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!

Big Switch from Black Bass to Ocean Fishing

The first fish I caught were black bass. Not having to use bait was what amazed me about going after largemouth, or black bass. Knowing when and how to use which jigs, lures or rubbery worms did the trick. Hardy tugs on the hook followed before landing them.

Being from Hawaii and loving the ocean did not lead to a fishing pole finding its place in my hands. I somehow imagined it to be a boring sport. What finally got me interested was a suggestion from my wife to try it and relax the stress and tension she felt flowing out of me. Trying it was a great decision. I truly enjoyed the excitement of bass fishing. This activity also had a very relaxing effect on my state of mind.

A couple of years after becoming avid bass casters we moved from Tokyo to NumazuCity, which is in Shizuoka Prefecture, and near the center of Japan. In Tokyo heading for the ocean usually lead to several hours in heavy traffic, so we chose bass fishing at a nearby lake. In Numazu City, Suruga Gulf of the Pacific Ocean is a 10 minute drive away. The ocean was now right in front of us but neither my wife nor I had ever tried salt water fishing.

We headed for a local fishing supply store and stocked up on essential rods, reels, line, which left only the bait selection left to do some fishing that day. My wife said shrimp was the best choice, but I quickly noticed that they came in large frozen blocks. I couldn't imagine using all the shrimp in one outing, and being frugal by nature, I opted for a small packet of lugworms.

Numazu is famous for its seafood, as the dried fish and fresh sashimi are said to be the best in Japan, and many consider the city as a mecca for horse mackerel fishing. The Area we selected to fish was near the entrance to Numazu Port. Horse mackerel was without a doubt what I expected to catch. The thought that my bait would not allow them to be my target fish never crossed my mind.

It was an exceptional day to be outdoors. The air was fresh and sweet with warm and soothing sunlight. The ocean flowed smoothly in rich, deep blue. But even after an hour had passed, there was not a nibble on the bait. I remember that day clearly after well over 20 years have passed, along with my wife reminding me again that we should have bought shrimp as bait.

A moment later everything changed. I felt what I thought was a wire hanger banging against my rod. Luckily, I did not let my fishing pole go. I did not know how to cast bait on my first ocean fishing attempt, so what I was doing was simply holding my rod with the lugworm bait below it. Feeling the bang shocked and disoriented me for an instant, but after a heartbeat later, I realized in a flash that it was a fish. Oh my, I had one on the line!

My first fish out of the ocean turned out to be a sillago; not a horse mackerel. When I saw it my eyes widened to golf balls because this was the largest sillago I had ever seen. The largest before this was at a restaurant and it was about eight and a-half inches long. This beauty was well over 12 inches. Catching a few more would give me a deep fried sillago tempura dinner for two. But as it turned out, none of its friends came by for the tempura party. I lett the big fish swim in a bucket full of seawater and decided to release it at the end of the day. The sillago got its freedom back, while I ended up being hooked.

This was a valuable learning experience for me. My biggest mistake was not choosing shrimp for bait. I did not know that lugworms are not good bait for horse mackerel, but they are quite a delicacy for sillago. Another mistake was using a large hook. Black bass fishing left me with the habit of using large hooks. A smaller hook should have led to catching a number of sillago, instead of a single monstrous one.

There were many more mistakes, along with things learnt on each ocean fishing quest. But that's all part of the excitement and adventure of fishing by the ocean. Eventually, I was able to master long distance bait cast fishing. This form of fishing does not require a boat as bait is cast from shore to using long telescopic rods, baitcast or spinning reels, bait baskets, fishing floaters, and a specialized setup. Anyone can enjoy this fun filled activity and learn to target and catch the desired fish. It's a healthy outdoor sport which can be enjoyed for a lifetime! 

Bait Cast Fishing From Land To Sea!

Fishing Is a Healthy Outdoor Sport

There was a time when I did not know how to relax and just let go of my tensions. My mind was wired and tightly knotted with anxiety and stress. I had to find a way to get this negative, twisted ball of energy out of me, or face the threat of passing on and away from this life as my avenue of escape. Luckily, I found a hobby which turned out to be a blessing as it was a healthy outdoor activity and sport which changed my life for good.

It's ironic that I hadn't done this until living in Japan. I'm originally from the State of Hawaii, but I never did experience fishing, although all the islands are surrounded by the big blue Pacific Ocean. I have an uncle and two cousins who have their own boats for tuna fishing. They even passed by my house when they headed out to the ocean, but I never had the urge to join them.

Happy to be outdoors for fishing!

One fine day my wife suggested that we try fishing. As a little girl she went along with her father on river fishing excursions. He was an avid fisherman who taught her well and even made fishing poles that were just the right size and weight for her. The prospect of spending hours trying to catch some fish did not immediately excite me, But spending time together seemed like a good idea, so I decided to give it a try.

We lived quite a distance away from the ocean in Tokyo, so we did not start with salt water fishing. A couple of days after talking about fishing, my wife surprised me with fishing gear, complete with rod, reel, line, and accessories to include a fishing cap, which I did not use at the onset. I had no real idea what they were, but she told me that we were going to catch some black bass using rubber worms, jigs, and lures. The good thing about this was that there was a popular bass fishing area which was only a 30 minute drive from our home.

We caught many bass but kept only a few pictures

As it turned out, the bass were not so difficult to catch. There were even days when too many bass ended up on our hooks. I quickly noticed that I forgot all about my worries and frustrations while fishing. The only things on my mind were getting a bite and hooking up after a hit. I also realized that I was enjoying my work a lot more because of my new interest, as I used fishing as a reward for being diligent on the job.

We eventually moved out of Tokyo to an area called Shizuoka Prefecture. This brought us very near the ocean. Although that meant no more black bass fishing, this was not a problem at all. Our true fishing adventures were really about to begin with bait cast fishing at the ocean! 

You can find out about this fishing style at:  baitcastfishing.com ;

Bait Cast Fishing From Land To Sea! and share its pleasures and secrets with your friends.

I have immensely enjoyed this activity from the onset. I truly believe that with fishing, I have found a healthy, outdoor sport which I can enjoy for a lifetime. I hope that this will be the case with you, too!

Single Hook Bait Cast Fishing by the Ocean

Sillago was my first salt fish

After switching from bass to salt water fishing, due to moving near to the ocean in Japan, every fishing outing proved to be a new adventure. The first fish to grace my hook was a sillago, which was quite a lucky catch with a rather large hook at the end of my line. The only reason I caught the fish was because I used the right bait for it, which was a lugworm. The fish was quite large, measuring over a foot in length, so the hook was able to lodge itself into its mouth. Sadly, my target fish was horse mackerel which go after tiny shrimp bait. 

I continued fishing at the same spot, which was Numazu Port, and following my wife's advice, switched to proper bait and hooks. This allowed us to catch a bounty of horse mackerel, sardines and large gizzard shad, which somehow seemed to prefer my hook. No one else had the gizzard shad coming for a bite regularly. 

Near entrance to Numazu Port

A couple of pleasant months of weekend fishing passed by quickly. Then late one afternoon a young fellow asked my wife how I was able to hook the shad fish so often. If he asked me, I would have told him that I put some rhythm and action into releasing the bait, which led to a reaction on the hook setup, much in the same way as when I used rubbery worms when luring black bass. They kept talking for nearly an hour, and my wife told me that the young man talked a lot about a great fishing spot where anglers were casting bait from bait baskets and using a single shrimp baited hook to catch flounder, sea bass, striped beak perch, and red snapper. I wasn't sure what these fishes looked like, but curiosity was starting to rumble through my mind.

We were using fairly short fishing rods to toss out or short cast tiny shrimp bait which flowed out of nylon or loosely knit metal mesh fabric bait holders. They were about three-fourths of an inch in diameter, two inches long, and resembled a cone at the bottom end. Below this and separated by a swivel were a series of six to ten hooks resembling branches tied off the trunk of the main hook line with a small sinker at the bottom. Bait was not put on the hooks, which had shiny vinyl slivers attached to them resembling bait or fish skin. When the targeted fish mistakenly bit them while going after the shrimp bait, they were ours for the taking. It was not often that only one fish would get hooked with this setup. It was difficult for me to imagine using only one hook with shrimp bait on it to catch fish. I imagined that only a very few fish, if any, could be caught this way in a day of fishing.

We did not see the young fellow at Numazu Port again, and decided to take a look at the area he talked out, which was about three miles away along the coast line. When we saw the fishing site for the first time a week later, the view was breathtaking. The area is called Shizuura Port, and it has smaller facilities for commercial fishing boats unloading their catch than Numazu Port. What made this place outstanding is that fronting the port and facing Suruga Gulf of the Pacific Ocean is a high and wide seawall which is well over half a mile long and about 13 feet wide. A drop of 18 feet was startling when looking down into the ocean, compared to about five feet at Numazu Port. On the back end of the seawall surrounding the port is a marina for yachts and fishing boats.

Marina behind seawall

There were a few people catching horse mackerel with a bait holder and a multi-hook setup similar to what we were using. They were fishing at the marina where the water as only two or three feet below the surface. They also had dandy looking fishing floaters which shot into the water when the fish were on the line. That looked like the kind of action which could keep my interest.

But the main attraction was facing the ocean up above on the seawall. It was an hour before sunset, and since we had our fishing gear and bait handy, we put them to use. Before the sun started setting, we had a portable ice chest half-filled with horse mackerel, plus a half-dozen striped beak perch which were about eight inches long, and a couple of blue-green girella about the same size. What unbelievable action in such a short time! This was definitely to be our fishing zone from this moment on.

Seawall facing Suruga Gulf, Shizuura Port

We were overcome with quite a shock when we returned the next morning. The place was packed from end to the other. Almost everyone had fishing rods which were much longer than ours, fishing floaters congested the ocean, single hooks were cast with sturdy bait carrying baskets, and long telescopic nets were being used to scoop up and land the fish. I also got a glimpse of a beautiful red fish with a radiant blue trim around its eyes as it was pulled out of the water with a baitcast reel and gathered that it was a red snapper.

We spent quite a bit of time watching and taking note of the make and models of fishing rods and reels being used, as well as the fishing setup, which was nothing like our own. It was time to regroup, re-equip, and learn how to make Shizuura our fishing zone.

Bait Cast Fishing From Land To Sea!  baitcastfishing.com