Really dumb baitcaster question

[09Z7SC]

I watched a few videos on youtube touching on those subjects. I understand the spool tension and I have that dialed in perfectly with the practice plug I currently have on the rod. However, I don't really understand the whole braking thing. In one video I watched the guy said if you're a newbie he suggested having 3-4 brakes on. So I have mine set to 4 brakes on at the moment. But I don't even understand what it does...

Those are centrifugal brakes. Some baitcasters have two sets of brakes, one is spring loaded/mechanical, the other is magnetic. There are some that use friction. What the brakes do is slow the spool down after the initial cast to take up for the lure slowing down after throwing it so the spool can catch up. They call it antibacklash. I would suggest, when new to baitcasters, to walk out the amount of line equal to the distance you will be casting, then take a piece of electrical tape and put it over the line on the spool. This way, if you do have an overrun as a result of incorrect brakes or spool tension, it will not backlash. There are some YouTube videos that will help get your brakes and spool tension set up correctly. Usually, the heavier the bait, the tighter the spool tension and less brakes, for lighter baits you want less spool tension and more brakes. The setting are trial and error. Different people will have theirs set different than others. Once you get good throwing a baitcaster, you'll wonder why you never tried using one before. The accuracy is amazing and the casting distance is nice too, plus no line twist!!

This biggest downside for me is using lighter baits, it is very hard to get the baitcaster dialed in. You still need to have some spinning reels.

[LMBC_WeighMaster]

Like most have said, no dumb questions. After using spinning reels for most of my life I too tried bait casters. The first one I got I took back after several hours of frustration. The following year I tried again. This time I went to Bass Pro and talked to the guys there after also talking to guys in my bass club. The BPS person sold me a BPS Extreme combo and then told me how to set it. He then told me if I couldn't figure out how to cast in my drive way to come back to the store on a weeknight and he would show me how to do it behind the store. After he showed me how to set in the store I learned very quickly how to dial it in for various baits.

I also have to agree that for very light baits it is more difficult. So like Ike says, never give up!

One last comment...

After using a bait caster for several things I still couldn't walk the dog using my left hand with a right hand retrieve. So this year I bought one left handed bait caster to use for top water. Probably should have bought all left handed to start with, but live an learn!

[fishin-fool]

Oh, I spooled the baitcaster with 20lb Power Pro braid. Is that a decent line to use to learn with??

Thanks again to all for the help!

[09Z7SC]

Oh, I spooled the baitcaster with 20lb Power Pro braid. Is that a decent line to use to learn with??

Thanks again to all for the help!

The only downside to this type of line on a baitcaster for a beginner is, if you get snagged the line can dig in to the spool, which can result in a backlash. It can be frustrating to deal with. Starting out I would probably start with a 10lb monofilament. It will not dig in as bad as braid and is a little easier to manage. Also, just a personal preference, I use some sort of line conditioner on my line. I spray it on the spool after it has line on it, seems to help with casting distance.