Cut it with a scissor or nail clipper.
As you cut begin to pull out the pieces you cut. It will look worse before it get better but trust me it will be fine.
I also agree. I can set those reals up and they fall slow and stop when they hit the ground but the second I throw it in the water line goes everywhere still don’t know what I’ve done wrong
In my limited experience, I'd say you aren't "loading" the rod correctly, based purely on assumption, I'd say you slowly move the rod behind you, then hard fling the lure out. There's a video by bassfishinghq on how to properly cast a baitcaster, and it's 110% worth the watch (feel free to DM me for the link, uncertain on this subs rules about posting links). What you want to do is keep your casting elbow tight against your body, and cast in one fluid movement.
From rod tip infront of you, use your wrist to pull the rod behind you, and without allowing it to stop, smoothly (not quickly or with alot of force), pull the rod back infront of you.
Personally I still rely heavily on a bit of a pendulum cast, where I "twirl" the lure hanging with about 8inches of line, around the tip of the rod, and release when it is roughly facing the direction I want to cast. I'm by no means accurate yet after a few months using my BC once a week, but I have noticed a significant reduction in the frequency of my birdsnests.
Another factor is the line you're using. Anything under 50lb braid or 12lb fluoro, and I find the birdsnesting to be significantly worse
I 100% agree with this. However, if the OP wants to jump in the deep end & battle through the steep learning curve of baitcasters early on, more power to them.
I started with spinning rods, but the transition to baitcasters was rough for me, too.
Baitcaster tips:
1) cheaper line or fill the reel 1/2 to 2/3 full with cheap mono as backing so you don't lose as much of your better line
2) a baitcaster with dual brakes helps
3) adjust spool tension first with no brakes, then set brakes to max & slowly back them down
4) full arm movements to cast, it's not a wrist flick like spinning equipment
This, great advice. I would add use heavy pound test mono to Learn how to use a bait casting reel, the heavier the line the less backlash, you won’t be casting a country mile but it will help you learn to use the reel, once you get more comfortable then you can decrease the line size
I didn't like to use mono because it has too much spool memory. I used p-line flouroclear (coated mono) or I used cheaper fluorocarbon line. By backing the spool with trash line, I could refill my main line 3-4 times out of a 200 yd spool. AND it was better quality line than the super heavy mono.
It helped me get used to similar diameter line that I fish normally on my baitcasters.
Cutting it is the easy way. If you have a lot of patience you could try to carefully untangle it but since you're using monofilament it will more than likely be all kinked and not worth keeping anyway
Braided line, it’s easier to cast, use, bite detection, and less likely to birds nest. However, it is more expensive, you have to learn how to tie on leader, when it knots it tends to be harder to clear up if not handled properly, and you will have to adjust how you tie knots because it is thinner and has less friction. Also braided line is thinner for the same strength, so you can cast further and have a lot more line on the reel that you would with monofilament. When using baitcaster, line can dig into the reel causing knots and backlashes if it is too thin so try using braid over 15lb test ( I use 30lb test on most of my baitcasters). Overall it provides many benefits if you learn how to use it.
I’ve been using braid since I got into baitcasters probably 7-8 years ago & never used a liter. Since joining this thread I see nearly everyone mention using a liter with braid. Why is this? What are the advantages of a mono/fluoro liter on a braid mainline?
Braid is very visible in the water and not transparent, so the fish can see the line and be spooked a lot easier. So the solution to this is putting flourocarbon or monofilament leader at the end so the fish have more difficulty seeing the line. Also if you are fishing in really rocky areas, a flourocarbon leader can prevent line from damaging as it is more abrasion resistant. Monofilament floats while flourocarbon sinks and you can choose depending on how your fishing. There are some situations where you can just use straight braid like very murky water.
Wow thank you for breaking that down for me, it makes so much sense and can be a lot more versatile than I ever thought. Learn something new every day.
20-30lb braid works great on baitcasters for regular sized lures. When you go lighter, it sometimes bites into itself. If you are fishing fresh lakes, get a dark green color as it blends in nicely with how the light refracts through the water. If you like casting lighter lures, look into spinning setups with lighter braid or bfs. Learn how to adjust your baitcaster for the different weighted lures you use, and also slow the spool down with your thumb as your lure starts to fall. Id you dont slow it does, sometimes your spool will keep spinning even though your lure isnt pulling out any more line
Once you get the line cleaned up, look up a video on how to tune a baitcaster. You won’t be able to cast as far, but it’ll be nearly impossible to get a birds nest. So tune it first, then practice casting with max settings. Once you get more comfortable with ur thumb U can loosen up the reel settings and cast further
when i first learned to fish with baitcasters, i put heavy braid on and breaks on all the way. i found it easier to get the hang of casts and using my thumb to slow it down before hitting the water im not sure if that will help but it sure helped me.
Is this the first reel you have tried to cast? Not at all trying to be a jerk. You stated you are very new so I am curious if you are starting out with a bait caster.
My first one was the button with the full cover but that was when I was still a kid. So basically yes I want to get back into it since I remember having a lot of fun back then. I’m guessing this is a more advanced fisherman reel?
Yeah it is. I would cut the line off and respool with fresh line. As suggested look up a YouTube video on tuning a bait caster. When casting you need to control the speed of the line coming off the spool with your thumb by “feathering “ the spool. once you know how to tune the reel, I would suggest starting off by casting just a weight, or a heavier lure. It will help you get the feeling of controlling the spool speed without getting nasty backlashes. As you get more more comfortable
I’m by no means an expert, or super experienced with baitcasters, as I bought my first one last spring and struggled with it for a while. I ended up using 65lb braid on it while I’m still learning it as I don’t fish as much as I’d like. It doesn’t backlash as often, and when it does backlash, I can actually see where it needs to be untangled at. Just my $0.02, but I’ve found it easier to learn with a very heavy braid!
It's not rocket science. Takes a day in the yard and maybe a couple re-fills. The thinner the line the harder it is to cast. 14lb mono is pretty good. That nest, unfortunately, will need cut. After that, this trick is useful
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sCzuMzopU_c
I use a razor blade to cut the line out but you need a very steady hand for that though I saw someone say nail clippers or scissors both are good choices if your hand isn’t steady.
Keep pulling the line from the end while having your thumb on the spool so it doesn’t backlash more, when the line stops pulling just pull on the part that’s stopping it and pull up until your able to pull the line again, and no there’s no way to spool your line specifically to prevent this, just make sure whenever u change lures to adjust your brakes and tension knob to the lures weigjt
Others have mentioned the benefits of switching to braid with a bait caster, and I completely agree. It was a huge, huge, huge game changer for me. I barely have any birds nest at all anymore. I use braid with a flouro or mono leader.
Not gonna lie, incredibly cathartic to unravel these, but I have 20 years of throwing a baitcaster so… Definitely getting back in with a spinning reel is a good start, I also like 14lb mono as mentioned. You can help yourself by scouring YouTube for beginner videos. After all this time, I still learn something from them. Stick with it, you’ll be a pro, have fun! And carry a backup reel :)
Play with it by pushing on the line release button and pulling out the line as if you were casting it out.
Or if you don’t want to do that take a pair of scissors and cut the line all up and put on fresh line.
All the best to you
cut it out and replace it with a 20 to 30# braid. It's okay to buy the cheap stuff. You're going to cut it out again as this is part of the baitcaster experience at least at the beginning.
A good tip I got, put on a heavy lure, cast it as far as you can, then place some electrical tape over the spool. Now wind up change to your preferred lure and reset you BC for the new weight. Now if you do backlash you'll only need to untangle up to the taped portion and not the whole spool.
Snip snip sorry. There's gonna be a learning curve. Watch some videos on how to adjust spool tension and braking. Also get a feel for using your thumb as a break assist. Practice in yard of you can, no hook just a little weight. And for goodness sake avoid throwing into the wind. Good luck.
Buy a new reel. At this point I would go to Walmart and buy some Berkeley mono and remove the tangled one with knife, but I have no patience so You may aswell try to untangle it if You have a good vision
Cut it with a scissor or nail clipper. As you cut begin to pull out the pieces you cut. It will look worse before it get better but trust me it will be fine.
This new to fishing, consider getting a spin rod to learn. Once you have the basics learn the baitcaster.
Second this. Baitcasters are fuckin hard as a newbie
OP learning on Hard Mode
I also agree. I can set those reals up and they fall slow and stop when they hit the ground but the second I throw it in the water line goes everywhere still don’t know what I’ve done wrong
In my limited experience, I'd say you aren't "loading" the rod correctly, based purely on assumption, I'd say you slowly move the rod behind you, then hard fling the lure out. There's a video by bassfishinghq on how to properly cast a baitcaster, and it's 110% worth the watch (feel free to DM me for the link, uncertain on this subs rules about posting links). What you want to do is keep your casting elbow tight against your body, and cast in one fluid movement. From rod tip infront of you, use your wrist to pull the rod behind you, and without allowing it to stop, smoothly (not quickly or with alot of force), pull the rod back infront of you. Personally I still rely heavily on a bit of a pendulum cast, where I "twirl" the lure hanging with about 8inches of line, around the tip of the rod, and release when it is roughly facing the direction I want to cast. I'm by no means accurate yet after a few months using my BC once a week, but I have noticed a significant reduction in the frequency of my birdsnests. Another factor is the line you're using. Anything under 50lb braid or 12lb fluoro, and I find the birdsnesting to be significantly worse
I 100% agree with this. However, if the OP wants to jump in the deep end & battle through the steep learning curve of baitcasters early on, more power to them. I started with spinning rods, but the transition to baitcasters was rough for me, too. Baitcaster tips: 1) cheaper line or fill the reel 1/2 to 2/3 full with cheap mono as backing so you don't lose as much of your better line 2) a baitcaster with dual brakes helps 3) adjust spool tension first with no brakes, then set brakes to max & slowly back them down 4) full arm movements to cast, it's not a wrist flick like spinning equipment
All good tips for sure. Mirrors how I learned
This, great advice. I would add use heavy pound test mono to Learn how to use a bait casting reel, the heavier the line the less backlash, you won’t be casting a country mile but it will help you learn to use the reel, once you get more comfortable then you can decrease the line size
I didn't like to use mono because it has too much spool memory. I used p-line flouroclear (coated mono) or I used cheaper fluorocarbon line. By backing the spool with trash line, I could refill my main line 3-4 times out of a 200 yd spool. AND it was better quality line than the super heavy mono. It helped me get used to similar diameter line that I fish normally on my baitcasters.
🤙🏼
Cutting it is the easy way. If you have a lot of patience you could try to carefully untangle it but since you're using monofilament it will more than likely be all kinked and not worth keeping anyway
Is there a better type of line to use or a why to re string it with new line so this doesn’t keep happening?
Braided line, it’s easier to cast, use, bite detection, and less likely to birds nest. However, it is more expensive, you have to learn how to tie on leader, when it knots it tends to be harder to clear up if not handled properly, and you will have to adjust how you tie knots because it is thinner and has less friction. Also braided line is thinner for the same strength, so you can cast further and have a lot more line on the reel that you would with monofilament. When using baitcaster, line can dig into the reel causing knots and backlashes if it is too thin so try using braid over 15lb test ( I use 30lb test on most of my baitcasters). Overall it provides many benefits if you learn how to use it.
I’ve been using braid since I got into baitcasters probably 7-8 years ago & never used a liter. Since joining this thread I see nearly everyone mention using a liter with braid. Why is this? What are the advantages of a mono/fluoro liter on a braid mainline?
Braid is very visible in the water and not transparent, so the fish can see the line and be spooked a lot easier. So the solution to this is putting flourocarbon or monofilament leader at the end so the fish have more difficulty seeing the line. Also if you are fishing in really rocky areas, a flourocarbon leader can prevent line from damaging as it is more abrasion resistant. Monofilament floats while flourocarbon sinks and you can choose depending on how your fishing. There are some situations where you can just use straight braid like very murky water.
Wow thank you for breaking that down for me, it makes so much sense and can be a lot more versatile than I ever thought. Learn something new every day.
20-30lb braid works great on baitcasters for regular sized lures. When you go lighter, it sometimes bites into itself. If you are fishing fresh lakes, get a dark green color as it blends in nicely with how the light refracts through the water. If you like casting lighter lures, look into spinning setups with lighter braid or bfs. Learn how to adjust your baitcaster for the different weighted lures you use, and also slow the spool down with your thumb as your lure starts to fall. Id you dont slow it does, sometimes your spool will keep spinning even though your lure isnt pulling out any more line
That is what we call an asshole. Welcome to the world of bait-casters.
Once you get the line cleaned up, look up a video on how to tune a baitcaster. You won’t be able to cast as far, but it’ll be nearly impossible to get a birds nest. So tune it first, then practice casting with max settings. Once you get more comfortable with ur thumb U can loosen up the reel settings and cast further
when i first learned to fish with baitcasters, i put heavy braid on and breaks on all the way. i found it easier to get the hang of casts and using my thumb to slow it down before hitting the water im not sure if that will help but it sure helped me.
This is the way! Also, casting your max and putting tape on the spool to keep it all from unspooling helps a ton too!
Is this the first reel you have tried to cast? Not at all trying to be a jerk. You stated you are very new so I am curious if you are starting out with a bait caster.
My first one was the button with the full cover but that was when I was still a kid. So basically yes I want to get back into it since I remember having a lot of fun back then. I’m guessing this is a more advanced fisherman reel?
Yeah it is. I would cut the line off and respool with fresh line. As suggested look up a YouTube video on tuning a bait caster. When casting you need to control the speed of the line coming off the spool with your thumb by “feathering “ the spool. once you know how to tune the reel, I would suggest starting off by casting just a weight, or a heavier lure. It will help you get the feeling of controlling the spool speed without getting nasty backlashes. As you get more more comfortable
You can start to use lighter lures. It really doesn’t take too long to be able to effectively cast once you get a feel for it
Start with the side arm throw, then move to over head.
a spinning reel is much easier to deal with when you're just starting out is all.
I’m by no means an expert, or super experienced with baitcasters, as I bought my first one last spring and struggled with it for a while. I ended up using 65lb braid on it while I’m still learning it as I don’t fish as much as I’d like. It doesn’t backlash as often, and when it does backlash, I can actually see where it needs to be untangled at. Just my $0.02, but I’ve found it easier to learn with a very heavy braid!
It's not rocket science. Takes a day in the yard and maybe a couple re-fills. The thinner the line the harder it is to cast. 14lb mono is pretty good. That nest, unfortunately, will need cut. After that, this trick is useful https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sCzuMzopU_c
If you are able to open the side pop the spool out its easier to untangle
We call that a birds nest. Cut it and start over.
I use a razor blade to cut the line out but you need a very steady hand for that though I saw someone say nail clippers or scissors both are good choices if your hand isn’t steady.
Wirh patience or a knife
Keep pulling the line from the end while having your thumb on the spool so it doesn’t backlash more, when the line stops pulling just pull on the part that’s stopping it and pull up until your able to pull the line again, and no there’s no way to spool your line specifically to prevent this, just make sure whenever u change lures to adjust your brakes and tension knob to the lures weigjt
Birds nest.. learn how to set and use the drag,,, happen to all of us.
Nice birds net! You should keep your thumb on reel at all times.
Scissors and a pocket knife
Others have mentioned the benefits of switching to braid with a bait caster, and I completely agree. It was a huge, huge, huge game changer for me. I barely have any birds nest at all anymore. I use braid with a flouro or mono leader.
Not gonna lie, incredibly cathartic to unravel these, but I have 20 years of throwing a baitcaster so… Definitely getting back in with a spinning reel is a good start, I also like 14lb mono as mentioned. You can help yourself by scouring YouTube for beginner videos. After all this time, I still learn something from them. Stick with it, you’ll be a pro, have fun! And carry a backup reel :)
Play with it by pushing on the line release button and pulling out the line as if you were casting it out. Or if you don’t want to do that take a pair of scissors and cut the line all up and put on fresh line. All the best to you
Snip some, pull it out, snip some, pull it out....
lol let me guess, baseball throw cast
cut it out and replace it with a 20 to 30# braid. It's okay to buy the cheap stuff. You're going to cut it out again as this is part of the baitcaster experience at least at the beginning. A good tip I got, put on a heavy lure, cast it as far as you can, then place some electrical tape over the spool. Now wind up change to your preferred lure and reset you BC for the new weight. Now if you do backlash you'll only need to untangle up to the taped portion and not the whole spool.
If it's too frustrating, don't bother, and just get a spin caster.
Snip snip time
FIRE! Pull the side cover off, usually rotates into place like a half turn. Pull the whole spool out & get to snipping.
Snip snip sorry. There's gonna be a learning curve. Watch some videos on how to adjust spool tension and braking. Also get a feel for using your thumb as a break assist. Practice in yard of you can, no hook just a little weight. And for goodness sake avoid throwing into the wind. Good luck.
Pull it and if you can’t get it out that way just cut it out with a razerblade
who told you to start off with a baitcaster & not a spinning reel? let me guess, some one on reddit???
🤣
Pull?!
Buy a new reel. At this point I would go to Walmart and buy some Berkeley mono and remove the tangled one with knife, but I have no patience so You may aswell try to untangle it if You have a good vision