Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:29 PM CDT
COLUMN: Put the right reel on that rod
By DAVE SHADOW, Outdoors columnist
This is sort of a follow-up to last week’s article on fishing rods and how important it is to select the right tool for the job. Once you’ve selected the right rod for the task, it is also important to pair it up with the proper reel so that you’ll have a workable combination.
Reels of hundreds of varieties line the shelves and glass cases of most sporting goods stores and tackle shops. Many of these are simply another manufacturer’s version of a similar product. Spitting the reels into three types of categories and then comparing the features will help take some of the confusion out of the selection process.
The three more common types of reels are the spin cast, the spinning reels and the bait-casters. Some of this titling is vague and misleading, so I’m going to describe each, with a basic description, and then explain some of the differences, advantages and disadvantages.
The spin-cast reel is the push-button type of reel which most newcomers or children start out with, and it is very serviceable for that purpose. The reel mounts on the top of the rod, and a right-handed fisherman would cast, then switch the rod to his left hand and wind the reel with his right hand. The line passes through an opening in the front of the reel and is wound onto a stationary spool using a “pickup pin” enclosed in the removable front cover of the reel. This winding action puts a twist in the line with each revolution of the reel. When a minimum of casting is done such as in crappie fishing, etc., this twist is not too much of a problem.
When casting a lot, such as in white bass fishing, this twist sometimes causes “birds-nest” problems inside the reel. Internal construction of these reels tends to be light, and the gearing and bearings will not normally support the catching of larger fish. While these reels are good learning tools, they are not usually satisfactory for the more dedicated angler.
The spinning reel may be familiar to those of you who watched your grandfather spool new line onto his reel and also to anyone familiar with the older salt-water and surf-casting rigs. These are sometimes called “open-face” reels. The reel mounts on the bottom of the rod, and a right-handed fisherman would cast, keep the rod in his right hand, and wind the reel with his left hand. This design incorporates a “bail” on the front which is opened for casting and returned to a closed position for retrieving the line. Again, the spool remains stationary and the bail revolves around it, spooling the line back on with each revolution. This design also tends to twist the line and results in the line jumping off the spool in a big mess periodically unless the line and lure are removed and the line is allowed to untwist periodically. The good aspect of spinning reels is the low friction design that allows small lures to be thrown with relative ease. These are usually the preferred rigs for white bass fishing and for other species requiring smaller baits, etc.
The bait-casting reel is a totally different animal than those reels described above. For many reasons it is the preferred tool for the dedicated angler of most any species that requires repeated casting. In design, the reel mounts on the top of the rod, with the line passing through a level-wind guide mechanism that puts the line uniformly onto a revolving spool. Since the spool revolves rather than the line being wound around the spool, this results in much less line twist and related problems. The right-handed angler will cast with his right hand and may switch the rod to his left hand for a right-handed reel or may retain the rod in his right hand and retrieve the line using a left-handed reel. This option if simply personal preference, and I use some of both right- and left-handed reels to ease the hand/arm strain during eight-hour tournaments. I also prefer a left-handed reel for my “pitching stick” so that I don’t get caught with a bite during the switching process. The “down-side” of bait-casters is the tendency to get loose line in the spool and/or “bird nests” and backlashes.
Everyone gets a bit of this problem periodically, but with a bit of perseverance and practice it is easily overcome. This “backlash” condition occurs when the spool gets to spinning faster than the line is leaving it. Cast controls and magnetic brakes ease this condition a bunch on modern reels.
I remember the first day I tried to use a bait-caster with great frustration. I had spent the rent money on the reel, much my to wife’s dismay, and I couldn’t get the hang of it at all. I was wishing there was some way I could get my money back. Just so I wouldn’t have to eat too much “crow,” I hid out in the back yard and practiced and practiced and practiced Not having an audience helped some, and reading the directions helped even more. Reading the directions on how to adjust the reel to ease these backlash conditions was the last resort, of course. Just when I had about run out line from cutting out the impossible backlashes, I started to get the hang of it. I will add however, this was many years ago, and the new reels are much easier to control.
The type of line used and the “weight” of the line also affect the problems and the relative ease of the above. Spin-cast reels work well with lighter-test monofilament line, and some spinning models are satisfactory using lighter monofilaments. Personally, I prefer Berkley Fire-line for both spinning and bait-casting applications. It is a thermal “super-line” which resists twist, has almost no memory and ties easily with good knot strength. Even though it is a bit more expensive initially, the longer life and better performance make it a better buy for me.
Usually the number of ball bearings is somewhat of a quality gauge for bait-casting reels, with the larger number being preferred ,of course. A lesser number of ball bearings on a decent quality brand name reel is still quite a satisfactory product for most weekend anglers. The magnetic brake control is a big marketing point from most manufacturers and may be a bit overrated. They do help control, but I would prefer a better quality reel without magnetic control to a poor quality reel with that feature. The proper amount of money to spend on your new reel is the “most that you can afford.” If it a choice of quality versus quantity, always stick with quality. I would prefer to own one good reel than six pieces of cheap junk that will only serve to provide frustration.
Lastly, select the reel with a retrieve ratio proper for each rod according to it’s purpose. The gear ratio is usually stamped on the side of the reel with an equation something like 7:1 or 5:1. This ratio is relatively simple and kinda like the differential ratio in your pickup truck For instance, a 5:1 ratio on your reel means that the reel spool will turn five revolutions for each turn of the reel handle and a 7:1 would turn the spool seven times for each revolution of the handle. That’s way too simple since it doesn’t actually relate directly to the work that the reel will actually do for you. If you take the above information and compare two reels with the same spool diameter, the comparison is correct. However if one has a 2-inch spool and the other has a 3-inch diameter spool, the results are fantastically different. Consider the information that tells you how much line is retrieved with each turn of the handle, also. In a practical sense, you want a higher gear number for fast moving baits like buzz-baits and Rattletraps and a lower gear ratio (with more power) for jigs and worms and other slower baits. Take all this into consideration when picking that new reel or ask an angler friend or an expert at your trusted Prairie Outfitter store for some advice.
Tournament results
Hawg-Dawg Bass Club
The club fished Lake Mattoon on Sunday with high and stained water conditions hindering the weigh-in. This didn’t hinder Sam Strader of Neoga, who showed up at the weigh-in with the only limit in the event. Sam’s five fish weighed in at 10.3 pounds, netting him the money pot and the Prairie Outfitters Award for the day. Second place, the “big bass” pot and the Driskell Bass Baits Award went to J.T. Garrison having three fish totaling 6.6 pounds. The ‘big bass” was 3.1 pounds. Don Martin, placed third, and John Garrison Sr. was fourth, each having three bass.
Lake Mattoon, July 5:
Eric Ballinger and Bob Beem took all the marbles with a total weight of 12.428 pounds, of which 4.77 was the “big bass” of the event. Second place went to Audrey and Gary Enyart with 11.462 pounds. Third place went to Dave and Dale Trigg.
Lake Mattoon, July 9:
Mike Black and Rob Carlson dominated this event, having the only five-fish limit and weighing in at 9.75 pounds. Eric Ballinger and Bob Beem placed second, having three fish and 6.20 pounds. “Big bass” went to the team of Pat and Wayne O’Dell at 3.75 pounds.
It’s faith, family and fishin’.
Dave Shadow is the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier’s hunting and fishing columnist.
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