This week is for folks new to fishing and we want to explain reels and the importance of different fishing line. Some will say, the more expensive the reel, the farther it will cast, they are smoother and retrieve better. This is not always true. You might also hear, more ball bearings a reel has the better it is. Again, this is not true. Its more about what the bearings are made of that makes the difference. FACT, a reel with 2 stainless steel bearings will last longer than a reel with 4 to 6 brass bearings. You might see a (1) after the number of bearings, and this indicates that reel has an anti-reverse bearing also. Then, the speed of your retrieve is determined by the reels gear ratio and the size of the spool. Here is an example, 5.3 means the spool turns 5.3 times to every turn of the handle.

There are basically three reels for freshwater fishing. The SPINCAST reel I would say by far is the easiest to learn and the least expensive on the market. These are closed face and are positioned on top of the rod, there also is a closed face underspin that is obviously attached under the rod and to cast you push a button or trigger to release the line. This type of reel is easy to cast, made for light line/lures, can out last other reels by many years, but because the drag system sucks, are not good for catching large fish. SPINNING reels are probably the most popular, are open faced and are mounted under the rod. I would say without a little practice, casting and accuracy and line twist/bird nesting could happen. These reels can hold more line and will cast farther and smoother than a spin cast reel. The last is the BAITCASTER that is mounted on top of the rod and is the most difficult reel of the three to learn. When casting you push the thumb tab to put the spool into the free spin mode, and because the reel spins faster than the line coming off, you have to keep enough pressure (thumb on top of the line) to avoid backlash/nasty bird nest. With this type of reel, never use light tackle.

Now for the three common lines used on those reels. MONOFILAMENT is a single strain line made of nylon/nylon alloys and spun into different diameters. This is the line that most likely came on your new reel. Mono is inexpensive, floats, has great knot and strength to thickness. Downside? If over stretched, it can hold memory (LINE COIL) and will only last a single season before it weakens. FLUOROCARBON is a single strain line made of polyvinylidene fluoride. Its stiffer than mono (higher pound test), won’t stretch as much as mono, almost invisible in water and is more abrasion resistant than mono. Downside? Knot slippage won’t float (can’t use with top water lures) and a swivel is needed. More expensive than mono. BRAIDED line is made of intertwining strains of gel-spun polyethylene fibers. It has a smaller diameter (ALMOST 1/4) of the equal pound test of the other two lines above, has no line stretch, extremely resistant to abrasions, easy to cast and priced close to fluorocarbon line. Downside? Knots are hard to tie, can wear grooves into rod guides, bail and spool. This line will easily cut your hand/finger (there is actually one finger gloves or aqua skin gloves for this reason). If anyone is looking to buy a new reel or replace their fishing line, I hope this week’s topic helped.