Backreeling with a spinning reel

[Mobasser]

I do think it adds a degree of control, along with your drag.I've done it for years, and have only lost 2 bass that I can remember, and that was my fault. I use it for finesse type stuff- ned rigs, hair jigs, zoom finesse worms etc.Its really not for everybody but Ill probably always do it out of habit.A confidence thing 

[Team9nine]

Ironically, just stumbled across this piece on backreeling in the Spring 2018 WesternBass.com online mag issue

 

Backreeling article

 

EDIT: Looks like this site won't let the link go through. Maybe search online for it if you want to read it...

[Mobasser]

Interesting article Team9nine. Do you like to fish your spinning rigs this way?

[Team9nine]

Just now, Mobasser said:

Interesting article Team9nine. Do you like to fish your spinning rigs this way?

I backreel a lot with bigger fish on light line. Also "thumbbar" with my baitcasters quite frequently.

[Mobasser]

I was beginning to think I was the only one. Glad to see there are some fellow " backreelers " out there

[Paul Roberts]

One thing I don't agree with in that article is the statement that if the "fish weighs more than the pound test of line you are using...". Neutrally buoyant fish are essentially weightless. What they pull with is their bodies and fins. And small fish can easily break lines by sheer torque. Make it a big fish and parts of your tackle can be tested you'd never guess were weak links.

[WRB]

While the body mass is equalized with the air bladder the bass still retains it's mass when swimming and uses that against the line pressure. What makes bass different then other predators is their wide flat shape and ability to turn around quickly and the sudden change in direction plus thier mass can easily snap line or knots if you aren't prepared.

Most big bass get away near the boat from angler errors, line breaks are common.

My heaviest LMB caught on finesse spinning tackle using 6 lb test mono was 13.2 lbs and it was an epic struggle, no back reeling but some trolling motor work was needed.

Tom

[Columbia Craw]

I don't back reel often but I have felt the need to on occasion.  It's a big fish thing.  I run my drag at times somewhat loose depending on cover or current and feather the edge of the spool with my finger tip to add a little pressure. Each situation presents what I need to do to pressure a fish.

[Bluebasser86]

6 hours ago, Team9nine said:

I backreel a lot with bigger fish on light line. Also "thumbbar" with my baitcasters quite frequently.

I do the same with both. 

 

It's not that I don't trust my gear, it's just that I trust myself more. With backreeling, I can easily instantly increase pressure (fish heading for cover and I need to turn them), or decrease pressure (line rubbed against cover and is now possibly damaged). A smooth drag is great, but it takes time to adjust and sometimes even a second or two is too long. 

[JLBBass]

one HUGE mistake when fighting a fish while using your drag is to keep on reeling while drag is being taken out. BAD!!!

talk about a line twisting mistake!!!

I even see BASS pros do it ALL THE TIME!

you keep leverage on the fish with the rod, not with the reel! ( which is why matching the right rod with the lb test line you’re using is CRUTIAL!) 

I’ve been asked my some of my “inexperienced” fishing buddies, while I’m fight a 4lb+ smallie on 6 lb test line, “why aren’t you reeling that fish in”. LOL

You control the fish with the rod, control the slack line with the reel, and control the fish surges with the drag.

 

I average over 2,000 smallies a yr since around 1990, up on Erie, with dozens and dozens going over 6 lbs. hundreds over 5, and who knows how many thousands over 4, ( biggest is 7lb 14oz) and I use NOTHING over 8lb test line, and I can’t remember EVER EVER EVER getting “broken” off. That’s all because of correct rod/ line matchup, AND using a reel with a good drag, and knowing how to use that drag!

 

[OkobojiEagle]

4 hours ago, PolarKraft195Pro said:

one HUGE mistake when fighting a fish while using your drag is to keep on reeling while drag is being taken out. BAD!!!

talk about a line twisting mistake!!!

I even see BASS pros do it ALL THE TIME!

you keep leverage on the fish with the rod, not with the reel! ( which is why matching the right rod with the lb test line you’re using is CRUTIAL!) 

I’ve been asked my some of my “inexperienced” fishing buddies, while I’m fight a 4lb+ smallie on 6 lb test line, “why aren’t you reeling that fish in”. LOL

You control the fish with the rod, control the slack line with the reel, and control the fish surges with the drag.

 

I average over 2,000 smallies a yr since around 1990, up on Erie, with dozens and dozens going over 6 lbs. hundreds over 5, and who knows how many thousands over 4, ( biggest is 7lb 14oz) and I use NOTHING over 8lb test line, and I can’t remember EVER EVER EVER getting “broken” off. That’s all because of correct rod/ line matchup, AND using a reel with a good drag, and knowing how to use that drag!

 

...but the OP's question was: Do you like to back-reel?

 

oe

[JLBBass]

9 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

...but the OP's question was: Do you like to back-reel?

 

oe

no! i hate it!

 

[burrows]

Wow 2000 smallies a year never ever  ever ever ever broken off on six pound line ! Wow do you fish off of a flying unicorn as well your awesome. Bravo bravo!

[Bluebasser86]

9 hours ago, burros said:

Wow 2000 smallies a year never ever  ever ever ever broken off on six pound line ! Wow do you fish off of a flying unicorn as well your awesome. Bravo bravo!

Not really that crazy when you consider most of the fishing in the Great Lakes is open water. When all a fish has to break the line is it's own strength, odds are in the fisherman's favor provided they've tied a good knot and don't rush things. That's why guys can land blue marlin weighing hundreds of pounds on 4lb line in the open ocean. 

I lost more than a few smallies last year in the 2-3 pound range fishing extremely shallow, zebra mussel covered rock flats last year with 20 and 30 pound braid on casting gear. I got to watch one shaking it's newly acquired Whopper Plopper 110 for several minutes in it's attempt to dislodge it from his face before finally getting too deep for me to see anymore. Lost a Whopper Plopper 90 at Table Rock to a 1.5lb spotted bass on 20lb braid thanks to a dock cable. Location can make a huge difference in number of fish lost to broken line. 

[burrows]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Not really that crazy when you consider most of the fishing in the Great Lakes is open water. When all a fish has to break the line is it's own strength, odds are in the fisherman's favor provided they've tied a good knot and don't rush things. That's why guys can land blue marlin weighing hundreds of pounds on 4lb line in the open ocean. 

I lost more than a few smallies last year in the 2-3 pound range fishing extremely shallow, zebra mussel covered rock flats last year with 20 and 30 pound braid on casting gear. I got to watch one shaking it's newly acquired Whopper Plopper 110 for several minutes in it's attempt to dislodge it from his face before finally getting too deep for me to see anymore. Lost a Whopper Plopper 90 at Table Rock to a 1.5lb spotted bass on 20lb braid thanks to a dock cable. Location can make a huge difference in number of fish lost to broken line. 

Yeah Your rite i was just kinda being an ass it happens sometimes. 

[3crows]

Some spinning reels do not have that capability like the Shimano Stradic Ci4. There is no anti-reverse lever.

[OkobojiEagle]

1 hour ago, 3crows said:

Some spinning reels do not have that capability like the Shimano Stradic Ci4. There is no anti-reverse lever.

It's hard for me to understand why some of these lesser manufacturers will scrimp with features and quality to save a few pennies...

 

oe

[RPreeb]

1 hour ago, 3crows said:

Some spinning reels do not have that capability like the Shimano Stradic Ci4. There is no anti-reverse lever.

My Shimano Spheros 5000 doesn't have a switch either.  I've certainly gotten good use from the drag though... a 10 pound mutton snapper or barracuda can give a good battle with 30# Power Bro and 10# mono leader.  It's especially fun when the big challenge is to get the fish in the boat before the lemon sharks get it.

 

35 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

It's hard for me to understand why some of these lesser manufacturers will scrimp with features and quality to save a few pennies...

 

oe

I'm hoping that you're kidding... never seen Shimano called a "lesser manufacturer" before.

[3crows]

3 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

It's hard for me to understand why some of these lesser manufacturers will scrimp with features and quality to save a few pennies...

 

oe

I think the idea being that it is superfluous and redundant or obsolete if given a good drag. And Shimano, a leader if not the leader in the industry, figured that out ahead of the other folks, as usual. Soon all the cool kids like Daiwwoo will be copying Shimano yet again.

 

J

[OCdockskipper]

I know that despite being on the over side of 50, I always have a lot to learn on most any subject, so this thread got me to thinking about how I control & land fish.  I thought if back-reeling was something that would make me a better angler, I should incorporate it into my repertoire.  Yesterday, I decided to focus for a day on exactly how I fight fish, actively watching myself doing the things that have become rote over decades.

 

Boy, was I surprised.  I hadn't noticed how much of the time I am fighting a fish with spinning gear, I am doing it with one hand.  Of course, the initial hook set and getting the fish under control requires one hand on the rod & the other on the reel, but as the fight got closer to the boat, my left hand was rarely on the reel.  For fish surges, I noticed that I often use my left hand about 12 inches ahead of my right, lightly balancing the underside of rod (not holding) against the fish to relieve pressure on my right hand.  I believe this is effective because the right hand then only has to hold the rod while the left hand is taking the pressure of the surge.  At other times, I must look like a sword fighter, shifting the rod left & right with one hand to control the fish and guide it where I want.  And for landing, I have about 7 plus feet of line out, so the right hand holds the rod high while the left hand lips the fish.  This is helpful because it means I have about 15 feet of line, rod and arm to absorb the shock of a late, boat side surge.  At any of those times, having the reel in a reversible mode would have meant disaster.

 

So while back-reeling is an effective way to control fish, it looks like it is one that require a huge change in the way I fight fish in order to incorporate.  Since boat side control is not an issue & I don't have any problems landing those fish I get close to, I think I am going to pass on attempting to add this to my arsenal.  Nonetheless, for those of you who have fished for over a decade, focused self-awareness on how you do something is an interesting exercise.

[Brad in Texas]

Baitcaster anglers are reading this topic and thinking . . . "Will this back reeling thing allow me to ski the fish back to the boat faster?" Ha! At least here in Texas, talk of spinning tackle for bass fishing often is a tease, you know, referred to as "fairy wands." This, even though almost all the pro bass anglers make heavy use of them nowadays with the wide array of finesse application requiring spinning gear.

 

So, it makes me think that many people just don't "get" the difference between fishing the two sorts of reels. I've watched and I see a lot of technical issues, people using spinning gear incorrectly. Like most of you here, I was taught to split the post with my fingers and my rod hand never moves. I cast from that position, I control the rod from that position. My other hand works the reel features. When I hook a fish, my whole goal is not to try to over-power it but to let the fish put up its "offense," and sort of like something some boxers specialize in, counter-punch. So, fish on, I want my rod to load up under pressure from the fish, then once I can lift my rod carefully, I reel down on the line quickly, never against the drag, and then pull back up immediately to regain the loading. Lose the loading on a rod and fish can become un-pinned really fast, certainly if they jump. The rod does more of the work for us. Bait caster anglers often use spinning tackle as if the two are the same.

 

So, yes, to great drags these days. Mine work great. But, back reeling performed correctly links this sort of "give and take" between the angler and a fish in a manner where the fish suddenly isn't the only one in the fight with unlimited moves. Instead of only "drag releases line when XX lbs. of tension is put on the line," it now is more open-ended. A good angler can use the new range of control.

 

I wish I was better at it, need to practice it more!

 

Brad

[Steveo-1969]

When I was a teenager I backreeled all the time when fighting a fish because the drag on my POS spinning reel didn't work. My only choice was to backreel.

 

Today I rely 100% on the drag.

[TnRiver46]

On 3/8/2018 at 8:22 PM, Paul Roberts said:

I've never used drag on a spinning reel. And you don't have to keep two hands on the reel either.

^bingo

[J Francho]

On 3/10/2018 at 4:36 PM, burros said:

Wow 2000 smallies a year never ever  ever ever ever broken off on six pound line ! Wow do you fish off of a flying unicorn as well your awesome. Bravo bravo!

On both Erie and Ontario, 100+ days are not as unusual as you'd think.  I generally fish vertically, with no cover or obstruction to speak of.  There have been days at certain spots where you could walk across the boats.  Everyone is catching, and the "bent rod pattern" is strong, lol.  I know, it sounds unbelievable, but I don't the claims, because I can make them as well.  I just don't count my fish.  My buddy Burnie has a clicker, and I've been in the boat and that clicker is over 100 by lunch.