Been having some issues with wind knots on my spinning reels. Trying to figure out why this is. Not sure if it is a issue with the newer line being to stiff yet. I use power pro on them. I know the knots happen when loose line gets reeled in while retrieving lures. Not much can be done to avoid this with the crank bait and jig pitching we do.
Have you guys noticed certain reels that are better for preventing wind knots? Any difference with using heavier line apposed to lighter?
I see a big difference depending on how I close my reel after making a cast. I usually drop a finger on the rod hand to “throttle down” the cast and slow it down, and then I use my left hand to feel for slack and close the bail. If I just start cranking and let the reel close the bail I end up with a lot more problems.
If you have the excellent DVD that James produced, “Mastering Plastics for River Walleyes”, there is one part of that presentation where Dustin Stewart demonstrates using the off hand to close the bail on your reel.
Rootski
I don’t know who started that about closing the bail with your other hand,,,but its a bunch of crap!
The bail does not touch the line until its closed (When you rotate the handle, OR when you close it by hand.) ITS THE SAME! See for yourself!
The problem can start when you first put the line on the reel.
The new spool of line should lay flat with the label up when you fill the spool on to the reel. Not with the spool rotating.
If you have any doubt, drag the line behind your boat at idle speed that you just put on, and then reel it back in.
99% of the time it (the loop) happens at the end of your cast when you are not focused on the reel, but what you are casting at.
To stop the wind knots, All you have to do is raise your rod tip and tighten up your line “Before” you rotate the handle to close your bail.
There is no need to close the bail with your other hand.
As long as you tighten up your line and get rid of the sag between the first guide and the reel,,,,,,,,you WONT get any wind knots……………………………
ITS THATS SIMPLE!
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To stop the wind knots, All you have to do is raise your rod tip and tighten up your line “Before” you rotate the handle to close your bail.
There is no need to close the bail with your other hand.
So basically the idea is to control slack at the reel, right?
This thread threw me when I first saw it. “Wind Knot” means a different problem to us fly fishermen.
Rootski
I think some of my issues are caused by new stiff line, over filling spools, fishing light lures, and the way I fish those lures. Lots of lifting and letting the jigs come to rest again which causes slack in the line. I dont not pay much attention to the spool while fishing. Well at least not until a wind knot come flying off the spool. Guess this has only become a issue as all of my reels got switched over to braid this year. Its not a huge issue either. Just thought I would see if this is happening to others and what they are found to help eliminate it.
I do close the bail with my hand. I think the normal action is to lift the rod tip and close the bail. Guess I have been doing this so long its just habit and dont pay attention to it.
“So basically the idea is to control slack at the reel, right?”
Yes, Your right. Between the reel and the first guide. Just lift your rod tip just before you close the bail.
Overfilling the spool will give you problems also, like Mike said. You cant put as much braid on a spool as you can mono.
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Overfilling the spool will give you problems also, like Mike said. You cant put as much braid on a spool as you can mono.
I learned that lesson the hard way while untangling more than my share of *@$^&)(#$%^ knots.
I do notice less line management problems on my Shimano Sustains compared to my Stradics and same goes for Stradics compared to my Symetres. Personally I can’t see how it can accomplish it, but it just does.
I swear you can spool line the wrong way, and this causes issues, not exactly sure how this happens, but if I get fresh spools of line that do this I like to just drop the line back in the current or slow troll the line without any lure or connectors well past the amount of line I normally use let it float that way for a minute or so, reel it back in, the the problems are for the most part better.
I’m a bit crazy about not overfilling my spools too.
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