Help With My Ultralight Shimano.

[Wisco Bass Hunter]

Hello Everyone,

I have a couple questions about my wife’s fishing reel. She likes to fish ultralight gear for small bass and crappie. She uses a Shimano Sahara 500 fishing reel on a 5 ft. ultralight rod. The reel has been pretty decent. Like most ultralight gear it has always had to occasional issue with line jumping off the spool. Last year however this issue increased a lot. I tried a few things, including letting most of the line out in the river and packing it all back on the spool tightly, re-spooling with new line, and even using a leader with a swivel to try to reduce line twist. None of it really worked and she had to quit using it. I’m pretty disappointed since the reel was fairly expensive and I’ve always had great luck with Shimano in the past. I was wondering if anyone else has had this issue, and if they were able to correct it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Line size should be 4 lb .i use yozuri hybrid on same size reel with no issues and dont fill it up all the way .and i also use line and lure conditioner really good stuff.also closing bail by hand helps .trilene xl in 4 lb test is good also

[Wbeadlescomb]

Too much line can be worse than not enough. I recommend what the guy above said

[Tywithay]

I used 4lb Sunline Supernatural on my Sahara 500. Don't recall ever having issues with line jumping off. Just have to make sure you don't overfill and that the line is put on the spool correctly. I never used it, but line conditioner can also help limber it up some so it lays on the spool better.

[roadwarrior]

  On 2/27/2014 at 6:16 PM, Maxximus Redneckus said:

Line size should be 4 lb .i use yozuri hybrid on same size reel with no issues and dont fill it up all the way .and i also use line and lure conditioner really good stuff.also closing bail by hand helps .trilene xl in 4 lb test is good also

 

There is nothing wrong with the reel, it's the line. The Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Sunline Super Natural will

dramatically improve performance.There is a little line etched in the spool 1/8" or so down. Don't

go past there when spooling.  Also, I'm a HUGE fan of KVD Linre & Lure Conditioner.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I agree that the line is the issue. I use braid on my spinning reels for just this reason. You still don't want to over-spool but won't have to under-spool either. A full spool of light braid casts a mile. 

[tomustang]

Larger spool diameter will fix the coiling from the tight winding, which means your line isn't optimal. I actually like using 1000 over the 500 size because I have more options on types of line and I don't need to caress the line with a conditioner. You could also be using too thick of a line.

 

So either:

 

1.Use a bigger reel

Or

2. Use a better line

[Wisco Bass Hunter]

I appreciate the fast responses. I was leaning towards putting braid on it, since that is what I use on my spinning real. I don’t think my wife will like having to tie a leader on all the time though. She is easily bored with fishing, so she’s switching lures about every 10 minutes

 

I will definitely give the Yo Zuri a try. I had a couple of different mono’s on there, all of them 4lb, including spider wire and trilene ultra-sensitive.

 

I have never used a line conditioner before, do you really notice a difference with it?

 

I agree on using the 1000 size too tomustang. Worst case I will just buy her a new reel in that size.

 

Again thanks for the  replies.

 

[War Eagle 44]

I have only two things to add to the good advise you've already received. One, since it seems the problem got worse all of a sudden I'd check the roller bearing to make sure it didn't go bad. This is of course assuming this reel has a bearing instead of a bushing.

Second I've been fishing Power Pro Micro Braid 4# white on my ultralight rod and absolutely love the stuff. I tie directly to the lure and don't seem to have any trouble getting bit. It will get a little "dirty" if you're fishing dirty water but IMHO that just helps it blend in a little better. Also the white doesn't have the coating that green PP has so it doesn't require a break in period.

It's really thin but I never have any "dig in" issues. I spool it on fairly tight with no backing. I was amazed at the casting distance I was able to get over 4# fluorocarbon. It just made my whole ultralight fishing experience go to another level of enjoyment. Might be worth a look.