Matching Rod with Reel

• To get the most out of your baitcaster fishing rod, you'll need to match it with a baitcasting reel of a size that's compatible with the rod. This means that for freshwater applications, you'll want a medium-duty reel but a heavy-duty baitcasting reel for saltwater use, particularly offshore fishing.
  
  Freshwater reels spooled with 12-pound to 15-pound test monofilament will work well on a baitcaster rod. Saltwater rod and reel combos may be spooled with 50 pound test and up.
  
  It's important to match the rod to the reel to obtain maximum control and accuracy when casting. Many baitcasting rods are sold with attached reels or come with a list of recommended reels. Shops that specialize in fishing equipment and tackle typically will have the most knowledgeable staff.
  
  

Make the Rod Do the Work

• The principal feature of baitcasting rods and reels that give them such tremendous accuracy is also one of the most difficult parts to master: a system for cast management. A baitcasting reel is designed to unspool freely when the line is released, so unless the angler exerts control over the spool with a thumb, a nightmarish line backlash can (and probably will) occur. A backlash is that nasty situation in which fishing line unspools from the reel faster than the line can pay out through the guides of the rod. The result is a large tangle of line that rolls over, back around the reel, and continues to entangle upon itself until the reel locks up completely and you are left with a ball of snarled fishing line.
  
  Before you go on the water, go in the backyard and practice casting with a plastic bobber or simple sinker weight.
  
  Place your thumb on the spooled line while gripping the rod and unlock the reel with your free hand. You can release and cast the line by making a short whipping motion with the rod from a vertical position to about 45 degrees from the ground, gently easing your thumb pressure as you come forward with the rod tip. Continue to apply pressure with your thumb as the line pays out (this is called "feathering"), then stop the cast with thumb pressure at the point your practice bobber or sinker reaches the target. Immediately engage the reel lock to prevent the line from backlashing once you have completed your cast.
  
  Practice. Don't try to hit the man in the moon or your neighbor down the street. Pick a reasonable distance to your target and cast until you can hit it reliably time after time. Then, back up further and practice more from the new distance.
  
  

Baitcaster Fishing

• When you're ready to fish, hold your rod so that the reel handle faces upright. Many beginning baitcasters think the reel should be facing upward, but turning it to the side actually helps your casting accuracy.
  
  You can control the line payout with your thumb, but until you have gained some experience, you might want to dial up the braking mechanism on the reel to slow down the speed at which the line can unspool.
  
  About halfway through your cast, ease up the thumb pressure so the line can pay out through the guides of your baitcaster rod. The swing of your cast is complete when the rod tip is pointed at your target. If you let the line pay out too fast and release when your rod tip is still pointed upward, then you will cast into the heavens and possibly catch a tree fish -- or at least snag your hook in the branches. If you wait too long and the rod tip points toward the water immediately in front of you, the lure or bait will dive bomb directly into the water like a pelican in search of a meal.
  
  You are striving for something between these two extremes, so begin your release just before the rod tip is pointed at your target, then carefully control the line as your lure races toward that sweet spot where your record-breaking fish lurks just below the surface of the water.