Why cant I cast my baitcaster overhead right?

[Dairy King]

I can cast it sidearm halfway decent, but if I try to cast if over my head it just goes about 15 out and really hard into the water. Is it because Im not confident enough and getting nervous about backlashing and releasing too late or what?

[TROPHYHUNTER25]

need more practice i would keep sidearming it till you have that down

[indianahunter83]

You are releasing it to late.Instead of aiming at a spot on the water, aim at a spot 8 feet above the water. This will help you learn to cast your baitcaster better. (Worked with my gf) Just practice outside in a big patch of grass until you get confident. Another thing you can do to start with is crank up the resistance on your baitcaster so it makes it a lot more difficult to backlash and as you get more proficient you can back off the resistance. Hope this helps.

[Chuck7]

DK..release your thumb off the spool at 2:30 behind you...and smoothly try to put your lure into an imaginary tree 100 yds away at the 10:00 position. Have your drag a little tighter till you get the hang of it..Hold your rod out at 9:00 and push your button..It should take ya about 2 and 1/2 seconds for your lure to hit the floor.Once you got it down readjust for perfection.

[Oneshot7]

Why do you have to cast it over your head? sidearmed seems to be more accurate and longer casts for everyone i have fished with even van damm goes sidearm

[thundermug]

Set your cast control this way...Hold your rod level and push the button in, turn the cast control knob just enough so the weight and bait doesn't move. Bounce the rod tip about 3" or so. the bait should only move about a foot, if it moves further, tighten the cast control. If it didn't move at all then loosen it a little at a time. It should only move about a foot when you bounce the rod.
Every time you change your weight/bait setup you should check it.
I get around one hundred yards or so with my Abu Garcia 6500, with a 9' Tica rod. Even if I am catfishing and only have a half oz. weight/bait.

[Phil from Maine]

thundermug

Set your cast control this way...Hold your rod level and push the button in, turn the cast control knob just enough so the weight and bait doesn't move. Bounce the rod tip about 3" or so. the bait should only move about a foot, if it moves further, tighten the cast control. If it didn't move at all then loosen it a little at a time. It should only move about a foot when you bounce the rod.
Every time you change your weight/bait setup you should check it

That sounds like a great tip, thank you. MaybeI will dig my baitcaster out and try it to see if it will cut down on my backlashing.

[thundermug]

Phil, as soon as the bait hits the water you should stop the reel. If not you will get professional over run (fancy way to say backlash).

[Phil from Maine]

Yeah, that's where I have the problem the reel just keeps on turning. Try as hard as I might I get this big mess in the spool. So I put it up on a shelf, now I might try it again and hopefully I can get used to it a little.

[indianahunter83]

if you do it thundermug's way prepare to lose some distance. With a lot of practice you should be able to let it fall to the ground at a reasonable rate. It is a good way to learn but to be at your best keep practicing. Also I learned from a Jimmy Houston seminar a long time ago that backlashes are called "Roland Martin's!"