Casting a baitcaster reel

[trout-hunter]

Hey everyone,
I found 2 baitcaster reels amongst my collection of rods and reels so decided to teach myself how to actually use them, I got them from hard rubbish but never actually bothered using them. Now I'm keen to try something new ive come to realize how hard they are to use. A mate of mine said that you need to get a good baitcaster because the cheap ones are just useless to use and will always bird nest on ya, is there any truth to this? Do more expensive baitcaster reels cast better than the cheap reels?
Cheers

[Tackleberry]

Yep I will only use the daiwa mag reels .
I have used the shimano but daiwa really knows how to make a bait caster without trying to bamboozle you with crap and I'm a shimano bloke or was the last 5 or 6 rells I have bought were DAIWA just because the have a lower gear ratio .

[Tackleberry]

Oops I should have asked what are the reels you have fogive my rant .

[trout-hunter]

There both Shakespeares, I've looked them up and there only worth about $40 to $50 new, I've seen some daiwa bait casters selling for around $350+, because im only starting to learn i dont want to waste my time on these cheap things I have because I doubt I'll make any progress, I can't afford to jump in the deep end and buy a $350 reel either, I should be able to find a good secondhand daiwa for around $100 to $150 though so ill look into that. Im planning on chasing cod and yellow belly in the future so any idea on what size would be recommended? Cheers and thank you for your advice

[Tackleberry]

Hunt around and see if you can find a tatula 100 I bought one after a 20 year hiatus from bait casters and all I can say is if you puck up its your fault.
I even bought a tatula rod , the rod and reel is a fishing machine with Taylor.

In the pic is my son and he won't get in the boat without that reel I say this as he had a shimano jewel rod for his .
Even when we go offshore he takes it .
Now the reason I like daiwa bait casters so much is I bought the 1st magforce back in 1983 I think it was but I will stand corrected on this and the only problem that reel had was you had to keep the level wind in the middle in the heat of a run of fish and the second you forgot and didn't use your thumb you got a birds nest and you would be buggered.

[Sebb]

Yeah, those under than $100 reels aren't that great, and can make learning so frustrating.
Get a decent rod and reel and practise. Watch YouTube videos. Best in person with someone experienced.
Once you get the hang of it, its fun to use compared to spin.

What's your budget? And what will you be chasing?
The weight of the lures you're casting is an important factor.
Few people here are masters at baitcast and can give info.

[Paulanderson]

I worked for a few months in the NT and used a Daiwa baitcaster. I started off not trying to cast too far, kept a bit of pressure on the spool, and gradually increased the distance and the lure weight. As they say practice makes perfect!

[Tackleberry]

I actually learnt to cast overhead reels in 1979 with one of these it's a dolphin olympic 614

it's actually a trolling reel now I went through a LOT of line back then haha even a cheap bait caster is easy.