‘How to Cast’ a Conventional Fishing Reel
A
Conventional Reel
By Gary A. Anderson
Back in the day, (how many years ago was that?), I started off throwing the Jigmaster, the Squider and then went on to a Penn 505. I presently use a Penn 6/0. My next goal is to throw the 9/0 , if I can get a grip on the reel and rod at the same time. I am now at the consensus that 9/0 ought to be used on boats; bow lowed or ballooned out to fish.
The faster a spool spins, the harder the cast, in my opinion but the father it will go! The Jigmaster is the hardest to throw because the spool spins really
fast; the smaller the spool, the faster the
spin; that is why I can throw the Jigmaster farther then the 4/0. The bigger the spool, the slower the spin, the easier to throw and with the conventional reels back lash will always occur, it’s just a matter of controlling it. The object is not to back lash. Do a lot of practice on your own. Learn how to use your ears and thumb as your guide not to back lash. Use your
ears, as you throw listen to the sound of the line going out. As the sound of the line going out begins to flutter, place the side of your thumb against the side or corner of the spool to slow down the spin of the reel. Do not place your thumb on the spool or on the line to slow down your spin. If you do you will end up with a very nasty burn to your thumb, been there, done that! Get that ear sensitive and thumb drag down and you too will throw that 100 yards of bomb.
I have my 4/0, 6/0 and 9/0 attached to an eight foot Star Rods. Using a long rod lets the rod work for you, along with your casts. The trick to casting conventional reels is to keep your thumb along the bell of the spool (the corner) while casting. It takes some discipline to keep your thumb down during the cast. Listen to the hum of the spool when casting. If you hear a fluttering sound you must train your thumb to instinctively react and apply pressure to the bell. Once you get it down,
and it may require quite a bit of practice, this will solve many backlash problems. Also the spool control knob on the left side plate can be tightened to make it easier on you. Don’t over tighten or you can burn out the bearing and over tightening can cause distance loss. Thumbing is the best anti-backlash device. Don’t place your thumb on the spool itself like you would with a bait casters, you may get a nasty burn if it’s spinning fast and remember casting gear, unlike spinning, heavier baits will cast better.
To begin your cast, hold the rod and reel tilted so that the handles are even or slightly higher than your face behind you, with the reel upside down. The reel should be cocked to the left side. The grip should be similar to holding a golf club, only the hands are apart at a distance of the square of your shoulders. The grip should be tight but relaxed. Your forearm now becomes an extension of the rod’s length, with your thumb on the spool of line at a northwest angle; it should be holding the free line tight touching the side of the spool as well as the line itself. Overhead or side arm casting all follow the same rules; 180 degrees behind you, thrust rod tip upward to 90 degrees and release your thumb, tethering the spool and listening to the sound it makes as you follow through to another 45 degrees in front of you, where you stop the rod tip and watch your line spool out. Side arming is the same principle except you are not going overhead, you start the same and end the same, with the exception that your swing is off center and movement is at an angle of about 35 to 50 degrees movement upward. Always keeps your thumb tethering the spool! Once your thumb leaves the spool, points into the air or otherwise, you are guaranteed a back lash or better known as a birds nest. Your thumb will never get back down on the spool quickly enough, stopping it. Let the rod work for you. Never cast as hard as you can, for if you do, you will go know where and see a large birds nest develop right before your very eyes! Easy does it and watch just how far your line now goes. It called simple mathematics and geometry; just like we had to learn in school, way back when I use to say,” How am I ever going to use this in real life?” My finishing pointer to all is if your bait landed close in front of you, you released your thumb too late. If your bait went more or less straight up, you released your thumb too soon and the only way to correct this is through trail and error or just practice a lot and always remembers you are casting a conventional reel; conventional reels back lash will always occur, get use to it!
