Does the Fishing Rod Handle Hinder Casts with Your Baitcast Reel?

Reel is too high on the handle. This rod is for a spinning reel. 

Left position is best for baitcast reel.

If you are using a long, telescopic casting rod designed for both a baitcast or spinning reel, the reel seat position is probably too high on the handle. This does not enhance your casts. If you are using a spinning reel rod instead of a bait rod with a baitcast reel, the long handle will hinder your casts. If the reel seat is 20 inches or more above the bottom end of the rod, it is difficult to deliver well balanced long distance casts launched with a bait basket. This position is better suited for a spinning reel. Having the reel seat about 14 inches or less from the bottom makes casting with a baitcast reel much easier.

Thumbing control of baitcast reel.

I use a rod which has five sections and extends well over 17 feet. I launch my casts with a bait basket loaded with shrimp, a customized rig, and a hand-made fishing floater which add a little over four ounces of weight to my total setup. It is impossible for me to cast this with one hand. Although I am right-handed, my left hand controls my baitcast reel and performs the thumbing to master the main line, while the right hand merely supports the rod above the reel during the cast. Dealing with a long handle results in an occasional bump to the rib cage, or a temptation to follow through with the handle going under the left armpit. This leads to trouble because of rough line release off the reel. That is why I began to lower the reel seat position on my rod.

Reel Seat lowered and fishing rod handle customized.

Removing the original reel seat is not part my procedure. I purchase a basic, set the reel in place and snap down to lock seat and attach it below the first one, on the opposite side. If I want to hide the original seat, I cover it with a long rod handle protector and grip. Because it is normally heat adhesive, the only thing that will be noticeable later is the slight protrusion of the original seat. The reason for placing the new reel seat on the opposite side is to avoid any possibility of line contact from the reel to this protruding area.

The basic reel seat has a lowered area on each end which is at least an inch long. This is where the seat is attached to the rod by tightly winding sturdy, thin cord and tying a small, tight knot resting below the raised section of the seat. A moderate amount of strong bonding glue may be placed on the lowered seat area first before winding the cord, but it will be necessary to apply the glue over the entire cord area after tying the knot. Naturally, this is to be done on both ends of the reel seat. If the reel seat is black and the cord is a different color, paint can be applied on the cord before gluing for a neat appearance.

Placing a reel seat on a lower position of a rod with a long handle is not difficult to do. It takes a bit of time and effort at first, but easier casting with the baitcast reel makes it all worthwhile.

If your favorite fishing spot is free from obstacles such as electrical and phone lines, trees, and branches, you may consider using a longer rod which may give you greater casting distances and make fishing even more enjoyable. There are long telescopic bait rods with optimal guides and reel seat position specially designed for use with baitcast reels available, but they are quite expensive. Before making the investment, it could be fun to customize the rod you are using, especially if it is a long telescopic type.                                 

Check out http://www.baitcastfishing.com for some useful ideas and suggestions. Happy fishing, always!

Simple Fishing With Hands Using Hook, Line, Bait and Stone

Stone Delivers Bait; Hook With Bait Set

A fishing rod and reel are not essential for fishing, as casting a fish net, spear, and most forms of commercial fishing are common examples of not using them. A very simple way to catch fish utilizes a hook, line, bait and flat stones. The only other requirement is a boat or a dependable flotation device to fish this way at the ocean.

Colorful Marker to Indicate and Adjust to Target Depth

Gathering flat oval stones is part of the preparation. They do not have to be large, and the ideal size is larger than the palm of the hand. The line should be thick and sturdy, as a fishing rod and reel are not used; the hands substitute for them. Large wooden or plastic spools are useful for storing and releasing the line into the water. The line serves as both main and hook line. A very hand item to have is an elastic depth marker that slides along the line. They are colorful, which makes them easy to see and use to set the fishing depth. If they are not available, tying a Surgeon’s knot with string on the line can serve as a marker. As for bait, a large frozen block of tiny shrimp and a small block of larger shrimp to set on the hook are a good combination. If only one block of larger shrimp is used, set aside the largest shrimp in the block to place on the hook after thawing. 

To check the depth at the fishing location, attach a sinker to the end of the line and drop it into the water. When it hits the bottom, mark the spot on the line with the depth marker. Next, adjust the marker to the target depth according to fish you want to catch. After that, get the line and sinker out, tie the fishing hook, and begin fishing.

Hook & Stone for Hook, Line, Bait & Stone Fishing

Set a nice, plump shrimp on the hook and place it on the center of a flat stone. Place half a handful of bait shrimp on top; covering the baited hook. Wrap the line closely and completely around the stone at all angles, up to the marker. This keeps most of your bait shrimp from scattering before reaching the fishing depth. Drop the stone into the water. The stone is now a sinker that delivers the bait and sets the baited hook to the target fishing depth.

A word of caution about this fishing style: your hands are substituting as a rod and reel to tackle and haul in the fish; be sure to protect them well with thick gloves. Even with the gloves on, it is not a good idea to wind or wrap the line around the hands. A monstrous fish could suddenly come around for a bite. There are times when hauling in the fish is just not possible. This fish will normally snap the line. Otherwise, do not continue the battle into the water. If this should happen, the life vest is truly a lifesaver.

The origin of this information: Baitcastfishing.com

How to Measure Depth Easily when Bait Cast Fishing

Fishing Float

Using a fishing float gives you the advantage of being able to quickly and easily figure out the depth of your fishing spot. Knowing the depth lets you adjust your target fishing depth and hook up with the fish you are after. If, for example, grunt fish were your target, it will not be a good idea to bait them at the very bottom of the site, whereas flounder would be found there. Various types of mackerel and sardine may be targeted at the upper third to the middle depth, and sea bream may be baited at the bottom third depth.

To measure the depth with a fishing float or floater, a stopper must first be placed on the main fishing line. There are rubber or vinyl stoppers for this purpose, but they start to slip as the hole in its core widens after repeated adjustment. Using thin nylon string which is thicker than normal sewing thread is a good as a stopper.

Float Stopper Over Main Line 

Estimate the depth before tying the stopper. Let's use 20 feet as an example. Extending and measuring 20 feet of line at a fishing site is not always easily done. Besides, there are so many tools and useful fishing gadgets with limited space to load them up when fishing, and a long tape measure is easy to forget. What I usually do is use my body for measurements. My arm span when fully extended and measured from finger-tip to finger-tip is slightly over 5 feet 10 inches. I would extend the main line to three arm spans from wrist to wrist to get be near, but above 20 feet and tie the stopper at that point. Of course, I could go to four arm spans and work my way up from a little over 23 feet, but I prefer working my way down from about 17 and a-half feet.

Green Thread in Picture is the Stopper

On the first stopper tying attempt, it is best to use a fairly long section of the string. A basic Surgeon’s knot is tied with the nylon string over the main line. Leave about an inch and a-half of excess string hanging down and away from the thumb while they hold and position the string over the main line. Then make a fairly wide loop with the string going behind the main line and back to the front where the thumb and forefinger are grasping the string over the line and complete the loop by going past them and heading behind the line again. Once that is done, slide the free end through the loop while making sure that it wraps over the main line from below. Continue going up and through the loop in the same way again. This process is repeated about five times before pulling the ends of the string to tie the knot of the stopper. Do not exceed doing this seven times, especially if you are using a baitcast reel as a thick knot may catch on the level wind. Be sure to leave a bit of string on each end to grip and retighten after adjustments.

Protect Floater from Hitting Cast Set Up

You are now ready to attach the fishing floater. Before sliding the main line through a swivel and snap for the fishing float, unless the swivel is specially designed for the floater, a small plastic bead with a hole wide enough to thread the main line is needed. Without the bead, the loop of the swivel will pass right over the stopper's knot, rendering it as being useless. Naturally, a swivel with a loop smaller than the bead must be used.

Incidentally, having two short rubber tube sections with a round toothpick or bamboo skewer segment inserted through them over the main line will serve as a good stopper to keep the floater from coming into contact with the cast and bait setup at the bottom end. It is best to set this stopper to be slightly longer than the length of the fishing float.

Float Upright

Float Not Upright; Depth Overestimated

Since measuring depth is the objective, simply having a sinker attached to a snap at the bottom end instead of the cast setup is highly recommended. If the main line snaps accidentally, the loss is much easier to bear by doing this.

If the floater is upright after casting, the depth is exact or has been underestimated. If the floater does not stand it has been overestimated. Gradually adjust the stopper position while casting again to get the correct depth, and adjust again to bait depth and catch your target fish. May your floater keep busy shooting into the water and out of your sight, thereafter!

Take a look at more Bait Cast Fishing Tips and Tidbits at: Bait Cast Fishing From Land To Sea!  Baitcastfishing.com

Are You Using the Proper Type of Fishing Rod with Your Reel?

There are specially designed fishing rods for both baitcast and spinning reels. Knowing the specifics of each type of rod will keep you from making the mistake of using a rod designed for a spinning reel with a baitcast reel, or a baitcast or bait rod with a spinning reel.  Are you using the proper rod with your reel?

Many modern casting rods allow use with and claim to be suited for either baitcast or spinning reels, but frankly, baitcast reel users end up with a slight disadvantage because the reel seat position of the rod is still a bit too high for optimal baitcast reel performance.



You can identify a rod designed for Spinning Reels at a glance. You will notice:

1) These rods have large guides which taper to a small guide at the tip.

2) The guide nearest the handle and the reel is very large.

3) The reel seat on long saltwater rods rest about 20 inches from the end of the handle. On some rods it is much further away.

Very Large Guide Far Away From Reel  and Handle. Very Few Guides

You will notice these things about a Bait Rod at a glance:

1) Guides are much smaller and more plentiful.

2) The guide nearest the handle and reel is quite small.                  

3) The reel seat is nearer to the end of the handle; 12 to 14 inches on long telescopic rods.

Much Smaller Guide Nearer Reel and Handle. Many More Guides

What is the function of the guides on fishing rods? With spinning reels, the line loops to the side upon casting and releases off the top of the reel at a rate determined by the weight of the cast set up and rod flexibility. One of the main reasons for the large guide nearest the reel is to reduce line resistance. If there is a small guide near the reel, the line whips against the guide's inner circular edges at quicker intervals while unraveling its loops. This shortens casting distance and can cause line damage. Fewer guides also lessen resistance when casting.

In the case of baitcast reels, the line shoots off the center of the spool at a much faster rate while being guided through the level wind of the reel. It is easy to overrun the speed and distance of the cast with the amount of line going out from the spool, resulting in backlashes. This is why the guides for baitcast reels are smaller and greater in number. This helps control the line from exiting too quickly, and prevents the line from flaring off course during a headwind. I, as well as many baitcast reel experts consider the level wind on the reel to be one of the most important guides, second only to the human thumb to control the line while casting.

What should be done if the wrong type of rod is used? It may prove best to replace the rod with the correct type, or to change the reel to match the rod. If you are not proficient with the baitcast reel and mainly want to continue practicing without changing the rod and it is a telescopic rod, or if you are using a telescopic rod for use with either type of reel and have a baitcast reel mounted on it, you may consider changing the guides. Check with your local fishing supply dealer to see if an appropriate set of guides for your fishing rod is available. If your rod is not telescopic, the guides are permanently affixed and none of them can be freely moved, it is not a good idea to attempt replacing the guides. Damage to the rod or guides may result. These factors also apply to those who happen to be using a bait rod with a spinning reel.

The telescopic rod has guides set with glue at the head of each section, and the remaining guides fit the taper of each section so that you can slide them down to set into position. Many standard models designed for use with spinning or baitcast rods do not have the guide nearest to the reel affixed to the head of the last section. Some have the last guide moving freely on the section above and the user sets it into place slightly above the last section. If your model does not have this and the last guide is at the head of the second section, inserting an appropriate guide below this or at the head of the last section is ideal for use with a baitcast reel.

When replacing the guides, start with the uppermost at the tip of the rod. Gingerly use the flame of a lighter for a moment on the metal of the guide to melt the glue holding it in place. Ensure that the flame does not contact the tip of the rod, or it will burn off. Use pliers to remove the heated guide. Repeat this process to remove the guides affixed at the head of each section. When the new guides are inserted onto the sections, be sure that the guides to be glued align with the guide-line markers if the rod has them on its sections.

Thumbing Line Control

Although I have used spinning reels for casting on occasion, I have used baitcast reels exclusively for more years than I care to remember. Before telescopic bait rods were made available by manufacturers, I customized my rods in the manner described here and doubled the number of guides on my rod while reducing their size. I went as far as adding a lowered reel seat to enhance my casts. Frankly, as I developed skill in handling the baitcast reel, I realized that rod customization was not the ultimate factor in improving my casting distance. It was the desire that eventually brought good results. Learning to use my thumb for cast and line control worked like a magic charm for me. I have even restored the guides on some of my rods to their original condition without any problems, thanks to thumbing. And yes, I did catch quite a few fish while improving my casting.

Long distance bait casting is an indescribable thrill. It is a healthy outdoor sport to enjoy for a lifetime. See what it is all about at Baitcastfishing.com!