Hello, this is my first post on this fourm, your advise would perhaps help my son and I decide what reel he should purchase with his Brithday money.

He wants a baitcaster, he just wants it so much that he wont listen to any advise from the people at the Bass Pro Shops.

He is going to have about $100 to spend on what he wants.

Let me decribe him, he is 14 years old on his Birthday and has recently taken up fishing.

That all came about because he was doing very poorly at school although he is quite smart and can pass most tests he attempts with great scores. But he spent most of his time on the computer or X Box.

My wife and I would ban him from the computer and X Box and soon he would get his grades up enough to get back on, but this became a circle that just went on and on.

Then I really decided that I was not going to allow this round and round situation to continuie, therefore with the backing of my wife I removed the X Box and changed the pass word on the computer.

The first week he was like a zombie, but when the second week came around I presented him with a fishing rod and some lures; we went fishing that day and now a month and a half later he is hooked, his grades have vastely improved and him and I are getting along a lot better.

So what I am looking for is advise ona rod and baitcaster combo for about $100.

What type of problem should he expect to encounter and what differences is there between a spinning reel and a baitcaster.

If he gets one I would like him to enjoy his purchase and of corse catch a few fish along the way.

Thanks in advance.

Below is a pic of his first day fishing.

The date on the camera is incorrect, this was a few week back.

Welcome to the site.

I am glad to see young people taking interest in the sport. If your son has only $100.00 to buy a rod and reel I would suggest the special Bass Pro Shops has going on right now. I can't remember which rod it has but it looks decent and the reel is a Shimano Citica I think it is on sale for $129.00 (the reel retails for $119.00) Another good choice would be the Bionic Blade with the Abu Garcia Revo S for $139.99. I would recommend the rod being a 6'6" M if it is his first casting rod it will be pretty versatile. Dick's sporting goods has some All Star/Pflueger combos but the reel is the "house" version of the Purist and it has a plastic frame and just feels kind of cheap.

Once he gets the set up you should print off some of the baitcasting how to's on this site and make sure he practices in the yard before hitting the water. There is going to be a rather steep learning curve. Then when he does start to fish with it I would suggest taking a spinning rod along the first few times just in case.

If you son gets easily frustrated make sure he understands what he is getting into and he will take the time to learn, if not he may be furhter ahead to upgrade his spinning tackle. I'm not trying to discourage you but I fondly remember being a kid and trying to learn to use a baitcaster and the frustration that came with it for the first few tries.

Good luck and I applaud you for "laying down the law with your son"

I know this combo is a little over the price, but the extra money on the reel will help with the learning process.

Reel-  Abu Garcia Revo S- $100

Rod-  Bass Pro Shops Graphite Series- $20

Like G3Fan mentioned I would reccommend a 6'6" Medium rod.  I know the rod isn't as expensive as some people will reccommend, but I use this exact combo almost on a daily basis and I love it.

Welcome aboard!

Take a look at this thread, I think it will help with the "learning process"

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1151590913

weebrio,

Welcome to the forum!!!

G3 Fan,

If you son gets easily frustrated make sure he understands what he is getting into and he will take the time to learn, if not he may be furhter ahead to upgrade his spinning tackle. I'm not trying to discourage you but I fondly remember being a kid and trying to learn to use a baitcaster and the frustration that came with it for the first few tries.

I have to agree here, make sure he understands that it will take time and a lot of practice, to understand and master the baitcasting reel.

Tight Lines!!!

Funny that in my teens ( early 80's), I couldn't work a baitcaster to save my life. Now some 20 years later without even looking at a fishing pole of any type, I buy a new Citica combo at Cabelas and after about 15 minutes of practice in the front yard, I'am ready to fish. Not mastered the thing for sure but good enough to catch a fish. Thinking that reels must of come along ways in the last 20 years.

Anyway...I like my Citicas ( I own four now ) but I did have a Revo S for a bit and it was one nice reel. I only sold it because I felt that I wanted all my reels to feel the same. Like Fisher49er....I think that Revo S and BPS Graphite series rod would surely put a smile on your boys face that would last for months.

This is no joke I have my now 6 1/2 year old useing a baitcaster. I staarted him off last year with and old bait caster but moved hm upto one of my new citica 100s becaise of the size and after about a month he is throwing it good enough to where AI dont have to even worry about him while fishing. He knows how to use his thumb and adjust the nobs for backlash. He even know how to get a backlash out. With this being said I recomend the Citica 100 becasue it is a GREAT casting real, Durable, Light, and small which will help greatly for learning. This reel your son will have for many years to come.  Spend the $120 and he and you wont be disappointed. I actually use my citicas more than wither one of my chronarch MG's. Hope this help. I usually dont put my personal opinions in on tackle suggestions but I do feel strongly about this reel and if he doesnt get a good reel it could discourage him from trying a baitcast due to frusturation.

Good Luck.

As someone who had a lot of trouble learning to use a baitcaster I will say that the best advice I received was to cast smooooooothly.  I was snap-casting and trying to launch the lure a mile and I kept getting backlashes, someone finally said "Cast overhand and make sure to use a very smooth motion with no hiccups or jerks and just let the reel do the work"  It made all the difference.  Now all I use are baitcasters and I am casting farther than ever before.  Just be patient and gentle and you will have success.

Good stuff guys, I'm about to transition my 14 year old from spinning to casting and all this is food for thought. I've just printed out "Baitcasting 101" for him to read.

This is an excellent step by step that was PM'd to me be someone from another forum, I've passed it on to others.

Lillfish I will try and explain the use of the baitcasting reel as simply as possibly. In an ideal situation I would be by your side and could correct any bad habits that you may or may not have in your casting technique. As this is not the case I will make the assumption that you have never used the baitcasiting reel; I know by your posts that this is not true however to keep things simple I will start from scratch.

So you have rigged up your rod and have no doubt heard the correct adjustment of the mechanical break is essential in the prevention of backlashes. Experienced' baitcasters adjust the brake so that the lure slowly falls to the ground when the thumbar is disengaged.' This is a mistake' in the early stages of learning to use the baitcaster as backlashes can easily occur with only the slightest of errors.

In the early learning stages of using a baitcasting reel the mechanical brake should be set tighter than normal. To get this right can be a delicate' operation but it is essential that this is done correctly so that if mistakes are made a backlash will not' occur.

As I do not know what your rod lure specs are all I can say is to use a weight that is at the top end of the specification. You will need a weight that will cause your rod to bend with as little effort as possible.

With the weight tied to the line adjust the mechanical break so that the lure falls to the ground and the spool stops instantly. This will give you a guideline so that you can to set the brake even tighter. Now take the line between the first ring of the rod and the reels line guide and jerk it forward gently. The line must be jerked. You will find that the spool will over run. Tighten the brake and jerk it harder. What you want is a good solid jerk with the brake set so that it does not cause the spool to over run. The idea is so that if you make a mistake a birdsnest will not occur due to the increased tension on the brake. Remember that the heavier weight that what you would normally use will counter the increased tension of the mechanical brake when you make the cast. The setup that you want is one that will cast the lure but should you make a mistake the spool will not over run at any stage during the cast. Jerking the line and adjusting the brake tighter than normal will prevent birdsnests at any stage in the cast. (early, middle or late) This setup is in excess of what an experienced baitcaster would do. It is also a good idea not to use a spoon that causes a lot of wind resistance. My advice would be to go to the park and use a lead weight. If you do this remember to place some tension on the line as you reel in. Failure to do this on grass etc will cause the line to respool with an uneven tension on line wraps. Just not good.

The single and most important aspect of casting with a baitcaster is rhythm. It is essential that the cast be made in one movement. There should be no pause between the backward movement and the forward movement of the cast. If you do this now is the time to stop. The action of the rod will project the lure out with only a little effort on your part.

Disengage the spool by depressing the thumbar and keeping your thumb on the spool bring the rod back over the shoulder and in the same movement bring it forward and release the spool. Do not try and cast for distance. These early casts are teach your thumb when to release the spool so the weight arcs' out over the water. Too much aggression in the cast will cause mistakes. With the heavier than normal weight a softer caster will bend the rod so that the rod's action will assist the lure to travel in an arc. If the thumb release is too early the lure will act like a mortar bomb and if the release is too late the lure will travel flat like a bullet. You want the lure to travel like and artillery shell. Remember in these early stages do not try for distance. Keep the cast slow and smooth. Too much power in these early stages of learning will cause difficulties. You need to educate your thumb to release the spool so that the lure travels in an arc.

When you feel confident apply more power to the cast but at this stage do not readjust the mechanical brake. Only when you feel confident in your casting and you can achieve an arcing over the water/grass etc. should you lighten the weight and readjust the brake. You can if you wish still set the brake by the jerking method but remember with the lighter weight that you are now using the brake will have be to set 'lighter' too.

As you apply more power to the cast learn to use your ears. Listen to the spool. It will tell you when you get it right. In the early stages of the cast the spool will have a high pitch and as the spool slows down the pitch will decrease. Listen to the pitch of the spool when the lure hits the water. Learn to recognise the pitch of the reel when this happens. It is invaluable for night fishing when you can not see the lure or when it hits the water. Knowing the pitch of your reel can save a lot of frustration.

When you can cast the lure so that it arcs out over the water start training the thumb to stop the spool as the lure hits the water. With your new found confidence you can start to apply more force to your casts. This will give you slightly more distance but do not try and over do you capabilities. Remember to keep you casts soft and smooth.

Now it is time to practice stopping the spool with your thumb as the lure hits the water.

As you become more confident you can lighten the lure and set the mechanical brake to a more acceptable tension.

Somewhere in this learning curve begin to teach yourself to feather' the spool. This is a simple technique that allows you to detect over-runs before they get to bad. You can feel the loose coils revolving around the spool. If this happens stop the spool instantly. Feathering can help in controlling distance where accuracy is required. As the spool revolves in the cast just keep the thumb on the line very lightly. But before you try this get the other factors right first. Don't try and rush the feathering as to do this too early can confuse' the thumb. Teach the thumb one' step at a time but teach it well.

Proficincey will not come over night. But with paractice and attention to what you are doing you will learn faster than you think

If you have any queries PM me.

Bernie