ive even backlashed a flyreel while stripping line during cast...

Kujo I'm there with Naut, I can probably get a backlash on my kid's playtstation fishing game. If I can ever figure out how to use the game controls....

Fishing off the coast in Venice, LA, I hooked a very big fish. Didn't know what it was. After 30 minutes, the fish jumps out of the water....about a 7' mako shark. The fish starts to run very hard. Being somewhat intoxicated, I thought I accidentally decreased the drag because line was spitting out very fast. Unfortunately, I hit the drag lever and took off the drag altogether. Complete bird's nest. We hand-lined the fish to the boat (we tried to tie onto another reel, but the fish kept trying to run). Shark cut the line at the boat.

Bay fishing, I casted out on an oyster reef and end up with a huge backlash. As I was playing with the backlash, I hooked a bull red. Out of luck, the red pulls the entire backlash out of the reel. So no more backlast, and I reel in the 38" bull. Pure luck the fish didn't break my line with no drag available.

I started using baitcasters when I was a kid in the fourth or fifth grade. My dad passed away while I was in the fourth, and left my brother and I a couple of A.B.U. 5ooo a's. I statred using mine right away and had problems at first but became very adept at casting across our ponds. Later I took the reels to the creek, that passed by our place, out in Azle, Walnut Creek to be exact. We found openings to cast from and also took to wading in certain areas. Well one day the fish were biting really good and I got careless, not looking behind me before I cast. I reared back and a limb reached out and snagged my Big O and held tight while I proceeded to make a long cast to where I thought the Biggun' lived.

The rest as they say is history. It took me about 30 minutes of pulling and sweating and swatting skeeters to finally get it out, but I didn't give up and didn't have to go home to re-fill my reel. I wound up catching a 4+ largemouth that day and will never forget the memories.

I've finally found a sure cure for my backlashes (birdnests, or whatever you want to call them). It's called an Uncle Henry. I prefer the 3" size. It sure plays the devil for getting back into the water quickly if you've only got 1 pole, but it sure beats spending 3 1/2 hours digging out some of my doozies.