Oh $#%&@!!!!
June 8, 2007
Okay, so we’ve all been on the receiving end of one of these…the dreaded backlash (rat’s nest, professional override or Cluster F&@$). What to do?
Well, I’ve heard of some miracle backlash remedies like the one that goes: After you get a bird’s nest, tighten the drag all the way down and then tightly press your thumb on the spool and crank. The first time I ever tried that, it worked like a charm. Unfortunately, it’s never worked since and I’ve heard the same from everybody who’s tried it.
The long and short of it is, the best way to get back to casting is to…
…just sit down, take a deep breath and start picking away at your reel. Take the line and back it up to where it cinches down and work that loop out and keep working your way deeper into the spool, one pinch point at a time.
Of course, these things often happen in the middle of a wide open bite and it’s almost impossible to pick a backlash when your buddy’s getting bit every cast. Which leads to the fate of the reel pictured here. The bite was on and I rushed a cast…the lure hooked my anchor line behind me and all hell broke loose.
After frantically trying for a few moments to pick this one clean while the stripers boiled all around us, I fixed the situation permanently by chucking the reel over the side. Problem solved!
Preventative Measures
Of course, the key to minimizing backlashes is to make sure a) you’ve got a quality reel and b) you have it set properly.
If you’ve never tried a reel like Shimano’s new Curado or Calais, you’d be amazed at how much smoother and easier to cast they are than cheaper models. Expensive but worth it!
To get the most out of a reel, start by reeling your lure close to the tip of your rod and then depress the thumb bar. Watch how fast your lure falls to the ground. As a starting point, you want it to drop at a slow, steady pace…which can be controlled by adjusting the tension control knob on the side of the reel. If you need more distance, back off the tension…but just be sure to pay more attention to when you apply your thumb on the cast (clam down just before the lure hits the water).
High-end reels also have magnetic casting control features which allow you to adjust how much brake is applied to the revolving spool by internal magnets. You can set the reel for full break in the beginning and the back off slowly as you get more proficient.
And just remember that no matter how good you get and how much experience you have, you’re never fully immune to the dreaded backlash…
Dude, that picture makes me cringe. Nothing sucks worse than a bird’s nest, ’specially when the daylight’s fading and that evening bite is hot.