Why do I keep tangling my reel

[chavender]

there are several ways too set the drag/clutch on a fishing reel some are scientiffic some erm arn't

 

 

 

if some go for a more 'scientific' style approach.

 

 

what like this: {dead lift}

to Set the drag at 20-25% of the b/s of the line, so with 6lb line set the drag to 1.25-1.5lb. To set precisely, put the weight required in a carrier bag, and water in plastic bags is perfect, as you know that 1pt weighs 1.25lb, 1 litre weighs 2.2lb, you can take it from there. Thread the line through the guides, screw the drag tight, tie the bag to the line and lift from the ground. Once suspended, reduce the drag until it starts to yield line, then tighten slowly until it JUST clicks once. You can then be entirely confident that it is impossible to be broken by a fish. You will need to pump and wind when playing fish, to ensure you don't wind against the drag, and to exert pressure to net the fish, simply put your second finger against the spool lightly. That will almost double the pressure.[i don't always use this method]

 

or this way:{sprung out}

sometimes i did it like this,say i have 8lb line on 1 of my reels i have set it as follows. i tied the line to a small weighing scales and pulled till just befor it reaches the 8lb marker on the scales i then turned the knob anticlock wise so that line started to come off the reel but stoped when line came off with 7.5lbs of pressure sometimes i have less pressure so line comes off at about 6lbs

 

or the not so scientific:{tugg & hold}

tie your line to someting solid and lock up your drag tight then apply as much pressure to your rod till its bent right over to breaking point or better still it locks up (its reached its max point of bending),then adjust the drag untill you get some give (deflection) in your rod,then its a matter of how much deflection you want ( when you want too give line ) the more deflection the sooner line is given.[not the best way,for Me as i can be a little heavy handed..been known to break rods doing it this way !]

 

or the firmness test:{firm pull}

grab the line between the spool and but ring and give a tug and adjust the drag to your personal preference/strength

[actually works quite well for me,experiance will tell whats enough]

 

actionman way:{whirlybird way}

set the drag,don't bother drags are for wimps ,real men backwind !! [ i do backwind a lot and do so in conjunction with some of the methods above]

 

 

 

 

i hope this helps

[kempo]

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

 

back winding is by far the best way to play fish as that is the way the line was loaded onto the real,

you didn't turn the spool to load the line you wound the line round the spool so using the clutch will cause more tangles and line spin in the long run on finer lines.

 

 

there is a good reason for some reels to tangle on the back-wind and that is the guide ring on the bail-arm is not fixed it actually spins, try super-gluing this guide to stop it spinning and see how you get on.

[Newt]

"back winding is by far the best way to play fish"

Certainly back winding is A way to play fish but I think the jury may still be out on it being the BEST way.

 

"the guide ring on the bail-arm is not fixed it actually spins, try super-gluing this guide to stop it spinning"

This one has me really confused kempo. Maybe if I used the backwind I would understand but .... could you explain in more detail please?

[GlennB]

I think it's fair to point out that the original post related to backwinding with no fish on. Still can't understand why you might want to, but anyhow ....

 

How is a fixed bailarm roller or rolling bailarm roller going to make a difference? A fixed roller will warm up the line a little through friction, but isn't the line going back on the same either way?

 

And what if you have a serious fish tearing off quicker than you can backwind? Just let go? Or rely on the clutch setting as a backup?

[ayjay]

there is a good reason for some reels to tangle on the back-wind and that is the guide ring on the bail-arm is not fixed it actually spins, try super-gluing this guide to stop it spinning and see how you get on.

 

Bale arm rollers are there for a purpose, they help to protect the line when reeling in under any sort of pressure. Fix them only if you want to unneccessarily weaken your line and have to change it more often.

 

 

Slack line is the main cause of any problems Ali is experiencing, lack of familiarity with the tackle is the other main reason.

 

Give it another couple of sessions Ali and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

[Dick Dastardly]

Actualy Kempo makes a good point.For years reel manufacturers tried to perfect a bail arm roller that actualy rolled! they thought this was the answer to line twist.Once engineering levels were high enough to produce this they found that on many reels and in many situations (ie backwinding) a rolling line roller actually made things worse!

 

The subject of line twist can be very technical i will post a link to a recent thread where a couple of experienced anglers who are also engineers discussed this.

Edited July 23, 2006 by BUDGIE

[kempo]

Actualy Kempo makes a good point.For years reel manufacturers tried to perfect a bail arm roller that actualy rolled! they thought this was the answer to line twist.Once engineering levels were high enough to produce this they found that on many reels and in many situations (ie backwinding) a rolling line roller actually made things worse!

 

The subject of line twist can be very technical i will post a link to a recent thread where a couple of experienced anglers who are also engineers discussed this.

 

thanks for explaining that,

i dont know why it spins myself but gluing the guide ring stopped it and that comes from a very well known angler.

if that was bad to have a fixed runner like all my reels have then why not have a running guide on the top eye of all rods and not just some sea rods.

it is all to do with weight and line diameter which fresh water anglers should rarely be using i suppose.

 

the clutch is ok on thicker lines but finer lines i would much rather back-wind as it does tend to twist the line and cause it to spring.

you are prone to twist either way but i just find that back-winding was that bit better for me,

the other reason i thought of is that if you are retrieving your tackle on a high ratio reel at a fast rate of speed with no tension on the line ie: no fish on, and no swivel this would also cause the line to start to twist badly. the clutch scenario was not the main reason for line twist i suppose its more of a preference for me,

but that with the running guide, a fast retrieve on a high ratio reel and no swivel could be your answer.

Edited July 24, 2006 by kempo

[kempo]

ps i am talking match fishing here and not carp or pike ie the rod is always in my hand and never on a rest.

 

intresting read here. http://digitaldagger.com/reels/daiwa/twistbuster.html

 

Your Line is Twisted

Let's talk about line twisting. Most of line twisting on a spinning reel is caused by rotor rotation when rolling up the line which is wound into the line roller. As a result, nesting (hair ball) and line entangling to the guide or rod tip, declining of a casting distance, breaking of a line, and other numerous problems occur. This is because the line itself would end up rotating on top of the line roller when the line travels on the device. Another cause is the fact that the rotor's rotation would twist the line with it

Edited July 24, 2006 by kempo