Reeling into the drag. Drop shot line twist?

[DubyaDee]

I've always read/heard that you don't want to reel much when a fish is taking drag on your spinning set up because it will create tons of line twist. The pro's on Mille Lacs this weekend are drop shotting these 5 pound smallies, and a lot of them are reeling like crazy while their drag is working overtime. Shouldn't this be putting tons of twists in their line?

 

What's your take on this? Obviously their the pro's and most of us aren't. 

 

 

[Janderson45]

I'm not sure, as I haven't heard that reeling against a drag will add more line twist... I can see the mechanism/idea behind it though.  Personally, when dropshotting for smallies I use the Gamakatsu swivel shot hook, and have virtually no issues with line twist.  Caught a bunch of smallies with this set up just the other day, and was definitely guilty myself at times of "reeling against the drag" but without any issues.  I'll be interested to see other responses on this thread though.. 

[DubyaDee]

14 minutes ago, Janderson45 said:

 Personally, when dropshotting for smallies I use the Gamakatsu swivel shot hook, and have virtually no issues with line twist.  

I use gamas g finesse swivel shot and haven't had any issues either.

One of the videos I'm referring to is when Mike Ike was hosted by the local Sbarro in the food court of his mall. 

[Scott F]

Reeling against the drag certainly isn't helping line twist. It seems many don't realize that spinning reels twist line just by the design. It is impossible to eliminate twist altogether. Even if you wind the line perfectly when loading the spool, close the bail by hand, never wind against the drag, and use lures that never spin, spinning reels will twist the line. Considering how frequently they may be catching 5 pound smallmouth and the time spent cranking against the drag, the amount of line twist put in just by this action probably doesn't amount to that much compared to how much the reel twists the line on it's own. When it becomes bothersome, let the line out with no lure, troll for a minute, and reel it back in pinching the line netween your fingers.  

[Glenn]

First off, the pros re-spool with new line after every tournament.  So line twists are eliminated. Most of us don't have that kind of coin to swap out line that often - especially with fluorocarbon.

Second, here's a video I made that discusses how to prevent line twist. I even talk about winding against the drag.  The second video is how to remove line twist when you don't follow my instructions. 

 

 

[MickD]

If they are using braid it doesn't matter as much as mono or flouro.  I think it's because braid is so soft twist doesn't matter until it really gets "excessive." At least in the lighter tests of braid, like 10-15. I don't really understand reeling while the fish is taking line against the drag.  It accomplishes nothing and most likely is causing twist-don't see how it couldn't.  Sort of like sucking your thumb when hungry.  No nutrition, and your thumb gets yucky.

[NYWayfarer]

VMC Spinshot hooks are great for avoiding line twist.

I tend not to keep line on my reel long enough to worry about twist. I pull a yard or more off after a trip when I get a lot of bites. I fish most of the time with mono (Stren) so its not to expensive to replace.

[RB 77]

1 hour ago, DubyaDee said:

"Shouldn't this be putting tons of twists in their line"?

 

 

 

 

It probably is and they probably don't care. Like Glen said fresh line every tournament.

[Tim Kelly]

Combs looks very uncomfortable with spinning gear and is constantly reeling with the drag spinning. I suppose they don't get much practise with sissy sticks in Texas?

[J Francho]

I was thinking the same thing, many of these guys just aren't accustomed to the gear or the style.  But they're pros, and they have to adapt.  It is painful to watch someone reel against drag.

[fishballer06]

You also need to understand that these guys get all the free line they want from sponsors. Most of them will respool after a day or two on the water with every reel. 

[BadContrakt]

I actually can't even stand to look at my spinning reel after this summer. Everyone in my family, including me, has struggled with line twist this year. Braid, Mono, and even some light Fluoro. Just ridiculous.

But that's okay because, frankly, my baitcasters do everything my spinning reel does, but better. I actually just put it away for the winter this morning as I always bring it on the boat but NEVER pick it up. Waste of space.

Only time I can ever see me using it is fishing a dropshot deep. That's where a baitcaster struggles.

[Molay1292]

4 hours ago, BadContrakt said:

I actually can't even stand to look at my spinning reel after this summer. Everyone in my family, including me, has struggled with line twist this year. Braid, Mono, and even some light Fluoro. Just ridiculous.

But that's okay because, frankly, my baitcasters do everything my spinning reel does, but better. I actually just put it away for the winter this morning as I always bring it on the boat but NEVER pick it up. Waste of space.

Only time I can ever see me using it is fishing a dropshot deep. That's where a baitcaster struggles.

Yep, those spinning reels can certainly be tricky.

[new2BC4bass]

Avoid reeling while line is being pulled out.  Lock the drag down and back reel when needed.  I did this for a few years using 4# mono. 

[BassThumb]

On September 16, 2016 at 11:16 AM, DubyaDee said:

The pro's on Mille Lacs this weekend are drop shotting these 5 pound smallies, and a lot of them are reeling like crazy while their drag is working overtime. Shouldn't this be putting tons of twists in their line?

I was at the weigh-in yesterday, front-row seat. Afterwards, I was able to check out a bunch of the boats. Some even had rods/reels strapped to the deck. The line looked as good as new on most rods, but you could tell it was all twisted up on the dropshot rigs even with line that was only fished a few hours since being spooled up the night before I imagine.

[WRB]

Most pro's aren't reeling against the drag because that defeats the drag. They may have been back reeling to assist the drag or just trying to keep up with fast swimming smallmouth to keep the bass under control and in front of them. When any fish is running and pulling out line you don't want to reel against the drag on any type of reel, especially a spinning reel.

Tom

[BadContrakt]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Most pro's aren't reeling against the drag because that defeats the drag. They may have been back reeling to assist the drag or just trying to keep up with fast swimming smallmouth to keep the bass under control and in front of them. When any fish is running and pulling out line you don't want to reel against the drag on any type of reel, especially a spinning reel.

Tom

Just because they're pros doesn't mean we need to assume they do every. single. technique. perfectly. I've seen plenty of rookie mistakes made by pros and am certain that there are some that reel against the drag. Reeling against the drag is really no big deal other than line twist and I'm sure (and have witnessed) angler after angler do it.