All the time.  Though I can usually clean it out in a few seconds.  With experience, you can tell a bad backlash is happening and stop it before it gets worse.  

 

I do have an old Abu 5000D that backlashes like crazy.  That's the only reel where I've had to cut out a backlash on in the last 10, maybe 20 years, and I've had to do that a few times.  If your thumb game isn't on point with that thing, you're gonna have a bad day.

On 8/10/2021 at 2:32 PM, Rora said:

I am just getting used to a bait caster and have several issues with backlash (expected). But I was wondering if you guys who have fished longer still deal with backlash?

On a side note do you also still deal with wind knots on spinning gear too?

Unfortunately, the ability to create a bird’s never leaves you, no matter how experienced you are. You’ll be taking this newly acquired skill with you to your grave, lol. You can add the ability to create a bird’s nest to the list of the only two certainties in the Western world:

 

1) Death

2) Taxes

3) Bird’s nest making

 

Experience generally curbs both the severity and frequency of getting them. 
 

To answer your other question, yes but hardly ever. 

I'll get some smaller overruns, and a few bird nest, but it's been a long time since I blew one up so bad I couldn't get it out. 

7 hours ago, Bankc said:

All the time.  Though I can usually clean it out in a few seconds.  With experience, you can tell a bad backlash is happening and stop it before it gets worse.  

Same. I’d call them “slight overruns” more than backlashes lol. Maybe a few loose loops that I need to pull out. Knock on wood, I haven’t had a really bad bird’s nest in a while. 
 

Wind knots? I have two spinning rigs with 20 lb braid-to-leader. So far, so good. 

The most logical time to get a backlash for me is when I am teaching someone and "show" them.  Serious bad moments.  Got a monster earlier this year.  Went to cast a chatterbait further than I should and the new boat syndrome and me being alone had me in a weird spot in the boat so I hit the motor on release.  That reel was done.  Been a while since I've had one THAT good.

14 hours ago, gimruis said:

I usually still get one when I over cast, like trying to send it a country mile. Keeping it fluid and smooth, while allowing the rod to do most of the work will prevent a lot of back lash. It’s like a golf swing. When you swing too hard, it doesn’t usually turn out well. Let the club do the work and just make solid contact.

Yes about everything but the golf swing.  Golfing is for those who don't have a fishing boat.

 

14 hours ago, Kenny Yi said:

sometimes I'll backlash the toilet paper, that's when I know I'm having a "reel" bad day...

Perhaps a diet change would help, you'd need less "line"

 

13 hours ago, scaleface said:

I get small ones a lot . Big bird nest , infrequently. 

As established above, you aren't trying hard enough.

12 hours ago, slonezp said:

15 rods on deck, you're allowed 14 backlashes. 

Actually 15 is okay as long as it is on the last cast.

I still get them now & then.

Fishing at night taught me to be happy with the reel tuned a little tight.  What I may lose in distance I feel like I gain in less down time and perhaps having to re-spool less often.

FC does not respond well to that type of stress and frankly, neither do I.

?

A-Jay

 

It usually occurs when I have been pitching around and then see something a ways out and cast to it. 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Fishing at night taught me to be happy with the reel tuned a little tight.  What I may lose in distance I feel like I gain in less down time

 

At night I prefer to stay away from the bank if possible. To many shadows is hard on depth perception.

Now that I consider myself an experienced outdoorsman, I never backlash ( professional over run), I never miss a guide when I rig my rod, I never try to cast without opening my bail, on a spinning rod, I never have a knot fail, I never miss a hook set ,I never set the hook in to a log, I never cast my lure so high up a tree, a fish would have to have wings to get to it, I never pull a top water bait away from a fish, I never break a fish off at the boat, I never knock a fish off with the net, I never miss or wound a big game animal with gun or bow, I never loose my hat while driving a boat, I never forget to hook up fuel line, or attach kill switch, I never buy more tackle than I need, I never get lost,  and I never exaggerate about the size of my fish.   That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

Now that I consider myself an experienced outdoorsman, I never backlash ( professional over run), I never miss a guide when I rig my rod, I never try to cast without opening my bail, on a spinning rod, I never have a knot fail, I never miss a hook set ,I never set the hook in to a log, I never cast my lure so high up a tree, a fish would have to have wings to get to it, I never pull a top water bait away from a fish, I never break a fish off at the boat, I never knock a fish off with the net, I never miss or wound a big game animal with gun or bow, I never loose my hat while driving a boat, I never forget to hook up fuel line, or attach kill switch, I never buy more tackle than I need, I never get lost,  and I never exaggerate about the size of my fish.   That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

 

My gosh...  we're brothers from different mothers!

 

?

When you can't remember the last backlash, you're ready for this.  

But even lawn-casting for set-up, need a plastic toothpick to recover minor backlash.  

 

Depends what lure I'm throwing, but I can sometimes go full days without one now. Usually 1 or 2 if I'm diligent about line management.

I have the rod that goes with @papajoe222s reel.  No matter what reel I put on it, I am guaranteed an overrun every time out.  It has a fast tip that is unlike every other rod I carry, and it gets me most every time out.  Otherwise, it's a great jerkbait and Senko rod.  My other issue often comes from a wet reel.... a heavy downpour,  or an inadvertent dunking can mess my up for a bit

You REALLY WANT TO KNOW ?!?

 

Let me tell you, the difference between you newbies and us "experienced" anglers ( 30+ years experience with baitcasters ) is this, as you "grow" in experience with the use of the reel you begin twitching with the settings, little less braking, little less tension, little less thumb touching the spool, more practice, little less here, little less there ...... "Holy smokes, that went far !" and on and on and on, so one day you arrive at the lake full of confidence in your baitcasting domination techniques feeling like a tom, chest out and feathers all ruffled out trying to impress the chicks, you grab your rod ready to make a cast, as you swing the rod forward the tip barely touches a brush and ........ it's great you had a bunch of rods with you !

 

 

Yes!  Especially when I’m in a hurry.  Ike I’m casting to a sight fish. 
 

boom. Backlash. 
 

And wind. For me I switch lures, to a lighter lure and forget to adjust spool tension. Boom. Backlash 

Even Hank Parker gets one every now and then...

 

 

I spin fish 75% of the time and have learned to watch for errant loops under several wraps of line. Also, I have to be careful of line laying across my spool lip that results from manually closing the bail with my index finger and retrieving in one motion. That said, "it happens" every so often especially in a head wind. That's where I focus my efforts most of the time.

I wonder how many people have backlashed, and while they're picking at it, a fish bites their lure... I had that happen before with a soft plastic.

18 minutes ago, Outdoors said:

I wonder how many people have backlashed, and while they're picking at it, a fish bites their lure... I had that happen before with a soft plastic.

It has actually happened to me a few times. I realized fixing the bird nest was leaving the worm there waiting like I should have been.
 

So it made me a better fisherman. 

I for the most part never get an unrecoverable one unless I am hot dogging or just being careless in general.  But in general I am a cautious caster and don't put myself into positions where a 'lash is more likely.  

Yes. I am experienced enough now to eliminate the session ending backlashes.

 

That is unless I hit a bush on my back cast…

When everything is setup right, no. When I press my luck with super light in the wind, yes. But the answer is rarely. The heavier I fish, the less of an issue it is. At 3oz, I can cast all day without ever thinking about it. But, if it’s like the other day, I’m looking at 2 tiny fish in 200 casts…

Since I’ve gained experience, learned to tune reels better, and use KDV line conditioner, I backlash a lot less. However, when I make a long cast and the lure travels 10 feet before hitting that limb I didn’t see……..LOOK OUT!

Spinning knots don't need wind. 

 

I stuck a GoPro on my rod pointing at the reel. There are two casts in slow motion right when you hit play on this video. The second cast is easier to see the line.

 

I can see how easy it would be for a twisted line to not get through the first guide quick enough and cause a big knot. Wind would be worse, but these knots can happen without it.