Thumbing Conventionals
 

I picked up a Penn 975 with a Lamiglass 10 ft. 3-8 oz. I do love it already.

While I have used conventionals quite a bit in freshwater - there is quite a bit of difference when you take into account the distance you are trying to achieve and the weight you are throwing.

I did backlash quite a bit as I experimented with the internal brakes, as well as various thumbing techniques. Saturday was mainly a testing process.

It seems to me that you really need to apply the most thumbwork at the beginning of the cast - and then can back off a bit as the lure gets out there. Is that correct?

For you guys that use the Newells (no brakes at all?) how/when do you do your most thumbing?

Finally, are there times when you don't bother at all with the conventional - and stay only with the spinning reels? Perhaps in the surf with the wind coming right at you?

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

It takes a while to get used to so have patience! The thumb is your best tool, better than the brakes etc.. after awhile it becomes second nature, you are correct in that the start of the cast is very important and the end of the cast, these are thye two times when the most pressure is needed, if you feel a backlash starting. pull the rod back and keep you thumb on the spool. During the whole cast, never take your thumb off the spool in fact, just vary the pressure. The brakes are ok but after awhile you wont even use them, I have removed all mine, however in the begining use the brakes its better than backlashing.

IMO, Once you get proficient with casting gear you will love it and be able to fish any plug or lure that the spin crowd does but, it takes time. When I started I always had a spin rod with me as a backup.

One other tip, make sure the spool is wet before you cast! it cuts down on the friction and really helps the cast go smooth. I always wet my thumb before my first cast of the night, so never lay into a dry spool.

Practice , practice, practice..is my best advice once you get the hang of it you will love it.

As far as wind, It doesnt matter I fish conventional all the time regardless of conditions, once you are used to it its just a natural way to fish, I acually have trouble with spining gear now and feel very funny casting a spin rod.

So, practice and dont get lazy with that thumb! its your best friend ! The feel will come in time

how I use a conventional
 

I use Abu Garcia 7000 C3 and 7000 CL reels on 10' Lamiglass rods. I've removed all the brakes. My technique is.

Make sure the reel is slightly wet (I use a bit of fresh water) but your thumb is dry for the first cast.

Lock down on the spool tightly when loading up on the rod, then release the spool completely on the cast.

Then I thumb the spool lightly and only as I feel even the slightest amount of "fluff" coming off of the spool. This is what some call having an "educated thumb" and it just takes practice.

As soon as the weight or lure hits the water, I lock the spool down with my thumb immediately...since the line is no longer running but the spool is still spinning.

Other hints: Use mono as you get used to it. I've found braided to be much more susceptable to overspool..and much harder to detangle. Find a weight that loads the rod nicely whether it's 4, 5, 6, or 7 oz. Some weights are harder to handle than other depending on rod loading. Practice with the wind at your back where overspool is less likely. Practice using less tension and fewer brakes to increase your distance as you get more used to your equipment.

I think this cant be overstated, the spool should be wet before you cast, and sweetwater is right, toss the brakes out. I dont use 7000s anymore unless I need that heavy gear, I use the shimano calcuttas, they will outcast a 7000 anmd have plenty of power for big fishn along with an awesome drag. In a heavy current I may switch back top a 7000 or when tossin huge plugs.

The thumb thing cant really be taught, you just have to develop a feel to "educate your thumb"

question for eelman
 

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, do you use conventional even for tossing eels?

I fish eels mostly at night and do not like using a conventional at night because I have more difficulty managing overspooling and checking the spool for small loops and such between casts.

I certainly do, its all I use, I feel conventional and eels were made for each other !

The reason I started using conventional was to toss eels. You have to get used to fishing at night with it no doubt about it, but its really a great way to toss eels

smoooooth cast.... not a jerky cast is the key.

Thumb the edge of the spool, not the line itself..........dont worry you will get used to it.

If you are doing everything else perfect , you should only have to thunmb the spool at the top of the arc and when the lure (or whatever) hits the water.

In reality , many people do have to touch it right out of the gate to calm down an overrun caused by a jerky cast. Some guys cast low line drives so don't have to thumb at the top of the arc and that's wrong too. for best distance , aim high. (yes , sometimes windy conditions require line drives).


best advice anyone can give you about using a conventional is start slow and gain distance with technique , not umph. You will seldom get overruns if you are casting into pitch black . Since you can't see where its landing , you tend not to push for distance and therefore have little trouble. Turn on the lights so you now try to reach some imaginary distance goal and you start backlashing like crazy.

a guy who has the timing and starts the loading of the rod way back in the cast will outcast the guy who is using all muscle every time.

You can also listen to the reel...she will tell you when you are about to have a rats nest and when the lure is going to hit the water.....hover your thumb just over the spool so if the line gets ready to nest your thumb will be ready to apply braking pressure. In theory, the lure should be hitting the water when the spool is spinning the slowest so listen to when the spool slows down and you dont need to see the lure hit the water at night.

Also use the proper lure weight with the correct rod....What I mean is dont use a 1/2oz lure on a rod designed to throw 4-6oz, it will work but you have a greater chance of rat nesting.

I actually just bought my first spipnning reel in 15 years. I still cannot get used to a spinner and the only reason why I bought one was because I was using my conv in a 30mph wind in my face last november....I was able to cast very well in the wind but after every 15-20 casts I nested up because of the wind.

Good luck and be patient!

I appreciate all of your input. Thank you very much for the tips!

casting conventional rods (from the beach)
 

This has nothing to do with thumbing a conventional reel, but since casting technique is very much tied to performance of a conventional reel, I thought I'd mention a few other points. Others have mentioned how important the casting motion is when using a conventional reel (it's important for spinning reels too, but more so for conventional).

Someone once described it to me as being like a "golf swing." The entire motion is important to getting the greatest distance, to load the rod properly, and to get the reel to perform at its best. This is what works best for me:

- Allow about 4 to 5 feet of leader out (for a 10 foot rod) with the rod pointing in the direction of the cast.
- Bring the rod back at a medium speed and try to feel when the lead/lure is loading the rod to the maximum (don't let the lure/weight just dangle behind you). The point is, the rod should be loaded as much as possible before casting so that you can transfer that weight fully into the cast.
- Speed (more than power) is important to the cast. So as you cast, transfer your weight from your wrist to your arms, through the shoulders, then the hips and legs. The entire body participates in the cast.
- A lot of guys hold the rod away from the body, with one hand on the reel and the other at the butt of the rod to get maximum leverage. Meaning, if you're right handed, the left hand (on the butt) also contributes to the casting motion.
- As you cast (the follow through) do NOT bring the rod directly overhead. Rather the cast should be in a long sweeping arc about 45-60 degrees off the beach...in this way, the rod tip travels the greatest distance from the end of backcast to the release point. This allows for the greatest rod-tip speed which is essential to distance.
- Try to make sure that your release point is at a 45 degree arc, although sometimes wind conditions allow for a higher arc (wind at your back), or require a lower "bullet" or side-armed arc (wind in your face).

Every rod loads a bit differently, and can differ even for identical blanks based on how the eyes are set up and where the reel seat is placed on the butt. Some guys just tape the reel on to get maximum flex in the rod (but I like the security and feeling of a reel seat and trigger).

Last comment is...I see a lot of guys wade out to chest deep and try to cast, thinking that by getting further into the water they'll get more distance. But by being in the water, you lose your back cast (lure goes in the water behind you), you can't use your full body to cast, and your footing is unstable (soft sand, waves, etc.) My experience is that staying on solid sand (up on the beach) will make for a better cast. I never wade out further than shin or knee deep (if at all).

I already know that I'm going to get some smart-a$$ed comments :bshake: (probably from #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& :uhoh: ) ...about this post ...but this it works for me. :rollem:

I'm used to casting squidders. When I fish my Penn 965, it seems I hardly have to thumb at all, just stop the spool at the end of the cast as soon as it hits the water. I have the blocks set to the middle position. With a reel like the squidder, you have to apply light but steady thumb pressure to the spool flange throughout the whole cast.

thum it at the start and stop the spool the instant your eel gets wet.