I just put together my first baitcasting setup and am having a bit of trouble. I got a daiwa strikeforce 100 reel on a shimano fx 6' pole. I got pline 12 lb on it. Am suffering from beginners backlash like crazy. Love the feel of the setup though. Having read the article by reel mech, my question is; Is my setup "balanced?" On a side note, was the reel a poor investment (even though it was pretty cheap)?

Starting off with a better reel would have helped try using a heavier weight and make short casts while you train your thumb.

Keep practicing. Have you tried adjusting the braking system?

For the sake of practicing, take off that line and use mono. Pline, if it is one of the lines line cxx can be a bit tough to manage for a newbie because of the lack of experience not yet gained.

This will definitely help out. Go to mono for now.

bassmason,  try this, cast as far as you can, then peel off about 6 more feet of line, now get some electric tape and cover the line on the spool with the tape. The line can't go any further then the tape, this will stop your backlashing, as soon as you feel confident casting take the tape off.

Good Luck

Joe

PEACTICE, PRACTICE, and then PRACTICE SOME MORE. The is not hard  it just takes time to master. Make sure the spool tension knob is set to the lure yoou are using and the brake is on all the way to start after you get better you can back it off to were it should be for more distance.

Good Luck

The reason you have so much trouble is because you put Daiwa reel on a Shimano rod.  j/k  

The first bc combo I bought was Shimano Corvalus 300 and a 6'6" MH Ugly Stick.  The only way I could cast without backlashing was by using heavy (.5 or .75 oz) weights.  I got so irritated I stopped using the d*** thing.  Eventually I got some money saved up and bought nicer equipment, a Calcutta 100B and a Guide Series Ultimate rod.  I could cast various size lures with relative ease with this rig.

The most important thing is practice but having good equipment really helps.

Starting off with a better reel would have helped

IMPO, I would say there is absolutely nothing wrong with the SF100H reel, cleaning and lubricating the bearings might help but that will come later.....

The rod is a med power, fast tip action rod with a line rating of 6-15 lb., a lure rating of 1/4-3/4 oz. Understanding what the rod will handle is the important part of the system.....

I learned BaitCasting on a 40$ reel 30years ago, and found out quickly it isn't the reel it's the rod that makes the system.

I would as stated here, move to a 10 or 12 pound mono to practice on. make sure you have a practice weight of 1/2oz down to a 1/4oz..

Then recheck the article, and try again.

If you are already doing so then your practicing with a well balanced outfit.      

Just my .02¢ from the bench...

Keep Practicing....

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!