How do you set your cast control knob?

Started by Unutt, July 02, 2014, 01:43:44 PM

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Unutt

A long time (excellent) angler once asked me this question.  I was surprised because he has been fishing much longer than I have. 

I have method, which I taught him, but I have heard at least one other.  I am interested in other thoughts.

So many reels, so little time.

Dave Bentley

Hi Unutt,
I fish a magged Saltist 40H off the beach and I tighten the knob genly until there is no lateral movement and then back it off 1/2 a turn.

Pre magging I used to tighten it up enough to almost choke it.
Only believe that which you know to be true.

Bucktail

I do basically what Dave Bentley said.  Tighten until there's no side play in the reel and then back it off so there's just a bit of wiggle in it.

However, if you're handing it off to an inexperienced angler, you may want to keep it kinda tight.
Just a jig-a-lo

day0ne

I would have to ask "Cast control knob on what reel?" Setting a cast control on an Accurate is very different from and older Penn or even a Penn with a mag control. Let us not forget the reels with centrifugal cast control.  Kind of an open ended question.
David


"Lately it occurs to me: What a long, strange trip it's been." - R. Hunter

Unutt

I love the answers, but it seems like experienced anglers have come to a similar method.  I tighten the knob just until there is no side to side spool movement, then I back off until I can just feel movement.

I attended a seminar a few years back that was hosted by the owner of Southwestern parts.  He taught everyone to allow the bait to hang free, and tighten/loosen the cast control until the bait drops slowly.

I do not like any setting on the reel to affect my feel for the action of the bait.  No cast control tension, no magnetic brake, nothing. 

I guess to some degree, it depends on the bait you are throwing.

So many reels, so little time.

johndtuttle

Quote from: Unutt on July 18, 2014, 03:08:36 AM
I love the answers, but it seems like experienced anglers have come to a similar method.  I tighten the knob just until there is no side to side spool movement, then I back off until I can just feel movement.

I attended a seminar a few years back that was hosted by the owner of Southwestern parts.  He taught everyone to allow the bait to hang free, and tighten/loosen the cast control until the bait drops slowly.

I do not like any setting on the reel to affect my feel for the action of the bait.  No cast control tension, no magnetic brake, nothing. 

I guess to some degree, it depends on the bait you are throwing.



Yea, a live bait you want it as free as possible so the bait can swim and take line easily. The above method of setting it so that a lure would slowly pull line off of the spool is the way to do it for casting most artificials.

CapeFish

Over tightening it causes the spool to vibrate resulting in overwinds if you do long casts. On all my reels they are set very lose but not to the point where the knob is going to fall off.

skrilla

I despise the term "cast control knob".  ;D

I back it off a hair so there is just the slightest bit of movement as most here do. Too many times I've seen begginers over tighten to avoid birdsnest. Then I show em what their thumb is for.

johndtuttle

Quote from: skrilla on July 18, 2014, 09:04:13 PM
I despise the term "cast control knob".  ;D

I back it off a hair so there is just the slightest bit of movement as most here do. Too many times I've seen begginers over tighten to avoid birdsnest. Then I show em what their thumb is for.

In fact, you are absolutely right because they are not "cast control knobs" at all on most Penn reels but are "spool centering knobs" designed only to position the spool properly in their star drag reels. Other companies have other designs that may utilize this for "cast control" but not always.

SoCalAngler

#9
Quote from: Unutt on July 02, 2014, 01:43:44 PM
A long time (excellent) angler once asked me this question.  I was surprised because he has been fishing much longer than I have.  

I have method, which I taught him, but I have heard at least one other.  I am interested in other thoughts.



I don't, I make sure my spool spin's as freely as it can with minimal side play, remove any brakes if there is any on the spool and never mag a non-magged reel. I use my thumb as my cast control. IMO cast control knobs are for those that either can't or won't take the time to learn to cast correctly.

Unutt

I use primarily Pro Max 1600s.  I think the cap on the end of the spindle, under the handle and drag lever is actually called the cast control knob. 

My 1600s are very sensitive to the setting on this knob.  Over tight has the obvious effect.  Under tight increases the pressure the pinion applies to the stopper on the spindle, which actually increases the effort required to retrieve the bait.

That said, I guess the design of the reel determines the setting.

As someone mentioned earlier, an experienced thumb is the best cast control. 

Thanx for the observations.
So many reels, so little time.

mhc

Hi Unutt, From memory, the ABU owner manuals used to tell us to adjust the 'mechanical brake' to the weight of the lure - tighten the knob until the lure falls slowly and stops on contact with the water or falls around 10" when the rod is gently jiggled. Does the plastic sprung retaining clip inside the 'cast control knob' on many ABU reels, including the Pro Max series, allow you to put more gentle pressure on the spindle with some give? - not a rigid compression that is applied without a spring of some sort?
Michael
It can't be too difficult - a lot of people do it.

Unutt

That is possible.  I do not like the 'springy' feel in the side to side play of the spool, so I remove the clip on the reels I fish with. 

The method you describe is classic, but it does not work too well for a quarter or eighth ounce bait. 

If I am throwing a half ounce bait (almost never) it hardly matters how I set the tension.  Throwing a deep tiny N, the tension has to be zero.

Most of the responses were similar.  Sounds like experience is the primary factor in how the tension is set.
So many reels, so little time.