one thing i'd like to add, as an aid to avoid backlashes, is this...
if your reel has a levelwind (the gizmo in front of the spool that travels left and right as you reel in line), then you have an additional culprit that can raise the chances of a backlash. this is especially true for reels that freespool when the thumbbar is depressed (most reels). older reels do not freespool and the levelwind actually travels left and right as the line shoots out...
anyways, one thing to check before whipping out that lure, is the position of that levelwind... if it's all the way to either side (left or right), then the line on the opposite end of your spool will have an almost 90 degree angle of travel as it's trying to shoot out. this slows down the line, and as the spool keeps spinning freely in the cast, you'll have more line coming off the spool than is actually shooting through the guides - hence the backlash.
if i see my levelwind parked too near the edge as i'm about to cast, i'd lock the reel, pull out some line and reel it back so the levelwind moves more to the middle. sometimes i forget to check... and that's when it happens.
if someone wants to make a lot of money, they can design a levelwind that actually flips down or even slides down as one depresses the thumbbar, thus allowing the line to just shoot freely through the guides while casting, that can then be locked back into position as the handle is cranked.
