How to Fix (and Prevent) a Baitcaster Backlash
You wind up for a big cast, the lure sails out, and then something goes wrong inside the reel. The line stops. The spool didn’t. Now there’s a fist-sized nest of loops where your line used to be.
That’s a backlash. Everyone who throws a baitcaster gets them, and it’s the worst half of the name.
Why it happens
On a baitcaster, the spool spins as the line goes out. At the start of a cast the lure pulls line off fast and the spool keeps pace. Then the lure slows down in the air, or hits the water, or meets a gust of wind, and the spool keeps spinning faster than line is leaving. That extra line has nowhere to go. It loops up and over itself, and you’ve got a bird’s nest.
Picking out a bird’s nest
First, don’t yank on the line. Pulling hard cinches the loops tight and turns a two-minute job into a ten-minute one, or a job for scissors.
- Press the thumb bar to put the reel in free spool, so the spool can turn.
- Pull line off gently, from the rod tip end, a little at a time. A fair bit of loose line usually comes off before it snags.
- When it stops, thumb the spool. Press down hard on the line with your thumb and turn the handle five or six times. Then let go, put it back in free spool, and pull line again. This tends to drag the buried loop up to the surface, and often the snag pops free. Repeat as needed.
- Find the loop. If it still won’t budge, look for the one loop that dives back under the other wraps. Lift it out with a fingernail or a toothpick, then pull again.
- Work the loose loops one at a time. Follow each one out. Don’t rip them.
- Check the line. Once it runs free, run your fingers over the stretch that was in the nest. If it’s kinked, flattened or frayed, cut that section off and retie. Damaged line breaks on the fish you most want to land.
If it’s truly hopeless, cut above the nest, strip out the mess and retie. Take the cut line home with you. Loose fishing line left on the bank tangles birds and wildlife, so stuff it in a pocket.
The tape trick
If your backlashes keep digging deep into the spool, a strip of electrical tape limits the damage. Make a long cast. With that line still out, lay a piece of tape across the line that’s left on the spool, then reel the cast back in over it. A backlash can’t dig any deeper than the tape, so the worst nest you can get is in the top layers. It’s an old trick for people learning a baitcaster, and you can peel the tape off once you trust your thumb.
Preventing the next one
You won’t get backlashes down to zero. You can make them a lot rarer.
Set the spool tension knob
The small knob on the handle side of most baitcasters adds friction to the spool. Set it each time you change lures:
- Tie the lure on and reel it up to a few inches below the rod tip.
- Hold the rod out about level and press the thumb bar.
- The lure should drop slowly and smoothly. When it lands, the spool should stop with little or no extra spin.
If the lure drops like a rock and the spool keeps going after it lands, tighten the knob. If the lure won’t drop at all, loosen it. Reels differ a bit, so check your manual too.
Use the brakes
Most baitcasters also have a brake system. Centrifugal brakes are small weights or pins inside a side plate that you switch on or off. Magnetic brakes are a dial on the outside. Some reels have both. Either way they slow the spool during the cast, which is when backlashes start.
When you’re learning, set the brakes heavy. You’ll give up some distance. Back them off a notch at a time as your thumb improves.
Use your thumb
Your thumb is the real brake. Keep it resting lightly on the spool through the cast, and press down to stop the spool as the lure hits the water, or just before. A lot of bird’s nests start at the splash, because the lure stops dead and the spool doesn’t.
Cast smoothly
A hard snap at the start of a cast spins the spool up faster than the lure can pull line. Load the rod with a smooth sweep and let it do the work. Sidearm and underhand casts on a lower path are easier to control than a big overhead heave.
Watch the wind
Casting into the wind is prime backlash weather. The wind slows the lure while the spool keeps going. Add brake, use more thumb, cast lower, tie on something heavier, or turn and cast across or with the wind.
Match the lure weight
Light lures are hard to throw on most baitcasters because they don’t pull line off steadily. Every rod has a lure weight rating, usually printed near the handle, so stay inside it. While you’re learning, something around half an ounce is a lot easier than a light finesse bait. Frogs and other heavier baits are good teachers, which works out nicely if you came here from how to fish a frog. For light stuff like a wacky rig, plenty of anglers stick with spinning gear.
Don’t overfill the spool
A spool packed to the lip lets loose line spring off. Fill it to a little below the edge, often around an eighth of an inch, unless your reel’s manual says otherwise.
Think about the line
Stiff, springy line, like heavy fluorocarbon or thick monofilament, comes off the spool in loops more easily. A lot of people learn on a medium-weight monofilament because it’s forgiving. Braid casts well but can dig into itself on the spool, and a braid backlash is miserable to pick out. Old line that has taken a set from sitting on the spool gets springier too, so respool now and then.
The worst half of the name
You’ll still get them, just less often, and you’ll pick them out faster. When it happens, take a breath, work it loose, and apologize to whoever’s in the boat with you. That’s why the Sorry Sticker exists. And if you’ve picked out enough of them, you’ve earned the Backlash Tee: CERTIFIED BACKLASH TECHNICIAN.
The good half of the name is a frog getting blown up. That’s in how to fish a frog.