Northwest Fishing Reports

so ive gotten the casting down, but now when i hook a fish, its almost a guarantee ill lose it, idk if its somthing about level winds i dont know, but you know when on a spinning reel the reel does the work and you can wind wind wind, lift/pull, wind wind wind,well on my levelwind i just cant get ahold of the fish, they just take so much line its crazy(even with a tight drag) and when i pull the fish or walk it to the bank it just seems like the line just goes instead of comes with me, if that makes sense, i got spinning reels dialed, if its hooked its gonna be landed, but i see people with levelwinds have so much control over the fish, i dont get it. please help!

like do i HAVE to use my thumb? or can i just hold the reel on the thumb bar, reel reel reel, then pull up kind of a thing, get the fish in, or is it the rod i have doesnt have good control, its a 8-17 lb okuma SST

Question: do you have braid on your baitcaster reel, and if so, do you have mono backing on the spool under the braid?

If you just have braid on the spool, the entire roll of braid has a tendency to slip under pressure, making the fisherman think that the drag is malfunctioning or the reel is not able to reel in fish.

I've never lost fish due to the baitcaster reel not being able to hold up. My lost fish have been due to other issues (not hooked well, operator error in not playing the fish well, fish was not meant to be landed, etc.)

yeah, make sure when the line is going out, it is the actuall spool that is spinning and not just the line. If it is the spool then I'd say there might be a problem with your reel.

Having fished a bait caster for so long, I will admit to using my thumb for drag a lot of the time but have had a lot of practice doing so.... If your having line slippage, rectify that issue 1st, after that , depending on what reel your using, you may just have a light drag and you"ll have to use slight pressure with your thumb... I use my thumb when turning the fish and let the rod and drag do the rest....

You NEVER just wind wind wind wind wind with a spinning reel, you let the ROD play the fish same as a casting/level wind reel.

For braid, no need to take up precious spool space with backing. Just use a 1" piece of masking tape on top of your arbor knot. Your line will never slip again and there's no anoying backing to braid knot.

i dont use braid on it, i use 15 lb izor mono, but what i mean by "wind wind wind" is like reeling then pulling the fish with the rod kind of a thing. but im using the abu garcia 5601 C4

No, you wind a little while lowering the rod, stop winding, raise the rod pulling the fish in, then wind again while lowering the rod, same with any type rod or fish. Of course any small fish can be wound in, and any big fish can be wound in if it isn't fighting or fighting very hard. The main thing is if the drag is letting out line, then NEVER wind with a spinning reel as you'll just be adding twist to the line and wear to the drag elements. With a casting reel you'll be adding extra wear to the drag discs.

I have a C4 that needs to be serviced in a bad way. It will often spool on a hard hook set and will, with a bigger fish, loose its drag. Just gotta keep tight pressure with your thumb. I would say get your reel serviced. and give it try again. Or pony up for a new reel. I will be purchasing the new Lexa on Friday. Kick A reel for the money.

I use my thumb as the drag. better control over your reel and the fish. but if it wants to run let it or you will end up with a burnt thumb.

I have a 6601 c4, and it works great. I ALWAYS use my thumb, this is my first year using a baitcaster ad im doing so much better. I have my drag set low, and my thumb does the rest.

That shouldn't happen. There is something wrong with your drag, or your spool is not engaging. You should get that reel checked. There should be no difference between playing a fish on a bait caster or spinning reel. You do have more control by putting extra drag on a fish with your thumb. If I'm not mistaken, on those Abus, there should be plenty of drag to turn a fish, with 15 pound test you should be just fine.

natetreat wrote:That shouldn't happen. There is something wrong with your drag, or your spool is not engaging. You should get that reel checked. There should be no difference between playing a fish on a bait caster or spinning reel. You do have more control by putting extra drag on a fish with your thumb. If I'm not mistaken, on those Abus, there should be plenty of drag to turn a fish, with 15 pound test you should be just fine.

X2

Im having problems with the same reel at the Skok. I got a 6601 C4 loaded with 20 pound mono. The hole that I fish at has little to no flow and I am casting 3/8 oz of lead. Anyways, it keeps on getting little backlashes and its starting to bother me. I dont have this problem with a Curado. I use the casting control knob as best as I can. So is it user error or the reel? The reel is only a week old. Something wierd also happened at the Puyallup yesterday. I had to stop midcast so I wouldnt hook into a litle kid and ened up with the worst birds nest ever. I ripped out a bunch of line and it was perfect cast after perfect cast with a 1/2 oz cannon ball. It felt like I was using a conventional round size curado. Should I rip out a bunch of line? help please

If you overload the spool it can be a pain and cause the spool to spin slower at the begining of your cast, and then once that excess line comes off the spool will speed up which will cause that backlash. While those Abu's won't cast those lighter weights as easy as your Curado, they will cast 1/2 ounce pretty well. Also, if you use less weight than the rod is rated for, you end up having to put more power into your cast which will make it tough to cast. That's why I love my Curado, I don't know what it is about it, but it is the most responsive and castable reel I have. I just picked up a Quantum Smoke and it is even hard to control comparatively. So it could be that with the power of your rod, 3/8 may be a bit light, 1/2 ounce is going to cast a lot easier on any reel.

Its an okuma sst rated 8-17 line and 1/4 to 5/8 oz MH action rod.

Reread Amx's posts IMO.

Even if your drag is slipping or it is a line issue or whatever, using the rod more is going to make it pretty clear.

Sounds to me like maybe you are relying on the reel too much and not the rod. IMO only.

natetreat wrote:If you overload the spool it can be a pain and cause the spool to spin slower at the begining of your cast, and then once that excess line comes off the spool will speed up which will cause that backlash. While those Abu's won't cast those lighter weights as easy as your Curado, they will cast 1/2 ounce pretty well. Also, if you use less weight than the rod is rated for, you end up having to put more power into your cast which will make it tough to cast. That's why I love my Curado, I don't know what it is about it, but it is the most responsive and castable reel I have. I just picked up a Quantum Smoke and it is even hard to control comparatively. So it could be that with the power of your rod, 3/8 may be a bit light, 1/2 ounce is going to cast a lot easier on any reel.

have you tried the new curados?

I just picked one up. I like my older one better, but that's just because I'm used to it and have broke it in. The new ones are just as smooth.