Is There An Ideal Drop Shot Reel???

[LunkerLust]

I think the question should be about line twist. Are there any reels that keep line twist to a minimum. Is this one of the things that make some reels so expensive?

[The Guy]

There are some things you can do with any spinning reel to help with line twists, such as closing the bail by hand and putting tension on the line with your hand before reeling. Braided line will also help.

[fishindad]

Agree 100% with Guy's tips. I drop shot a lot and have recently been testing out braid with fluoro leader vs. straight fluoro; will report back after a few more outings. So far my take is that braid takes some adjustments getting used to but it is more sensitive and does cut down on line twists, though does not eliminate them. All spinning reels put some inherent twist in line. First practice the two tips above and see if that helps before switching to braid. You can also try using a baitcaster to DS (I have not) and theoretically will solve your problem but I personally just can't get used to DS with a baitcaster.

[Hooligan]

Braid isn't any better about twist, it's worse in the long run. By the time you notice the twist, it's too late and you get wraps an wind knots. I hate braid for dropshotting,

Yes, there are reels that are much better than others for Dropshot: Shimano spinning reels with Propulsion line management. It makes a HUGE difference in comparison to fishing reels like Pfloogers, even Daiwa. The spool li[ reduces the line coil, and the contact of the roller maintains tension on the line.Saller coil going through the guides means less turning over of the line. They're simply THE BEST spool design and line management out there for vertical or near vertical presentations. You don't need to fish a Stella to get the benefit of the system, either. You can get many of the features of higher end reels in the Sedona. I fish primarily CI4 and Sustain reels, and they perform every bit as well as my Stellas, in terms of line handling. I won't fish another reel for the application, period.

Secondly, use the VMC Spinshots. They're worth three times their weight in gold for shotting open water, and they're not terrible in cover, either. It eliminates the need for a swivel completely; they're genuinely near-zero twist.

[SirSnookalot]

I pretty much agree with Hooligan. I do not freshwater drop shot ever, but I do it all the time in saltwater and the problems are exaggerared even more there. Braid does twist and quite true, when you notice it, it's too late and it does not troll out like mono. I love braid, but for certain applications it isn't my best option.

My stradics and daiwas(Penn conquer too) have never had a wind knot...........period !, in over 3 years of use, I can't make the same claim for other brands.

I'm a swivel man and I do feel BB swivels are much better than barrels, but even still it isn't not a cure all.

Line twist is caused by several reasons, none of them have anything to do with hand closing the bail, a prime example would be a bailless reel like a Van Staal. Twist occurs from the rotation of the line wrapping around the spool on retrieve, b/c do not wrap around the spool, reason is the way the spools are mounted on the reels. If a spinning reel's spool was mounted sideways like a b/c I think twist would be reduced. Also a bait that revolves around itself like an in line spinner, trolling certain kinds of spoons and even bait fishing where the drift is constantly moving the bait, you will get line twist, braid or mono.

I always hand close my bail because it's easier and I think there is less wear and tear on the reel.

[The Guy]

I guess I stand corrected

[SirSnookalot]

I guess I stand corrected

Strictly my opinion. I'm sure many will agree with your thoughts, but I have not seen through my experience that manually closing the bail will reduce twist. I will say my freshwater reels get very little line twist except with in line spinners and spoons, lures that I don't use too much of. I probably use more hard jerk baits than anything and the braid is without a doubt a strong asset in twist preventive. I have also noticed that too light a bait will generate a loop in the line sometimes causing a windknot, keeping tension on the line as you stated does help too and bit heavier lure is an aid in that prevention as well.

[Fishes in trees]

I drop shot around cover quite a bit. I've come to prefer 20 lb Abrazx for this and a bait cast reel handles this line much better than spinning tackle. I was using a Shimano Calais bait caster for this duty (7'6" Kistler Flippin/pitchin rod) and it worked ok.

I decided to go a little lighter, so I got a Shimano Curado 50E, and so far after a couple of trips I like it better than the Calais for this technique.

[LunkerLust]

Thanks for responces guys.

I will give the Sedona a try.

I just recently saw the VMC spinshot ds hooks online, and I thought that they were just a gimmick. Looks like there's too much metal showing right close to the bait. But I did like the fact you can use lighter line to tie on the weight, so if it breaks off, you won't lose the hook and bait. Okay, I'll give these a try also.

One other thing about line twist, every couple of casts I lift the rig out of the water about 6' and just let it spin around until it stops. It helps keep twist down, but it does waste valuable fishing time.