WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

[pauldconyers]

I am baffled here and hope someone can assist. This offseason I bought a lot of new reels and decided this was the time to start putting my own line on my own reels and not just making the guy at the local shop do it. This reel here is a Curado K and I put 50 yards of mono backing on then about 100 yards of Sniper on for main line. When I put it all on the first time I filled the reel up while having it in my hand. Because the line on the spool looked kind of uneven I wondered if I held the line over at an angle so today before fishing I stopped at a football field near and put the reel on the rod and then had my son walk it all out then I reeled it back in and being that the line was going through the guides I assumed it would go on fairly smoothly. When it went on it did not look super tight but did not look awful either and I applied some KVD line conditioner. Anyway, took it out for a bit today and after about 10-15 casts it looked like this. You can see that the line is not smooth on the reel and super wavy. It looks even worse when you are actually retrieving a lure. I can't imagine there is anything wrong with the reel, spool or line. Even though it was my first time tying an arbor knot to the spool and uni knot to connect the lines but I really feel they were pretty clean. What am I missing here or what do you suggest?

[garroyo130]

How loose was your spool tension knob when spooling the line? 

[pauldconyers]

2 minutes ago, garroyo130 said:

How loose was your spool tension knob when spooling the line? 

Hmm, I do not remember. I think I might have loosened it before I started this. I guess I could walk it out and re-try. At the moment it is set for the amount I had to set for fishing today. Is that a good amount or should I set it up a certain way and try that?

[garroyo130]

I usually tighten until there is no side to side play. Not sure thats the case but that was what caused it on my Citica I 

[kayaking_kev]

It sounds like there was inconsistent tension be put on the line as you were reeling it from your son holding and some spots got wrapped tight and some loosely. I always put the drag on the way up and spool tension tight and try to keep consistent pressure on the line as it's being reeled in, without holding the line too close to the reel.

[Russ E]

It looks like your line did not have any tension when filling the reel.

You probably just need to walk it out and tie the end to something solid.

Then walk it back while retreiving under tension.

 

[JLewis134]

I would try to walk off the entire spool. Don't touch the line and allow the anchor point (whether someone or if you hooked it to an object). Ensure the knot on the spool is centered and pay attention to the level wind when reeling in. Ensure tension is applied. It could be you are applying side pressure thus pushing line off to the sides. Ensure you are overspooling as well

[pauldconyers]

1 minute ago, Russ E said:

It looks like your line did not have any tension when filling the reel.

You probably just need to walk it out and tie the end to something solid.

Then walk it back while retreiving under tension.

What I did was have him walk it all out then I had him walk it back as I reeled it up. I assume you are saying instead of that have him walk it out and merely hold the lure securely in his hand and I lightly lean back on it (to create tension) and walk to HIM with the rod/reel in hand, correct?

[Russ E]

7 minutes ago, pauldconyers said:

What I did was have him walk it all out then I had him walk it back as I reeled it up. I assume you are saying instead of that have him walk it out and merely hold the lure securely in his hand and I lightly lean back on it (to create tension) and walk to HIM with the rod/reel in hand, correct?

I guess that would work. You could just cast a heavy sinker next time you are in the boat and take off with the trolling motor until you nearly empty the reel. Then just reel it back in. It does not take a lot of pressure, just  a little tension.

[bogfrog]

This is a defective reel. Try making a high quality well tuned reel spool like this....you wont be able to do it! I use a lot of reel brands, and am a ***** for none of them. The first sign of trouble and it becomes someone else's problem. I have Daiwa, Garcia, Tica, Okuma, one Piscifun, Pflueger, etc....not one Shimano! Ive owned plenty of them and got tired of the same crap you are dealing with now. You can get a clinker in any brand, but for the price its all too common on Shimano reels any more. My buddy bought a K last spring and it didnt perform as well as a Daiwa CC80 I paid $40 bucks shipped for. My honest objective opinion, Daiwa reels come with the fewest surprises. Of course you get what you pay for, but for what you paid for that Curado you could have bought a Tatula. These are sweet reels and seldom featured in "what's wrong" posts.

I can see the Shimano guys going for their keyboards already....LOL

5 hours ago, kayaking_kev said:

It sounds like there was inconsistent tension be put on the line as you were reeling it from your son holding and some spots got wrapped tight and some loosely. I always put the drag on the way up and spool tension tight and try to keep consistent pressure on the line as it's being reeled in, without holding the line too close to the reel.

While this could be a possibility, all Daiwa reels are designed to function with a few thousandths of end play in the spool and Ive never seen one do this unless it was worn out or had some other issues. I still say this reel has some issues in the timing or machining in the level wind. If it were mine it would already have been returned. When we pay this kind of money for a reel it shouldnt be up to us to diagnose problems. Take it back and ask them if the properly functioning reels are the same price, then demand one that works!

[bogfrog]

If they wont exchange this reel for you, contact your nearest Shimano Rep, show him this picture, and ask him how he would like to see it as the first result in a google image search for "Shimano Reel".

[rangerjockey]

I'm sure the Shimano rep would say spool the reel properly.  Strip it off, turn the spool tension up and put some pressure between the line and the rod with your thumb and crank it on . you should feel some resistance in the handle.

You should be coming off the top of the filler spool.

[bogfrog]

1 hour ago, rangerjockey said:

I'm sure the Shimano rep would say spool the reel properly.  Strip it off, turn the spool tension up and put some pressure between the line and the rod with your thumb and crank it on . you should feel some resistance in the handle.

You should be coming off the top of the filler spool.

The pic was taken after a day of fishing. Even if it was spooled loose a hundred casts should have straightened it out. This reel should be designed to reel in loose line like when fishing jerkbaits or senkos without spooling issues. Ive seen a lot of reels do this, every one had something wrong with it. Shimano's standards have to be higher than this....dont they? Or maybe not.

[garroyo130]

21 minutes ago, bogfrog said:

The pic was taken after a day of fishing. Even if it was spooled loose a hundred casts should have straightened it out. This reel should be designed to reel in loose line like when fishing jerkbaits or senkos without spooling issues. Ive seen a lot of reels do this, every one had something wrong with it. Shimano's standards have to be higher than this....dont they? Or maybe not.

Fishing wont straighten it out if the spool is uneven down to the backing unless youre spooling the reel on every cast.

[bogfrog]

The best way to tell would be to run the line off from it and tie enough weight to the end to load the rod and reel it in. You'll find out quick enough.

[rangerjockey]

I get it, You don't like Shimano whatever....It's operator error. Unless he's throwing a crankbait around it not going to tighten up, If its puffed up further into the reel than he's casting that's not even going to work.

[CrankFate]

Line spooled too loose. Line too rigid and thick for weight thrown. Rod too rigid for line and weight thrown. Reel brakes too loose because of these.

 

Looks like you are throwing light baits. This picture is why I only use braid. Braid never coils up and off of the spool like this. Fluorocarbon loves to do this. 

[bogfrog]

Just did a quick google search for "Curado K issues", found drag issues, broken thumb bars and levelwind issues on the first page.

[flyfisher]

24 minutes ago, bogfrog said:

Just did a quick google search for "Curado K issues", found drag issues, broken thumb bars and levelwind issues on the first page.

WOW!!!

I just did a search on Tatula and i saw clicking issues, grooving, drag issues etc...

[Logan S]

I seriously doubt there's anything wrong with the reel, but it's pretty easy to check...That issue would only be caused by an issue with the worm gear and line guide so as long as the guide is travelling back forth without any obvious hang ups, it should be perfectly fine.  Since it's your first time spooling up yourself it's probably just some user error.  Always a learning curve doing things the first time .

 

I would just pull all the line off and start over, making sure to keep constant pressure on the line as you reel it on.  I spool my stuff using a pen/pencil in the spool and hold it against the carpet with my toes and just reel it on that way (spool spins against the ground, you can apply more or less tension by how hard you press on it with your feet). I would also put the reel on your rod and put the line thru all the guides, having it go thru the rod lets the rod flex and hold a constant pressure as you spool.  

 

Fill the spool up until its about 1/16" from the top of the spool (where the flat side transitions to the round part on the top of the spool wall).  

[jimmyjoe]

4 hours ago, bogfrog said:

If they wont exchange this reel for you, contact your nearest Shimano Rep, show him this picture, and ask him how he would like to see it as the first result in a google image search for "Shimano Reel".

   Nothing like good ol' consumer blackmail to get results, eh?        jj

[jimmyjoe]

   I just went and pulled both my Curado reels to make sure.

   If you reduce the drag pressure on a Curado (and I believe, but am not absolutely sure, any modern baitcaster) the spool can have an erratic function, or even no function at all while the levelwind is unaffected..

   Try this: reduce your drag to almost nothing. Put your thumb on the spool and crank the handle. You'll see the levelwind going back and forth even though the spool is being held motionless.

   You should be able to increase the drag to a point that it seems to have bite, but can still slip with a slight increase in drag resistance.

   This will do two things; 1) it will put the line take-up on the spool temporarily out of sync (like for a second) with the levelwind, resulting in either a slightly lower line level as the line comes across at a higher angle, or a buildup of line as the levelwind passes over the same point on the spool temporarily, before re-aligning itself.   2) With some lines, a friction point can build up at a certain spot on the spool.  Every time the levelwind passes over that point, the drag will "stutter" or momentarily reduce effectiveness. It will slip a small bit, in other words. This can result in uneven line lay.

   The solution is to tighten the drag down to AT LEAST the level you're going to use on the water. With thick lines, or when I used braid (I don't anymore) I tightened the drag down VERY tight, then loosened it up to the level I wanted to use on the water.

   So the advice everyone such as @Logan S, @CrankFate, @rangerjockey,  and @Russ E about line tension should be correct. And the point about getting to the complete supply of line on the spool like @JLewis134 said is important, too.

You can't tell if there's not a buildup all the way at the inside of the spool supply.

 

   Try these things, and ..... Good luck!    jj

  

[MickD]

I would also make sure the level wind pawl is properly engaging the worm gear.  This and excessive end play, which is adjusted by the knob on the side of the reel, are my best bets.  It is hard to believe a new reel will have problems with the gears.  I wouldn't return it without having a knowledgeable person look it over and check it out.  There is probably nothing wrong other than the possibilities mentioned, which are not defects.  Let us know how it is resolved.

 

As LoganS's first comment-

[Fishes in trees]

The loose drag when spooling theory makes the most sense to me.  When you're a novice at spooling line, mistakes like this are going to happen.   Over the last 20 years, I've made every line spooling mistake possible ( and not just 20 years ago, either ).  A few too many IPA's and it is pretty simple to spool your reel wrong.  My two cents on this thread, if you're going to be putting on your own line ( and there isn't any reason why you can't ) invest in a line spooling station, because these help you keep constant tension on the line spool while you're spooling up your reel.

[pauldconyers]

14 hours ago, JLewis134 said:

Ensure you are overspooling as well

Why are you encouraging me to over spool the reel?