I got a Apu Garcia pro max reel last year. My first bait cast reel. I practiced for a few hours and seemed to get used to it and can cast very well if I dont try too far. Now if I try to swing hard for a far cast sometimes my bait breaks off and I get a birds nest so bad I have to cut the line. I  THINK its my rod is buggy whipping and somehow breaking my line. I have a 6 feet 6 medium rod. What is a type that is better for this?

Crank bait “type” rod, moderate action.

Tom

2 minutes ago, WRB said:

Crank bait “type” rod, moderate action.

Tom

Thanks I will look into that. I did send 2 5 dollar crank baits and my favorite chatter bait to the river lost today trying to practice. and wasted 15 dollars of line. Until I went back to my old spin cast reel which I can use without problems and cast farther.

Practice in the yard, fish in the water.  Don’t give up!  A properly adjusted Max with 12 pound mono and a 3/8 oz bait should get you casting with confidence pretty quick.

3 hours ago, Fred Allen said:

if I try to swing hard for a far cast

 

   Easy answer: don't do that.

   What you've described is exactly like a kid who learns to drive, and then goes racing down the street. Speed kills.

   It takes time. Don't push it. You'll get there, don't worry. Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

   I think you get the idea. And one other thing about longer casts; follow-through is everything. If you play golf, you know what I mean.  

   Good luck!                    jj

 

p.s. - make sure your rig is balanced. For right now, don't try to cast a weight greater than is recommended on the rod. It'll help.

Tie on a cheap piece of lead that weighs the same as the lures you will be using.  Make a full cast, and then pull out a few extra feet of line.  Place a piece of electrical tape on the spool and reel your line back in.  This will prevent the entire spool from overrunning on your next backlash. 

I learned on a 6’6” MH ugly stick with a shimano Cardiff 200a.  Just stick with it if you really want to learn it.  And like said above, proper adjustment helps. But most people learned long before magnetic brakes and centrifugal brakes were a thing to adjust so easily, so you’ll get it. 

Don’t try to throw the bait hard. I still have to remind myself to cast smooth ir pay the price. 

6 hours ago, Fred Allen said:

I got a Apu Garcia pro max reel last year. My first bait cast reel. I practiced for a few hours and seemed to get used to it and can cast very well if I dont try too far. Now if I try to swing hard for a far cast sometimes my bait breaks off and I get a birds nest so bad I have to cut the line. I  THINK its my rod is buggy whipping and somehow breaking my line. I have a 6 feet 6 medium rod. What is a type that is better for this?

I think you are better off perfecting your casting mechanics. If done correctly, even a super hard cast will not cause an overrun if the mechanics of the cast are correct. 
 

what do I mean by correct? This means properly using your rod and reels as the tools they are.  The weight of your lure must “load” the rod during the cast. This “loading” is simply allowing the weight of the lure to pull the rod tip back and allowing the rod the “throw” or catapult the lure forward. 
 

folks coming from a spinning background can sometimes have trouble with this because with a spinning setups, there is little consequence for poor mechanics (the consequence is poor casting distance), ie, no overrun penalty. 

changing the reel won’t fix the problem of poor mechanics too much. 

12 hours ago, Fred Allen said:

I practiced for a few hours and seemed to get used to it and can cast very well if I dont try too far. Now if I try to swing hard for a far cast sometimes my bait breaks off and I get a birds nest so bad I have to cut the line.

 

Practice, practice, practice! ?

 

I've been at this for 60+ years, still get in the yard, & practice.

 

Don't worry to much about distance at first, accuracy & limited backlashes first.

 

Let your rod do the casting, it's better at it than you are.

 

Most newbies either over power the cast or whip it like a bull whip.

 

I use an old school teaching aid, roll up a magazine & put it under you arm pit. Now cast without dropping the magazine!

Underfill the spool 1/4" - 3/8" until you're better able to control the cast.

 

oe

Trying to cast hard with a baitcaster results in less distance.its all about technique. Cast with your wrist not your arm. Centrifugal brakes work best. Handle should face up. 

25 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

Trying to cast hard with a baitcaster results in less distance.its all about technique. Cast with your wrist not your arm. Centrifugal brakes work best. Handle should face up. 

OP, look away, that is true for lighter weight rods and smaller lures. For larger lures with heavier (and longer) rods, the correct cast may progressively involve any and all parts of one's anatomy.

OP, safe to look again, The rod that will cast "best" will depend on what you are casting. Like some have suggested, a mid sized lure that casts well and a forgiving line (I like 12lb mono) will help. When trying to cast longer, don't think of casting "harder" cast "bigger" while keeping everything smooth. Set your tension knob, so there is no play in the spool, and set the brakes fairly high, back away the brakes as you get better. Just keep practicing and it will come.

I was in your position in 2018 and now have owned 20+ baitcasters, but I still have my Black Max & Pro Max.

 

Listen to those that are saying not to try to cast to hard. I'm not sure if your coming from fishing with spinning gear, but around here most people still use it and they whip their cast so hard and fast that you can hear the sound across a nice sized pond. Trying to cast a baitcaster like that will get you a birds nest and if your knot isn't good, lose you a lure. Even my DC reel will birds nest trying to cast like that.

 

Practice, like others have mentioned, use some cheap line. Three seasons later with a BC and I still need to practice certain things. If you want to increase distance, loosen the spool tension little by little and practice thumb control.

I think a composite rod, with some tip flex. Feeling how your rod loads up on a cast can help.

Use whatever rod you have. 4 years ago, when I had just picked up a baitcaster for the first time, and long before I ever joined bassresource, this was the video that helped me the most. I had already been using a baitcaster a few weeks, but was struggling to some degree. So I decided, hey why not pretend like I’m starting over. It sounds a lot like what you’re describing. You shouldn’t be trying to “cast hard” with a baitcaster. It’s not a spinning rod where you can sling it with all your might. Even that’s not 100% effective with a spinning rod. It really all is in the technique. 
 

 

I learned on a Zebco 33. I'd thumb down the button to cast like you normally would but instead of just letting go, I would thumb it down again just before my target. I set up targets in the backyard and did this.

Then once I got my thumb trained, I went to my first baitcaster, a Quantum EX250. I had read about not overfilling the reel like @OkobojiEagle mentions in his post and practice from there. Once my thumb was trained I went fishing.

Taught my son the same way and he was casting at 4 or 5 y/o at the time.

 

It's all about feel. You need to be able to feel when the rod is loaded up to it's optimal point as well as feel the optimal time to release the spool. From there it's all about feeling and feathering the spool for optimal control without sacrificing distance (if you're going for distance). This will be rod and reel specific. Wind will also be a factor.

 

It takes practice but once you get good at it you'll be able to pick up just about any rod and reel and have it down within a couple of practice casts.

On 3/11/2021 at 2:12 PM, WRB said:

Crank bait “type” rod, moderate action.

Tom

After teaching my daughter to cast a spinning reel and a baitcaster this past year, this is exactly what I came here to say.

 

Novices are a little reluctant to load up a fast action rod and cast it fast enough to get it right. A slower action makes it easier for them to learn.

 

One of the techniques I was taught to use when teaching kids to execute soccer skills was to start with the simplest of actions, and doing it in essentially slow motion. Have them practice just that until they can do it well and consistently.

 

Then introduce a 'complication', just a small one, and only one. At first, technique will break down, but again, with practice (perfect practice, not just practice by itself), the correct technique and consistency will return. . . . . And then it is time to introduce another 'complication'. Eventually, they would get to match speed with someone right in their grill and be able to execute consistently.

 

In soccer, most of the complications would be speed, space, or opposition related. But no matter what you are teaching, the methodology works the same way. Start out casting practice in the best, easiest conditions. The easiest line type and size. With the wind. Maybe use a casting plug that weighs half an ounce. Use a rod with a relatively slow action. Tighten up the bearing tension and braking controls. 

 

Practice with all of those complications in the beginners favor. Once they get it consistently right, adjust one of the complications. Technique will once again breakdown at first, and then come back. Adjust another complication. . . . Lather, rinse, repeat. 

 

When they get pretty good with the moderate action rod in 'match conditions', then they'll be ready to move to a faster action rod and deal with that complication much easier and with more confidence than if you just throw them to the wolves.

 

How many of know someone that tried a baitcaster, got some nasty backlashes, and put them down for a long time, or even for good? I know that I've known a few.

@Big Hands, it sounds like you're a good coach. Keep it up. You'll be amazed at how much you miss coaching.

1 minute ago, Jigfishn10 said:

@Big Hands, it sounds like you're a good coach. Keep it up. You'll be amazed at how much you miss coaching.

I truly enjoyed it for almost 20 years and I became a ref before I ever coached. I eventually became a 'coach administrator' too, and was responsible for teaching new coaches how to to coach. Also enjoyed it enough to transition to teaching as a full time occupation. Now, I teach inmates how to use computers and use the same principles there. Only problem with coaching soccer again would be that it wouldn't allow me much time to fish. . . . and I'm not able to move like I used to, LOL.

I didnt even notice the stats on the rods. My rod says 6-10 pounds line and im using 20 pounds spider wire braid line on mine. I checked the rods at walmart but the only ones rated for 20 pounds line is long one piece rods. I need 2 piece rod because it had to fit in my car.  I see now you guys say mono is better line but I would hate to have to change out the line again for the 4th time. I just spooled it with the electic tape for most then the braid over it like stated here. Anyone know a good rod for 20  pound line that is 2 peice and not a lot of money? I think if I spent over 40-50 dollars my wife would kill me

Just now, Fred Allen said:

I didnt even notice the stats on the rods. My rod says 6-10 pounds line and im using 20 pounds spider wire braid line on mine. I checked the rods at walmart but the only ones rated for 20 pounds line is long one piece rods. I need 2 piece rod because it had to fit in my car.  I see now you guys say mono is better line but I would hate to have to change out the line again for the 4th time. I just spooled it with the electic tape for most then the braid over it like stated here. Anyone know a good rod for 20  pound line that is 2 peice and not a lot of money? I think if I spent over 40-50 dollars my wife would kill me

Don't take the line ratings as the 'be-all and end-all. That's for mono/FC and doesn't relate to braid at all. I'm running 20# braid on a rod rated to 12# line and 50# braid on a rod rated to 25# line.

Over-complicating theory & technique.

 

Rods cast...reels hold line

 

The sooner you understand that the easier this becomes.

 

Let the rod do its job!

 

 

Use the rod you have.  Many have given excellent advice.

 

However, if you do buy a new one to fulfill your topic header, then I agree with what several have mentioned as the best rod type.  One with a slow action such as a crankbait rod.  Baitcast reels do not like jerky rod movements.  The slower tip will help absorb some of this for you.  It will load easier as well so you won't have to try casting for the other side of the lake.  Nice and easy to learn.   Smoothness is king.

6 hours ago, Catt said:

Over-complicating theory & technique.

 

Rods cast...reels hold line

 

The sooner you understand that the easier this becomes.

 

Let the rod do its job!

 

 

In a general sense, I agree. But when you get to the point of pushing the performance boundaries of the system, casting light and/or bulky baits into the wind for example, the reel becomes more than just something to hold the line. And, sometimes, as you say, the reel just needs to hold the line.

 

I have had instances of repeatedly casting a spinnerbait with the wind several times, and then turn and throw it into the wind as I pass by the target . . . . . Insert the sound of the sad trombone here ?

 

Sometimes the only way to know where the limits are is to exceed them, and with the cost to fill a reel these days, that can be very costly.