reel up or down

[Andy-Bailey]

I used to have the reel in the high position then changed , after a few sessions it seemed id always done it that way , damn thumb still tries to hold a spool that aint there tho lol

[Whackcrack]

I changed to low reel over twenty years ago and have never gone back. As i`ve said, the timing isn`t quite so critical, but you do need a longer drop.
I use a 13`6" rod, and have a drop of about 10 feet. This forces me to slow the cast down and get the baits away cleanly. Thats with a pendulum cast. For OTG, I shorten my drop to about 8 feet.
It`s all about trial and error, and what feels comfortable for you.

[Rob M]

Re-starting this thread as I've found that recently the reel down position has been a revelation for me. I have a couple of Shakey Salt MX 12' beachcasters partnered with my 2 ABU 6500 CT3 Mag Elites and tried them out over the grass yesterday. Abu's attached with Imax reel seats about a foot from the butt. For the first 5 casts it felt strange after being a reel up caster for so many years, but it felt better with a few more casts. First thing I noticed was the slow speed of the cast, you can pick the weight up from an OTG cast and it's almost like slow motion but it was instantly 30 yards further. I spent an hour just firing it off and the distance increased, but it was not just about distance, my accuracy improved. Tried a couple of pendulums and when the timing was spot on, the lead flew like a missile! A couple of days spent down the field this week will improve things but the reel down position just makes it work...well much better.

[MRG2000]

Originally Posted by Rob M

Re-starting this thread as I've found that recently the reel down position has been a revelation for me. I have a couple of Shakey Salt MX 12' beachcasters partnered with my 2 ABU 6500 CT3 Mag Elites and tried them out over the grass yesterday. Abu's attached with Imax reel seats about a foot from the butt. For the first 5 casts it felt strange after being a reel up caster for so many years, but it felt better with a few more casts. First thing I noticed was the slow speed of the cast, you can pick the weight up from an OTG cast and it's almost like slow motion but it was instantly 30 yards further. I spent an hour just firing it off and the distance increased, but it was not just about distance, my accuracy improved. Tried a couple of pendulums and when the timing was spot on, the lead flew like a missile! A couple of days spent down the field this week will improve things but the reel down position just makes it work...well much better.

Gotta agree with you Rob ,been using a pair of Zipplex M4 EVO`s for the last few months ,one reel down and the other reel up ,the cast reel down is much easier to control ,have managed 190 in the field off the ground, pendulums getting there too .Takes a little bit of getting used to but the other rods going in for the reel seat to come of and go reel down.

Even playing the fish is easier i think....

A rubber strip or thumbie is a must to get the best out of the cast tho ,other wise too much spool slip with the increased pressures ,i find .

Have you experianced the drive cog shattering mid cast yet on the 6500, happened to me twice , cured it by changing to a Penn 515 mag 2 !!!

[pingu]

must say i have been reel down for about 2 1/2 months now. felt odd first week or two and often let go a tad late and cast left, now just seems right, need to do the rubber tab or thumbie though if giving it some oomph

dave

[Rob M]

I'll definitely try the thumb grip/inner tube option. Mike, I haven't shattered any gears yet taking it nice and easy so far. Dave, I found I released it too late a few times, down to getting the timing right I guess.

[MRG2000]

Originally Posted by Rob M

I'll definitely try the thumb grip/inner tube option. Mike, I haven't shattered any gears yet taking it nice and easy so far. Dave, I found I released it too late a few times, down to getting the timing right I guess.

Before i gave up i shattered 1 gear , and had the stainless "bracket" that connects the spool to the gear disintigrate mid cast twice ,also had the circlip fly out into the gears resulting in a small amount of chaos . Knocked the handle and engaged the gears several times mid cast resulting in wrist wrenching experiance too

The thumbie option is easy just cut an inner tube and pop it over your thumb ,only downside is if you hovver the spool you get rubber on the leader/line and it can cause the mono to fail ( i know this from experiance ).

The rubber strip is much better as when you release the spool ,the strip springs back ,and no rubber gets on the line ,so happy days .

Heres a couple of crapy pics , will do some better ones in the daylight tommoz..

The inner tube sits under the reel seat with a tab out the back ,that sits over the shrink wrap when not used ,then all you need to do is stretch the rubber under tension over the spool ,cast and it springs back , find a friendly bike repair shop ,and you can get an endless supply of bike tubes in his rubbish bin.

[Rob M]

Thanks Mike, that's really helpful