Reels - selecting the best type of reel for your needs

When faced with the huge number of reels available these days, selecting the reel that best suits your needs can be confusing. This article covers various styles of reels, what they are made to do and what they can do. Some of it is pretty basic but more specialised uses, tips and information will also be included.

There are three basic types of reels. The two most popular are threadline (spinning) and freespool (drum, 'boat') reels, but the less common centre-pin reels still occupy an important niche.

Threadline Reels

Important components of the threadline reel and what they do.

The rotor and bailarm

This part of the reel collects the line and places it evenly on the spool. As the line is collected, it runs over a freely turning component called a roller. The roller helps prevent line damage from friction, which is generated by a mixture of pressure and movement. The bailarm is connected to a bail hinge and this allows the bailarm to be pulled across the face of the spool, freeing the line from the roller so the cast can be made.

The drag knob

The drag knob acts as a safety valve. When the pressure on the line reaches a predetermined point set by the drag knob, the washers in the spool start to slip, allowing the line to be pulled from it. This prevents the nylon from reaching breaking point. Most people set the tension at between a third and a quarter of the line's breaking strain and that's advisable.

However, if the tackle's of reasonable quality, the line is in good shape, the knots are well tied and the e targeted fish are not particularly fast swimmers, half the line weight can be exerted without undue risk, especially once the first mad dash for freedom is over. (As an indicator, snapper are not a problem and kingfish are borderline cases).

For those people who settle on a reel without a 'baitrunner' type facility, it is possible to unscrew the dragknob to a point where interested fish can take the bait without being unduly alarmed, simultaneously alerting the angler with the sound of the ratchet.

The ratchet

As previously indicated, this little device makes a noise to let you know when line is leaving the spool. It signals either: that a fish is running off with your bait or, if the reel is in gear, that the predetermined drag pressure set on your drag knob has been reached and is now releasing line. Sometimes it is a sign that the drag is set too light and should be tightened. By continuing to wind the handle when line is not going back on the spool, will produce a lot of twist in the nylon which can make further fishing frustrating.

The anti-reverse switch

An 'on-off' lever option that locks the handle into forward winding only when engaged or else allows the reel handle to be wound backwards and forwards when disengaged. To all intents and purposes, this feature is almost entirely useless in New Zealand conditions and should remain in the 'on' (engaged) position. (If the handle can wind backwards and the angler takes his hand away [or the hand slips off the handle] when the pressure is on, the handle flies backwards, often causing bashed fingers, slack line and lost fish).

Using the Threadline Reel

Advantages:

The main reasons for the threadlines great popularity are its easy operation, great versatility and the availability of a wide range of relatively cheap brands and models.

Their simplicity attracts all anglers who like to cast with the minimum of fuss or those who are relatively new to the sport, and threadlines can be used to fish for a wide variety species utilising different techniques from all sorts of structures and in all sorts of environments. They're good for eels, salmon and trout in rivers, streams and lakes; snapper, kahawai and trevally from the wharf, rocks and beach and fishing deeper waters for tuna, kingfish and sharks - there's a spinning reel to suit all purposes and needs.

Threadlines also attract anglers because of their ability to cast much lighter weights than freespools, even into a head wind. Consequently, they are the obvious choice when it comes to spinning for trout or casting tiny baits to coarse fish (such as tench, perch, rudd, carp, catfish etc.), as well as targeting baitfish such as piper, sprats an d mackerel.

Another useful facet of the threadline is that it usually discharges less line per cast than a freespool over the same distance. Consequently, when the bailarm snaps back over at the end of the cast, there is little excess line left floating down so little time is wasted getting the lure moving.

By engaging the bail a second or two before the lure splashes down, the line can be tightened still further, making lure retrieval almost instantaneous. This is a significant advantage to anglers fishing lures over rough terrain in shallow water as the lures don't get the chance to sink down too deeply, so they snag up less and tackle losses are kept to a minimum. This feature is particularly applicable to anglers fishing poppers and jigs for kingfish and giant trevally in reefy territory.

For other anglers, it is the reel's ability to let fish quickly run off with a bait, without any pressure and no danger of overruns. This is useful when fishing big baits for large snapper. After casting the floating bait, the angler leaves the bailarm disengaged so that the line can come off the spool freely.

The line is lightly held by the thumb and forefinger in front of the spool and the wait for the 'big hit' begins. When it comes, it's simply a matter of letting the line go, watching the line spin off, engaging the bail, letting the line tighten up and then striking. Provided the drag is set correctly, a good-sized fish should now be hooked up.

Despite this method being very effective, not many people want to hold a spinning outfit for long - that is why the 'baitrunner' type of reel was made. The baitrunner facility allows fish to run off with a light, predetermined pressure - generally just enough to stop the reel spool from spinning around too fast and tangling on the strike. This allows anglers to hold their outfit without having to be constantly alert, or put them in a rod holder and wait for the ratchet to signal fishy interest. As the line leaves the spool, the fisher simply winds the handle to automatically engage the reel and for the hook to then be struck home.

The key to success with this sort of threadline reel is setting just the right amount of pressure on the baitrunner facility to start with. Too much and the fish will reject the bait, too little and there are tangling problems. Not too hard one would think, but when tidal flow, pickiness and the unexpected are entered into the equation, it is a little more complex. Fishing is an imprecise science and as a result, both standard and baitrunner type reels have advantages and disadvantages over one another - but these are a little more technical issues.

Spool size is a key factor in determining which spinning reel will suit you best and can also be an advantage over freespool types of reels. In particular, the circumference of the spool has a bearing on castability, retrieval speed, line capacity and memory. The bigger the spool and the lighter the line, the slower the reel's line level goes down, producing less friction as the line comes up and over the spool lip.

Little friction equals relatively unhindered line release and greater casting distances - a key factor for those fishing distant spots from the shore or who participate in casting contests. In recognition of this, many reel makers produce spinning reels that have longer spools than usual to give a greater surface area and an even slower line-level loss for optimum distance potential.

The bigger circumference of the spool, the lower the gear ratio needs to be to still wind in quickly. As a flow-on advantage of this, the slower the ratio, the stronger the gearing tends to be and the easier it is to wind when under heavy pressure. Low gear ratios make fighting big fish much easier, and a big spin reel (those which have a line capacity over 300 metres of 10kg) need only have a ratio of around 3.5 to 4:1 to be fast and efficient.

A big spool also makes line memory less of a problem. As line gets thicker and tougher, it tends to become more prone to conforming to the shape of the spool (especially when stored for long periods) and as a result comes off in tight curls, particularly so as the line level gets down on the spool or if the line being used is overly thick.

In all instances, suitable line weights for the reel are determined by whether the spool will take at least 200 (but preferably 300) metres of the line being considered. Although even 200 metres will rarely be needed, the extra length provides insurance for line lost in the normal course of a day's fishing and to help subdue the odd big surprise that comes along - usually in the form of a kingfish, ray or shark.

When initially filling the spool, make sure that the nylon is put on firmly but not concrete-hard. After filling, squeeze the spool and check for a spongy feel. If there is appreciable flexing, you run the risk of the line cutting down through the other layers and into itself when fighting a fish, as well as finding yourself with a significant reduction in line bulk when it is later wound on under tension - to the point where you may need to respool again. A correct fill should see the level of the line around 1/8 of an inch (2-3mm) below the upper lip of the spool. This enables a good cast to be made without large chunks of line coming off all at once and tangling.

There are some other disadvantages to threadlines. For a start, their inherent design limits the amount of line they can take, making even the largest of them risky for targeting anything over medium-sized gamefish, especially when trolling.

In addition, when the drag system comes into play while fighting fish, the line is forced to come off differently to how it was wound on, producing line twist. Over the course of one long battle or several shorter ones, the twist can get so bad that not only does it manifest itself in tight, twisting curls afterwards, it is also structurally weakened.

Twisted line, minus terminal tackle, should be let out behind a moving boat for five to ten minutes, or dropped into the water at the edge of the beach and walked along with until the twist is gone.

Maintenance

Threadline reels should run smoothly and freely. This is greatly helped by the regular application of grease over internal componentry, particularly the gearing, and oil should be squirted into all external moving parts (ie. the bail-arm roller, the handle knob and the anti-reverse switch), as well as onto any bearings and bushes.

Several small items that are often neglected are screws. I usually put a small dab of grease into the bore, so that salt water is less likely to corrode them permanently in there. Although I keep reading about avoiding putting too much lubrication into reels, as far as threadline reels are concerned, and particularly those that are regularly getting dunked in salt water, I would rather have too much inside the body of the reel than too little, especially around the body and side plate joins, as this helps prevent salt water intrusion.

The two greatest enemies of the reel are salt and sand. They are responsible for many injured and dead reels. Sand acts very much like fine sandpaper when left among moving components and leads to premature wear. Salt water causes corrosion and, if left untreated, total seizure or breakage.

Regular lubrication and the use of lubrication sprays such as Innox, CRC or WD40 will help limit the effect of both agents but a rinse with luke-warm, fresh water at the end of each trip will also prolong the life of the reel. Ideally, the water should be applied as a gentle stream over the tackle or applied with a thick sponge and soapy water. Note that a hard blast of water from a tap or a hose can drive harmful materials deep inside reels, where it can do some real damage!

At the end of the wash, shake out the excess water and spray with Innox, CRC or WD40, taking care to avoid areas where components or decals are glued on as these sprays seem to weaken glue over a period of time. They will not harm monofilament.

The last action before storing the reel is to loosen the drag, otherwise the dragwashers will become compacted or jammed together, causing poor or non-existent drag performances on your next trip.

Other sundry practices which will help keep the reel in top condition are:

• check to make sure that all the nuts and screws are tight on the reel before going fishing
• make sure that the roller on the bail arm turns around before starting fishing
• don't lie your reel on the sand
• don't leave the reel exposed when travelling along dusty, gritty roads
• don't leave the reels on the boat floor
• try to ensure that reels are not subjected to spray and waves if left in rod holders during transit.

	This article is reproduced with permission of New Zealand Fishing News 1999 - by Mark Kitteridge Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited