deep

Hey kllrbee, I hear ya. You got that part about being too confident dead-on. Bad things generally happen when I get too confident; I get snagged and lose a lure trying to make that impossible cast, I lose a good fish trying to horse him a bit too much, and so on. I'm just waiting for my first backlash. I'm not taking the set-up on my kayak anytime soon. I get the time to fish out of the yak only once a week, and I want to fish then, not concentrating on how to cast. @Bassclary, I'll try that.

Thanks for the tips, folks. I don't have a backyard, so after work, I took the rod (a 7' compre)/reel to my local lake. Set 3 brakes, and the spool tension so that spool stops when the lure stops. Got that dialed in pretty well. And then I started casting with a 0.5 oz spinnerbait. With all due respect to all the members here, I'll say that it's not "that" difficult to cast a BC reel. Much easier than I figured it would be from reading some posts. Or maybe the Citica is a phenomenally easy reel, or maybe I have an educated thumb (I often feather the spool for pinpoint casts on my spinning rig). I didn't have one single backlash with the spool tension set a bit tight. Casting distance/ accuracy was nothing great, but okay. Then I loosened the spool tension a bit, brakes still set to 3. I noticed two things. #1. The spool was paying out more line in the middle of the cast than the lure was taking (balanced out by itself at the end of the cast) #2. I got better distances. I could throw that spinnerbait almost as far as I throw a 5" senko. That's awesome. Why is #1 happening? And should/ could I fix this? Also, the Citica seemed to be a little less smooth on the retrieve than my spinning reels (a shimano and a browning citori). Is this normal? P.S. I spooled on some 12# Suffix Siege. Great stuff. I could even feel the blades turning. Edit: Bassclary, read your reply below. Just when I was getting proud of my educated thumb, lol. I am a bit scared to strip down the reel; I got it just today. Also I read somewhere the lower-end Shimanos are a bit un-smooth. It's barely noticeably as it is. Let's see. The Siege is my favorite mono, too. Have it (6#) on one of my spinning rigs, the other has Samurai. The 12# is much more sensitive than the 6#, probable 'cos it's stiffer.

Baitcasting newbie here; so bear with the silly questions. My Citica 201E arrived today, and I am learning to cast it. First I adjust the "cast control" knob on the handle side of the reel so that the lure barely falls under it own weight. Got upto that so far. If the lure falls much faster, I get more casting distance AND more backlashes; is that correct? Now, for casting, I need to press the clutch and thumb the spool, and let go of the thumb at the right moment? I guess it's a bit different from spincasting, where I would release the push-button to cast. Pressing the push-button did nothing, you release it to cast. I guess I'm more used to releasing something to actually cast Finally, I need to adjust the variable brakes by opening the side-plate. More brakes = less backlashes AND less casting distance? I guess part of the problem is I read about magnetic and centrifugal brakes, but there's no such term in the reel manual. Thanks.

Do you have to have a leader? Mono is bad for abrasion resistance, and the fish can see 8# mono at least as well as the 10# FC. IMO, a FC mainline will hold up to shocks; if you had a braid mainline, it would be different.

Thanks for all the replies. I played it safe and ordered a 7' MH-F Compre (rated for 3/8 to 1 oz) with a Citica E. Let's see how it goes. It's also my first BC set-up; I guess I also need to pick up some really cheap line to throw away in backlashes.

I use a stop and go presentation almost always. How often and how long I pause varies. I get 9 out of 10 strikes on the pause, and the strikes I get while the lure is moving are usually misses or bad hook-ups. Sometimes though, when the stop and go doesn't work, I will work it without pauses; hoping to annoy the bass. Works once in a while, and always the last resort before I change location or lure. P.S: there are at least 2 more retrieves I use when nothing is working. Work it like a popper (long snaps of the rod tip); it splashes a lot of water, and the lure goes under the surface. Reel it straight in like you would work a crankbait, with or without pauses. The lure makes a very tight jig-jag, sometimes under surface, depending how fast you retrieve. Edit: P.P.S: Sometimes I make "false starts" after the pause, where I snap the lure a few inches instead of the zig-zag pattern. Coaxes out strikes at times.

I read somewhere that improved clinch is good because braid slips; also leaving a longer tag end may be beneficial.

#1. Both from the shore and from my kayak. I'll get a 7' + rod #2. 3/8 oz and above. Anything less is handled pretty well by my spinning rig. I'll get a MH or H power BC rod. #3. Mostly open water, grassy and weedy area (light and soft cover). I am really looking to cover water here. I asked about the line and the rod action because I want to make long casts and get good hooksets at distance at the same time.

What line (mono/ fluoro/ copoly/ braid) and what rod "action" should I look for? I don't intend to make pinpoint casts, more as a searching tool. Also, on a baitcaster, do you get longer casts with mono (compared to fluouro/braid etc) everything else remaining the same?

I buy the cheapest pair of scissors that Walmart has (usually less than a dollar); cuts samurai braid just fine. I invariably keep losing them, each pair averages about 2 months. So I get the smallest and the cheapest. Works for me. When I'm out of scissors, a nailclipper works okay too; just that they usually cost more.

Everything that's been said, plus Daiwa Samurai (I use 30/6). Casts great, doesn't dig in, and insanely sensitive. A bit pricey, but one spool lasts forever when you use a leader. Works out in the long run IMO.

Fan of Daiwa Samurai here. I tried the invisibraid, fireline, power pro. Settled on the Samurai. Yes, it costs more, but the performance is worth it. Plus its probably cheaper in the long run, when you count it the birds nests and line snaps and lost lures with some other braids.

If cranking is the application you are looking at, these are my thoughts. In a 100 ft cast, the crank stays at intended depth for only like 40 ft. So you want to maximize your cast length, which on my spinning tackle at least I find with mono (siege or trilene xl, I like both). You want the crank to go as deep as the structure you are trying to hit. But mono floats. So how about using a mono of lesser diameter (step-down one size) or a slightly deeper crank? For abrasion resistance, put on an FC leader. This is what works for me.

#1. try a lower pound test or a larger reel next time, more manageable #2. try KVD L&L, works like magic for spinning reel + FC #3. berkeley trilene FC is one of the stiffer FCs out there. Seaguar Invizx is very manageable, but it has a lot of stretch, cuts down on the sensitivity. I found spiderwire ultracast FC to be a good compromise between castability and sensitivity. #4. if sensitivity isn't an issue, just use a mono + FC leader. I use suffix siege for the mainline. Casts like a dream, and you also got abrasion resistance and invisibility. P.S. Tackletour did a FC line shootout. You might want to find and read that article.

Yeah, true.

Okay. I see. Next time I buy a rod, I will check all the sites out. Actually, I didn't want to pay the shipping fee, and the Powell looked like a nice rod (I found it's a great rod for me), so I just went ahead and bought it.

I was looking for a MH XF rod. I didn't look hard enough at BPS, but I looked over all the St Croix rods TW had. But yes it's a moot point now. Big Tom, thanks. BASSclary, it's sometimes fun to show off your bass thumb to folks who don't fish.

Took out my kayak in the evening. Brought along the Powell, a bag of 5" senkos, a pack of EWG hooks and a nail clipper. Didn't take my tackle box or any other rod because I wanted to field-test the Powell. Fished a weedbed for a while without any bites, then found bass busting bait on the surface. It was crazy following them around to get within casting distance. Made 4 good casts and landed 4 bass No size, but great fun. Lost the school after the fourth fish, or maybe they shut down. Hit the swimming docks next. Caught 3 more, and lost 3. Once I lost my balance during the hookset and had no power, once only half the worm came back (probably a dink), the third one was a dink that came unbuttoned at the kayak (looked like too small to get the hook into his mouth). I am really happy with the set-up. It's well-balanced and lightweight, casts very well, bite detection is flawless, hooksets are good even from the kayak, and best of all keeps pressure on the fish nicely, even when I am skiing a dink across the surface. After many many days, I got a real nice smelly bass thumb today.

Well, I already got my rod. Happy with it so far.

Hello there. My opinions (you know what they say about opinions, don't you?): **6'8" MH-XF Bass Pro Johnny Morris Baitcasting Elite rod w/ JM signature 6.4-1 reel w/ 14 lb mono. Was planning on using for jigs, spinnerbaits, and plastics in heavy cover. Maybe some heavier cranks along the edge.** good for single-hook lures with that xtra-fast action. But, using mono would eat up on that sensitivity. I have an extra-fast rod for plastics, frogs and jigs. I put braid on it. Spinnerbaits: you want to throw it far, for which mono is good, but a rod with fast, rather than extra-fast action is probably better. Sensitivity is not so much an issue here, since you fish a spinnerbait on a taut line (almost always anyway). Cranks: Mono is good, XF action is not. You want a medium-fast or moderate action for cranking. **6'6" M-F BPS Extreme Spinning rod w/ Pflueger Pres 5.2-1 reel w/ 10 lb mono. Cranks and topwaters. Smaller (4" or less) worms texas rigged or wacky.** Once again, braid and an XF action are better for any slow bottom-contact lures. Looks good otherwise. **6'6" ML-F BPS Bionic SP rod w/ Pflueger Pres 5.2-1 reel w/ 8 lb mono. Smaller cranks and topwaters.** No comments. **5'6" Light BPS Megacast SP rod/5.2-1 reel combo w/ 4 lb mono. Whatever small stuff I use for panfish. Will not be using for bass fishing.** My best 3 bass (PB 6.5 lbs) were all caught on a 5'6" light Daiwa rod with 6 lb mono in light cover. Next spring, I'll be fishing with a ultralight rod and 4 lb line. I'm sure I'll lose a few fish, but it's a lot of fun. Warning: don't listen to anything I say. I fished frogs on the same light rod with 6 lb line in heavy pads. Caught a lot, didn't miss as many, though.

Got my Powell today. Had only about half an hour to fish before I headed off to cheer our soccer team. I got no bites, but here are my feelings FWIW. First, it's a bit lighter (in weight) than the quantum superlite, and considerably less tip-heavy. Second, the guides except the first two are really small. Didn't mess up with the leader to mainline knot though. Third, sensitivity is a tad bit higher than on the quantum. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the rod. And it handled a branch I snagged up quite well. Now I need to see how it holds up to the bass.

The lure weight rating is 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz, which suits me just fine. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on this rod.

Well, to cut a long story short, my kayak turned turtle yesterday, and I lost my quantum superlite overboard. (I MUST get a rod leash.) Anyway, the quantum superlite was 7'4", MH, XF. The Powell is a medium power. Will I have enough power for the hookset? Or do I have to give an extra oomph? BTW, I will be putting on Daiwa Samurai, same as that on the Quantum. I tried to find a MH-XF in 7 ft+. Had no luck.

.. as a soft plastics rod.

saint romain, not only "directly" under you, but in an "area" under you (the sound waves are emitted in a cone) and the area you already passed over. I chose the 120 over the 110 because I could afford to spend the extra 30 bucks (got my FF in a cabelas sale). However I didn't go for the 130 or 140 as I didn't think an extendable shaft or a color screen was worth spending the extra cash on. While the sidescanner hasn't been much helpful so far, who knows, I might find some baitfish pods one day. Plus, if you see a bunch of fish say 40 feet ahead, you might want to go there and search for structures with the down-looking sonar. Thus the sidescanner is useful, although indirectly. "If I were you", I'd take the 120 over the 110 if I could. My 2 cents.