Braid and wind knots

[surferman]

The braid on my reel seems to be a little loose. Would this be a problem if I caught a fish or should I respool the braid? How tight should it be?

[Frankiesurf]

That tends to happen more when tossing light plugs or casting into the wind. All you need to do to remedy this is to put on your best casting plug or tin. Cast it as far as you possibly can, make sure you are into tight or virgin line, then reel in quickly while pinching the line tightly between your fingers. It helps to hold the rod tip down and to keep the line wet as you reel it in. Gloves or tape on your fingers helps if you are using braid. THis will tighten it up.

I make sure my line is tight by doing this at the end of each trip so I know the next time out I will be ready to fish.

Loose line or just a mushy spool will also affect your casting distance. Keep this in mind. Keep an eye on your spool, if you are aware of the situation then you can more quickly fix it and prevent headaches.

This could potentially be a problem with a fish on. If your drag is a little tight the braid could actually dig in to itself and produce loops over the spool causing "wind knots" or just lock up on you.

Always be aware of what the condition is of all your tackle at all times. If you see a potential problem with anything you will prevent future heartache. This is not to say something can't just foul up at any minute but if you are aware then you will have less problems in the long run.

[nitestrikes]

Always be aware of what the condition is of all your tackle at all times. If you see a potential problem with anything you will prevent future heartache. This is not to say something can't just foul up at any minute but if you are aware then you will have less problems in the long run.

What he said, there is nothing like the heartache of losing a big fish because you weren't prepared. Also make sure you have enough mono backing on your spool before you load it with braid.

[surferman]

Hey thanks for the tips guys. I followed Frankie's advice a while ago and have no trouble since!

[porgy75]

Is it over spooling or the diameter of the braid that creates wind knots?

[Frankiesurf]

Wind knots are commonly caused by overspooling. I never heard anything about specific diameter of the braid but lighter line always has more flexibility therefore tends to knot up easier.

For the most part, due diligence on your part will decrease your wind knots drastically. Make sure that your line is always tight on your spool. I believe that is the number one reason for wind knots. This will also decrease any loops over the spool that will eventually either cause a wind knot or just jam up in your guides.

When casting you can either give a sweep to the rod to take up any slack line once the lure hits the water or if you have a bail, after you flip it, grab the line and give it a tug to tighten it up. If you are bail less, try and get the line on the roller before the lure hits the water. This will come after some practice. Timing is everything.

If you are throwing lighter lures then do a sacrificial cast once in a while. Toss it out as far as you can or even tie on something heavier and let it fly. Make sure there is plenty of line tension when reeling in or pinch it in between your fingers. Usually at the end of the night I try to put on something heavy that casts well, like an A47, and pinch the line so I know I can just start casting my next time out and not worry about it.

Just remember slack line is no good. It also causes the braid to dig into itself which can negatively affect your cast and even affect your drag if a fish happens to need to take some.

[Simp]

I think that about sums it up!

To begin the year I was fishing 40# PP and had no problems. In seeing that a majority of the fish were out past the bar, I decided to go with 30# PP, for more distance and had problems almost immediately. No more 30# PP for me. I'm sure there are tons of guys that use 30 and love it though.

[CharlieTuna]

Porgy, there are a lot of great tips there by Frankie. Follow his advice and wind knots will be diminished.

[DarkSkies]

A friend mentioned trouble with wind knots today. This was my response to him.

Some things that have helped me avoid wind knots:

1. Used to exclusively use Power Pro. Stopped using it and most of my wind knot problems have been minimized.

2. I used to use the reel action to close the bail. Once I stopped doing that and closed the bail manually each time, this also cut down on my wind knots.

My biggest risk of wind knots now is when I am breaking new braid in, usually for the first week.
Also, wind in your face can be very challenging. For us guys who fish NJ, it's a E/NE that...for those of you who fish the SS of LI it's that dreaded S wind.....when that happens there isn't much you can do except deal with it and be careful how you lay the line on the reel each time.



Anyone else who has something to add, feel free.

[finchaser]

Wind knots is a knick name they are caused by human error have nothing to do with the wind

[plugginpete]

^^^^^^^Agreed as mentioned. Also mentioned is paying attention to how the line lays on the spool. Sometimes if the bite is not good you are absentmindedly thinking of the next cast and not paying attention to that one. I try to keep a steady retrieve and pressure on the line. I think some of the reason for calling it wind knots is when you are out there and its windy you pay less attention. More attention less human error. I do feel when using thinner line its easier for it to happen tho.

[J Barbosa]

As Finchaser stated a lot of it has nothing to do with wind but I will add that wind can exacerbate problems that under normal circumstances would not arise as easily.

Much of it has to do with basic physics and casters trying to reach Portugal with plugs that have a poor weight to size ratio, poor aerodynamics, or both.

A 6" bomber doesn't have much mass (weight) compared to its surface area (size). If a caster hits it "hard" the rod will launch the bomber quickly pulling the braid off the spool quickly as well. That's a good thing so long as the guides can properly funnel the line and the plug can pull the line out of the guides quickly enough. Since the bomber has a large surface area compared to its mass it quickly looses inertia therefore loosing the ability to funnel the line out of the guides. The line begins to build up normally at the first or second guide. It them gets wound onto the spool loose and the problem just gets worse each cast until it all blows up. If you add wind in the casters face the bomber looses inertia even quicker.

Dark mentioned having problems with wind knots only with new braid. This is due to all the coatings the manufacters are now slathering on their lines (I refer to it as gunk). The manufacturers are all jumping over each other to have the latest and greatest but there is only so many times they can reinvent the wheel. Their latest invention is gunk...basically some type of coating that only serves aesthetic and marketing purposes. You can see the marketing at its best with these lines being termed as the "roundest" or "smoothest".

The truth is that the gunk only adds stiffness and color to the line. The stiffness can make it harder for the plug to pull the line out of the guides making it easier to knot. I've also found that braid casts the furthest once it has lost the gunk.

We can go on forever discussing this is greater detail...guide concept/shape/size, line design/coatings, spool design (deep or shallow and long), reel oscillation, ect...

Recommendations:

Don't snap cast or try to reach Portgual if the aerodynamics or mass isn't there

Always close the bail manually

Ensure the line is wound on tight with each retrieve

With the really light plugs and heavier gear I will cast and then immediately retrieve while holding the line between my fingers until I come tight to the plug.

If you need to cast light or poor aerodynamics plugs (ex: 5" Redfin or metal lips) you can feather the spool as that will slow the line pull off the spool. This will also help reduce the bow in the line and get rid of some slack if its windy.

Ive noticed different people have different interpretations to the term "feathering the spool". This can be anything from palming the spools lip to just sticking your palm near the spool to tighten the coils of line coming off the spool and slowing it down slightly.

Try it all and see what works best for you.

[porgy75]

Wow that was very thorough and helpful thanks guys!