# Rookies, Reels, and More Distance Part II



## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Tips. I’d recommend the OTG (off the ground) cast to rookies like me. I’ve adapted that to the OTP (off the pier) cast. Forget about hard, think about smooth, start out slow; make the rod do the work. You can cast a conventional as far, with an easy cast, as you could your spinner in the Gorilla mode. Keep it SIMPLE. Remember SLOW and remember SMOOTH. Forget about pendulum casting, that’s not for rookies and you could kill somebody doing that. 

Line size has been a big factor in learning to cast a conventional for me; line too small, lots of overruns. Line too big, less distance. Find the line “sweet spot” for the reel you are going to use. 

Don’t put your new reel on a 15’ rod and rip it the first time you use it. I start out with a new reel on an 8’ rod, until I can get a feel for how the reel works, and then move it up to a longer rod. Don’t try to toss your new conventional 150 yards the first time you cast it. Try for 50 yards. Learn to walk before you try and learn to fly. When you reach the limit you can achieve with a rod and reel, accept it. The goal is to go fishing, not to respool the reel six times a day. There is a point where every reel will blow up; try to get close but don’t try to find it.

If it doesn’t have magnets, save it for later. If you’re a rookie like me, you are definitely going to need magnets. You will develop muscle/brain coordination with practice and need less magnets later, maybe, but all the help you can get at the beginning is good. When I first started casting conventionals, and I saw that big fuzz ball beginning to form, my brain would say “Uh oh. We’re gonna have a mess to untangle.” And we usually did. After a little practice, my brain has automatically started telling my thumb when it needs to help. 

Don’t start out with expensive line, because for the first week you might be putting new line on the reel every day. Be aware of the wind. Casting downwind, into the wind, or across the wind will give you very different results. Adjust your go power and magnets accordingly. Even a little wind makes a difference.

Forget about the rocket fuel, the ceramic bearings, and the custom mods for the time being. Save those for when you are no longer a rookie. Today’s reels come out of the box ready for fishing, and you’ll be surprised how well they cast as built from the factory. Rookies don’t need the worlds fastest reel.

If you don’t have a level wind, you have to learn to lay the line on evenly when you wind it back in. This has been a problem for me at times, but I’m learning. For some reasons, it’s harder for me to get the line right on the Abu’s than it has been with the Penns; the 535 seems almost easy for some reason. If you wind the line all in a big clump on one side of the reel, the next time you cast you’ll need the fillet knife.

The Bad News. The bad news is that nobody on P&S can figure out what’s the “perfect” rod and reel for you to use so you can cast farther than you’ve ever casted before. You just have to go figure that out yourself. 

I’d also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Rob (RailRoader) for being nice enough to take the time to explain conventional reels to me and brave enough to let me cast his stuff and tangle up his reels a few times. I think fishing on the beach in my senior years is going to be a lot more fun now that he helped me figure out how to kill the Gorilla and still reach the fish.


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## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

*Part II*

Excellent perspective!


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

No need to thank me, Jim....I just threw a little gas on the "Tackle Ho' Fire"... 

You showed me how to catch them Ft. Clinch Flounders, so the least I could do was help you suck the bottom out of your checking account, buying all those new toys... 

Now, If I could just get him in a Kayak.... ,


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## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

Railroader said:


> Now, If I could just get him in a Kayak.... ,


You can get me in a Kayak as soon as somebody starts making a 26' Kayak with a center console...


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

verry well put...thats the way it goes for most...then they become a TACKLE HO...


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## Redhorse (Mar 1, 2006)

Two great threads. 
Excellent perspective. 
I needed to read this last year tho...


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