What a beautiful day it is today – hope you guys got out there this morning while the getting was good. No wind at all, the water in the river is clean, and the fish were biting. You can’t ask for much more than that.
I started out in my favorite spot nice and early but the only thing biting there were dinks and after having a few Senkos torn up by them, I headed out for greener pastures. I had planned on parking and then taking a nice long walk, stopping every few feet to fish the weeds but as you can see, the carp fishermen beat me to it and they were out in force today (I thought maybe it was a Korean holiday as well). So I changed my plans and headed to another area where I could also practice with my new baitcaster reel that I recently bought just for lighter lures.
Out of the 11 I caught this morning, the above 3 were the biggest and they were all caught on 4-inch Senkos, black with blue flakes. I also spent a good hour and a half using that new reel, and finally got it tuned to the point where I can get some halfway decent casts with lighter crankbaits. On the very first (overhand) cast, I got a horrible backlash which took a good 10 minutes to undo so I tried tightening the tension knob on the side but that didn’t help at all. Finally, I just engaged all 6 of the magnetic brakes and voila, no more overruns but that did decrease my distance a bit. I can cast a Rapala shad rap about 20-25 yards without an overrun which for me, isn’t bad, I guess. Next, I’ll start taking off maybe one or two of the brakes and then play with the tension knob until I can get some good distance with light lures, without any backlashes or overruns. I wish I could have stayed out longer because it was so nice out but it’s a holiday and I told the family we’d be spending some time together today – plus, there’s always tomorrow morning 
.
So how’s the new rod and reel ??
I’ll be home in a few days and will hopefully be able to add a report of my own
Steve,
The new rod/reel are great, it’s just taking me a little time getting used to throwing light lures. I had to do some adjusting on the magnetic brakes (set them all to on) so I wouldn’t get an overrun. Right now I can cast a shad rap about 20-25 yards, which isn’t a great distance, but it’s a start, especially without any overruns at all.
plus, there’s always tomorrow morning
For you at least!
Nice going my friend…
You say magnetic brakes…with the scale on the outside of the reel?? ??
I read somewhere where one set of brakes (magnetic on the inside or dial on the outside) is for controlling backlashes at the beginning of a cast, and the other is for controlling backlashes at the end of a cast. I usually do like you did though, just put all six of the magnetic ones to “on” and then adjust the dial on the outside of the reel.
By the way, did you try that YouTube method of untangling the bird’s nest? I’ve tried it a couple of times and it worked out great.
Steve,
These are the individual brakes on the inside that you slide up or down.
Rob,
I think I had it confused, I thought the magnetic brakes were for the end, and the tension knob for the beginning but it seems as though it’s the other way around. As for that method, LOL, read my latest post “The things we learn.” It worked like a charm and let me tell you, that was the worst backlash I’ve ever seen on any reel, period.
We took the day and went to the Taean seashore. I scoped out several possible fishing locations I noted on Google Earth. I also hit up a few offshore charter companies looking to book an offshore trip next month. We’ll have to see how my efforts pay off.
dave
Dave,
If you ever make it to those “possible fishing locations,” do let us know how it goes.
We went on a squadron trip to the DMZ today and I caught myself looking at almost every body of water trying to judge its “fishability”
I did notice an obvious lack of fish nets in the Imjin river along the DMZ. Don’t know if it would be worth the risk there to chunk a senko.
LOL Dave….
Nomad,
The reason I asked about your brakes is because you mentioned “Next, I’ll start taking off maybe one or two of the brakes”. When taking off these brakes make sure you turn them off 2 at a time. If you turn of 2 brakes, turn them off opposite each other to make sure the spool is balanced. Not sure if you knew this or not…and I hope what I wrote made sense!!
Oh, BTW, I’m back home again
woohoo!!
Huh…I didn’t know you had to take them off in pairs. That makes sense though about the balance.
You’re home and you’re not out fishing yet?
No, not fishing yet
but I’m starting to build a new fish tank for my pet bass…out of wood!!
For the brakes there is only 5 different setups you can use;
1. All 6 on
2. All 6 off
3. 4 on and 2 off
4. 2 on and 4 off
5. or 3 on and 3 off (every other brake on)
On the reels where I use heavier lures, I have the brakes set to 1/2 way but my new reel that I use for lighter lures, I have 4 on, 2 off and that seems to be working good for now.
I am at the stage now of having 2 brakes on and 4 off after several years practice and still get the occasional backlash (especially if there’s a tree or other rods behind me).
especially if there’s a tree or other rods behind me
Steve,
As long as I remember not to try to cast too far or too hard, I’m ok. With the heavier lures I can get away with it, but with the real light lures, I still need some more practice.
I’ve found that the harder I throw it the less likely it is that I’ll get a backlash. Most of the time, I get them when I try to do something finesse, like pitch into a tree or skip underneath a dock. I’ve also gotten some really nasty ones by simply letting the lure drop to the ground without my thumb on the spool.