Back Lash

[mighty]

Can anyone tell me what is the best way to prevent back lash and tangles? I loose about 20min of fishing (when the bite is on) dealing with tangles and backlash. So someone please tell me how I can reduce this.

Thanx

[whizkids]

There was recent thread on this. Basically make sure the line is loaded properly to begin with. When you catch a fish don't continue to wind the handle if the drag is slipping. Every turn puts a loop in the line. Pull up the rod and wind it down, don't just wind. Make sure the jig or whaterever you are using comes straight in on the retrive and is not doing loops in the water. Make sure the line guide turns freely and rotates as you wind in line. Buy and use a can of reel magic. It helps keep line flexible in cold weather. If you do this WM line should perform as well as any line in it's price range.

[CrappiePappy]

don't use heavy line on small reels -

close a spinning reel's bail by hand, not by cranking the handle -

don't fill the line spool up to the edge -

jigs will spin, in the air, on many of your casts ... so, periodically remove jig and troll about 75-100ft of empty line behind moving boat (like when slowly motoring to another spot or idling thru a long no wake zone), then retie jig.

once you cast a jig out, and it has landed in the water, don't just close bail and start retrieving - check line spool for loose line or loops & lift rod as you close the bail, to pull those loops & loose line out. Then make sure there is some tension on the line, as you start your retrieve.

bad tangles, knots, and birdsnests in your line will weaken it ... don't try and pull them free - it's better to cut that off and start fresh. Carry a spare spool of line, or a spare reel spool (already spooled with line), for those times when you've had to remove more than 1/3 of the line on your reel.

Remember - your line is the only thing between you and the fish ! ...........luck2ya .......cp

[mighty]

Thanx fellas

Good fishing and happy holidays

[Eager Beaver]

Can anyone tell me what is the best way to prevent back lash and tangles? I loose about 20min of fishing (when the bite is on) dealing with tangles and backlash. So someone please tell me how I can reduce this.

Thanx

You back lash because you get excited when the bite is on and try to take short cuts in the do's and dont's and hurry to get the fish off and to cast again. You don't make sure your line is tight before you reel the line back on after the cast. You probably turn the handle to trip the bail instead of tripping it by hand. That will twist the line and cranking the handle while the fish is pulling line off of the reel. These all add to the loops we get in the line on the reel. We are all guilty of doing this when the bite is really on. The only way to prevent this is to not get excited while Crappie Fishing. Ya right! like that is possible. If we didn't get excited we wouldn't be Crappie fishing. I have several rods ready and handy. If I get a professional over ride I lay the rod down and pick up another one and keep fishing. When the action slows down I will then take care of the reel.

[crappieseeker]

crappiepappy had two of the best things I would have mentioned. Too much line and closing the bail by hand.

[Ranger690]

Why does closing the bail by hand give better results than the reel handle?

Dayton

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Reel Magic is a must-it will sure save you some headaches!!!

[CrappiePappy]

when you close the bail, by turning the handle, you put a twist in the line ... since the bail will turn a portion of the way around the spool before engaging (closing) and starting to replace the line back on the spool. It also allows loose line to be gathered up and placed back on the line spool.
Closing the bail by hand, will usually negate that one extra twist ... by simply starting the line off, in the roller cam, before the bail starts moving and placing the line back on the spool. It also helps direct your attention to the reel's line spool, so that you might see/detect any loose line or loops that are present ... before you start your retrieve. That's where lifting the rod, as you manually close the bail (or just afterwards), will help pull loose line away from the spool ... putting tension on the line, and causing it to slip into the roller cam groove. Lifting the rod, at this point, will also help set the rod into the proper position for retrieval, hook setting, line watching, and jig depth control.
Spinning reels, by their design, coil and uncoil line onto the line spool. The line spool is sideways to the incoming line, and is wrapped around the line spool by a rotating bail. Think of a "spinning wheel", and how it spins fibers into thread ... (it "twists" them) -- a spinning reel functions much the same. And unless you can cast a bait that stays perfectly still during its flight, you will impart a certain amount of twist in the line, on every cast. Closing the bail, by turning the handle, just adds one more twist to the line. That's why it's prudent to periodically remove your bait from the line, and use some "untwisting" method to straighten the line back out. .........cp

[whizkids]

Can anyone tell me what is the best way to prevent back lash and tangles? I loose about 20min of fishing (when the bite is on) dealing with tangles and backlash. So someone please tell me how I can reduce this.

Thanx

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I assumed as did most of the others that you were speaking of an open face reel. If you want to virtually eliminate the problem buy a Zebco 33, pair it with a rod of the proper action ( hard to find UL rods for push button reels) spool it with 4 lb test and most of your problems will vanish. I have been doing it that way for 40 years. I have about 25 open face reels. I try not to cast crappie jigs rigged with plastic that tends to spin with any of them.