Power Pro

[drew03cmc]

You must be a better fisherman than I am then. I've never been able to land a 5 pound Smallmouth quickly on light line.,

Nope, I have just spent my entire life fishing light lines. If I was fishing waters that a 5# fish is a real possibility, I would likely upgrade to a heavier setup and run something in the 6-8# range on spinning tackle.

[RSBreth]

When you fish the Smallmouth rivers of SWMO a 5-pound Bass is a real possibility. If you want to just "catch fish" then it's not a big deal, but if you want to be serious, plan accordingly.

[Feathers and Fins]

Al, Never understood the reason for the weight but when guys who had been fishing 40 to 60 years before me and constantly caught fish I was not going to argue the methods!! Just learn from them and do what I learned. Sometimes its better not to ask and just do and I have learned more by watching and listening then asking.

[fishinSWMO]

Al, Never understood the reason for the weight but when guys who had been fishing 40 to 60 years before me and constantly caught fish I was not going to argue the methods!! Just learn from them and do what I learned. Sometimes its better not to ask and just do and I have learned more by watching and listening then asking.

Maybe it needed some weight to put some tension on the line, while having the swivel spin it out?

Kinda like a old style phone, not a cell,

with a long curly cord. Once it gets all twisty you drop the receiver and hold the cord till it spins free, the receiver would be the weight?

[Colorado Bassmaster]

The best braid for a spinning reel is Daiwa Samurai. If you have ever used it, you would agree. I have used almost everything on the market and hands down, no contest, Samurai is the best! I use the 20lb which is about 4lb dia. It is the softest braid on the market and is extremely forgiving when it comes to twisting. Unfortunately, it is one of the more expensive. I get it on ebay and can sometimes find it for around $25 for a spool of 150 yards. BUT, when you see how easy it is to use, you will realize it's money well spent. As for the comment about closing the bail by hand, that is the single best piece of advice you can get about using a spinning reel. It seems tedious at first but once you get use to it, it becomes second nature and it will almost totally eliminate bird nests.

[Colorado Bassmaster]

Al, the reason closing your bail by hand helps is because when you close your bail by turning the reel handle, it sometimes throws a loop on the spool. As you start the retrieve, you burry a loop and sometimes the loop will end up exposed on the lip of the spool. The reason for bird nests on a spinning reel is a loop gets partially buried on your spool, then on the next cast, the outgoing line catches on the loop that is partially buried and pulls line out from under itself. When I close the bail by hand, I also give a quick tug on the line to pull any loop on the spool tight. Again, this may seem tedious but I have been doing it so long that it has become effortless. I don't even think about it and honestly, I never get bird nests. I guide warmwater here in Colorado and fish mostly spinning gear when guiding. I teach my clients how to do this and by the end of the day, most not only become proficient at doing this but are also impressed by how effective this technique is.

One other point... when spooling up a spinning reel, label up is not always the best way to spool. Some line mfgrs spool up line differently than others. Seaguar spools up in the opposite direction than Trilene. The best way is to lay the spool on the floor; point your reel directly at the spool. The line should come off the spool the same direction the bail is spinning. If it is opposite, flip the spool over and proceed. If you do this, it will greatly reduce line twist when spooling.

[fishinSWMO]

when spooling up a spinning reel, label up is not always the best way to spool. Some line mfgrs spool up line differently than others. Seaguar spools up in the opposite direction than Trilene. The best way is to lay the spool on the floor; point your reel directly at the spool. The line should come off the spool the same direction the bail is spinning. If it is opposite, flip the spool over and proceed. If you do this, it will greatly reduce line twist when spooling.

That's good advise.

[Feathers and Fins]

No Cluer SWMO, But i know it works. Those old guys taught me a lot as a kid from how to cast a 1oz anchovie over 100 feet to how to fight big fish on super light line. I will never forget a Bluefin Tuna bite we got in, here i was with 40lb test line and couldnt get a bite and they were hooking up. One of the old guys let me use his rod and reel spooled with 12lb test and drag set super light. 2 hours later and a lot of old guys around me telling me when to reel when to pump the fish and so on and I had my tuna. a nice 90lber. Those old guys would show yo everything if you just listened and did what they told you.

[fishinSWMO]

No Cluer SWMO, But i know it works. Those old guys taught me a lot as a kid from how to cast a 1oz anchovie over 100 feet to how to fight big fish on super light line. I will never forget a Bluefin Tuna bite we got in, here i was with 40lb test line and couldnt get a bite and they were hooking up. One of the old guys let me use his rod and reel spooled with 12lb test and drag set super light. 2 hours later and a lot of old guys around me telling me when to reel when to pump the fish and so on and I had my tuna. a nice 90lber. Those old guys would show yo everything if you just listened and did what they told you.

That's cool!

No better way to learn then that. I wish I had a few more old guys showing me things when I was younger.

[Wayne SW/MO]

rps I don't think timber has the same perils that flows do. When fishing a river the chances of running across abrasive rocks or roots embedded with sand are common and anything with a #2 diameter doesn't have much to give up.

F & F, I'm an old guy and trust me what I posted works.