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Reely Speaking? by Steve Chaconas Putting Monofilament Line on Your Fishing Reel Care of Rod Guides and Fishing Line Types of Rods and Reels Choosing the Right Fishing Pole

Reely Speaking?
by Steve Chaconas

The most common question about casting reels is, “Why use them over spinning reels?” There are several reasons, but primarily they handle heavier lines, (up to 30 pound test), and can be cast well. Heavier and longer casting rods are built for specialty techniques: worms, jigs, frogs, Carolina rigs, punching mats, senkos, spinnerbaits, top waters, cranking and more. One thing they have in common is that the reels are on the top of the rod, making presentations more ergo dynamic. Meaning, by palming the reel, anglers have a pivot point allowing better hooksets and rod maneuvering while working lures or landing fish. Casting reels though offer casting precision allowing your thumbs to control entry and distance. Finally, casting reels offer speeds nearly a third faster than spinning reels.

Some pros fish spinning reels with their right hand, holding the rod in their right hand, and fish bait casting reels left-handed, holding the rod in their left hand while fishing. Looking back to the mid 70's, all casting reels cranked with the right hand so fishermen learned to “fish” left handed. Casting right handed, they transferred the rod to their left, where subtle skills of lure presentation, hook set and angling were performed with their “off” hand! Nowadays, many reel companies offer left hand cranking reels making it easier for right-handed anglers to remain right handed. Consider staying with your natural hand when shopping for casting reels.

Before you shop, “put on the brakes”, whether magnetic and/or centrifugal. For braking systems, the debate continues. Centrifugal brakes is a system of internally adjusted plastic brakes sliding on spokes to apply pressure onto a braking drum. At the beginning of a cast, brakes apply more pressure. The tension adjustment knob on the handle side slows the reel altogether. To adjust a reel before casting, try to cast free spool then adjust tension, and then add 2 brakes. Brakes are inexpensive to replace. Magnetic brakes are adjusted externally.

How many bearings? Most quality reels have three bearings on the spool, one on the main drive shaft and one on the worm gear. The anti-reverse bearing is usually the +1 in most reels, totaling six bearings. One more on the spool or crankshaft and four for the handle total eleven, probably the most needed. Is this many bearings really necessary? It might be if you want the smoothest retrieve possible! These handles drive up the cost but make winding all day easier!

Infinite or non-infinite anti reverse? Most reels have infinite anti-reverse. The non-infinite anti reverse has many disadvantages but one big advantage - handles that rotate a ¼ turn backwards before engaging, transmitting cover and the lightest fish bites for a complete feel in the handle, particularly with crankbaits! Infinite anti reverse provides no feedback in the handle, requiring the angler to rely on the rod. Infinite anti reverse provides instant hooksets, jigs, worms, etc.

When Shimano decided to revamp what many pros call “the best reel ever made”, the old green Curado, it opened doors for fishermen to check out other reels and for manufacturers to offer major changes and improvements. One of the first was the “made in the USA” Ardent. Ardent made a major improvement in one of the critical areas for loose tolerances. Brake drums were traditionally enclosed in the side plate…fairly tight but not good enough for Ardent. They constructed the brake drum into a fixed part of the frame, never moving! Also a lighter magnesium frame and ergonomic design ensures fatigue-free fishing. 10 stainless steel ABEC ball bearings produce incredibly smooth retrieves and quality components ensure durability. One neat feature, the reel foot is replaceable! Often these are part of the frame and when they break, there goes the reel! This one comes with a 3 year, “no questions asked” warranty and designers are always looking for ways to improve parts! Ardent's Reel Butter Oil and Reel Butter Grease are top-rated synthetic lubricants. The North American Fishing Club awarded the XS1000 with their prestigious seal of approval and over 55 top rated professional and amateur tournament anglers, including B.A.S.S. Elite Series Professional Alton Jones, fish the XS1000. Retails for $269.99.

The SuperCaster from U.S. Reel is very different! Line comes off the bottom of the spool, revolving in the same direction that the handle turns. Line also stays in the same plane as the rod line guides, eliminating line slap on the blank as it runs to the first guide. Don't look for a typical line guide though - SuperCasters have a level wind guide that does not constrict the line through a little hole! The line is free to leave the spool, resulting in longer, easier casts! It has centrifugal brakes and the level wind can be out of the way completely, or just barely touching the line, to slow it. This is a VERY easy reel to cast even into wind or with light lures!

Other cool innovations in these reels includes the way gears are placed and the drag system, but it's all about casting with this reel! The SC1000 has only 3 bearings, but don't let that fool you! This is a smooth reel opting for anodized aircraft aluminum for internal main gear and an aluminum body. Faster than many reels at 6.6:1, the SC1000 retails for $199.95.

Quality reel maker Pinnacle's flagship Scion Select X combines centrifugal and magnetic cast controls in an exclusive Tandem Cast Control (TCC). One external adjustment dial and you're set! In action, TCC makes casting easy, keeping backlashes under control without impeding distance. The rigid one-piece aluminum frame and side cover prevent torque, maintaining perfect gear alignment. As you would expect with a top of the line reel, there are ten stainless steel bearings (9BB, 1 roller bearing) and brass gears. This model also boasts a high speed, 7.0:1. Retails for $199.99

With Kevin VanDam and other top pros on staff, Quantum continues to enhance its reel line up! Quantum's latest low-profile offering is the Tour Edition PT. Quantum built this series from scratch and reworked the frame with new materials to make it smaller and probably the lightest (7.5 ounces) all metal reel on the market, and 7.0:1 fast! The V-spool design allows thin diameter lines to line up evenly! A huge advantage with super lines, keeping line payout even during the cast and putting it back on just as evenly…with plenty of line capacity. An external ACS (adjustable centrifugal system) makes casting smooth for long distances and effortless for pitching. Quantum oversees the design and manufacture of their 11 bearings (10BB, 1 roller) to ensure long-lasting, smooth operation. With 4 of the bearings, the carbon fiber handle is as strong as stainless, resists bending and weighs less. A titanium finish keeps Tour Edition reels looking good while hard at work. Available in left or right hand retrieve, and lubed with Quantum Hot Sauce and grease for protection and performance. Retails for $259.95

Putting Monofilament Line on Your Fishing Reel

Most tackle stores are happy to spool up your reel, particularly those who have a line winding machine. If you have the time, and they have the quality line you want, let them do it.

When you're spooling up a bait casting reel, or any conventional reel, put a rod, or even a pencil, through the center of the line spool. Tie the line to the reel with a (Uni-knot or Arbor knot) clipping off the tag end. Snug the knot to the reel spool. One person should reel while another holds both ends of the rod, applying pressure as the line is reeled onto the spool. Fill to about an 1/8 inch from the spool's outer rim. Keep the line away from anything that could cause abrasion.

Use the same procedure with a spinning reel, but reel line so that it comes off the end of the spool. After 15 or 20 turns, if a twist occurs, turn the spool over and continue to fill the reel.

Monofilament will twist. If it happens while fishing from a boat, play the line out with nothing on the end, trolling behind the boat for about five minutes. It is also important to always use a ball-bearing swivel, which will reduce or eliminate line twist. Certain lures or bait tied directly to the line will invite twist. To compensate for this, try lighter line. Just for your own education and enjoyment, go down in line test. You will be surprised that you can catch big fish on line much lighter than you are presently using. It may take more patience and even a little more skill, but you will enjoy it. If fish stop biting, go to a lighter test. The thinner line may get them eating again. The thinner the line, the less likely a fish sees it.

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Care of Rod Guides and Fishing Line

Rod Guides - The guides on your rods must be checked and kept free of any abrasive areas. Pull a strip of pantyhose through the rod guides to check for snags, or a cotton tipped swab. Inspect them before and after each trip. When trolling, make sure the line is not wrapped around a guide.

Fishing Line - Always check the line for nicks or frazzles or areas of abrasion that will cause a weakness. After every fishing trip, or after playing out a nice fish, cut off approximately ten feet of line and retie, if you have reason to believe it may have been frayed. This is very important.

When fighting a decent fish, in fresh or saltwater, three things can happen: (1) the fish goes deep, pulling the line across rocks, logs or other hard objects, (2) the fish is big and the line will rub across its body or tail, and (3) other things, such as the boat, a jetty, surface objects or dock, or even other fish in the area, may bump into your line. All three factors will cause abrasion, eventually prompting the line to break. The easiest solution is to cut off the weak line and retie.

Quality monofilament that has not come in contact with the above items does not need to be totally replaced. (We have had saltwater charter boat captains catch over 20 Blue Marlin without re spooling new Ande monofilament.) So, if you check your reel's drag system, your rod guides and cut away line that may be damaged, we guarantee you will catch more fish.

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Types of Rods and Reels
courtesy of the Washington Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife

Spinning: Spinning rods and reels are very popular because they’re easy to use, allow long casts with light lures, and can be quite inexpensive. The first two or three line guides on a spinning rod are large, because the line “billows” off the end of the reel spool during the cast. To cast with a spinning reel, you open the wire “bail” that wraps line around the spool, holding the line with your index finger. Release the line as you move the rod forward and with a little practice you’re casting like a champ. Nylon monofilament line of 6- to 12-pound test works best on most spinning reels.

Spin-casting: Like a spinning reel, the spin-casting reel has a stationary spool, with line leaving and returning at one end of that spool. But the spool on the spin-casting reel is enclosed, so you can’t see it. The line is released by use of a thumb-button at the back of the reel.

Bait-casting: These reels differ greatly from both spinning and spin-cast reels because the spool sits perpendicular (cross-ways) to the rod rather than parallel to it. Because the spool moves during casting and retrieving, these reels are often called revolving-spool reels. Bait-casting tackle requires more practice, patience and skill than both spinning and spin-casting tackle, but once mastered, allows for pin-point casting accuracy and excellent line control when fishing and playing fish.

Fly-casting: As mentioned earlier, artificial flies are very light, making them virtually impossible to cast with most rods and reels. So fly casters use a special kind of line and a certain kind of rod that allow even the smallest of flies to be cast long distances. The line itself provides the casting weight, and the rod’s size and flexibility are matched to the line’s weight for best casting results. Fly-fishing line is thicker and more visible than other types of fishing line, so fly anglers use several feet of monofilament or other low-visibility material as a “leader” between the fly and the fly line.

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Choosing the Right Fishing Pole
by Bob Jensen, courtesy of the Fishing Wire by Berkley

The proper rod will help you present the bait and feel the fish eat your bait better, resulting in better catches.

Anglers are always in search of the perfect lure or the perfect fishing partner or the perfect body of water. You know, the lure that always catches fish or the partner that always lets you catch the most or biggest fish or the lake where the fish always bite. The truth is, those things don't exist. Just like the perfect fishing pole: There is no such thing. However, by considering how we do most of our fishing, we can come pretty darn close to finding a rod that will do an outstanding job most of the time. Here are some things to keep in mind.

If you go golfing, you don't take just one club. You have different clubs to perform certain tasks. Fishing is kind of the same way. You wouldn't use a light action jigging rod to pull planer boards, and you wouldn't use a planer board rod to present a tiny jig to panfish. It could be done, but you wouldn't be very efficient in your presentation and you probably wouldn't catch much.

Let's say that you fish mostly for walleyes. Walleyes are perhaps the most popular fish in the Midwest, and there are lots of ways to fish for them. We want to select one rod that will enable you to employ as many walleye techniques as possible. What would that rod look like?

First of all, we're going to want a rod that will enable us to jig. We'll be using sixteenth, eighth, and quarter ounce jigs the most.

Next, we want to be able to use live bait rigs, and slip-bobbers are something we throw out there every now and then also.

The proper rod will help you present the bait and feel the fish eat your bait better, resulting in better catches.And don't forget that we want to be able to use hard-baits, baits like Frenzy Firestick Minnows and Flicker Shad. Not the real big stuff, just the #5 and #7 sizes, the sizes that are most popular.

For most walleye anglers in the Midwest, jigs, rigs, slip-bobbers and smaller hard-baits make up most of their arsenal. For these techniques, a seven foot medium action rod would be a great choice. Some anglers might prefer to go the 6'6" route, and that would be good too. Seven foot rods are just a little more versatile and forgiving.

Now you need to determine how much money you want to spend on your rod. There's a pretty broad range when it comes to cost. For the most part, the more expensive rods will have better actions and sensitivity. However, you don't need to spend a ton to get a very nice rod. The new Fenwick Elite Tech Walleye rods are top-shelf but are reasonably priced. Fenwick HMG rods and Berkley Series One rods are also very nice. Berkley Tactix and Lightning Rods are an outstanding value. Shop around and you'll find something that fits your needs and budget.

Some folks say the fish don't care what rod you're using, they'll bite on a lure regardless of what it's attached to. That's true, but your ability to detect the strike, and your ability to present a lure is enhanced when you're using the appropriate rod. Next time you're in the rod-buying mode, consider how you will most be using that rod, and then select a rod that fits those needs. By doing so, you'll be able to come very close to selecting the perfect rod.

Watch all the 2009 episodes of Fishing the Midwest television on walleyecentral.com in the video section and on MyOutdoorTv.com.

--Bob Jensen
Jensen is host of Fishing the Midwest Television

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