I just ordered a baitcaster and I've already had some practice with one and I almost have the hang of it. I have some questions about casting distance. 1. Should I always set the tension knob to the bait I'm using so that it fall slowly to the ground every time I change a bait or should I let off a bit to increase the distance. 2. What effects distance more the brakes or the tension knob?

You're always going to want to adjust to the bait. A slow fall.

Centrifugal brakes or magnetic brakes?

It depends on the type reel. A Tatula SV TW  103 does not adjust that way

The spool tension knob helps to adjust the spool end play and can add some friction. After you learn to cast without a backlash, then back off the spool tension knob slightly so the lure falls with minimal tension, just enough to stop the spool spinning when the lure hits the deck without creating Loose line.

Ideally you will teach your thumb to add slight friction keeping the spooled line from loosening too much during the cast, trusting the braking system more and more to achieve maximum casting distance.

Tom

Right or wrong, I have always felt the tension knob affected distance more than the brakes.  It supplies constant pressure throughout the cast.  Majority of my reels are magnetic only.  My understanding is the spool has to be spinning for them to work.  The faster the spool spins, the more the braking force.  Now if you turn the brakes way up and back spool tension way down, then I imagine that the brakes would then be slowing down the spool more.  Normally I run spool tension a lot lower than suggested, but use more brakes than most people on here do.

 

Nor do I change spool tension when I change lure weights unless I start getting overruns and backlashes.  I am more apt to add a little more braking before increasing spool tension.

 

However, the rod will have more affect on distance than the reel.  Also a 1/2 oz. jig is going to give more distance than a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait.

 

Now I am not the caster the vast majority of these guys and gals are.  No way can I unload all my line regardless of the reel, rod or lure.  So take my thoughts for what they are worth.  Zero.  

Once my brakes are set I never change em!

 

Unless I make a drastic change in lure weight I seldom change the tension knob!

 

Educate your thumb!

 

 

Out of 6 centrifugal brakes , you probably would want to make sure you have 3 or 4 set opposite of each other (along with adjusting your tension knob for a slow fall after every bait change) . *After a year or two with a lot of practice you can drop down to two brakes IF you are good with an "educated thumb" to prevent professional over runs .  

12 hours ago, david in va said:

It depends on the type reel. A Tatula SV TW  103 does not adjust that way

What do you mean?

1 hour ago, MittenMouth said:

What do you mean?

per Daiwa instructions , you loosen the knob until the spool has a little side to side play, set the brake at 10 and back off from there until you have best distance wuth out any back lash

Max casting distance is influenced by pairing the right rod, reel, and line together combined with the anglers own ability.

 

Backing off a tension knob too much isn't going to help you gain distance as the spool will not be seated properly and be too lose to where there will be too much side to side play. Set it too tight and you choke off a good bit of distance plus the small pad inside the cast control cap will wear that much more prematurely.

 

The actual breaking systems in most reels will either be some sort of centrifugal, magnetic, dual breaking (combining both systems), or Digital or DC. There is so much that could be written on which is best or which will cast the furthest. Sometimes you will find a correlation between what some would consider really good casting distance and a reel being finicky. On the flipside reels with more control will likely lack distance to an extent. There is always the debate of what is considered practical casting distance for most fishing situations vs what is considered fun and likely not that needed. I have a few outfits that can put a jig a good ways out but at the same time the further the cast the tougher it is to get a good hookset.

For all my reels, I set the spool tension so there is about a 1mm wobble in the spool, and set my breaks on 3/20 for Daiwa reels, 1/6 internal and 2 external for shimano metaniums.

The reels used in World Casting Championship are old school Abu Garcia Ambassadeur!

 

The rod & casting technique has more to do with distance than the reel.

14 hours ago, david in va said:

per Daiwa instructions , you loosen the knob until the spool has a little side to side play, set the brake at 10 and back off from there until you have best distance wuth out any back lash

They must have left those instructions out of my box. As far as I can tell the reel still adjusts with brakes and a tension knob...

4 minutes ago, MittenMouth said:

They must have left those instructions out of my box. As far as I can tell the reel still adjusts with brakes and a tension knob...

Yeah You can adjust it like that. But doing it as @MittenMouth said increase the performance of the reel.

5 hours ago, Catt said:

The reels used in World Casting Championship are old school Abu Garcia Ambassadeur!

 

The rod & casting technique has more to do with distance than the reel.

I have an old 1973 5500C which I bought new in the day, it was expensive at the time, $54.00. Over the years it has seen modifications of various sorts. It can and will, pretty dang sure, with the right lures, embarrass my Curado Is and just about anything else. But it is not a stock reel. It was not bad new. And, unlike many of todays reels used for bass fishing, it could/can and has stopped a bull shark run and landed an alligator gar longer than a boat. In fact one time, I did have an alligator, without the gar, on the end. Sometimes I think bass reels have become a little sissified.

 

For a newbie to bait casting, I would set the tension knob so the lure just barely drops and stops with no overrun. That is the primary adjustment for each lure. Latter you can back it off, almost entirely as these fellow are saying just so there is barely just a skosh of sideplay but your thumb will need to be quick and sure.

@3crows I hold 7 titles in casting competition for distance & accuracy; all were won using a Shimano Calcutta which only has 3 ball bearing.

 

ICSF (International Casting Sport Federation) World Records

Multiplier Distance Double Handed (bait cast)

13 foot extra stiff rod & an 1977 ABU 2500 reel with special spool, 18 gram bait (0.635 oz)

Peter Thain Great Britain 114.67 meters (115 yds)

I see lots of threads on casting distance, not too many on accuracy. 

My Cabela's Arachnid has better casting distance than my Zillion TWS. I can't seem to get my Zillion to really let it rip, any advice?

10 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

My Cabela's Arachnid has better casting distance than my Zillion TWS. I can't seem to get my Zillion to really let it rip, any advice?

Same line on both reels? Different type line will cast differently. Daiwa magnetic systems cast better with a good smooth technique than a power rip. I expect the zillion is more sensitive to an overpowered cast than the tatula/arachnid due to it's different spool design.

There is no black and white rules to achieving the furthest cast possible. You'll have to adjust your reel to the bait you have tied on. The proper rod is as much if not more of a factor than the proper settings on your reel as well. You need the reel to be set so when you cast the line can flow at just about the same speed as the lure is traveling through the air. This keeps the bait from having to pull line (slowing it down and shortening casting distance), but you also don't want it spinning too freely because it will over run and tangle, which will also slow down or stop the spool. 

On 9/4/2017 at 3:18 PM, kickerfish1 said:

There is always the debate of what is considered practical casting distance for most fishing situations vs what is considered fun and likely not that needed. I have a few outfits that can put a jig a good ways out but at the same time the further the cast the tougher it is to get a good hookset.

^^^^^ This

 

When I got my first baitcaster I too was concerned about how far I could cast. I mean, Scott Martin was telling me it was important to be able to cast 60 yards and every reel commercial talked about casting distance. Then I realized that sometimes I outcasted my ability to set the hook effectively.

On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 8:39 AM, david in va said:

per Daiwa instructions , you loosen the knob until the spool has a little side to side play, set the brake at 10 and back off from there until you have best distance wuth out any back lash

This is why I hated my Tatula when I bought them the day they released. I couldn't set them to produce consistently setting it up like other reels. Now I wish I had one of them to try this way.

45 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

This is why I hated my Tatula when I bought them the day they released. I couldn't set them to produce consistently setting it up like other reels. Now I wish I had one of them to try this way.

 

Got to use my Tatula CT100XS for the first time yesterday, also my first time using a bait caster in over 50 years.  I was amazed at how easy it was.  I started a bit tight, then backed off and it was really nice.  I'm sure that I wasn't casting very far by the standards of an experienced user, and using too much thumb pressure, but I was throwing a light popper, about 25 yards - more than halfway across the arm of the pond where I was fishing - and that's all I really needed to cover the whole thing.  I'm happy with my decision to buy this reel as my first foray in to modern baitcasting.  Now I need a better rod to match up with it.

14 hours ago, Tim Kelly said:

Same line on both reels? Different type line will cast differently. Daiwa magnetic systems cast better with a good smooth technique than a power rip. I expect the zillion is more sensitive to an overpowered cast than the tatula/arachnid due to it's different spool design.

 

I never had the same line on both at once, but i can remember generally how far i can cast. The arachnid is just so much smoother. I vary my casts so maybe thats it, lighter swings. thanks for the help.