madweazl

I've had one birds nest thus far; got really aggressive on a cast and lightly feathered it on accident. Slowed the line down but not enough pressure to slow the spool down lol. Lost about 30 yards...

That is how I setup it up initially based other things I had read and videos I had watched (didnt know it had centrifugal brakes at the time). Once the tension was set, I turned the mag brakes to 5 and messed around with it. I was able to cast from 1-10 without issue though I lost a considerable amount of distance at 10. The difference between 1 and 5 wasnt all that much given how new I was to the baitcaster.

Just starting to really get into bass fishing and have a pretty good selection of plastics but not much else. I'd like to go grab a handful of known productive lures before I start experimenting with rather random things. After researching a ton of various threads here, it seems like the Zara Spooks (and Jr) are quite popular (not much mention of color/pattern) along with the Strike King KVD (no mention of color pattern) and Rapala Shadow Rap (Smelt was mentioned). I noted these because they covered top water, diving, and something kind of all aspect. Shad seems to be a popular pattern in general from what I'm seeing on various other topics. Are there other (or different) must haves? Don't want to go on a spending spree but would like a handful of productive lures to try out this weekend.

I though that might be the case, thanks for the info. So that is completely different than the tension knob?

I'm pretty new to this and I see the Spook and Spook Jr pop up constently in this thread. Which color variations seem to work the best? Baby Bass was mentioned in one of the posts but that was the only pattern I noticed.

The reel had a pin just like pictured and it was easy enough to pull on with your fingers. You give the side cover a twist and it pops right off. It was nice to see the setup and I was able to get a better idea of how it worked. It has a series of five magnets in the side cover the rise or drop depending on the amount of brakes that are applied. One of the magnets is constant and does not move so there is always some force applied (hopefully a feature and not a defect ). These magnets are suspended over a flywheel on the body of the reel. It also makes sense that the magnetic braking force would be stronger at the end of the cast because the RPM of the flywheel would be lower. Thanks for the info, it makes much more sense now.

I have a 20, 25, and 30. The 25 and 30 are pretty close physically but I really like the 25. I need to get a rod better suited for bass (it's on a 6'6" Fenwick HMX light-moderate that I use for trout).

Cant add anything to the fight as I'm new to the bait casters but I just picked up a Lew's combo (labeled Tournament SK but is similar/same as the Tournament from what I understand). I reel has a quality feel; nothing is loose or flimsy (9+1 bearing count). Adjustments are firm and make a noticeable difference when changed. No clue how they compare to what you're looking at but perhaps the info is useful given you listed something in the Tournament lineup.

I kept going from 0 to 10 so I could get a feel for what was going on. New to reels but I applied my experience with suspension and just went from one extreme to the other so I could sense what was happening. Looked at the reel a bit ago and I'm not seeing anything that would allow me to remove a cover without using a screwdriver.

Thank you for the input! Nice to know I may not be crazy. I had no idea there was another braking system (a manual would have been nice but I guess you get what you pay for when you grab a combo). I'll have to dissect the reel and check out the centrifugal side for giggles.

I just got my first bait caster and I've been so impressed. It's a cheap combo but the difference between it and the spincasters I've been using the last 30 years is insane. I dont even want to think about how nice a quality setup is but for now, this really is a dream. I've had a blast just practicing out in the driveway and cant wait to get out on the water.

Just picked up my first bait caster and keep reading conflicting results on what the brakes actually do. Some report they provide braking power right at cast while others at the end of the cast. I spent about an hour casting out in the driveway today to try to get a feel for it and it seems to me they add resistance throughout the entire cast. It took me at least 10 casts before I could really feel a difference between 0 and 10 on my Lew's combo (Tournament SK for what it's worth). Casts took noticeably more effort to cast the same distance with the brake system engaged. So my gut is telling me it is always engaged but if that were the case, there wouldnt be any difference between in and cast control, correct? So, what's the real skinny here?

Speaking of tackle shops, is there a good resource for finding local shops? I've run some google searches but havent found a lot up here. Gander Mountain is ok but I'd much rather find a mom and pop store with some good local info and real expertise. I'll be sure to grab that resource ASAP. Sunday morning I fished a private pond that is supposed to be very good down in King George. Water was still quite cold and there wasnt much cover in the shallows which isnt typical for this pond from what my buddies tell me. Still had a blast but I want to check out some other areas (I'm in Woodbridge). Speaking of which, Powell Creek runs right behind our place. Is there anything in there? I ran some searches and it seems it may be protected and looks to be fed via Lake Montclair. Sounded like it had decent fishing if you have access (have a buddy that lives there).

Retired from the Marine Corps last year and relocated from CA to northern VA a couple months ago and am really loving the area thus far, truly beautiful. A buddy of mine loves bass fishing and I've gone with him a few times over the last five years or so but have never done any consistent bass fishing. This past weekends weather was pretty nice and we decided to go out to a friend of a friends pond. Had a great time as expected but none of us know of many locations yet and are really looking forward to exploring the area. I had a couple decent trout setups (St Croix Premier and Fenwick HMX with Pflueger Presidents) that I used last week. The Fenwick just didnt have the backbone to set hooks and was way to sensitive (felt everything in the water) and the St Croix was a bit too numb feeling so I decided to find something better for bass. I ended grabbing the Lew's Tournament SK combo Gander Mountain had on sale. I was a bit nervous with regard to a casting reel but I dialed it in using suggestions on the forum and went out to the driveway for some practice. Had a couple near misses on the birdsnest front (friend calls them professional overruns ) but was able to clear them and get some good practice in. After about 30 minutes I was doing pretty good and was really pleased with the casters, so much so that I never want to use a spinning reel ever again. They are so smooth and the line stays so nice on them (Suffix Elite 10lb mono in this case). Cant wait to get out on the water! Any suggestions on a location that is friendly for fishing off the shore?

Nice! I just moved into the area (Woodbridge) from CA and fished a friend of a friends pond today. It was great to get out there even though I only landed one little guy. Cant wait to start hooking something like what you got there.