If your Lew’s bait caster utilizes a magnetic braking system, turn the dial on the side of the reel to roughly the half way point so that it is positioned horizontally with the reel. Next, you will want to adjust the tension on the spool. This is achieved by the cast control cap. The cap is located by the reel handle and is about the size of a dime. You will want to go ahead and tighten it up a little bit. Now you are ready to perform the drop test. With your rod and reel spooled up and bait tied on, you will now depress the thumb bar. You will need to control the rate of fall of the lure. By loosening the cast control cap, you will want the bait to drop slowly to the ground. When the bait hits the ground, you do not want the spool to turn more than one revolution. I personally like to set my tension a little tight, perform a test cast, then loosen the tension until it is comfortable to throw without a back lash. The rule of thumb is to set up the bait caster tight, then loosen it up during test casts.
A number of things could still cause a back lash after the reel is setup. One thing is the action of the rod. If the rod is too stiff of an action for the line and lure, you will not get the proper flex of the rod when rearing back to cast. Just keep in mind that when you use lighter line and lighter lures, you need to choose a lighter action rod. Matching the correct pound test line to your lure is critical. You need to make sure that the weight of the lure is enough to carry the weight of the line off the spool.
The best brake you can utilize on the reel will always be your own thumb. As you loosen up the reel to increase distance, you need to “ride the spool” with your thumb during the cast. Also, don’t try to force the cast. Let the reel do the work. When you try to “overthrow”, you are causing the spool to overrun and it will cause a backlash. If problems persist, feel free to call the service department at 417-522-1093.