It's that time of year when my attention turns to all the goodies sold at Bass Pro and other outdoor retailers. My mission this summer is to try to master the ability to use a bait casting reel, such as that shown here. When I was a kid growing up in Arkansas, I had no choice but to use a bait cast reel (we were relatively poor and only had that kind), so I grew to expect the dreaded backlash that caused the line to turn itself into some sort of tangled bird's nest. As I grew older and could afford something different, I dumped the bait cast reel in favor of an open-faced spinning reel, which to me was much easier to use. A couple of years ago, however, I started to watch bass fishing on TV, and saw that most really good fishermen favored the bait cast reel, so I thought what the heck, I can do that too. Last summer I bought an el cheapo one at our local Walmart, and gave it a try. Hours of practice in the back yard included a series of failed attempts to NOT have any backlash, but after awhile I got to where I could make it work…most of the time. So, I took it with me to try out from the kayak I fish from. My initial cast went almost straight up, and landed about twenty feet from the boat. I adjusted my technique, and the next one went much farther. I felt I had it down. Then, I experienced severe backlash on the following cast, so much so that I had to almost completely unwind the reel to untangle the mess. I never used it again. But now, it's a new year and I am again pulled toward mastering the bait cast technique. This time, I'm going to spend some more money and get a decent one at Bass Pro, vice the local Walmart. To inspire me even further, I spoke yesterday with one of my favorite retired Army Engineer senior NCO's who (unlike me) really knows how to fish, no matter the rigs. He encouraged me to practice, practice, practice and said, "I know you can do it." Anytime I get that sort of encouragement from an NCO, I listen carefully. I'll keep you posted as this story unwinds over the next several months. Should fish be worried?
