Shimano Bait Runner 6500

[grunta1984]

im buying a shimano baitrunner 6500 on thursday and am only used to using the standard egg beater reels! so im not sure how to set if up or how to use it yet eg drag or how the baitrunner works! any help or info on this would be much appreciated...

[Robofish]

Hey Grunta,

they are not a great deal different from your usual eggbeater type reels, you set the main drag up in the same way (on the front of the spool), I usually set my drags at one third of the breaking strain of the line as a starting point. The baitrunner is adjusted at the back - you can easily set that depending on the type of fishing you are doing - relatively tight if you want to create a 'bolt' effect or looser if you want them to take with less resistance, once the baitrunner is on a wind of the handles disengages it and takes you back to the main drag.

It's pretty straight forward and I have always found them to be reliable reels - enjoy mate!

[tunpa]

i have that model, the way i found out was just playing around with it for about 20 mins but what stuffed me up most was the reel handle, how to tighten it and loosen it, not like other reels

[grunta1984]

hey robofish!

thanks for the reply... well i just bought 30lb line so how do u work out how tight or loose to have ur drag? i will be mainly fishing for jews or if a kingy or big flatty pass by that would be also good! so if a fish takes the bait n runs with it if i strike or flick the switch back like how do i set the hooks? cheers

[Robofish]

Hey Grunta,

this is how I do it - if using 30lb line then a third of this for the drag setting would be 10lb. I put the reel on a rod, thread the line and tie a figure of 8 loop in the end. I then hook this loop over my weighing scales and get my mrs to hold the scales. I gent load up the rod and see at what reading the clutch gives line, keep adjusting it until it gives at 10lb. For this you will be adjusting the drag on the front of the reel.

As far as setting the hooks, if I am just bottom fishing with my rod in the holder, I put the baitrunner on and set the baitrunner drag quiet tight, this in itself will set the hook. Once the fish starts taking line it will have felt the hook, I pick up the rod, wind to disengage the baitrunner and gently strike. This is fine for J hooks, if you are fishing circle hooks you set the baitrunner lightly and when running dont strike just wind to disengage the baitrunner and then let the rod load up.

Hope this helps mate - best of luck

[grunta1984]

Hey Grunta,

this is how I do it - if using 30lb line then a third of this for the drag setting would be 10lb. I put the reel on a rod, thread the line and tie a figure of 8 loop in the end. I then hook this loop over my weighing scales and get my mrs to hold the scales. I gent load up the rod and see at what reading the clutch gives line, keep adjusting it until it gives at 10lb. For this you will be adjusting the drag on the front of the reel.

As far as setting the hooks, if I am just bottom fishing with my rod in the holder, I put the baitrunner on and set the baitrunner drag quiet tight, this in itself will set the hook. Once the fish starts taking line it will have felt the hook, I pick up the rod, wind to disengage the baitrunner and gently strike. This is fine for J hooks, if you are fishing circle hooks you set the baitrunner lightly and when running dont strike just wind to disengage the baitrunner and then let the rod load up.

Hope this helps mate - best of luck

hey robofish!

mate ur a dead set champion... thanks heaps for ur help! ill give that a go n see how she goes