Why do I keep tangling my reel

[Ali MacDonald]

Hi

 

I used a new reel today for a dawn session and every time I tried to back wind I got knots and 'birdnests'. It is a Shimano 2500 FA reel and the line is new also, Maxima ultragreen 6lb. I am fairly new to fishing so wonder if I have put it together wrong ? I lift the bale arm before putting on the spool.. Can anyone help as it is annoying and limits what I can do, although I got a personal best 7lb common carp today !

 

Ali

[GlennB]

Hi

 

I used a new reel today for a dawn session and every time I tried to back wind I got knots and 'birdnests'. It is a Shimano 2500 FA reel and the line is new also, Maxima ultragreen 6lb. I am fairly new to fishing so wonder if I have put it together wrong ? I lift the bale arm before putting on the spool.. Can anyone help as it is annoying and limits what I can do, although I got a personal best 7lb common carp today !

It's hard to see how you can get a birdsnest while backwinding when playing a fish, as the line will be under a lot of tension.

Could you explain a bit about how and when the tangles occur?

 

cheers

[Anderoo]

How much line did you put on? If you overfilled the spool that would explain it.

[jimpy0]

Hi

 

I used a new reel today for a dawn session and every time I tried to back wind I got knots and 'birdnests'. It is a Shimano 2500 FA reel and the line is new also, Maxima ultragreen 6lb. I am fairly new to fishing so wonder if I have put it together wrong ? I lift the bale arm before putting on the spool.. Can anyone help as it is annoying and limits what I can do, although I got a personal best 7lb common carp today !

 

Ali

 

very doubtful the reel is at fault probably the way you have loaded the line

1 does it spring off when just sat there ie nothing connected

2 does it create spirals of line after casting

if yes to both of these the yes its the way you loaded it try trolling the forum for links regarding spooling reels and tips for doing so

 

goodluck

[ColinW]

Never backwind by actually turning the reel handle. If the reel is backwinding it should only be because something, either you or a fish, is pulling line through the rod rings. If it's a fish then it will be doing it against pressure you apply. If it is you, and the reel is free to spin, then do it very carefully and slowly, watching the reel all the time.

If you are an absolute beginner, leave the anti-reverse on and slacken off the clutch a bit more.

[Ali MacDonald]

I put about 80m of line on - is that too much as the spool still has room for more ?

 

It spirals when backwinding when nothing on the end (fish). There is a button under the reel that goes left to allow winding both ways and right to stop the line going out any further. I leave it to the left and have a finger on the edge of the bail arm to allow me to give more line when needed (is this correct ?)

 

It doesn't spiral when casting as I keep a finger on the line with the bale arm open and then make the adjustments as above when in the right place.

 

I also have a 'rear drag' system at the back of the reel but haven't a clue what it does other then allow me to tighten/loosen the spool - any ideas ??

 

Thanks for all the replies so far..

 

Ali

[Anderoo]

I put about 80m of line on - is that too much as the spool still has room for more ?

 

It spirals when backwinding when nothing on the end (fish). There is a button under the reel that goes left to allow winding both ways and right to stop the line going out any further. I leave it to the left and have a finger on the edge of the bail arm to allow me to give more line when needed (is this correct ?)

 

It doesn't spiral when casting as I keep a finger on the line with the bale arm open and then make the adjustments as above when in the right place.

 

I also have a 'rear drag' system at the back of the reel but haven't a clue what it does other then allow me to tighten/loosen the spool - any ideas ??

 

Thanks for all the replies so far..

 

Ali

 

 

Hi Ali

 

Different spools hold different amounts of line. When you look at the spool sideways on, the line should come to a couple of mm of the lip. If it bulges out beyond the lip of the spool, there's too much line on. For a beginner, it's better to have a bit too little than too much.

 

If I were you I'd keep the reel so that you can't backwind (move that button to the right). This will prevent tangles. The rear drag (or clutch) allows you loosen or tighten the clutch so that line can be pulled from the reel under pressure, but this will only work properly if you can't backwind.

 

Attach the reel to a rod, put the anti-reverse on (so you can't backwind) and thread the line under the bail arm as if you were setting up. Turn the rear drag fully one way and pull directly on the line; it will be either be very loose or very tight. Turn the drag knob the other way and it will the the opposite. When fishing, you want to adjust it so that a big fish can pull on the line and the reel will give some line under pressure - too loose and it'll scream off across the lake, too tight and it'll break the line or pull out the hook. You can adjust the clutch throughout the fight, so if it's giving line too easily, tighten it up a couple of notches, and vice versa. It's also worth loosening off a little when you're about to net a fish, in case it powers off unexpectedly - that's the worst time to loose a fish!

 

Well done for the pb carp - many more to come too!

[ColinW]

Eighty yards of line is not too much, far from it! I would recommend that you forget about backwinding for a few months until you get used to handling the reel. Put the anti-reverse lever across so you can only wind forwards. Then set the slipping clutch to allow your spool to rotate when you pull the line. I'm not sure of your exact reel but the control knob to do this will either be on the front of the spool or at the back of the reel. Set it fairly loose at first because that will also encourage you to play the fish properly, "pumping" them in rather than cranking them in on the reel, which will knacker the gears. You will soon see that winding against a pulling fish gets you nowhere, the spool will just spin on its clutch. You'll then have to pull the fish in by raising the rod and then wind in while lowering it again.

 

Must be right cos we both said the same thing!!

Edited July 21, 2006 by ColinW

[Mat Hillman]

I put about 80m of line on - is that too much as the spool still has room for more ?

 

It spirals when backwinding when nothing on the end (fish). There is a button under the reel that goes left to allow winding both ways and right to stop the line going out any further. I leave it to the left and have a finger on the edge of the bail arm to allow me to give more line when needed (is this correct ?)

 

It doesn't spiral when casting as I keep a finger on the line with the bale arm open and then make the adjustments as above when in the right place.

 

I also have a 'rear drag' system at the back of the reel but haven't a clue what it does other then allow me to tighten/loosen the spool - any ideas ??

 

Thanks for all the replies so far..

 

Ali

 

 

You need to fill the spool to about 1-2mm below the lip, this will give you smooth casting while hopefully not allowing lose line to flow over the rim and cause tangles!

 

I would suggest not back winding at all. put the auto reverse switch in the position that only allows you to wind in. and then use the rear drag knob to set the spool so that it will give line to a fish at the right time.

My way of setting the drag correctly is

 

Set up rod / reel, thread line through rings

stand on or hold the end of the line and then lift rod up and put a good bend in it,

Set the drag on the reel so that it is just starting to give line at that point!

This should mean that the reel will give line for you at the point where your rod is about to "lock up"

 

I find playing a fish using the cluch on the reel a lot easier than trying to backwind at the right time/speed, a properly set drag should give the right amount of line for you at the right time, and makes the fish work for every inch of line it gets! Remember to slacken the drag to compensate if you change to a lighter hooklength, and it can also be helpful to slacken the drag a click or two when trying to net a fish, as when you are on a very short line a sudden lunge or roll from a fish can cause the line to snap.

 

Mat

[GlennB]

It spirals when backwinding when nothing on the end (fish). .....

 

This could be the source of the prob.

Nothing wrong with backwinding to play a fish, but why are you backwinding when there's nothing on??

This will just create a lot of slack line around the spool which is virtually guaranteed to tangle.