squidder help needed

[backlasher]

squid.
So, howz it goin' eh? As you have u have undoubtedly discovered...all this positive "squidder reel" jabber was a hoax. In short..."join the club...you are screwed!!!".

Kidding. Squidder is a great caster under the right conditons, but I wish I tried a jigmaster with it's faster ratio. The squid does cast FAR, but is soooo slow to retrieve.

25pound test "regular diameter" mono is the min. for ease of casting. Have gone down to 18 and it goes far, but nests more. If get thin diameter then get diameter equivalent to "regular" 25-pound stren type line for ease of casting. Am told that braided line works well for casting, but did not find that in practice (give up a LOT in distance)...though, if you are plopping from a boat or jetty and distance doesn't matter then....Heavier line is no sweat.
B.L.

[nor-easter]

If you over tighten the left spool knob then you will wear out the right end bearing. Set up the spool so as there is just a c**t hair of motion to the spool, sideways motion. Just hear a slight click click if you can still hear well. Thumb the side of the spool and save the skin on your thumb.Start short and build up to long casts. The ratio on the Squidder is great for swimming big wood or even dancing a needle. Any faster retrieve spoils the presentation of the lure to the fish.
Good Luck
Good Fishing

There used to was a casting brake thingy that would screw on the left side in place of the regular end bearing. It had magnets or something in it to help slow down the spin of the spool. An anti-backlash device. I never used one but remember seeing them on some reels. You don't need one of those things because the folks on this Board and the guys on the beach are going to help to teach you to cast like the olde timers did....before the spinny thingies some folks use today!

[addict]

I'm starting to get the hang of it. I have a lot more trouble when I'm throwing bait with a fishfinder rig. It just nests easier or I get very little distance. I've been playing around with the left bearing cap but haven't been doing too well when the screw is backed out a bit. A far cry from day one though.

BL - I'm using 20# - maybe I should consider 25#.

nor-easter - Thanks for that info. At least I now have a bearing cap setting to shoot for. Right now if I cast with the screw that far out, I usually nest it.

[backlasher]

Heck...if you're BAITcasting with a weight then go 30+# (why not?). You should be able to cast the rig far as heck. But, someone on this site mentioned a helicopter problem with fishfinders (I've had no major prob, but it does twirl around a bit). A (not sure the right word) rig that has the weight straight out and the bait to the side (triple ring swivel thingy)) might be easier to cast.

In any case, don't forget to use a swivel if you are throwing any type of bait (for example, 18 " up on line).

and, You can always get an extra spool "just in case" you get super ratted or in case you want to change from (say) heavy pound test bait line to lighter (but still heavy) lure line.

If you are new to casting the squidder then you are right to get rid of that "light" 20 # test right quick.
B.L
PS: Don't forget...if you have been casting (say) 2 oz tins for a while then switch to (say) a 4 oz lead sinker and a fish head then you are headed for trouble if you don't ease into it. The line/spool/your-thumb needs to take a few casts to get tuned into the varying weights.

[addict]

Well, I paid my dues.

Burnt my thumb, nested the squid a gazillion times, changed line a half dozen times, disassembled and assembled it a few more, tried thicker oil, almost sacrificed a virgin at one point. In the end, learned a sh*t load of things about throwing a convench.

The squidder won. Kicked my azz. I was 50/50 in overruns.
Having the brass spool I think really hurt my chances and I didn't want to invest anymore $$$ into a used squid, so I'm SELLING IT.

Even though I've been through all this, I'm still a Penn guy for now. I bought a jigmaster with an aluminum spool and magged it. I went to my local pier to test my mod and I couldn't believe it.

I COULDN'T backlash it even if I wanted to!

Those mags really work well. As a matter of fact, I think I'll be removing one of the mags (I installed 4) since I could cast thumb free right now.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the help earlier and if anyone is having problems with casting their squids or jigmasters, consider magging the damn thing. Quick, easy, cheap, and VERY effective.

tight lines