|
tackle talk
|
You could be forgiven for thinking that wind knots are caused by wind. They’re a type of tangle that has become more prevalent with the advent of fine diameter PE superlines (braid) which have also added to the incidence of all sorts of other snarl-ups as well. To be honest it’s not the wind to blame at all, in most cases it’s the manufacture and condition of the line, and its management, which is in the hands of the fisher – although to some extent tackle design, specifically reels and rod guides, can also be to blame.
A wind knot is a tangle created in a braid line when the line isn’t straight and under tension during a cast, or when a whole series of loops of line leave the spinning reel at once. Travelling through the guides of the rod and out beyond provides the opportunity for the tangle to escalate and become complex; applying tension then just tightens the whole mess up and you have a wind knot. Sometimes a wind knot can be untangled by ‘pulling it out’, that is, applying pressure to the line both sides of the knot; other times it can’t, and line has to be cut away and disposed of – untangling a tightened wind knot is not a realistic option.
Monofilament lines don’t seem to give the same degree of hassle, they are stiffer, have more ‘body’ and memory, which all help to prevent wind knots. All of which suggests that the coating applied to braid superlines provides an important function besides protecting the fibres in the line from abrasion, and providing a slippery finish to aid casting. The coating provides body, a degree of stiffness and a little memory, all of which help to alleviate the likelihood of wind knots. If a braid line begins to lose the coating with repeated and sustained use and becomes ‘fluffy’ or ‘furry’ then it’s time to remove the affected section – you know what comes next if you don’t!
Usually wind knots will occur as line leaves the reel and travels through the rod’s line guides.
Have you ever thrown a coil of rope on the ground while tying a load down on a trailer and then, after pulling line from the coils on the ground picked it up only to discover a tangle which needs your attention? A wind knot is much the same thing, only with a very much finer material.
For some time superlines were used on reels which were not specifically designed with braid superlines in mind. There are several spinning reel design features which either help or hinder when it comes to wind knots. Probably foremost is the lip design on the spool of spinning reels, followed by how well the bail arm and roller lay line on the spool, and then such considerations as the shape and depth of the spool beneath the stored line. Any of those features can easily give rise to multiple loops of line leaving the reel simultaneously.
However, probably the leading cause of uneven flow of line leaving the spool of a spinning reel is that it’s over-spooled: too much line on the reel. Less is more in this situation, and several millimetres below the shaped spool lip is best. If line doesn’t flow smoothly and easily over the spool lip in loops while being cast, there is a risk of multiple loops leaving at once, particularly with forceful or over-enthusiastic casting.
If the reel’s oscillating spool and the rotation of the bail arm and roller are such that a pattern of ridges of line occurs on the spool then again, under vigorous casting, more than one loop is likely to leave the reel. And if it’s windy, the momentum of line leaving the spool may begin to exceed that of the line closer to the lure which quickly loses speed in the strong wind; this also brings the likelihood of wind knots.
At the other end of the process, poor management of line as the retrieve is commenced can easily lead to subsequent problems, so always check that the line is lying correctly and firmly at the outset of each retrieve; check before that first wind.
Some combinations of spool oscillation and roller rotation fail to lay line evenly right to the back of the spool and instead deposit more at the spool lip – same result, again. This can be adjusted by adding or removing spacer washers between the spool and reel body on the spool shaft, and most quality reels are now supplied with additional washers to allow for this.
Poor knots which don’t travel easily through rod guide rings can easily cause a bunch of line to form as the line travels the length of the rod. Well tied, compact knots are important as there’s a tendency for guides to be quite small in diameter as well as mounted very close to the rod towards the tip on many modern spinning rods; that tends to make them prone to line congestion, especially with bulky knots between leader and mainline. Also, a consideration with regard to the guide rings is that if braid superline has lost its coating to the extent that it becomes limp and fluffy it won’t travel well through the rings either.
Tip wraps don’t just occur at the tip guide; loops can easily catch on other guides toward the end of the rod as well. A tip wrap occurs when line, either the leader or braid mainline, forms several wraps around the rod behind the tip guide. If it’s the braid then they can become unexpectedly tight and complex and defy best efforts to untangle, especially in poor light, or at night. The problem occurs when the tip wrap isn’t noticed and a vigorous cast is made; if the line doesn’t break, then the rod tip very well may.
There are several scenarios which I’ve observed give rise to tip wraps. The first is when a rod is held very close to vertical, especially in a breeze or on a rocking boat, with a jighead or lure suspended a short distance from the tip. The second scenario that gives rise to tip wraps occurs when we’re awaiting the descent of a light jig or jighead through the water column and raising the rod tip strips line from the reel with the bail arm open, laying additional line on the water, or releasing an excess of slack line anywhere near the rod tip. A breeze,
erratic movement of the rod tip or simple inattention may well result in a tip wrap.
Perhaps the most frustrating set of circumstances leading to tip wrap is when fishing at night, with lures or a jighead attached to the line; for some reason these problems seem to occur more often than during daytime and frequently go undetected, defying all attempts at disentanglement. Long rods seem to be most prone to the problem. All that can be recommended to prevent tip wraps is to be aware of when and how they occur and to be vigilant and check the rod tip frequently.
Tangles… where do we begin and end? Wind knots and tip wraps are technically tangles but there are others of particular note, too. If you’ve ever fished with children you’ll already know that there are some line tangles in both braid and monofilament that defy explanation – asking the child involved will seldom help solve the mystery!
Casting line from an overhead reel will often result in an overrun in the hands of the inexperienced and less proficient. Braid superline is bad enough, but monofilament can easily escalate into a full-blown bird’s nest! Practice and finesse, along with correct reel adjustment are the best remedy we can suggest.
The other circumstance that leads to tangles is when we try and strip line from a spool or a reel onto the ground (or the floor of a boat), in the hope that it can be retrieved in an orderly fashion back onto a reel. That is almost never a realistic expectation – the banks of the Mackenzie hydro canals are testament to that fact, and I’m sure similar heaps of irretrievably-tangled line occur on living room floors, lawns and the bottom of boats every day.
If you are going to remove line and store it for however long prior to reuse, then make sure it’s on a line winder or a large reel of some sort. I’ve taken to using spare spinning reel spools which are then labelled – or, for more immediate transfer, I use one of my electric fence reels. When spooling a reel with new line, using a line dispensing or spooling tool is hard to go past; the likelihood of a tangle is virtually eliminated.
When dealing with any kind of tangle remember that what you remove and need to discard will take an extraordinarily long time to decompose in the environment: 600 years for nylon, nearly a thousand years for braid superline and 4000 years for fluorocarbon! So please ... take it home and dispose of it responsibly.
Monofilament lines don’t seem to give the same degree of hassle, they are stiffer, have more ‘body’ and memory, which all help to prevent wind knots. All of which suggests that the coating applied to braid superlines provides an important function besides protecting the fibres in the line from abrasion, and providing a slippery finish to aid casting. The coating provides body, a degree of stiffness and a little memory, all of which help to alleviate the likelihood of wind knots. If a braid line begins to lose the coating with repeated and sustained use and becomes ‘fluffy’ or ‘furry’ then it’s time to remove the affected section – you know what comes next if you don’t!
Usually wind knots will occur as line leaves the reel and travels through the rod’s line guides.
Have you ever thrown a coil of rope on the ground while tying a load down on a trailer and then, after pulling line from the coils on the ground picked it up only to discover a tangle which needs your attention? A wind knot is much the same thing, only with a very much finer material.
For some time superlines were used on reels which were not specifically designed with braid superlines in mind. There are several spinning reel design features which either help or hinder when it comes to wind knots. Probably foremost is the lip design on the spool of spinning reels, followed by how well the bail arm and roller lay line on the spool, and then such considerations as the shape and depth of the spool beneath the stored line. Any of those features can easily give rise to multiple loops of line leaving the reel simultaneously.
However, probably the leading cause of uneven flow of line leaving the spool of a spinning reel is that it’s over-spooled: too much line on the reel. Less is more in this situation, and several millimetres below the shaped spool lip is best. If line doesn’t flow smoothly and easily over the spool lip in loops while being cast, there is a risk of multiple loops leaving at once, particularly with forceful or over-enthusiastic casting.
If the reel’s oscillating spool and the rotation of the bail arm and roller are such that a pattern of ridges of line occurs on the spool then again, under vigorous casting, more than one loop is likely to leave the reel. And if it’s windy, the momentum of line leaving the spool may begin to exceed that of the line closer to the lure which quickly loses speed in the strong wind; this also brings the likelihood of wind knots.
At the other end of the process, poor management of line as the retrieve is commenced can easily lead to subsequent problems, so always check that the line is lying correctly and firmly at the outset of each retrieve; check before that first wind.
Some combinations of spool oscillation and roller rotation fail to lay line evenly right to the back of the spool and instead deposit more at the spool lip – same result, again. This can be adjusted by adding or removing spacer washers between the spool and reel body on the spool shaft, and most quality reels are now supplied with additional washers to allow for this.
Poor knots which don’t travel easily through rod guide rings can easily cause a bunch of line to form as the line travels the length of the rod. Well tied, compact knots are important as there’s a tendency for guides to be quite small in diameter as well as mounted very close to the rod towards the tip on many modern spinning rods; that tends to make them prone to line congestion, especially with bulky knots between leader and mainline. Also, a consideration with regard to the guide rings is that if braid superline has lost its coating to the extent that it becomes limp and fluffy it won’t travel well through the rings either.
Tip wraps don’t just occur at the tip guide; loops can easily catch on other guides toward the end of the rod as well. A tip wrap occurs when line, either the leader or braid mainline, forms several wraps around the rod behind the tip guide. If it’s the braid then they can become unexpectedly tight and complex and defy best efforts to untangle, especially in poor light, or at night. The problem occurs when the tip wrap isn’t noticed and a vigorous cast is made; if the line doesn’t break, then the rod tip very well may.
There are several scenarios which I’ve observed give rise to tip wraps. The first is when a rod is held very close to vertical, especially in a breeze or on a rocking boat, with a jighead or lure suspended a short distance from the tip. The second scenario that gives rise to tip wraps occurs when we’re awaiting the descent of a light jig or jighead through the water column and raising the rod tip strips line from the reel with the bail arm open, laying additional line on the water, or releasing an excess of slack line anywhere near the rod tip. A breeze,
erratic movement of the rod tip or simple inattention may well result in a tip wrap.
Perhaps the most frustrating set of circumstances leading to tip wrap is when fishing at night, with lures or a jighead attached to the line; for some reason these problems seem to occur more often than during daytime and frequently go undetected, defying all attempts at disentanglement. Long rods seem to be most prone to the problem. All that can be recommended to prevent tip wraps is to be aware of when and how they occur and to be vigilant and check the rod tip frequently.
Tangles… where do we begin and end? Wind knots and tip wraps are technically tangles but there are others of particular note, too. If you’ve ever fished with children you’ll already know that there are some line tangles in both braid and monofilament that defy explanation – asking the child involved will seldom help solve the mystery!
Casting line from an overhead reel will often result in an overrun in the hands of the inexperienced and less proficient. Braid superline is bad enough, but monofilament can easily escalate into a full-blown bird’s nest! Practice and finesse, along with correct reel adjustment are the best remedy we can suggest.
The other circumstance that leads to tangles is when we try and strip line from a spool or a reel onto the ground (or the floor of a boat), in the hope that it can be retrieved in an orderly fashion back onto a reel. That is almost never a realistic expectation – the banks of the Mackenzie hydro canals are testament to that fact, and I’m sure similar heaps of irretrievably-tangled line occur on living room floors, lawns and the bottom of boats every day.
If you are going to remove line and store it for however long prior to reuse, then make sure it’s on a line winder or a large reel of some sort. I’ve taken to using spare spinning reel spools which are then labelled – or, for more immediate transfer, I use one of my electric fence reels. When spooling a reel with new line, using a line dispensing or spooling tool is hard to go past; the likelihood of a tangle is virtually eliminated.
When dealing with any kind of tangle remember that what you remove and need to discard will take an extraordinarily long time to decompose in the environment: 600 years for nylon, nearly a thousand years for braid superline and 4000 years for fluorocarbon! So please ... take it home and dispose of it responsibly.