How far should I be casting? And other questions.

[mangler]

I've only recently entered the world of baitcasters, my first was a cheapie 4 bearing silver Pflueger of some kind, matched to a 3-5 kg Pflueger Criterion rod spooled with 20lb Platypus Super Braid, I could cast a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait about 18m with this setup, was a bit windy but.

Then I had a bit of an impulse buying spree. So I matched that reel to a 5-8kg rod, and put my next baitcaster, a Pfueger Echelon, onto the 3-5kg rod, spooled with 10lb Platypus Super Braid. With this setup I can manage about 22m casts with a 1/2 ounce casting plug. And about 25m casts with the plug when I matched the Echelon to a 2-5kg Pflueger Trion rod.

My question is - do these figures sound ok? Or am I falling way short of the mark? :blush:

I haven't had a chance to fish with the Echelon yet, and don't know if I'm quite ready to with these distances. Or should I be practicing a bit more before I try fishing with these again?

Second question, once I get used to the baitcasting idea, how light of a lure could I expect to be casting with the Echelon & Trion combo? Would say a 65mm Boomerang at 9 grams be too light?

:fishing:

Cheers,

Matt

[Feral]

No probs with the boomerang.

Dunno about your distances, I've never used a casting plug, they would be considerably better through the air than a normal lure.

Full tilt, with my 6 foot 2-5kg trion, I'd reckon I'd be getting out to 30m with a 3/8 oz spinnerbait using 50lb spiderwire. So your probably not going to get a lot of extra distance as you practice, but you will get more accurate.

[adri4n]

I think the distances you are getting sound about right, i'm no expert but I think thats pretty average? in regards to the light lures, it depends on the set up I suppose,

your set up with the trion rod sounds the appropriate weight, but whats the length? a longer rod would help launch it a little further.

but I daresay 9 grams will be a little tough to cast out a useful distance to crank in. I'll just wait for the experts to chime in.

[jeff f]

single handed baitcaster outfits are not meant for distance they are for controll and accuracy

12m is usually a long cast most of the time

dont worry about distance any more mat go for accuracy

get out in the yard and practice putting your castimg plug between plants in the garden or right at the base of a tree etc

[mangler]

Cool, thanks for the help so far everyone, sounds promising! All three rods are between 5'8" and 6'.

I guess I'll still use my spinning gear when going shorebased at dams, and save the baitcasters for when I get the kayak, or when casting skinny rivers.

:fishing:

[planetfonz]

mKs wrote:

jeff f wrote:

single handed baitcaster outfits are not meant for distance they are for controll and accuracy

12m is usually a long cast most of the time

dont worry about distance any more mat go for accuracy

get out in the yard and practice putting your castimg plug between plants in the garden or right at the base of a tree etc

Thats spot one and great advice.

damn straight it is

+2

[Mack_attack]

Baitcasters are designed for accuracy and control but i'd say that the distance your getting with the half ounce plug is a fair bit short of the mark

With a half ounce plug i'd expect maybe 40m?

How are you adjusting the reel before casting? If it were me i'd probably try to loosen the tensionor/magnetic brake and aim for casts at maybe 30 degrees to the water.

Start with a high high brake on and continually loosen it till you get a tangle then bring it back a click, works for me

[Shrimpo]

I can cast a 6gram lure across my backyard (650sqm) 25m? thats being cautious of not going over the fence next door so could probly be 35, thats using 8lb mono.

[Cowfish13]

And a 9 gram lure should be very easy to cast, in fact it's pretty dam heavy. I would actually suggest using a lure lighter than 1/2oz (14g) because the weight may be limiting your casting distance

Something around 7g that isn't to big (ie the weight is concentrated in a smaller volume) should be a good lure to cast with. An ecogear CK40 is 5g and due to the fat-ness of the lure, it's pretty easy to cast.

But practice is needed obviously:)

[mangler]

Thanks for the advice everyone, guess it's time to practice, practice, practice...

One thing that has surprised me is the relative ease of getting the knots out of the braid (yes first time using braid, how AFO has corrupted me...) so at least that gives me a bit more confidence in mucking around with settings etc.

[Cowfish13]

Just don't get over confident with the settings. I have, and it hurts to have to cut braid off the reel:( ><

But yeh, it's definately easier to untangle:)

[MoparKevUk]

I love threads like this, I haven't a clue what you are talking about, but it's all so technical it floats my boat!! I'm sure to look this up when I graduate!!!

[Terry H]

mangler wrote:

Thanks for the advice everyone, guess it's time to practice, practice, practice...

One thing that has surprised me is the relative ease of getting the knots out of the braid (yes first time using braid, how AFO has corrupted me...) so at least that gives me a bit more confidence in mucking around with settings etc.

That's it mate go out one session with no other rod but your baitcaster.

Force yourself to learn it

Edit: ok just read the rest of the thread:P

SX60s I find very easy to cast, great to learn on I think. Distance doesn't really matter if you spray it everywhere and can't hit your snag or structure.

The majority of fishing I do in the kayak with baitcasters is more accuracy and control, usually flick it out hard then have to slow it and stop it nice and gently next to a snag. So I would agree witH jeff. Definitely work on your accuracy as opposed to distance. Distance will come over time when you get use to the controls more.