Been here before!!!
 

:nut::bat::fight::devil::cry:

I've had a few birds nests in my days, but never one that bad. That being said, the WORST backlash I've EVER seen was my grandmothers boyfriend that my dad took fishing when I was just a little kid. He was fishing with a regular open faced spinning reel, and manged to get the MOTHER OF ALL backlashes with it. Spent close to an hour getting it all straightened out. My dad was telling him the whole time to cut it out and start over, he refused. The very next cast all that knotted line did it again, EVEN WORSE! Needless to say his refusal to cut it out and start over meant he didn't get to fish all day. Just sat at the back of the boat clearing it out to just do it all over again and again and again. Even with my dad sitting there with a fresh spool of line, he still refused to start over with fresh line. and it wasn't even good line, it was no name crap from WAL MART, and my dad had a brand new spool of BERKLEY TRILENE sitting there waiting.

From then on backlashes were named after him, a JACK!:you:

At least it saved having to watch him screw up landing a fish - losing it at the net.

my kids learned young in the backyard, how to get and fix a backlash!! never really had a issue with them. but there were a few greenhorns that i have watched and said really!! my kids are better!!

i cannot throw a baitcaster, there i said it, might be a violation of my man card, but it's the truth.

i cast with spinning rods and bottom fish and troll with levelwinds

it does feel good to come out of the closet

With my hands and stuff these days I level wind all the time! But there was a day I could out cast a spinner any day.

I'm with you Phat. I simply cannot throw a baitcaster.. even the ones with mag sensing, etc. But I'm deadly with a spinning rod, so I don't feel too bad. And all my downriggers have levelwinds on them, so at least I look like a "reel" fisherman. :beer:

I think we have enough spinning guys that we can keep our man cards. Glad for this thread bringing up the subject - I should probably sell my bait casting reel. I let myself think if I got a fairly good one, I'd actually be able to use it:you:

I've had the same bait caster for 20 years. I've babied it along with meticulous maintence, but I'm afraid her days are numbered. Going to have to find another one as nice.

Since we're all sharing our feelings........


I haven't fished in 9 years.

THAT is preposterous!

I just recently took my Shimano Bantum reel off its reel seat and put it away for safe keeping...I got it in 1982 or so(maybe 81). Still works great, but I don't want to break it or lose it now.

Mines a SHIMANO BANTUM CORIOLIS. It was one of there first plastic housing baitcasters they made, but it sure is a nice one. I put new bearings in it a few years ago, but the clutch dog teeth for the actual drive are just about worn off in it from all the years of non stop casting with it. I fish artificials on the flats, so it's nothing but long casts, all day long. I've yet to find a replacement that feels as nice to me as the old girl does. Bought it when I was 15, took me WEEKS of cutting grass to save up for it, but it was the first reel I bought myself. And my dad used to have one of the original black BANTUMS like that one from 81, he used it for gator hunting, and pretty well did it in doing that. It was one TOUGH reel though to handle pulling up gators.

Bradford - haven't fished in 9 years????? Your man card may actually be in jeopardy.:embarsed:

Come ride 48 hours with me and I'll change your mind.

48 hours is a long ride - what kind of work do you do? I'm pretty sure there's 48 hour exception that will keep your man card in full force