First day on 'grass

Well I finally got my hands on a good second hand beach rod that I really liked. A Daiwa 13ft 6'' z surf. The 'nice man who sold me the weapon very kindly demonstrated the basics of casting with a multiplier ( penn 525 mag ) I 'm new to such having been a fixed spooler' in my earlier days. '' Take it handy'' he says, feel your way along'' keep the mags on full' etc...get a feel for her''. Oh I'll get a feel for her alright'' I thought, ..just wait till your gone matey' I'll let her fly I thought. Nice man drives away... leaving me alone in tha park with her.
I find a nice quiet spot in the park....hmm, lets give her a go''. Set her up ... 4 oz weight I think... as the echoes in me head say...'' take it handy... get a feel for her''. I'll let a basic one go ( off the ground job )..... Mags on full..... Only get 50 yards!. Oh I think..thats how it's goin to be is it?... Fire off another one, give it a bit more... 80 yards ( at best ) Not a happy camper. . but some improvement.. Give it another one or two, small birdies eyeing my spool for somewhere to live etc...
Right... I'm here half an hour now.... whats all this mag' shite..... Dial em back'' I'll get a feel for her alright......... let her go every thing working this time....launch!!....................................... Boom! Bird nest so bad that a barber who does afro's won't be fixin this one.. Slop back to car muttering...'' take it easy'' get a feel for her''. Home...had to cut line off spool and reload
Needless to say, tomorrow...I'll take it handy... I'll feel my way along''..... I'll get a feel for her.

I always keep the mags on full but allow some side to side play on the spool, havent found a way to make it misbehave, overhead or off the ground 150 yards plus, hope this helps

well done mate keep up the practice will pay off and you will master that reel

just got in from fishing there and reading this im in stiches we all did it bud reminds me of when i started keep at it m8 will work out in the end

Thanks lads..... for your sympathy and hope'. I was trying to cast with 'reel down' in fairness. Just to try this new fangled reducer bit ha ha. I think today I'll have a go with reel at arms length , probably more familiar anyway. I reckon with reel down so far I couldn't 'pull into the rod, so I wasn't loading it up properly............ ''Ah, listen to me yappin' ( ''I know what was wrong'' ) has strange similar mind set to a previous one'......... Oh '' I'll get feel for her alright''............. lol.. Time will tell...

Hilarious post, stick with it, you'll break her in....

My best piece of advice would be:

My best piece of advice would be:

nice reel but fast multis seperate the men from the boys

nice reel but fast multis seperate the men from the boys

Sportscast lads aside, I’d be surprised if the majority of anglers could put a 3 hook baited rig (clipped or not) further with a multi than a FS!

I used 525 mags for years, but the versatility and reliability of a good fixed spool is very hard to match for fishing scenrios. No doubt multis lead the way on the field.

nice reel but fast multis seperate the men from the boys

Sportscast lads aside, I’d be surprised if the majority of anglers could put a 3 hook baited rig (clipped or not) further with a multi than a FS!

I used 525 mags for years, but the versatility and reliability of a good fixed spool is very hard to match for fishing scenrios. No doubt multis lead the way on the field.

I used to be a die hard multi fan but i agree with Alby on this one. Why bother using a multi on the beaches, you get 99% of the distance and none of the drawbacks when using a fixed spool.

Backlash happens even to professional fishermen, and your chances of experiencing it increase when you have too much line wound on your reel. When you cast, the momentum pulls the line and the spool overruns, producing more line than needed and causing it to back up inside the reel. This type of tangle can put a damper on your fishing experience, but there's a simple fix you can apply that reduces the likelihood of backlash.

1 Unravel between 80 and 100 yrd of line from your multi reel.
2 Snip a piece of black electrical tape approximately half an inch long and three-quarters of an inch wide.
3 Apply to the tape to the spool of your reel, pressing it firmly against the spool so it doesn't create unnecessary interference.
4 Wind the line you unwound back onto the spool.


How to Stop Reel Over-run or Backlash When Casting

There is a time when the dreaded reel backlash (bird's nest or over-run) strikes with more venom than most other times.

There you are in a red-hot bite, fish going nuts trying to engulf your hook ahead of the other fish in some vast school. You land a fish, whack on another bait or lure, and swing the rod, stopping in the direction you want the bait to go, and away it flies in a graceful arc.

Away it flies right up to the time the bait's flight is interrupted by the slithery fluffy-muffled rattle of a backlash under construction.

No obscenities tossed in the direction of the loose tangled-loops of line on the reel's spool seem to alleviate the situation, so you settle down to a half-hours worth of line and loop unpicking while your mates land fish after fish.

The mechanical principles behind building better backlashes are relatively simple, and once understood, the means of stopping them becomes clearer.

When a lure or bait is cast, the rod stops in the direction you want the bait or lure to go, and the acceleration provided by the rod straightening out sends the bait or the lure away on its journey. At the same time the line behind the bait or lure starts to try and pull line off the reel spool.

But the spools inertia resists the pull of the line. Finally the spool gives in to the relentless pressure of the line and it starts to spin, allowing line to follow the path of the bait or lure.

But the reel-spool extracts a price for allowing itself to be spun. It stores the energy it gained from its original inertia, and adds some extra centrifugal force to its storehouse as well.

There this force waits for the best time to do the most harm.

As soon as the lure or bait starts to slow down as it heads toward the water, the force on the line being pulled off the reel lessens. Now it is the first opportunity for the reel spool to wreak its havoc. If the spool is not slowed at this point it will carry on spinning - spewing out loose loops of line that wrap around, under and over each other, forming a backlash.

If the angler manages to get over this hurdle, the next chance for the spool to do some damage is when the lure or bait hits the water, and again no line is being pulled from the reel. As in the above paragraph, unless the reel spool is stopped at the same time it will go on spinning a wonderful web of loops.

Understanding the above principles should lead us to conclude that to avoid backlashes we need a system that allows the line spool to spin with the least amount of force to overcome inertia.

The less force required to overcome inertia, the less force is stored by the reel to use to keep spinning once the line is not pulling at the line-spool.

We also need a method to quickly and effectively slow the spool down, when the bait and lure slow down.

The first thing to consider is the reel itself. If you are planning to do a good deal of casting with a free-spool reel, you need to buy a reel that is up to the job.

A good casting reel should have the following features:

There should be a way of quickly and easily getting the line spool in and out of the reel.
There should be a line spool-tensioning knob, on the drag or opposite end-plate.
There should be a shoulder on the line spool that sits up above the level of the line.

The reason that a good casting reel features a quick take-down to get to get at the line spool, is so the spool mechanics and the spool spindle can be properly lubricated with a fine oil - less is best.

The aim is to allow the spool to start spinning as freely as possible.

The spool-tensioning knob is used to achieve the same result. It should be adjusted so that the spool spins as freely as possible, without 'wobble'. I find the best way of achieving this is to hold the line spool gently between the thumb and forefinger and adjust the spool tensioning-knob until the spool moves just slightly from side to side, a mere frog's eyelash width is just right. The merest hint of a movement.

The shoulder on the line spool is critical.

Once the rod is cast and the lure or bait starts pulling line off the reel the angler must at the critical times slow the spool down; but with an often feather-light touch.

If the thumb is placed lightly on the outer coils of line on the reel spool, the stored energy in the line-spool will keep the spool spinning, and the layers of line just under the top few layers will spill out. This builds truly nightmarish birds nests.

The thumb must be placed on the spool shoulder not on the line.

What about backlash control devices?

There are a number of systems, but the two that have withstood the test of time are magnet based or centrifugal based systems. But it has been my experience that these are often more hindrance than help, and that removing them actually assists in getting to grips with casting successfully more quickly.

Now the mechanicals are sorted what about the cast itself?

The first thing to be conscious of is to make the whole casting action as smooth as possible, right through the whole motion from whoa to go. Jerky actions tend to add to casting problems. It is important to give the action plenty of oomph.

Many people try to avoid backlash by casting 'lightly'.

This probably leads to more backlashes than it cures.

If the line is only coming off the line-spool slowly, the line will start the spool spinning, but this will in itself 'stall' the lure or bait, and backlash building starts immediately.

Once the cast is made and the bait or lure is on the way toward its destination, it is usually only necessary to 'feather' the line spool once - at the top of the bait or lures trajectory.

As the bait or lure starts to curve downward toward the water it slows. 'Feathering' is lightly slowing the line-spool by applying a little pressure with the thumb to the shoulder of the spool to slow the spool-speed to the speed of the lure through the air. The idea is to slow the spool, not stop it.

Then when the bait or lure is about to hit the water, lock the thumb down on the shoulder of the spool to stop it completely.

Casting an overhead reel does take more skill than casting a spinning reel, but it is a relatively easy skill to acquire.

However there are some occasions where trying to cast an overhead reel can give more aggravation than congratulation. Casting into a strong breeze or wind is time to bring out the spinning gear. Casting very light or lightly weighted baits or lures is another.

The prime advantage of learning to cast an overhead reel is that you have much more control over the bait or lure once it is in the water, and more control over a fish once it has taken your bait or lure.

Unpicking a Backlash

If you do build a better backlash, and it does happen from time to time, the first thing to do is stop swearing, then do nothing and calm down, and think on this.

I have seen it too often to be funny. Someone builds a better bird's nest, and in frustration cuts the line and attempts to untangle the mess by threading the cut end over and under the tangle.

This is frustration negating clear thinking. How can the line coming off the spool and up the rod thread itself under and through the loops on the reel? It cannot of course.

Trying to thread the line under, over and through loops will achieve exactly the opposite of what you want.

Most backlashes can be unpicked with some patience, usually in a relatively short time. A crochet hook, if you can find one to buy, helps unpicking no end. Try raiding Grandma's sewing box.

The trick is to pull gently on each loose loop until you find one that releases some line.

The key loops to find are the loops around the base of other loops - these loops at the base are the ones that bought everything to a halt. Then move onto more loops till you find another loop that will release some more line.

Sooner or later you will come across the loop that started the problem and as if by magic you are fishing again, often surprised by the short time taken to unpick the mess.

While you are unpicking the backlash, and your mates are happily catching fish around you, it may be a good time to reflect on what advantages you might have gained by doing some casting practice before going out fishing.

http://www.bishfish.co.nz/articles/salt/beatbacklash.htm#unpick

more tricks here:
http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Sea-Angler/S ... your-cast/

Thanks for that post Austrian' . Very informative for a multi newbie like myself. A post that is worth reading over a number of times to get info to stick '. I have to admit that when I saw Alby's post with the picture of the fixed spool, the first memory that jumped into my head was me fishing a open beach competition years ago ( think it was the Seiko ) First cast of the day, I'd let one fly with me fixed spool, no probs and the guy next to me who I had eyed earlier setting up with long rod a multiplier ( long rods not that popular then btw ) winding up for a fancy pendulum ending up with not only a birds nest, but legs wrapped up in line that resembled a turkey at Christmas. At that moment I thought ' Fixed spool mate' . I must of had at least four or five casts by the time he was ready to go again. ( Can't remember if the five casts produced any fish while he was untangling) but I do take Alby's point........However.....'' C'mon lads, ya have to be prepared to try somethin' new, yea I could have returned to the sport of ass freezin' gear draggin' wellie marchin' and 'blank marks' in the hope of landing something special' or at least producing a good night out in the open air with my familiar Fixed spool set up, and to be honest I will for the first while carry a rod set up with one ( just in case of critical failure of my multiplier set up ) But , hey learning a different method of getting my best tied rigs and bait presentation out to a sometimes very finiky' hard to please audience ( we talking the fish here' lol ) for consideration' is in my opinion 'worth a go'.... my 2 cents....... Plus..... when you see a competent multicaster let a good one go.... Jaysus it looks tha dog's Bollocks! lol

Thanks for that post Austrian' . Very informative for a multi newbie like myself. A post that is worth reading over a number of times to get info to stick '. I have to admit that when I saw Alby's post with the picture of the fixed spool, the first memory that jumped into my head was me fishing a open beach competition years ago ( think it was the Seiko ) First cast of the day, I'd let one fly with me fixed spool, no probs and the guy next to me who I had eyed earlier setting up with long rod a multiplier ( long rods not that popular then btw ) winding up for a fancy pendulum ending up with not only a birds nest, but legs wrapped up in line that resembled a turkey at Christmas. At that moment I thought ' Fixed spool mate' . I must of had at least four or five casts by the time he was ready to go again. ( Can't remember if the five casts produced any fish while he was untangling) but I do take Alby's point........However.....'' C'mon lads, ya have to be prepared to try somethin' new, yea I could have returned to the sport of ass freezin' gear draggin' wellie marchin' and 'blank marks' in the hope of landing something special' or at least producing a good night out in the open air with my familiar Fixed spool set up, and to be honest I will for the first while carry a rod set up with one ( just in case of critical failure of my multiplier set up ) But , hey learning a different method of getting my best tied rigs and bait presentation out to a sometimes very finiky' hard to please audience ( we talking the fish here' lol ) for consideration' is in my opinion 'worth a go'.... my 2 cents....... Plus..... when you see a competent multicaster let a good one go.... Jaysus it looks tha dog's Bollocks! lol

that's the spirit mate, I really like your attitude, never give up you'll get there, not to worry!
And always remember: It's better to regret something you have done than something you haven't done!

learning a different method of getting my best tied rigs and bait presentation out to a sometimes very finiky' hard to please audience ( we talking the fish here' lol ) for consideration' is in my opinion 'worth a go'.... my 2 cents....... Plus..... when you see a competent multicaster let a good one go.... Jaysus it looks tha dog's Bollocks! lol

The type of reel you use has no bearing on how your end tackle finishes up on the sea bed.
2 of Irelands top anglers in recent years are fixed spool users and i think a lot of the national team that took bronze in Holland last year were using fixed spool reels and they were fishing at big distances.As said above, in fishing terms a quality fixed spool can offer more than a multi. The only issue for me is a quality f/s reel that will last usually costs more than a multi.
Im not saying dont use a multi, just dont expect make much difference to your fishing.

I agree completely red', as I said in post, I'm interested in learning new way ( new to me ) of getting my gear out there. I completely happy with my Fixed Spool abilities. More fish? form a multi? eh... No.....More expierience for me..... absolutley. Tight lines lads' cheers for all comments and advice.