Backlash
Also called bird's nest, overrun, professional overrun
What is a backlash on a baitcaster?
The tangle that forms on a baitcaster when the spool spins faster than line is leaving it, piling loose loops on the spool.
Backlash at a glance
- Cause
- Spool outruns the lure
- Three defences
- Tension, brakes, thumb
- Worst conditions
- Headwind, light lures
- Clearing one
- Thumb down, pull loops up, reel through
What causes a backlash?
Every cast starts with the lure yanking line off a spinning spool. As the lure slows down near the end of the cast, or stops suddenly because it hit a branch, the spool keeps going on its own momentum. The line it is throwing off has nowhere to go, so it piles into loops that jam against each other. That is a backlash.
It is a mismatch between two speeds, which is why light lures and headwinds cause the most of them: both slow the lure without slowing the spool.
How do you stop a baitcaster backlashing?
Three things prevent it. Spool tension set for the bait you are throwing, brakes set high enough for your skill level and the wind, and your thumb feathering the spool through the cast and stopping it as the lure lands.
The thumb is the one that actually matters long term. Tension and brakes are training wheels you dial back as you improve; thumb control is the skill underneath, and it is the reason experienced anglers can throw a light bait on a loosely set reel.
How do you clear a backlash?
Thumb the spool down, pull the loose line straight up and out until the jam releases, then reel through it. Resist pulling on the standing line, which tightens the loops against each other.
Every baitcaster angler still gets them. A good setup turns a daily disaster into an occasional puff of slack you pick out in fifteen seconds.
Casting into wind is the main cause. Cast lower and sidearm into a headwind, and add a click of brake before you do.
What this means when you’re choosing
- A magnetic or dual braking system with an external dial, so you can add brake between casts without opening the side plate.
- Monofilament on the spool while you are learning. It is stiffer than braid, digs into itself less, and a bad backlash costs you a few yards rather than the whole spool.
- A lure in the middle of the rod's rating to practise with. Light baits are what cause the most overruns, and they are the wrong thing to learn on.
The common mistake
Dialling the brakes off too early
New baitcaster owners hear that brakes cost distance and back them off within an afternoon, which trades one clean cast for ten minutes of picking line out. The brakes are not the thing limiting you at that stage; thumb timing is. Leave them high, build the habit of stopping the spool as the lure lands, and reduce them a click at a time over weeks.
Common questions
How do you stop a baitcaster from backlashing?
Set the spool tension so your lure falls slowly and stops when it lands, keep the brakes high while you learn, and feather the spool with your thumb through the cast. Cast sidearm and low into wind.
How do you get a backlash out?
Press your thumb on the spool, pull the loose loops straight up and out of the pile until it releases, then reel the slack back through. Pulling on the standing line only tightens the jam.
Where this comes up
The guides that use backlash and show it on real gear.
Last reviewed . Backlash is one of 222 terms in the fishing glossary.