islandbass

I try to avoid using main line and leader but when I have to, I use the Albright. What was the nature the break and where exactly did it occur? This would be helpful and with that said, Given how braid can easily cut when it’s taut and 10# being “thin” in diameter, without more information I would speculate that these two traits might not be an ideal situation. Braid cuts into the fc. There very well could be other factors too.

@ScottW: you just need to take a break for now. Reels are tools so as an angler, it behooves you to be proficient with both. A basketball player who can only dribble with one hand is only half a player. that said, I can relate as I too came from a spinning background and unfortunately, mechanics are much more critical with bc reels than spinning reels. 1) there is no such thing as a birdsnest free bc reel. No fancy schmancy electronics (ie, dc or other) replaces the thumb … period. ? 2) bottom line, assuming the reel is properly set, your thumb has to stop the spool from spinning before your lure hits the water. That is right, stop it cold turkey. Feathering the spool with your thumb bearing the end of the cast may be used as needed. 3) one of the hardest things spinning reel users must overcome when adding casting reels to their arsenal is making note of the timing and position of when the thumb comes off the spool at the beginning of the cast. Unfortunately, with a bc reel, the thumb comes off the spool much earlier than the forefinger does on a spinning reel. For the overhand cast: Picture a clock with 12 above your head and 9 directly in front of you. Your thumb needs to come off the spool when the tip of your is somewhere between 1:00 and 1:30. If you release at or before 2:00, that will likely result in a cast that goes higher than it goes forward. If you release after 12:00, you risk having the lure slamming down about 10’ in front of you. If this happens, refer immediately to number 2. Stop the spool from spinning completely NOW! If your thumb fails to react before the lure hits the water that = birdsnest. Sidearm casts? They are exactly the same but your rod is in a different plane. 4) stick with lures that are at least 3/8oz for now. Also, don’t write off bc reels until you try a good workhorse. Others here will agree that if you choose the workhorse class reel from SHIMANO, Daiwa, or Lews, etc., your experience and learning curve most likely going to be “easier” 5) casting mechanics - sometimes we spinning fishermen know we can get away with bad mechanics with spinning gear and it’s a bad habit. Casting gear won’t tolerate this. Ensure that on every cast the lure’s weight loads the rod and this will pay you dividends in excellent casts and in efficiency. Maximum casts with minimal effort and therefore less fatigue. 6) take the time to understand your reel. Figure out its traits and limitations. When something goes wrong on a cast, ask yourself why it happened and what could be done to rectify that. Example #1 from personal experience: Why in the #*#+}£} world is my lure always slamming down right in front of me? Solution - releasing the thumb too late. Learned that the release point is as I described above. Example #2 my first cast ever with new 30# braid slams into the ground in front of and the spool is spinning what seems to me to be way too fast. Why? Because no brakes were “on”. You idiot, and you wasted a brand new spool of braid. ??. Solution - turn on some brakes and use mono in between 10-14# test to learn on. Way more economical while learning. This mindset really helped me to learn how to use bc reels much more quickly than if I didn’t take this approach. I’m recommending you keep trying until you tame this beast. I use both reel types and I am not biased toward either. Both can do some applications fairly equally, but you will come to learn when and where one might outshine the other, regardless if it is by just a little or a lot. You can do this, young padawan ?

I’m we can all relate to this. Mama said there’s be days like this.

I would guess demand. There was a time it was the “high” speed gear lol. If your not opposed to round reels, the Cardiff is a workhorse. I have the 301 and it’s one of my salmon reels but when in bass mode for cranking I’ll use it too. They have 200/201 size which is more convenient for bass fishing. It cast things as well as my old green curado bsf 201 and that easily casts down to 3/16oz things.

@Glenn: Thanks. I was going to jokingly reply to your second post in this thread using the quote function. ?

Casts, perhaps another option is to use the arroba symbol immediately followed by the user’s forum name. It is a way to direct your comment to that person. When you start typing after the arroba, the site will start guessing the person’s forum name. When it finds it, select it and what is shown below results. eg, @casts_by_fly

Welcome and pacific nw greetings from WA state. And yes, we have bass in the land of salmonids, lol. ?

That’s awesome. So can one watch it without having an instagram account? Legit question.

The last air show I went to was a blast. It was at joint base Lewis McChord and the Thunderbirds were there. Two of my favorite all time jets are the F-15 Eagle and the A-10 Warthog. I’ve also flown in the C-141 and C-5 planes via space A, lol. However, the C-130 has a very special place in my heart. I was 10 at the time flying space available from Korea to Japan. I was also the only kid. One of the crew came to my mom but because the propellers were so loud he had to practically shout in my mom’s ear. I couldn’t hear what he asked but my mom nodded her head. The guy then looked at me and said he got mom’s permission for me to accompany him to the cockpit. I noticed the copilot seat was not occupied. The pilot told me to sit in the copilot chair and hand me the headphone with the mic you see pilots use. We chatted for a bit through the headphone set and that was so cool. The pilot then said, “I’m not supposed to do this, but…” He gave me “air” instructions on how to move the controls. Pull back slowly and turn to the left. He made me practice this 3 times “air” style (ie, with my hands not on the controls - picture playing air guitar). Next, it was for real. I put my hands on the controls and I followed his instructions to the letter. The plane turned to the left and started to descend diagonally. IT WAS SO AWESOME AND INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! It was exactly the type of descent you see the black sheep squadron did on TV, lol. I continued to follow his instructions and leveled the plane. I wasn’t even scared, lol. There was a C-130 at the air show open for people to go in and the now 40 plus year old memory came immediately to the forefront. I know my wife and kids thought I was acting weird but I didn’t care, I was as excited as a kid in a toy store.

Me too. I also had a busy year last year. I think I went fishing on 4 times for the entire season. That’s nuts!!!! other goals: Catch my first jig and trailer bass. Downright embarrassing, lol.

This is absolutely a personal call. Bottom line, unless one is ambidextrous, one way should feel more “comfortable” than the other. Personally, my preference is lh for both spinning and casting. I can use rh or lh casters but lh is preferred. I tried spinning rh and it felt weird and uncomfortable. With that said, I will switch on a spinning if my preferred side is tired. When jigging for salmon with heavy spoon like lures, one can get fatigued on one side so switching the handle allows that side to “take a break”. ? Lastly, if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.

Which? Both Why? Bait Monkey’s answer ?

I am so sorry to hear that. I hope there’s a solution for you. The back is so important for many things we take for granted.

I did too, lol.

So did AARP mail find its way to you yet, lol? Congrats on reaching 50 and you latest acquisition. ?

My primary thought is when the fish is on, never… ever… allow the loss of tension in the line… period. I have caught salmon way bigger than any bass in places barbed hooks are illegal and I’ve never lost any fish while using barbless hooks — if I kept tension in the line for the entirety on the battle. This is the key because even a blue gill half the size of my hand can throw off a barbless hook.

Well for me, not true travel rods, but my two piece rods have pretty much gotten the most usage. They easily fit in my trunk. My true bass rods might see action on a long weekend but for practicality and convenience, my two piece rods are king.

Thanks! That really helps. Unlike most anglers, I prefer not only a limp type of fc line, but I also don’t mind the stretch, probably because I use mono often and appreciate the stretch both those lines have. In addition, I pretty would use it for drop shot and at 6# test. Therefore, I’ll give basix a try. For the price, I’ll be fine if it doesn’t work out. ?

Not yet, but it’s definitely on my list to try. As an invizx user, I sure hope it’s at least on par with it. ?

@J Francho thanks for all you’ve done! @12poundbass Congratulations! I know you’ll do a fine job. somehow the exiting and entering of this transition trigger this memory in my brain. ?

I think you can put her at ease. My good friends wife just had it removed about a month ago and she is fine and up and running.

Welcome and greetings from the US west coast. ?

Yes indeed. And it that doesn’t work,try the other way. One way is bound to better than the other. I have a 2003 Corolla and with the back seats down, I am able to lay the rods with the reel side in the trunk and the other end between the 2 front seats. @Gregorym38: I’d invest in getting a pool noodle and cut it to the size needed to protect the top 1/2 or 1/3 of the rod. It will also prevent the rod for needlessly vibrating around and potentially banging some part of your car.

Hot dog. I just saw it in my local Walmart just the other day. I would probably only use 6# test for drop shotting. It’s the only thing I use fc for if I decide to use it. I am already accustomed to invizx quality so basix has a bar to match at the very least. Hopefully at 6# it won’t be wirey and spring off my spinning reel. Invizx doesn’t and that will be ultimate make or break for using. The money savings would be well appreciated. I remember when invizx was around $13 lol.

Glad to see another lh wielding bc person too, lol. Any reel in the SHIMANO curado class or its daiwa counterpart will enable to quickly learn how to use a bc reel. I too would refrain from going the dc route. It’s just not necessary. You’ll be in for a ride as you will now become proficient with both reel types. I would highly recommend you search on posts and videos here about how to set up and cast a bc reel before you get started. also, I recommend using a bass casting weight of 3/8 or 1/2 oz and mono between 10-14 lbs for learning — and make sure your spool is optimally filled. lastly, from one who started out spinning first and for a long time. The timing of when to release is MUCH sooner with a bc reel than a spinning reel. You will need to program or reprogram your casting mechanics. Picture yourself making an overhand cast. If a clock with 12 o’clock is above you and 9 o’clock is in front of you, your thumb needs to come off of the spool when your rod is somewhere between 1 and 2 o’clock with 1:30 being a happy medium. And yes, that early. If you release passed 12, your will probably see your weight land on the ground right in front of you and you’d be like a deer headlights as your first official birds nest quickly forms, lol. Just speaking from my own experience ?. First cast with a bc reel I spooled it with new 30# braid. It was my first time using both. I let go at 12 and my weight slammed right in front me and I not only make a glorified birdsnest, I also ruined the entire spool of braid. ? I was ticked with myself but at the same time I was laughing my head off. Another thing to try to master early is learning to properly load the rod with the weight of the lure. This is important with bc rigs. If you hear the rod whip/whiz by your ear and you know the rod didn’t get properly loaded — while you can get away with such a cast on a spinning rig, not so with a bc rig. Make your thumb stop the cast cold… dead turkey. If you don’t you might end up a small birds nest or little overrun. If you can do this, you will learn the art of maximizing cast efficiently with minimal effort and this would even transfer to casting with spinning rigs. I think learning the overhand cast first is best. Learning to cast side arm or underhand will easily follow afterward. The side arm cast is exactly the same mechanics but your rod is just on a different plane.