearm casting follows the same principles. You just have to orient your clock accordingly. Since you started with spinning first like I did, just keep this in mind when you add casting gear to your arsenal. The thumb’s release point on a casting rod is even sooner than the forefinger’s release point on a spinning rod. I will bet a Rapala floating minnow that your first cast will slam into the ground, lol. Mine did and as I watched my weight slam into the ground, a heck of a bird’s nest immediately appeared since my thumb was not stopping the spool from spinning. To Summarize: 1) Learn to allow the rod to be loaded by the weight of the lure 2) Strive to make sure the release point is somewhere around 12 o’clock (directly above you) Now if this doesn’t work, then we can blame the reel and rod, lol.

Shimano still does, the Spirex and it's available as a front drag or rear drag version. happy wife = happy life.

Drop Shot is by far my most productive. After that, I'd say the crankbait. Don't tell anybody this, but I've never caught a bass on a spinnerbait or buzzbait.

Another awesome idea. Snapshotting now.

I had a chance to go fishing this past Thursday evening and although I brought a selection of three different rods (1 7' M casting, 1 6'6" M spinning and 1 7' UL), it seemed like going UL was going to be ticket. How so? The other two didn't produce, lol. As I was approaching a section of the lake that I knew would be good to catch blue gill, perch or rock bass (as we call them here in WA State. And yes, I was going after some panfish because I didn't want to go home skunked) I saw an older gentleman fishing. Started up a conversation and learned he was fishing for crappie. I was a bit surprised to hear that since this section of the lake in my experience has not been known to me to have crappie. Matter of fact, I can't recall if it were my son or me who caught a crappie but it was incidental and we were not targeting them that day. It was probably my son who caught it, lol. He said the bite had been hot the past couple of days, people leaving with 20-30 plus but was a little slow today. It wasn't until we were parting ways (but to still keep on fishing other sections) that I noticed he was carrying three rods (I thought he only had one rod) in one hand in addition to his bucket and huge cabela's tackle bag. A bucket in one hand, three rods in the other and a large bag on his shoulder. Upon seeing him with his gear, I immediately began recalling how I didn't like carrying multiple rods inconveniently in one hand either,. I asked if he needed help but he said he was alright. Then I said to him that I also used to carry three rods in one hand like that and just hated it. Next, I showed him how I addressed that problem -- by creating a rod quiver so that I could hold all three rods conveniently. That's the key. He liked what he saw so much, that he said he'd pay me if I made one for him. The honest truth was that I built it so long ago that I wasn't sure if I could remember how I made it. I told him that I would see what I could do. Saturday: Took a break from a "honey do" project. Then challenged myself to see if I could recall how build one. My rod quiver is based off of a draftman's 45 degree triangle with 7 1/8" sides and a 10 1/8" hypotenuse I figured since the board is long enough I might as well make a second set if triangles. The board with a section of bamboo flooring is my very crude jig that enables me to cut the wood straighter than if I didn't have it. I took the necessary measurements based off of my first and only rod quiver and cut the pieces and drilled the necessary holes. I used a thicker board because it was only spare wood I had and larger diameter dowels because when I was at home depot, I took a best guess and guessed incorrectly. The bulk of the work is done. I just need to add the velcro, felt, and pipe insulation as cushion for the end caps on the bottom. The quiver on the right is the original. The newer one is beefier than its predecessor. I didn't realize that I didn't have enough felt and I didn't want to waste time going to the store, so I looked around in the garage and found a fluorescent neoprene soda can insulator. That would work! Underneath the neoprene is half of the Velcro. You put the butt of the rod in the end cap, put the rod blank into the slot and keep it in place with the Velcro. I look forward to giving it to him soon. My rod quiver isn't perfect, but it gets the job done serves its purpose well. Instead on having to hold multiple rods through your fingers, all your fingers need to do is hold the top dowel and you're in business. This is how it holds rods up close. Then, when you're fishing from the shore, you can prop it on your tackle bag. Lastly, I apologize for the sideways images. They were correctly oriented in my PC and were attached sideways. I couldn't figure out how to rotate the images. I just hope that doing this doesn't trigger me into making lures again, lol. -ib

Now that is a brilliant idea. I'll need to give my state's fish and wildlife department a call. They might even do this and I just didn't know. Thanks! -ib

Indeed just keep at it. Experience is a great teacher.

You mean I'm not the only one, lol. I just thought of one other. It doesn't happen often but it happens when I get to the lake and realize I don't have my fishing license. It usually happens when I go fishing driving a different car. I keep my license in the glove compartment of my go-to car. And if anyone is wondering, I don't risk fishing without my license.

I fish rocks almost every time I target smallies or river fishing to salmon. One of the ways that helps me distinguish between the rocks and a bite is this. If I am moving weight (eg, drop shotting) dragging it to another spot, I I know that I am putting input into the system (lure, line and rod/me) so those vibrations that feel like a bite are due to me -- so it is not a bite. If you feel the sensation of a bite, you'll feel it with zero input from you so you have good reason to believe it's a bite when you're not moving the lure. Naturally, there is going to be some gray when you're dragging or moving the lure (depending on the technique like jigging or popping it such that your lure is moving or descending) and you feel the sensation of a bite -- just pause for a micro-second and be ready to set that hook. When your input has been removed from the "system" and you still feel that nibble or bite, set that hook! The way I wrote this it seems slow but it isn't. It all happens in a split second. Perhaps the more "challenging" bite to detect is when they take your lure and they start swimming toward you.The tell tale sign of this is your line going seemingly "dead" or slack right after you feel something. Reel in that line and set the hook as fast as you can, lol. To your problem, I experienced on occasion getting a fish on and when I am unable to bring them in, it could be the line has gotten caught on something. Most of the time their attempt to lose the hook frees the line, but not all the time, especially if they decide to stay put instead of fight.

Well said. In my case, if I'm nailing fishing from the shore (I'm shorebound), then clueless fools with a boat come encroaching on me. On the personal side, ie, doing something myself that absolutely irritates me is when I am is such haste to get fishing, I cut the standing end of my line instead of the tag end after I tie my lure on. Once is bad enough, but I've done it one time twice in a row.