Yesterday I bought a spool of 15lb seaguar fluorocarbon to put on my bait caster crank bait reel, and today I tried it out and I cant keep it from bird nesting. every time I cast its a disaster. any tips ? also is this the best type of line to be using when fishing crank baits ?

Kvd line and lure will help make the like more user friendly. Fluoro can be a pain. I've never cared for seaguar but I know a lot of people like it. Fluoro is also one of those 'get what you pay for' things. Also making sure you spooled it on properly isn't a bad idea.

Use more braking and a tighter cast control knob than you normally would and or a heavier weight lure than you want to use. That is what I do. I am going to use up the last bit of 10# Sniper FC that I have and if I can't consistently cast well with it, I am switching to braid with a FC leader.

Tell us about your setup and the bait you were using.

Tell us about your setup and the bait you were using.

it is a abu Garcia orra 2 winch, on a abu vendetta rod, and I was using a rapala scatter rap shallow diver

it is a abu Garcia orra 2 winch, on a abu vendetta rod, and I was using a rapala scatter rap shallow diver

 

The lure is probably the main problem. Those are rather lightweight baits, I use 10lb Seaguar for the same lures, and even with a couple suspend-strips, I can have issues now and then.

 

You didn't mention what power rod you're using, but using any more than a medium power rod for that lure could cause issues as well. A MH may not be able to load with that weight at all, which will also lend causing backlashes, although not the main problem.

Also, make sure you put it on the reel the same way it was laying on the spool.  And the KVD line conditioner works great as well. 

it is a abu Garcia orra 2 winch, on a abu vendetta rod, and I was using a rapala scatter rap shallow diver

I like your choice of reel,  can you tell a little more about the rod, which model it is, or maybe just the length, power and action.

I like your choice of reel,  can you tell a little more about the rod, which model it is, or maybe just the length, power and action.

it is a 7 foot,medium power, and moderate action

it is a 7 foot,medium power, and moderate action

Sounds like a good setup, the Vendetta rods do tend to be just a little under rated in terms of power and action.    Sounds like your line was just a little heavy and the lure was very light.   I have not had good luck with that balsa crankbait in terms of casting on much of anything other than a spinning reel.  I would think you would have good results with your setup if you were throwing a little heavier bait, something like a 5XD or similar.  

 

Thanks for sharing

Sounds like a good setup, the Vendetta rods do tend to be just a little under rated in terms of power and action.    Sounds like your line was just a little heavy and the lure was very light.   I have not had good luck with that balsa crankbait in terms of casting on much of anything other than a spinning reel.  I would think you would have good results with your setup if you were throwing a little heavier bait, something like a 5XD or similar.  

 

Thanks for sharing

thank you for your help !

thank you for your help !

Your welcome,   It would be great to hear if a heavier crankbait made any difference.

Take your spool out and let it set in warm water for five to 10 minutes. This helps the line remember your spool instead of the spool it came on. I do it every time, and it does numbers for me. In find I'm not birdnesting near as much, although bit still can happen. Flouro is just stiffer than mono, so its part of the beast.

I take everything off and run it behind the boat. It gets all the twist out. I also use KVD line conditioner and it does help. For me 15 pound line is to heavy for crank baits. I would normally go 8 to 10. FC line can be a pain but stick with it and learn how to use it. You'll be glade you did.

I did not take the time to read everyone's posts above but I will give you my advice on baitcaster backlashes.

 

Once upon a time at the old Bassmaster University seminar, one of the pros showed us the method to avoid baitcaster backlashes.

 

You do this every time you change baits, in a boat or on the bank.  Every time.

 

Set up your rig making sure the reel's line test matches your rod's line test and bait weight.

 

Point tip of rod to 11 AM and drop the line.

 

Your goal, after a few tries, will be to have the  line stop as the lure hits the ground or bottom of the boat.

 

By doing this the spool will stop when the bait hits the water.

 

Using your spool tension and drag you can set up your baitcaster for each bait you will be throwing.

 

Once you get the hand of this you can throw a buzzbait all day long and never get a backlash.  In fact, you can stop the buzzbait right above the water's surface and start your retrieve immediately.

 

Just remember to do this every time you change your baitcaster's lure.

^^^^^^^ I'm sorry my friend that will never ever happen in real life. Who takes the time to do that ?

^^^^^^^ I'm sorry my friend that will never ever happen in real life. Who takes the time to do that ?

Sorry, I can't tell if your serious or not.   You don't adjust your spool tension when you change baits?

I sure do, I'm always tweaking, sometimes even with the same rig on...

Carbon is more dense than mono/ copolys thereby needing a bit more cast control in some cases..

Get Vicious.

thanks everyone for the tips, I actually just adjusted my spool tension and now I can launch a crank bait with out it bird nesting, thanks again everyone ! 

Sorry, I can't tell if your serious or not.   You don't adjust your spool tension when you change baits?

I do and I was also joking around but when I'm fishing I just fish. I don't drop the bait to the water to see if it's right or not. I tie a new bait on and cast. If it needs a little adjusting then maybe or just use my thumb more. I guess I'm not an OCD rule follower. I just adjust  and fish. It's not that big a deal. But I have fished a bait caster for 40 plus years and when I first started they were a lot harder then todays. So no I don't touch the knob very often.

Sorry, I can't tell if your serious or not.   You don't adjust your spool tension when you change baits?

 

That may be good advice for a person new to baitcasters but to get better or once person is better with them I dont think its important. 

With a good reel and well trained thumb a person shouldnt have to adjust the tension to every lure. Set it for minimal side play leave it loose and go. Wont touch it going from 3/4oz lipless crank to 1/8oz spinnerbait to wacky rig to jig/trailer just not necessary. Having the tension set to where spool stops when lure dropped from just 3-4 feet is way too much braking hurting overall efficiency. A trained thumb with less tension less braking will work better and able to throw easier throw farther and have better accuracy. The more effort put into a cast the less accurate you will be and increasing spool tension increases effort.

Practice your(OP) baitcasting more cause learning how to use less brakes less tension will benefit you more in the long run than using spool tension as a crutch. 

I can cast a reel as well as most, I can easily cast a reel with no brakes on and low spool tension, using only my thumb to control the spool. But why would I want to? I can get the same distance and be equally accurate, with much less possibility of an over run when I adjust the reel in the manner that the manufacturer sugests. Why pay for all the engineering and technology if your not going to use it. I see this as about the same as buying a high end side imager and only running it in flasher mode.

The few seconds it takes me to make the proper adjustments to my reels ensure that I get the most out of my equipment both in terms of operation and enjoyment.

Guess we skin our cats differently.