The Care and Feeding of the Dreaded Spinning Outfit
September 29, 2009
The genesis of this article began one Saturday in the Bass Pro Shops in Memphis, Tennessee where I was doing tank and floor seminars with my daughter and tournament partner, Meredith.
Meredith has long been a fan of spinning tackle for certain applications, and is absolutely deadly with it when rigged with a Carolina rig. She is also quite comfortable with it in other configurations, from saltwater tackle for big bull dolphin, down to five foot ultralights and diminutive crankbaits for yellow bass and bluegill. I am addicted to them as well for shakey head worms, swimming grubs, and my current fascination, drop-shotting.
There are always at least three spinning outfits tucked away, rigged and ready, in my BassCat Puma, and when Mer joins me, the number usually doubles. Needless to say, fishing with spinning tackle always gets lots of “talk time” when we are presenting seminars.
During the course of this particular Saturday afternoon, not very long ago, we heard more than once—“Why, I don’t even own one of those @$%#-ing spinning reels.”
“I hate the durn things.”
“Don’t like ‘em, won’t fish with ‘em.”
And of course, there is the perennial “fairy wand” or “wimp stick” comment. I’d heard enough of these comments that I decided to start asking for explanations behind the dislike.
What I learned that afternoon, and in many sessions since, is that most of the discomfort/dislike for spinning tackle is caused by three main issues:
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Problems with line twists—aka “windknots” in the line
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Failure to understand how to properly cast and use a spinning reel
• Compatibility with fishing style—or the preference to use only “power” techniques to fish
So, I have made it a mission to help folks understand that spinning tackle, just like flipping sticks and cranking rods, have a real place in a serious fisherman’s arsenal, and in fact for some applications, will simply do things that baitcasting tackle will not accomplish effectively.
WindKnots
Windknots are what I’ve labeled the loops of line that spring off a spinning reel spool when you open the bail, seemingly without warning, and which then seem to take on a life of their own. Windknots are caused by one thing—LINE TWIST. However it gets there, this is the root cause. If you have no line twist, you will not have loops of line jumping off the reel.
Line twists are most often generated the moment new line is put on a reel. Most anglers simply run a pencil or some sort of rod through a filler spool of line and wind away until the reel spool is “full”. That approach works fine for a baitcaster, since the reel spool revolves in the same axis as the filler spool, so round loops come off the filler spool to lay neatly on a smaller, but still round, reel spool.
A spinning reel spool, while round, never turns. All spinning reels have fixed spools—they stay in place, while the bail and roller assembly distribute line up and down the fixed arbor of the reel. So, you have a rotating filler spool in one axis, with a rotating bail roller wrapping line 90 degrees opposite the direction of the flow from the filler spool.
For every turn of the bail around the reel, you add a slight twist to the new line. Think about how many partial twists occur while putting new line on a reel spool with a capacity of 100 yards or more!
The solution to this problem is simple: lay the filler spool on the floor, usually label face down, so that the line coming off the spool feeds onto the reel spool in the same direction. You can check this by visually confirming that the bail of the reel is rotating in the same direction as the line coming off the filler spool.
You also check by winding on 10-12 turns of line, and then dropping the rod tip toward the spool. If the lip twists as your drop the tip, you have line twist. Turn the spool over and try again. One way or the other will eliminate filler spool twists.
Improper Use
Improper use—AKA—“Cockpit Trouble”. An old Air Force crew chief once related to me in a story, “Son, ain’t nothing wrong with them airplanes—just cockpit trouble”. I never forgot that statement, and it applies here. There is nothing wrong with the reel, just how it is being handled.
At least 90% of anglers I talk to about spinning tackle, and 99% of those who are just learning, will end the cast with spinning tackle by turning the reel handle to close the bail. Yes, this work fine—TO CLOSE THE BAIL. But it causes all kinds of problems with loose line and line twists during a day’s fishing.
Every time you close the bail with the reel handle, you throw a loop or twisted, loose line onto the spool. It is there every time. Over a few hundred casts, you are well on your way to the angler’s version of the Gordian Knot. (Don’t bother looking that one up on a website for fishing knots—Start with Perseus and Greek mythology).
The correct way to cast and engage a spinning reel is as follows:
1. Start with the bail open and the line on your index finger.
2. Make your cast, but DO NOT close the reel bail by turning the handle, instead--
3. Use the index finger of your casting hand to stop the line—just pin the line against the rim of the spool.
4. Use your off hand, the one that cranks the handle, to manually close the bail, by pulling it back in place.
Do this every time, and you will eliminate the vast majority of line twist problems that plague the user of spinning tackle.
(Proper credits here—I didn’t figure out the steps above—the great angler and gentleman, Hank Parker, showed them to me during a seminar in Nashville, TN years ago. Watch Hank today. This is how he does it, every time)
It Ain’t Bubba Tackle
No, not in the traditional sense. And, with the quality of MH to Heavy baitcasting outfits available today, I’m not sure that you want it to be. But to the guys who say, “I ain’t fishing with that stuff”, I’d like to point out that one of the most famous stringers of tush hog toad bass ever to be caught out of Lake Eufaula, back in her glory days, was caught by Tom Mann and David Lockhart, using 7’ Eagle Claw spinning rods and Mann’s Little George lures.
Then there are the massive strings of smallmouth that are surrendered by Lake Erie to the deadly drop shot rig; five fish limits over 25 pounds, and let’s not forget KVD on Lake Lewisville, TX a couple of season’s back. Seems like that one was over 11, on a shakey head and spinning tackle. Don’t know about the tackle, but a bass in double digits makes my “Bubba list” every day, all day.
I’m not saying, or even suggesting that spinning tackle is the best tool for cranking deep divers, flipping grass, or ripping lipless baits, but modern tackle will handle big fish, and it will open up big fish techniques that simply don’t work as well on baitcasting tackle.
Dropshotting (and I use 10# line and 3/8 oz Quick Drop weights on mine), swimming grubs, and working shakey head worms on 1/8 to 3/8 oz heads are all examples of lure presentations that are maximized with spinning tackle, and that have and will produce big fish.
Final Thoughts and Suggestions
-- Consider braided line—in 20 to 50 pound tests, it is ideal for spinning tackle in big fish/heavy cover situations. It is dramatically less affected by line twist. It will not harm the reel or rod guides, but the feel and hooksetting improvement are amazing. Going to braided line on a Falcon Expert 6’10” spinning rod was critical to Meredith’s improvement in deep water Carolina rigging. She simply does not miss fish with this setup.
-- Select a larger reel—except for panfishing, all of my spinning reels are 3000 or 4000 series. NO, I don’t need that much line, but the spool is a larger diameter, which will 
significantly reduce line twist over time, because the loops of line around the spool are bigger. Think of it as coiling a garden hose around a hose reel versus a 50 gallon drum. You’ll get the idea. The bigger the reel spool, the less coiling of the line, and the longer you can cast.
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Take care with fluorocarbon line—it's a great addition to fishing, but it can be a demonic force on a spinning reel. ALL flouro line, I don’t care what brand, is more wiry and stiffer than mono, and can become almost unmanageable to a less than experienced angler on spinning tackle. At a minimum, use 10# line or less, do not fill the spool as full of line (leave more clearance at the spool lip) and spray the line with the KVD Line and Lure Conditioner. This is, by far, the best line treatment for fluoro line on the planet.
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Avoid lures that must be cranked—any lure that is worked by reeling it steadily, such as a lipless crankbait, spinner bait, and most especially the inline spinner lures, will eventually create twists in spinning line, simply because the bail is rotating under pressure while retrieving the line.
If the lure twists or spins on retrieve, (like a floating worm, or soft plastic jerkbait) the problem is magnified. You can reduce the impact by using a snap swivel between the lure and line, but it will not totally eliminate the problem. This is an example of where the tool is not the best alternative for the job at hand.
-- Troll your line naked—NO, NO, NO! Keep your clothes on, but cut all the lures and terminal tackle off the line, strip out about 10-15 feet, crank the engine, and begin a slow troll, just above idle speed. Let the line peel off the reel, and allow it to drag in the water, with the rod tip just above the surface.
Four to five minutes of this and you’ll be able to wind a limp, untwisted line back on the reel spool. It won’t work indefinitely, but it will get you a few more trips between line changes.
Well I’m done, and if you’re not an improved spin fisherman, or at least one who is now able to combat some of the “spin-gremlins”, I guess I can’t help you. But, when you see me on Pickwick, with a big ole upset bass tuggin’ on the end of my dropshot rig, or trying to shake the jighead out of its jaw, don’t hate me for it. I did my best to “un-Bubba” you.
Remember to take a kid fishing—I did 17 years ago, and it was the single best thing I’ve done with my fishing!