# Long casters....Read this!



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Here is a question for those of you who claim to be able to cast a LOOOOONG way....

I am currently hitting 100yds (measured) give or take 5 yds, and would like to get more.

My setup is a 2 oz. pyramid (tried a 3oz., no gain), 8' Ugly Stick, and an ABU 6500 C3, full of 25# Trilene Big Game. The centrifugal brakes are out, and the reel bearings have been lubed up with Red Rocket Fuel. The line is balanced on the spool at the bottom, and runs smooth and quiet at the beginning of the cast, when the most stress is on. 

I know there is distance to be gained by using lighter line, and faster oil. Those options will be tried today.

Would the purchase of ball bearing parts for the levelwind shaft and and levelwind drive cog be worth the $50.00 in distance gained? 

Let's hear it, Long Casters!


----------



## Frank (Jul 31, 2001)

100yd is good with 25lb, around 14lb. is better for the 6500. With 14 you may(WILL) have to put some brakes in. 
A longer rod would help, but I believe you'll gain enough to be happy with the 14 lb.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I changed to Trilene BG 12# and went to slingin'....Distance improvement of about 5-10 yds....Have not had to reinstall any brakes, either. 

I decided to try a stiffer rod and see what would happen, so I selected an Eagle Claw 8' glass rod rated for 1-3 oz. First cast was among the best yet.....Second cast, all hell broke loose. I guess I over-powered the rod, because it snapped in two right between the tip and first line guide... Never did that before!

Still wonderin' if the extra ball bearing parts would do much good.


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

when i cast my c3 if i dont have brakes in and im using light line( 12 lb orv 10 lb)...its impossible to control...do you have a slight amount of play in the spool?i found that brakes plus a little(i mean tiny amount, barely "feelable"..sorry couldnt think of a better word) spool play equals a longer cast than no brakes and no play...with my reel if i dont have the brakes in i must tighten down on the tension quite a bit which is bad for the bearings...... but to answer the questin the bearings for the cog and levelwind will make the reel smoother and should increase distance some( i have only casted two reels with these upgrades for a total of about 20 casts).....IMO its not worth the money unless you really absolutely need the extra distance gained like if it was a sting silver reel where you always find your self 15 yards too short of that school of fat alberts or spanish...which is where i often find my self.... and why i will be building my own custom spanish reel(6600 cl rocket) and i will be installng the parts you mentioned as well as mags(so no brakes are needed...i always drop them!) and carbontex drag washers and 6.3:1 gears and a japanese power handle.this will be after christmas however....if you are not planning on getting the parts anytime soon i could report my likes and dislikes about the parts once i have extensively tested them once i build my reel in about 3-4 weeks....hope this helps


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

also i know that people have their favorite lines to fish with but i truly feel that sufix tritanuim will outcast any other quality FISHING line and IMO there are less backlashes with it...especially compared to big game which is very coily( no offense big game guys)...just another thought.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Chris..

Yeah the reel has just a "smidge" of side to side play, and no brakes. I have no problem with blow-ups. I'm guessin' that you liked the modified reel you tried for 20 casts, or you wouldn't be plotting your own souped-up reel.

I can't leave anything alone, and when I found out there were hop-up parts for reels.....Well, you know...

I may have to try me some suffix TriTanium, too ......

Anything to get a little more distance. I don't really NEED it, but I WANT it!

Whoever gets their parts first, let's come back to this and compare notes...


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

i loved the two reels...very smooth...ive got some other reels that are souped up...but no other levelwinds...what are you using the reel for?????i used big game for a while...bought it for casting practice...threw away the spool after a few casts. also tried some 20 lb on a heaver,threw it away after a few hours of using it.....im with sufix and ill use it till its discontinued(as all great products are) but if your just practicing and not fishing believe it or not 12 lb billfisher line is excellent... afriend of mine had some when i ran out of line...it comes out of backlashes and is cheap...real cheap...never fished with it tho...just dont trust the brand enough to fish with.think he said it was 12$ for 6000 yards of 12 lb...next time im at the bait shop near me im gonna pick some up....


----------



## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

is there a reason you are using an 8' rod?going to 9-10'will give you lots of extra yardage.so will using 3-4 oz.also,an ugly stick in any size is not a real good casting rod.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

The reason for the 8' rod is "universal" It has to be used for anything...catching bait, bottom fishing, throwing lures, snatching pogies. For catching bait, it will detect a light bite on a sabiki. Snatching pogies, it's light enough to throw it over and over again. Same with lures. For bottom fishing, it's strong enough to handle a big redfish or whatever decides to bite.

There is a three rod limit on my favorite pier, and if you are kingfishin', then you have to have a "do it all" rod.

It was actually an 8'6" heavy action trout type rod, but I removed 6" off the tip to stiffen it up a bit. For my purpose, I like it better than anything I've put hands on so far. It does everything well, but excels at nothing.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

The original question still stands.....

Does anyone KNOW if levelwind bearings and a drive cog bearing will produce enough extra distance to be worth the purchase?????

Looking for someone who has been there and done it....Chris and I would both like to know, before we run out and spend the cashola.


----------



## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

i have a 6600cl rocket on an ugly stick intercoastal that i magged...started on a 7 med 1/2-2 rod...blew up when you least expected...always wanted it on a longer rod...magged it and found the ugly one at walley world for $60...will throw 1/2 nice and will do 2 and a bottom rig out of sight...i use it for spaniards, blues and stripers...put a 5600 on the 7' for flatties on jigs...longer rod was a big help...and the mag did the rest...i think bearings would help on a heaver(slosh 30, maybe)but not on a lure rod...jmo...good luck...


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

actually im not spending a cent but my parents are...its christmas....


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

lol..its good to be a kid in some ways


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Well,

It's settled....I'm gonna buy the hop-up parts for the 6500c3, AND an 9' Tica rated for 2-6 OZ....A little longer, a little stouter, a little smoother...Should add a yard or two, I think 

The problem....the Tica's on backorder till the 23rd...Cabela's 

I tried digitaldagger as well...no luck there either!!!

Any other ideas????


----------



## SPLITSHOT (Dec 10, 2005)

Hi, Try Harleerod.com 
I think they have the rod your looking for in stock. UEHA527402C $57.99 1-877-443-7533. They are in N.J. They have a good Rep.
You can also try JamesTackle.com 1-888-825-2885
Great guy. Hope this helps


----------



## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

have you tried your local bait and tackle shops?thats a popular rod and someone local should carry it.


----------



## chinookhead (Dec 13, 2004)

*Think about another rod*

Use suffix 17# for fishing--not too thick and plenty strong. Also, if u really want more distance forget about the ugly stik...flimsy tip and doesn't load well (stiff body). Of course there is fancy shmancy stuff, but I love my Okuma Solaris 9M for throwing plugs and small iron and 12' tsunami for throwing 6oz. and bait. The Tsunamis are nice and light, but are more expensive than a Solaris....choose rod by weight u toss.


----------



## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

*original question*

The bearings on the levelwind will increase distance some what. I bought one of hatteras outfitters souped up reels and it is fast, but sometimes too fast. If I reduce the mag control too far, (no friction brakes installed) The levelwind screams back and forth on the cast. 

What is obvious is the levelwind is not usually in sync with the line coming off the reel. What I mean is the line may be coming off the reel from the extreme left side of the reel when the levelwind is actually on the far right side of the reel, as the levelwind moves to the right the line on the reel is moving in the opposite direction. This has led to some major blow ups when turning the mag loose. Not sure how to fix this, but it has made me less than fond of levelwind reels, only time I use it is when plug fishing.

IF you want to experiment and the price of parts isn't going to break your budget, go ahead. Personally I don't see a true gain over the souped up Abu over my original Abu UC6500, which has friction brakes, no mags, and no bearings on the levelwind.

My .02


----------



## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

surf cat...for the level wind not being synchronized check out the H.O. tuning tips...they got a section on it


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Well, the deed is done...

On the way from HarLee rods is the 9' tica I was eyeballin' (thanks, Splitshot) and a brand spankin' new 6500C3CT Blue Yonder from Hatteras Outfitters......Merry Christmas to MEEEE!

Thanks to all of you for helping this fool and his money......


----------



## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

enjoy!!!!!


----------



## SPLITSHOT (Dec 10, 2005)

Glad I could help. Enjoy!


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Here's an update, as if any of you were interested....

I have the Tica/Blue Yonder operational, and initial testing yields a distance increase of about 10%....

The best part is that I'm getting that increase on about half the previous effort, more practice should yield MORE DISTANCE!


----------



## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

thats the way it works...have fun...


----------



## Seachaser (Sep 27, 2004)

*You will also...*

get more distance from a longer rod. The 9' Tica minus the handle is still about a 71/2 foot rod. You can practice but a longer rod will give a lot more distance all things being equal.


----------

