Help on level-wind reels

[huntwriter]

I purchased a level-wind reel and find that I am having some difficulty casting with it. This is my first attempt at using a level-wind. As of this writing I am still practicing with it in my backyard. Any advice on casting techniques to avoid “birds nest” and backlashes would be greatly appreciated.
Or if anyone lives near Maple Ridge and would be willing to personally tutor me for an hour or so to get the basics down that would be very much appreciated too.

Thanks.

[Dirty]

Start short, meaning cast very small casts. Then work your way up. In addition, keep your thumb lightly on the spool at all times when starting. This way you can quickly stop the spool. Also there is an adustment knob on the side of the reel that adjusts free spool ie. more or less. Tighten it (do not over tighten) so that when you hold you rod up at about a 45 and take you thumb off the spool the weight coasts smoothly but not out of control to the ground. As you improve you can let the spool free wheel more and get better and further casts. Hope this stuff helps!

[srupp]

hmmm what model/make...for starters turn up the spool tension so the line comes off with "some " resistence..so that when you cast the drum/spool stops without the overspooling backlash...get used to "resting " your thumb LIGHTLY on the line on the spool..as the lure gets towards the end of the cast slowly and gently and SMOOOOTHLY keep adding thumb pressure to smoothly stop the spool and prevent over spooling and rats nests..

You will not get much distance at first keep practicing...15-18 pound test is best for "practice" easier to undo the mistakes..;-)

With some practice you can start removing the tension applied to the reel and just rely on your thumb for cast control..the further you want to cast means a harder 'swing" with the rod drastically increases line speed and hence speed of the spool so more thumb pressure is needed....

Some reels ..ie AMBASSADOR..has some great spool tension adjustments to help keep the reel speed in line with the weight of the lure...and prevent overspooling..

TIP;;;;;;; WITH THE LURE WEIGHT YOU DESIRE TO CAST..ADJUST THE TENSION SO WHEN YOU PUT THE REEL INTO FREE SPOOL TO CAST THE LURE JUST FALLS GENTLY TO THE GROUND WITH NO MORE THAN 1/2 REVOLUTION OF "OVERSPOOL " This is just holding the rod out parralell to the ground ..press the freespool lever/button and lett the lure fall freely to the gound..tension the spool to that 1/2 overspool with no intervention or stopping the reel or pressure..

With practice you can keep turning the tension off and nyour distance can increase while using just your thumb to prevent overspooling..

Cheers

Steven Rupp

Accurate reels

Canadian Rep. :cool:

[huntwriter]

Thank you all for your advice. I own the reel for two days now and have been practicing in my backyard. I am using targets (sheets of newspaper) to aim at.
I am very familiar with spin cast reels but thought that I wanted to try something different ones in a while.

I do use the thumb to feather the spool but I guess I have to practice a lot more to get the coordination of movement and thumb pressure ingrained in the brain. A bit like shooting a bow instinctively I guess. On the subject of feathering the spool, the little information I could find on the internet on that topic greatly varies in opinions.

Some advocate to feather by holding the thumb directly onto the reel (line), while others advocate to feather on the reel mound. The opinion is that if you feather on the spool only the line will be stopped/slowed down but the drum under the line still keeps moving.

What’s the opinion on that from the experts here?

I do not know what the brand of the reel has to do with it, other than is the case with all products, some are a little better than others. I purchased is the Okuma Induron ID 400LX. No particular reason for choosing the Okuma reel other than that I wanted a reel in an average price class and that that reel was available. My thinking was, why spend a lot of money on a high end quality/price reel without knowing if I like level-wind reels or rather would like to stick with spin cast reels.

Thanks again and please feel free to add more wisdon and advice that might be useful to me.

[moosecaller]

When you cast do not use a fast jerky type of cast a smooth/fluid motion is the way to get less backlash. Also with the braking system go a bit tighter than letting it fall slowly to the ground, set it up so when you tap the rod and the lure should drop 5-8 inches and then stop. Once you get better at "feeling" the spool speed and when to slow it just before it hits the water you can back off slowly on the brake and rely more on your thumb pressure. It takes many practice casts to get good with them but once you get the hang of it you will not go back to a cooffee grinder.

[huntwriter]

Thanks Moosecaller I appriciate your valued advice and tips.

[lip_ripper00]

All good advice, on more thing you might try is going to a field, start short and go longer and longer casts, long smooth motion. When you cast longer it gives you time to watch the spool, as soon as the weight hits the ground stop the spool with your thumb. Have fun

[Phreddy]

Set the spooling drag to the point where itjust barely starts spooling when you release the trigger. All of the above advice is good aswell, but the spooling drag set properly saved me a nervous breakdown years ago.

[huntwriter]

Again thanks for the valuable advice given here. I practice in my backyard where I can cast 50ft if I get to that point.


The advice given here. has applied to my set up and practice, has already shown 70% improvement today.

I am proud to a member of the HBC community, by and large you all come through with advice and information if needed and asked for. Thank you.

[Bpower]

Don't expect to have to cast the length of a football all the time. If you have too much line out you will not be able to have a good hook set when you have a fish on so most of your casts shouldn't bee too long. You don't really want a bunch of slack line sitting in the water between you and your gear since the current (assuming you are river fishing) will wreak havoc on your presentation

Light weighted gear is hard to cast with a bait casting reel so start with something a bit heavier. Don't expect to be profficient casting light spoons and jigs off the bat. Start with maybe a piece of pencil lead about 2" long or a bouncing betty for practice. This way you can set your cast control a little tighter but still get a bit of distance with your casts.

Try short back hand casts with feathering with you thumb the whole time. You will end up using this type of cast quite often and it isn't too hard to do once you get the knack of it.

I think most of us get the odd rat's nest no matter how experienced so get good at fixing them also. Try not to spool out a bunch of line when you get one on dry land and use the current if you can to take the excess line, it will be much easier to respool the line without getting tangles.

[NaStY]

All the above info will be very helpful for you but no one has said,

Make sure the line on your real in tight (but not too tight) Try not to get to used to big lead as the rivers around here will only require very small amounts, unless your bottom bouncing. I only use 3 split shot on my setup. Make sure the drag bushings for your spool are setup properly as well. On most reals they are little plastic ? that contacts the spool while casting. That will help allot. Lastly make sure your spool drag is set. So much to consider when your new at it. I would be happy to go over it if you ever make your way out to Abbotsford.

[sealevel]

And unless i missed . your line should be good quality limp flexable line. Some of that cheep stiff line don`t cast worth a dam.

[huntwriter]

BPower – Thank’s for the advice. I am not expecting to cast the length of a football field. I am aware of the problems that to much line can cause on the river. Most of my fishing is done on rivers.

At the moment I am not attempting to do any fishing with the level wind reel until I am absolutely confident with it.

All great advice that I will bear in mind.

Nasty5000 – I spooled the line just a little tighter than I would on one of my spinning reels. When I set the reel up I followed the instructions provided. The shop set me up with a heavy ball attached to the line to practice. I have since replaced that ball with a 1oz teardrop sinker and that seems to work much better for me.

Sealevel – Many years ago I learned the lesson of using cheap stiff line the hard way. Since then I use quality line and life got so much easier. Recently I have grown quite fond of braided line. The level wind reel is loaded with Spiderwire Ultracast.

[Krico]

Another vote for quality line. My favourite is Maxima Ultragreen-very limp, good stretch and abrasion resistant.

Anytime I'm on an extended trip, I always bring along an extra spool of line, just in case...

[115 or bust]

everything they said plus with level winds you almost always get exactly what you paid for and if you get a cheap one (I don't even like ambassadeurs) you will pay the price in cursing and pulling out birdsnests.

Also when you get a birdsnest pull the line off till it gets stuck then grab the loop thats stopping the line thats almost always the one that will unravell the mess.

[BlacktailStalker]

Best use I ever got out of a level wind was a shimano catala that I threw in one of those rubbermaid containers a guy keeps full of junk in the basement.
Some people love 'em and others hate 'em. I hate 'em.
I should add that I often found it was most important to find the right weight (pencil lead) to free spool ratio adjustment for casting.
Also its better to have your cast fall short by braking with your thumb than to overspool, creating that ever so frustrating birds nest.
The finer the main line you use, the less the resistance of the mono on the rod guides, also the easier the momentum of the cast straightens out the unavoidable memory coils as it comes off the spool.
I found that you couldnt use less weight with better results as you sacrifice casting distance for a delicate presentation (slow water, clear conditions) something I find isnt acceptable for successful steelie fishing (which is what I used a level wind to start out with)

So for me and those reasons, single action all the way baby !

[huntwriter]

Thanks guys will keep your advice in mind. Due to long working hours and packing for our upcoming move to Merritt I had very little time to practice with the new reel.

I paid near 200 dollars for the reel so it should be of a better quality that a 90 dollar.;)