Pitching with baitcaster

[NineFingerFury]

I've been practicing pitching in my backyard and I'm ok now, but I'm wondering what types of lures/baits are good for clear water pitching near docks and lily pads around here in Western WA. I'm using a 7' MH with a 6.41:1 reel (only baitcaster I have).

[Amx]

worms, jigs, top water, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, just about anything. Such as pitch a crankbait into a slot in the pad line/edge and crank it out. Same with anything such as a frog to an opening in the pads. Common lures would mostly be worms and jigs.

[8theB8]

Since pitching usually involves thicker cover I will opt for a Trokar flipping hook in a 4 or 5/0, paired with a Zoom Z-hog or similar narrow but bulky bait and will weight it (pegged with a bobber stop) with whatever is needed to penetrate the cover and reach bottom, that could be 1/4 ounce on up to 2ounces depending. This will be rigged on a 7' 6" MH flipping rod with 50lb or 65lb braid and I will color 3 feet up from the lure black with a magnum Sharpie.

In clear water where vegetation is not much of an issue then I will lean more towards jigs (1/4ounce and up), or Texas rigged worms 4-10" depending on time of year.

As AMX said, you can "pitch" anything, referring to the casting motion, but true pitching in my book is close combat in heavy cover and picking it apart until something clicks!

Keep the questions coming!

[NineFingerFury]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be getting a rod setup just for pitching next.

[8theB8]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be getting a rod setup just for pitching next.

Yep, that's how it starts, LOL

[253Caster]

I'll pitch any bait I am throwing if I am trying to make a more stealthy and/or accurate cast, especially close quarters.. even big swimbaits. When you get good you can pretty much drop it on a dime!

[sbasser]

Key factors and hot tips:

A good quality reel is important. A $50 reel doesn't seem to work well enough. I believe a basic necessity is a one-piece metal frame...not plastic. And I really like Shimano's centrifugal cast control, but other brands have same or identical systems. When in doubt, read the instructions! I'm right-handed and like a LH crank for pitching, but I use both LH & RH baitcasters, depending somewhat on the technique. I cup the reel in my left and hold the line with my thumb and index finger to feel for stealth fish. It helps.

Because it isn't good to flex the rod when pitching (IMO), a stiff enough tip (i.e., "Fast") helps. Flex the tip = backlash.

Buy at least a "Mini-Bulk" spool of line. When you get a kink, it'll backlash again. I'd suggest 15-20 lb test copolymer. I've not tried it, but BPS line would be ok. You really don't want super soft & supple for learning to pitch.

To prevent "professional over-runs" from being disastrous, pull about 50' of line off the spool and put a 1" piece of electrical tape over the remaining line. You can still get a backlash, but it'll stop at the tape.

Start with a pretty heavy lure weight. I rather liked a 5" Kalin grub with an EWG hook, glass bead, brass "ticker" and a lead bullet sinker of about 1/4 to 3/8 oz. Grubs are cheaper than a lot of newer "critter" plastics, the Kalin is pretty durable, and fish don't see grubs as much these days. But they do catch fish just fine. BPS grubs are pretty tough, too. A drop of super glue can be a good thing to keep the grub up against the hook eye. Probably best to start with a rod length of line out, and the lure in your free hand...but do not flex the rod!

There are several videos on UTube showing an odd way to clear a backlash. I think you could just go to YouTube and use their search function for "backlash". Tighten the drag down a bit extra, put your thumb pretty firmly on the spool and crank some. Then, pull out line until it stops again. Repeat as needed. It may take 6 tries, but it almost always works for me. It seems to work on any type of line. I cannot fathom (pun intended) how it works, but it does. Rejoice!

[Larry3215]

I discovered the true secret to no more backlashes - ditch the baitcasters and go with spinning reels only ;)

[NineFingerFury]

Thanks for the tips!

[sbasser]

I discovered the true secret to no more backlashes - ditch the baitcasters and go with spinning reels only ;)

Yep, I do that also. Casting with a baitcaster is (potentially) more accurate, and they work better with heavy monofil/fluorocarbon lines. Spinning does some stuff better, and other things are better with a baitcaster. But a baitcaster is so...manly!

[Larry3215]

I personally think all this bait caster hype is just that - hype

The guys that make baitcaster reels pay the pros to talk them up - end of story. Accuracy is down to the person behind the pole not the pole or the reel.

Plus anything you can cast with a bait caster can be cast further and just as accurately with a spinning reel of the proper size - with no backlashes! :D

[meandermeadows]

I'm not going to argue the merits of a baitcaster vs. a spinning reel. I have both and I like both. Baitcaster is newer to me, but I am getting better with it.

I have gotten good deals on Pflueger reels on Ebay. The Asaro is a lot of reel for the money, I occasionally see them go for $60-$80, and they have the same dual braking system as a $200 Patriarch.

One thing that was suggested to me, and I will also suggest to you, is that you pick a brand you like and buy all your reels in that brand. The reasoning behind it is, down the road when a reel breaks...and they all do eventually...you can take parts from it for your others. A handle for a Pflueger spinning rod is $13. This way, when it bites the dust, not all is lost.

[8theB8]

Baitcasters are awesome and very much have their place as do spinning reels. I grew up throwing spinning gear and am very accurate and adept at using it however, baitcasters changed so many things about presentations, line weights, accuracy, lure weights, techniques, fatigue, fish leverage, I could go on. In my mind they are an invaluable tool and I now run 9 of them in conjunction with my 4 spinning set ups. Spinning reels have their issues as well but guys that have fished with them enough have learned what to watch for and they know the tricks to keep the issues from happening as often... like that loop you didn't notice and reeled up that is just waiting for you to make your next cast! Or lack of cast control because you haven't learned to slow the line with your index finger on the spool yet. Line twist is another problem that can plague spinning reels. Knowing to engage the bail with your free hand and not the handle are all part of the little tricks we learn from trial and error. I spend more time clearing spinning gear disasters when I take a newbie out than just about anything else because at some point they all don't see a loop and reel it up and the next cast is a mess! Experience and repetition will almost eliminate any issue you could have with a baitcaster the same way it does with spinning gear.

A few things to keep in mind from personal experience:

1) Baitcasters make way more sense when the line weights and lure weights go up! Throwing 1/4oz baits on a baitcaster could give you nightmares unless it's something compact with little wind resistance. 3/8oz and up are where these reels shine. Also, line weight below 10lbs can be a little tricky also, that being said, the right reel adjustments and practice (repetition) will do wonders, still I prefer 12lb or greater on baitcasters.

2) Wind! Wind changes everything and is the true measure of how adept you have become with a baitcaster. Casting with the wind, everyone is a hero lol, Casting at a 90 degree (side wind) and it stays manageable, casting quartering into a wind (depending on the strength of the wind) and things get a little more tricky and you will need to make adjustments to the spool speed. Casting into the wind is a challenge, so many things come into play; length of cast needed? line weight? weight of bait? aerodynamics of the bait? wind speed? All of this is pretty easy to calculate the more you use the reels but do need to be considered. If you are trying to throw a long cast and accuracy is less of an issue then just use a spinning reel with a line weight that works for the technique (but read #3 below before you do). If you are flipping or pitching the wind isn't as big of a deal because the cast distance shrinks, the angle of cast is lower and therefore more out of the wind and the baits are usually compact and more aerodynamic and generally accompanied by weights that are meant to penetrate vegetation and therefore heavier.

3) Something I didn't see mentioned is the wear and tear on your body! This is something you really need to consider as well! I refused to run baitcasters for a long time and slowly increased the weight of my line on some of my spinning reels to the desired test and type. For instance, as I got more and more into jigs I wanted to run fluorocarbon line and I increased the lb test from 12lb to 15lb and eventually to 20lb which I still feel is optimum for jig fishing in almost all conditions. Well, about 3/4 of the way through the season when I started running the 20lb floro on spinning gear and WHAM!! I still remember the cast....I was on Lake Goodwin, it was the second lake I had fished that day and the pain in my shoulder was instant and said go home NOW. I suffered with that pain for the rest of the season after taking a month off to "heal". It still bothers me a bit to this day (10+ years), never did have surgery.

My point in all of the above is this: Yes baitcasters can be tricky to get used to but they 100% have their place. They are not for the guy that never wants to use anything heavier that 8lb test, I know a lot of trout guys that cannot believe I can catch bass in clear water throwing 20-25lb floro on my jigs and swimbaits lol. Baitcasters are tools for fishing that have their purpose and application and most importantly their efficiency when used properly. In windy conditions I will still change things over to spinning gear if I'm running something that really catches the wind like a buzzbait or spinnerbait, or just about anything lighter that 3/8oz, however it will be a spinning rod with 12-14lb mono, 8-50lb braid or depending on conditions 8lb floro or mono.

The 'roll cast' can be far more effective than 'pitching' at times, it can be just as quiet, just as accurate and saves a ton of wear and tear on your elbows, wrists and shoulders and I find myself roll casting predominately when just 'fishing' with baitcasters. If I start to pitch and flip then the technique and casting motion will change accordingly. Keep experimenting and practicing! Bass fishing is awesome for this, so many techniques, so many presentations, so much gear and cover variances that it truly never gets old!

[sbasser]

Likewise, I use both. Used both yesterday, in fact. One of my baitcasters is a Calcutta spooled with 6 lb test Segaur "Tatsu" fluorocarbon for "spybaiting". Traditionally a job for a spinning reel, I didn't want to deal with a spinning reel for that FC line. It works beautifully, tho I can't say I've caught enough fish on it to make me a spybaiting enthusiast. Haven't had a single backlash on it, casting it as far as I can...which often causes problems with a baitcaster. The Tatsu was purchased quite awhile back, before I retired (2010). If it wasn't so expensive, I'd try the Tatsu on a spinning reel...maybe. Otherwise, I see nothing but headaches with FC on spinning reels. I've come to be an enthusiast of braided line on spinning reels. That doesn't fix all the problems with spinning tackle, but most of them. It works nicely on a baitcaster also. I've got 20 lb Power Pro Super Slick 8 on a Shimano Chronarch and 40 lb on a Shimano Curado. They'll all make a mess on occasion, but part of the learning process is how to avoid the messes, but also how to correct the messes. NOT that difficult, if I can do it. And, I use both LH & RH baitcasters. I think I could learn to use a RH crank spinning reel, but why?

I haven't tried straight FC line on a spinning reel, and have had enough trouble with cheaper brands (cheaper than Tatsu) that I will likely never make the attempt. I have recently reloaded my Shaky Rig rod/reel (Chronarch...baitcaster) with Segaur red label...I found out quickly that a Palomar knot doesn't get it done, so changed to an "Improved" Trilene knot...the Trilene knot with the tag end through both loops. I might need to review my knots, it's true! But when the end of the line comes back with curly evidence of a slipped knot, it's definitely time to make a change. I can only tie a few knots. Ones that I can see well enough to tie at my age. ;)

Tomorrow's UPS shipment will have a new Pfleuger spinning reel for a second Dropshot rig. It ( a Berkley Series 1 7' Medium "splitshot rod"), will have 20 lb Power Pro Super Slick 8 on it, a tiny Crane swivel, 8 or 10 lb test FC leader, a finesse jig at the bottom and a Roboworm Dropshot hook about 18" above that. Total leader length will be about 6'. The other DS rod will have the same Okuma Epix 30 reel with the same 15 lb test Power Pro it currently has, a tiny Crane swivel, and 6 or 8 lb test FC leader, two circle hooks and a clip-on 3/8 oz DS weight at the bottom. May try 3 hooks later, depending on how much turmoil is caused by two!

There are times when I'll pitch with a spinning outfit...unweighted stuff, like Venom Super Doo's, a 3" tube, or the ubiquitous Senko. Deadly presentation in the right circumstances. Do what you like and what catches fish for you.