Abu Garcia Black Max Baitcaster

stracey17 · **Joined:** Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:40 am **Posts:** 18

I picked up one of these at Cabello's on Monday and thinking of returning it. I am new to the bait casting world so I was told by a friend that this was a perfect starter baitcasting reel. ANy thoughts on this reel? I already have it spooled with Spider Braid so I don't want to return it unless I am sure it should be returned and I should upgrade.

ALso, for those that have replied to my Knowlton Lake posts in the past, thx so much. We now have a boat so I'm looking fwd to exploring the lake and catching some decent sized Pike and hopefully a few Lakers over the summer. From what I 've been told the Bass population in that lake is not great but there are a couple of small lakes (gullies) close by that I found that are decent for Bass.

Thx.

Fishing420 · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2018 5:35 pm **Posts:** 8

Watch all the you tube videos Lots of practice and patience your master the bait caster and love it for every penny you bought it for I have a Louis baitcaster just bought it. started off with the cheapie $50-100 baitcasters
Tight lines

Hutchy · **Joined:** Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:06 pm **Posts:** 399

When I started I used cheap monofilament line to practice, bird nests can get expensive lol.

hablover · **Joined:** Sat Dec 27, 2014 9:43 pm **Posts:** 129

That was my first baitcaster. I loved it...never really had any issues with it, pretty simple to use and I agree, it's a great starter one.
I have a couple nicer ones now that I use more frequently but I have it still spooled up on a spare rod that I use occasionally.

I wouldn't return it. I think it's a great baitcaster for the price. You can always upgrade later.

legacy · **Joined:** Tue May 10, 2005 7:55 am **Posts:** 985

I agree...great bait caster and once you get on to using, they're awesome.

As for Knowlton Lake - there are some great small mouth in there and have usually targeted those when on the lake.

Good luck.

Bassn51 · **Posted:** Fri May 29, 2020 7:52 am

One of the things I did when I first started using a baitcaster was take the hooks off a spoon, like a daredevil, and practiced casting and thumb control on in the yard. My first one was a Shimano and it came with a video on how to set up tension and drag to eliminate backlash, you could probably find it on You Tube. Also invest a dollar in a small crochet hook for your tackle box they're worth their weight in gold if you get a birds nest(I've only ever had one I had to cut out). Didn't take much to master my first one and have been using them almost exclusively for many years.

stracey17 · **Joined:** Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:40 am **Posts:** 18

Thanks for all of the advice folks, much appreciated.
I will keep the reel and will swing by a field somewhere and get some drywall practice in before hitting the water.

Thanks

tomfoolery · **Joined:** Fri Nov 12, 2004 3:32 pm **Posts:** 144

Something to consider when choosing the strength of your braid for the future. If you are getting into heavier Pike spoons which may be expensive, upgrade the strength of the braid. If you BOMB a cast out there and a birdsnest happens, an expensive bait can breakoff and disappear. This is one of the reasons why many Muskie anglers use 80 to 100 pound braid. Not because the fish might weigh that but because some of the baits we use cost big bucks.

Fry Flier · **Posted:** Fri May 29, 2020 3:17 pm

tomfoolery wrote:

Something to consider when choosing the strength of your braid for the future. If you are getting into heavier Pike spoons which may be expensive, upgrade the strength of the braid. If you BOMB a cast out there and a birdsnest happens, an expensive bait can breakoff and disappear. This is one of the reasons why many Muskie anglers use 80 to 100 pound braid. Not because the fish might weigh that but because some of the baits we use cost big bucks.

lol tis true tis true, Tom how often could spool a rod with the cost of a few Hose Baits.

Ms86 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:01 pm **Posts:** 10

This is a great starter reel. Stick with it takes a little time to get to know how to use the baitcasters but once you get used to it and get it dialed in you can cast it a mile!

Lunker Larry · **Posted:** Wed Jun 03, 2020 8:57 am

For baitcast reels, your thumb is your best friend.

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Abu Garcia Black Max Baitcaster

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