Bought a new set up- Buyers Remorse

[snagged in outlet 3]

4 minutes ago, vernon said:

Oh yeah?

Well you go play with your SNAKES!

Hahahahah

[Bill Babler]

I'm back to the point I don't use braid for anything   Using Big Game on the A-Rig when I throw that.  KISS method for me. 40% of reel casting problems are rod probems.  Another 40% are personal casting problems.  That leaves the reel pretty much the low end of that equation.  

I see people buying a 7' casting rod all the time, almost everyday and then trying to throw it like a 5' pistol grip. Of course it backlashes the reel and does not preform.  There is a huge difference between casting and throwing. Let the rod do the casting.  Depending on if your a lefty or righty, your casting hand should remain inside your body and never go back further than your chin. Your casting elbow should bend like you are curling weights or chopping with a hatchet, never like you are swinging an Ax.   The harder you throw the shorter distance it will go. Take that to the bank🤣

Good Luck

[dblades]

When I used to teach kids to cast, in the old kids casting events,  I had them hold paper between their arm and their body. Keeps your arm in a casting position, and forces you to cast with your wrist more than your arm. 

[Mitch f]

Count me in the no braid crowd. I never fish frogs over vegetation, so no need. For me, the problems outweigh the benefits.

[Champ188]

I'm another member of the No Braid Bunch. For me, it's more trouble than it's worth on Ozarks highland reservoirs.

As for casting, you gotta match the rod to the purpose and then do as the guys above say and let the rod do the work for you. I'm far more of a winder than a stagger and part of the reason I have the all-day stamina that I do is that I let the rod load and unload, which takes most of the work out of casting. 

[abkeenan]

Bill and Champ nailed it. Lots of variables go into casting a bait. Letting the rod do the work  for you, as Champ mentioned, is the key. Having a nice reel helps but the settings (brakes, magnets, spool tension) you have for the weight/aerodynamics of that bait is more important. When I cast my hands have very little movement and never get above shoulder height. All the motion is done right at the ribs to chest.  I use two hands and use them as a fulcrum point. Get the bait going back, let the rod load and push the bait on out there with the rod. Growing up, my grandfather and uncles were always "pistol grippers" and would throw or whip the bait out there which requires more effort and you get less distance. Sometimes they would reach so far with one arm they would snag the hat or other pieces of the person in the back of the boat. There should never be that much "travel" in your hands or arms. Not the way you want to do it. Also, if you have had line on your reel and it's been sitting for any length of time either stretch it out on a tree before you hit the water or replace it. Makes a WORLD of difference. Casting line that is curly-q'd will zap your distance, accuracy and make for a lot of "professional overrun". I also use line conditioner before I start a trip and that will help as well to keep the line limber and castable. My 2 cents.