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What is the purpose of the spinning reels roller bearing? Is it to smooth out the drag or to prevent line twist? Every time I throw light lures with little drag in the water my line gets twisted up. I was thinking that no resistance on the roller bearing causes the line to skip across the roller without rolling it and that is the reason for the line twist. It only happens with light lures such mini rattle traps.
any ideas?
thanks
First I'd check and see if it's spinning, could have gotten some dirt or grime in it. It's one of the few places that folks forget to put a drop of oil on when they clean their reels, or after a long day of fishing. You could also check your line, never can tell even with a new spool how long it sat on the shelf!!!
Fatman
IMHO -Quote:
Originally Posted by slimecoat
Many times it's the bait you're throwing, and how you're casting, that causes line twist. The baits "spin" during the cast ... and we're so concentrated on "where" we're trying to place the lure, that we don't always notice it. A smooth action overhead cast, or sidearm cast, will generally not create much "spin" on a lure. But, a quick flick wrist snap cast can ... simply from the dynamics of the action of such a cast. Taking the lure off the line, and dragging the empty line behind a idling boat for a few minutes (about twice the length of a normal cast's distance) will remove the twist. Retie & continue with your fishing.
The roller bearing has nothing to do with twist ... creation or prevention. It is, as you say, to smooth out the line gathering/retrieval process. Even if it doesn't spin, the line simply slides right over it and onto the spool .... whether it's under tension, or being loosely gathered. You just notice the twist, more, when there's less tension on the line ... because the line twist is able to "show itself", when there's little tension on it. The line is trying to "untwist" itself, and with little to no tension to keep it "tight" ... it's going to manifest itself in the loops & snarls that you're experiencing.
... cp
The purpose of the roller is to keep braided line from cutting into the line guide on the bail.
If you are turning the handle on your reel to close your bail that will add line twist to your line each and every time you close your bail. Get use to closing the bail with your hand. Throwing a lure it is to easy to cast and start reeling right away instead of closing the bail by hand first. EB
Hey Beav .... I'm not so sure that's true. Since the bail acts independantly from the spool (bail circles the stationary spool), and the line is loosely hanging off the spool (when bail is open) ... what would cause the line to get a twist imparted to it, by turning the handle to close the bail ? How would that differ from closing it by hand, since the line & spool don't move (in either case), and the bail doesn't move the line, but just circles it, until it's closed (in either case) ??Quote:
Originally Posted by Eager Beaver
IMHO ... in most cases, the line is already twisted, beforehand -- either by improper spooling, lure spin during cast, or lure spin during retrieve (snagged on line or debris) ... and closing the bail by cranking the handle, gets a bad rap from mere "guilt by association" with the gathering & line retrieval function it performs.
I can see where continuing to crank the handle, while a fish is pulling drag, can/will impart twist to your line ... since the line is being pulled off the spool at the same time the bail is trying to "wind" the line back on it (essentially working against each other). I'm just not so sure that auto-closing the bail (cranking the handle) is a factor in causing line twist.
Jerry Blake once made the statement that closing the bail, by cranking the handle, didn't impart twist to the line. I, like many others, had heard otherwise, so I tested his "theory". I saw no preceptable line twist caused by using the handle to close the bail. Granted, I only did a short "test" ... but, with a stationary lure (no added twist from spin) and multiple openings of the bail & letting line out, then cranking the handle to close the bail & retrieve the same length of line each time ... I could not detect any twist having been added to the line.
... cp
Line twist is just one of the "features" of spin reels. You can't avoid it. If you wound line around an arbor and pull it straight off, it's going to take a twist. If the bait twists due to being improperly tied then that could cause line twist too. If you continue to crank the handle while fighting a fish that's taking drag you'll twist the line some more. Best to untie and float about 30 yds of line behind a moving boat to let it relax and start all over freshly spooled.
This is what I have always been told Crappie, I think more so is if you turn the handle and not have the line tight will get loose line going on the spool, and then end up with a birds nest or a bunch of loose line coming off all at once. I always raise my rod tip as I am turning the handle at first just to keep the line tight on the spool. EB
Excellent point, EB !! Always be lifting the rod in an upwards direction, when engaging the bail. Helps when using a spincast reel, as well. Tension on the line, from the first revolution of the bail, will usually insure a better line wrap on your reel spool .. and that equates to less tangles & more fishing time. BUT .... if the line is already twisted, none of these tips will mean much until that twist is removed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eager Beaver
... cp