Central Pennsylvania Fishing

Line twist is as inevitable as death and taxes. Many types of lures such as soft jerk baits, in-line spinners, and soft plastics of various types can and do cause line twist. River and stream fisherman in particular are often the victims of some serious line twist. Lets face it, moving water can make our baits look like the venerable “helicopter lure”! There is no sure way to avoid line twist completely but a few simple strategies can certainly reduce occurrences significantly.

• Close the bail by hand - Cranking the handle to close the bail causes line twist. Close the bail by hand after every cast. It takes some practice but it is a fairly easy habit to acquire.
• Don’t reel against the drag - Reeling against the drag can cause some serious line twist because your line is basically anchored at one end and your bail is spinning it in a circle.
• Properly rig and tune baits - This is probably the number one cause of line twist. For example; a kinked plastic worm, a poorly tuned in-line spinner or hard bait can and will contribute to line twist problems. Make sure your soft plastics are rigged straight and your hard and blade baits are all tuned properly.
• While fishing check your line - If you notice you are starting to get some line twist, detach your bait, pull off about 10-20 yards of line, and reel it back in while pinching it between you fingers.
• Use a swivel - I very rarely use swivels because they have to be tied to my line thus creating another possible week link between me and the fish. Swivels do, however, help reduce line twist and can be used when appropriate.

On your next fishing trip these tips should help you keep the tangles out of your line and your line in the water!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Related Posts

• Brief introduction to spinning reels and casting
• Product Review, PowerPro fishing line
• How to texpose rig a soft jerkbait
• March trout fishing on Spring Creek, Central PA