Practice Simple Baitcast Reel Thumbing Control at Home

Abu Garcia 6500 CS Rocket Chrome Baitcast Reel

I enjoy bait cast fishing with reckless abandon. This is part of my personality. I would never recommend a few of my tactics to others, as I have actually discontinued using the centrifugal brakes on my Abu Garcia 6500 CS Rocket. The brake slots remain empty for many years, the spool of the reel is quite loose, and releasing my thumb leaves no noticeable resistance to the setup when casting or on simple release of the line. This is due to mastering the technique of using the thumb for line control, commonly referred to as feathering the line or thumbing by anglers.

No centrifugal brakes; not recommended

I did not know anything about thumbing to control the line of a baitcast reel in my first six months of using it. Although it is embarrassing to admit, I wasted hundreds of yards of fishing line and became quite the expert at causing a backlash on the line and what anglers like to refer to as birds nests, which are severe cases of backlash. Most of my fishing time was spent trying to untangle backlash after birds nest, with this cycle repeating itself. People around me wondered when I would come to my senses and give it all up, or return to using a spinning reel. It took some time, but I woke up one day to realize that using my thumb to help control the line speed of the reel was a good tactic. Thanks to thumbing, I was able to be free myself from a terrible agony.

Unique gift to wind fishing line

One day, a good fishing buddy gave me a unique gift. It was a device with a small electric motor and a special spindle to mount a spool to wind the fishing line on. This would have been the perfect tool to practice thumbing with, but I had already mastered the technique by then. All I had to do was put the end of my line to the spool and flick a switch to wind the line from my baitcast reel onto the spool. I had to use my thumb to control the speed rate and flow of line, which was not difficult to do. The entire process was completed in a couple of  minutes. The speed was never overrun with precise control of the line. If you have or are able to make such a device, you will surely learn thumbing very quickly.

If you can get someone to help you, the same practice can be easily done without the electric device. The other person simply winds the line from your baitcast reel onto his or her empty reel. You get to practice and become proficient at using the thumb for line control, which will save a lot of agony and frustration when actually casting and fishing. This may spare you from hearing the chuckles I often heard, and sensing the eyes of others observing the progress rate of backlash repair.

Thumbing for line control

Ensure that your thumb maintains constant contact with the line after releasing to cast until the setup enters the water and stabilizes. The touch should be very light as if the thumb was a feather stroking the line. Any irregularity will be immediately felt, and the casting can be stopped at any time before a major backlash develops.

Great tool to reel in fish!

That is thumbing for baitcast reel line control in a nutshell. It has worked like a magic charm for me. With proper practice, definite improvement will surely follow. Enjoy casting and fishing with your baitcast reel. It has to be one of the greatest fishing devices ever created.

For more tips and tidbits, check out Bait Cast FishingFrom Land To Sea!