If you’ve ever found yourself even remotely interested in taking up angling, you’ve probably heard by now that baitcast reels are not recommended to complete beginners. Why’s that?
In order to use a baitcast reel, you need to become a master of your casting techniques. For those fishers who haven’t yet learned how to cast properly, using a baitcaster can be downright off-putting and can, in fact, ruin the entire experience of angling altogether.
On top of that, disassembling such a reel for cleaning and maintenance purposes is quite a pain. Needless to say, you have to ensure that you clean your reels rather often or at least after every fishing season so as to ensure that they are able to serve you for as long as possible.
Baitcaster reels are far more difficult to use compared to traditional open-face reels, and the fact of the matter is that they malfunction all of the time. You get a lot of line tangles, and that can be counterproductive and can make you feel frustrated.
Moreover, such mishaps can have you missing out on important catches, which basically means that you’ll end up fiddling with your gear instead of getting your hands on the trophy fish you’ve always dreamed of. On the other hand, if what you like most is crankbait fishing, you’ll find that using a baitcaster is a far better choice for cranking for longer periods of time.
Another drawback of choosing baitcasters over traditional spinning reels is that they tend to cost a pretty penny. Of course, the craftsmanship and the materials employed in their construction are usually better, so you won’t expect the same performance from your fifteen-dollar spinning reel and from your sixty-dollar baitcaster.
The Abu Garcia Black Max is one of the most popular baitcasters to have been developed during recent years. The hand orientation of this type of reel is fixed, so you can’t use it with your other hand or lend the unit to one of your fishing friends.
Based on the info that we have found about the Abu Garcia model, it seems reasonably easy to utilize, at least for a baitcast reel. It has a nice-looking design, its features make it comfortable, but the main problem with it is that it costs a fortune, especially in the eyes of a rookie angler who doesn’t have a lot of money to spare.
Several other tips that this article for baitcasters can give you is that you shouldn’t fill the spool, use the wrong casting motion, or forget to match the rod action to the lure weight. You also have to line up your guide, set less brakes with braid, and use the latter as backing. Let out as much line as you can and thumb hard at the beginning.
As a final note, we would like to suggest doing as much research as possible. Sites like Scout, Field and Stream, and various angling magazines can help you understand whether this type of reel makes a good fit for you.