FS Digest

Hello everyone. I am new to fishing and have fished almost every day since I got my new rod and reel. One problem that I am struggling with is that when I cast using my spinning reel, I get a ton of slack in the line, like enough to blow in the wind and rest on top of the water. Is this normal, or is there something that I could/should do about this? (I am using 8lb mono by spiderwire)

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by EnthusiastofAll

FS Digest

Reel it up

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by Schmidttitty

FS Digest

This is normal. The slack in the line is then the lure pulls the line off the reel. after the lure stops "hits the water" the line continues to come off the reel with momentum. When the lure hits the water you want some slack in the line so the lure will sink straight down. If it was tight the lure will sink and drift closer to you.

Also watch the slack line in the water before you tighten it. A lot of time if Bass fishing, it will pop or jump slightly. That is a bite as the lure sinks to the bottom.

Hope this helps.

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by Smith_Matt

FS Digest

Ohhh ok, thanks so much, wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong. I really appreciate the advice!

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by EnthusiastofAll

FS Digest

I'd add to this that if your line seems to just pile off your reel after the lure hits the water to the point that its getting tangled, that usually indicates that you have too much line on your spool and/or your line is twisted. This is something I used to struggle with when I first got into fishing. You should leave a small lip between the fill level and the edge of the spool.

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by _fnt_

FS Digest

Thanks! Luckily no tangles, I made sure to not overfill it.

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by EnthusiastofAll

FS Digest

Along with the lip, (need a boat or "moving water" at this point) you can just let out empty line (nothing tied off) into the current/wake and then reel it in. Takes out a ton of twist.

And people who say "braid doesn't have that problem", yea, -moderators must be professional- you. 6 days a week, couple hundred casts a day, 50-100'+ per cast... It was at least an every other day thing (some spoons, just don't give a damn. They spin instead of wobble, they spin the whole damn bearing set along with the line, instead of one side of the bearing.) I used to run my superslick8 out every other day (honestly, one of the few lines I haven't re-spooled every year) because it would put twists in your twists while reeling in. Always good to monitor your line.

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by JoatMasterofNun

FS Digest

Tight lines :)

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by MtnMaiden

FS Digest

To clarify his comment regarding bass. Really depends if you're fishing wacky, Carolina or Tex, Bottom bouncing, etc. I've almost never had a bass hit a crank bait when it hits the water.

Mind describing the rig you're running?

Wind can also pull off extra line, which is usually inconsequential but I've had it happen bobber fishing during hot crappie bites and I was probably sending out an extra 10+ feet to the wind so immediate bites I couldn't set due to excess slack.

It's really a situational thing.

If you're bobber fishing, try to time clapping the bail a moment or two before the bobber hits so tip to bobber slack is minimal.

If you're rigging (carolina, texas, bottom bouncing, crawler trawler, etc) it's not so bad, as it gives the lure space to descend without having to move towards you (and these are the moments you watch the loose line on the surface for that *bump* of line suddenly going. But, same bobber issue applies. Too much slack, no way to set (run octopus or circle hooks then, but still be fast about it to avoid a throat or stomach set - where the fish has swallowed the hook) in a timely fashion.

Personally, if I'm bottom rigging (Tex/Car/BB) in more than 10' of water, I try to catch the bail with minimal slack line (but without closing the bail) and instead using my hand to allow more loops out as it sinks. This gives you the plus of having immediate tension when needed, without worrying about where the wind blows. Like everything else, it's a learned style.

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by JoatMasterofNun

FS Digest

Hey man! Thanks for the great information! I am usually using a Texas-rigged worm. I will take your advice and try out what you said. Thanks again!

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by EnthusiastofAll

FS Digest

There are a few things you can do to reduce the extra slack. If you want to come up tight immediately, you can close the bail just before the bait lands. The bait will pull the line tight as its landing, useful for remain in contact with light sinking lures that can get hit on the fall.

Casting in a lower arc, like from the side instead of over the head can sometimes reduce the extra slack. Useful if you have to cast into the wind.

Mending the line is a way to remove the slack after its hit the water. After the slack settles, point your rod tip at it while reeling up a bit, then swing your rod up quickly. Bring the rod back down, pointing the tip away from the bow while you reel up the slack. Hopefully this straightens out the line a bit so you can feel whats happening faster.

Like others have said though, its normal and sometimes useful to have the slack and let the baits fall naturally.

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by lithofile

FS Digest

Awesome, thanks so much for the advice, I will try doing what you said!

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by EnthusiastofAll

luremin Loc: NEFL

Try stopping the cast about 2ft. From the water. Usually with a finger. I dont like engaging the bail with the handle. Ever.

Raw Dawg Ron Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Use floating line like a strike indicator and slowly reel up slack ready to set hook or just reel if circle hooks.

Old Goat Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I'm pretty new to spinning reels myself and catching the line has really helped me with the slack issue. Nice to see others have a similar approach. I had to start doing this when I switched to braid. Not completely used to how smooth the cast is and I tend to over cast.