Braid Twist !!

[naxian62]

Hi all,
It was time to re -spool my dropshot reel. I'll admit I've made a right mess. It's more twisted than a schoolgirls knickers!
Is there a fix to take the twist out? Does it even matter ?
Advise please chaps.

 

[stillwater blue]

Put a stone into a PVA bag and tie the bag to the end of the braid, cast out into the river/lake and let the bag dissolve and then simply wind the line in.

Or buy a gardner spin doctor

 

[john step]

Or...walk the line out with the bail arm open through a field/river bank of long grass and reel it back in.

 

[mikench]

The Gardner works for mono but I had no idea about braid!!

 

[103841]

I’ve not experienced braid “twist” are you sure it’s not a wind knot?

 

[john step]

I’ve not experienced braid “twist” are you sure it’s not a wind knot?

I seem very adept myself at wind knots.

 

[SD]

Braid has no memory like mono so I would be surprised if it has line twist! What braid is it?

 

[naxian62]

Appreciate the replies fellas. Yes it is twisted, and it is not a 25-30 metre (average cast) wind knot. It's 5kg Power pro. Not had chance to try any of the above mentioned fixes. But I'll surely get back to you on this. Do we even know if it has any detrimental effect ?

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

All line cast from a fixed spool reel will eventually twist. It's a natural occurrence of when you cast out and you could test this if you had say a good length of ribbon or paper tape. When you wind it back in it goes onto your spool with all or most of the twist you just put into it. They developed the rotating bail roller to eliminate this and then later adjusted that so the line winds in at a specific point of the bail roller. It still doesn't do all the job it should and some matchmen actually started to glue up the bail roller so it didn't rotate.

Fact is, there's no easy answer to it, just that some lines including braids appear to deal with line twist better than others. It's probably one of the reason everyone suggests changing mono after a number of sessions, but at least once every year if you use the reel regularly. With braid it is much softer and more pliable and it does tend to last much longer. I do know that some PowerPro material can seem a bit stiffer than others and this could be because of the coating that's on it. Try soaking the line on the spool it comes on before winding it onto the reel and keep it tight between your fingers to squeeze it out when spooling up.

This doesn't happen quite as much if you use multiplier reels, of course.

 

[spoonminnow]

The lures I cast don't twist line - braid, mono or fluorocarbon. I'm surprised live bait would twist braid as Jeff stated or even a Mepps spinner. If your line is prone to line twist, a swivel should be considered.

If I get line twist ( which rarely happens), I pull out a casting distance with the reel on the ground plus another 10' in the grass. While reeling it back in, with nothing at the end of the line, I hold the line between two finger near the reel. The rod guides and my fingers take any line twist out.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I'm surprised live bait would twist braid as Jeff stated or even a Mepps spinner.

Try it with a test. Borrow your wife's/GF's tape measure, trap an end between two fingers and wrap the rest around those same two fingers. At the end, pull the tape off like you were casting something. Result - twist.

When the line is wound back in, unless a spoon twists it back (forget swivels), the reel will wrap the line back onto the spool with the twists in it. Cast again, you've doubled the twists.

Why I say forget swivels, in general they don't work quite as well as you might imagine. They might stop a twisting spoon or deadbait from putting a lot of extra twists in the line, but they won't remove the line twists you've already put in. Been proven many times, honestly. A ball-bearing swivel works best, but they're usually quite large, more for sea fishing where I've used them band above all, expensive!

If I get line twist ( which rarely happens), I pull out a casting distance with the reel on the ground plus another 10' in the grass. While reeling it back in, with nothing at the end of the line, I hold the line between two finger near the reel. The rod guides and my fingers take any line twist out.

It's a good tip and it's the grass, not too short, nor too long, that removes a lot of the twist.


EDITED BIT: You know if you're using a spool of monofilament that has been used before, but maybe some time ago. You take a few coils of line off and then its starts to feel lumpy. That isn't deterioration of the line, but more likely where the twists having dried out for quite a while and have bedded into the line. If you use the line regularly, week after week, you probably will not notice it much.

EDIT II: Another misnomer I hear is 'wind-knots'. I do not believe in these. Using multiplier reels you never get them simply because you never get line twist because of casting like with an open faced spool. Line comes off as it goes on and v.v., it's always straight as it is with centrepins. I have tried testing this by blowing on my spools, shan't mention with which orifice, beforehand and it makes no difference. Do they mean 'wind' as in breeze, or 'wind' as in turning the reel? If the latter then YES!

 

[Ray Roberts]

Try it with a test. Borrow your wife's/GF's tape measure, trap an end between two fingers and wrap the rest around those same two fingers. At the end, pull the tape off like you were casting something. Result - twist.

When the line is wound back in, unless a spoon twists it back (forget swivels), the reel will wrap the line back onto the spool with the twists in it. Cast again, you've doubled the twists.

Why I say forget swivels, in general they don't work quite as well as you might imagine. They might stop a twisting spoon or deadbait from putting a lot of extra twists in the line, but they won't remove the line twists you've already put in. Been proven many times, honestly. A ball-bearing swivel works best, but they're usually quite large, more for sea fishing where I've used them band above all, expensive!



It's a good tip and it's the grass, not too short, nor too long, that removes a lot of the twist.


EDITED BIT: You know if you're using a spool of monofilament that has been used before, but maybe some time ago. You take a few coils of line off and then its starts to feel lumpy. That isn't deterioration of the line, but more likely where the twists having dried out for quite a while and have bedded into the line. If you use the line regularly, week after week, you probably will not notice it much.

I don’t think that this is correct Jeff. If you do as you suggest with a tape measure then the line/tape is indeed twisted as you pull it off, however if without letting go of the end you wind it back on your fingers/spool then the twists disappear and you end up where you started. I think the twist is caused by the bail roller preventing the twists going back at the same rate as they came off. Other causes are the actual lures/bait imparting twist as they spin also giving line via the drag and baitrunners.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[spoonminnow]

Note: as was mentioned already, Power Pro and some other braided lines have a coating that make them more like monofilament than braid. The coating does wear off, but the line shows small bristles which for me meant a line change. I use a braid I get on Ebay and it has been excellent: soft enough for easier casting and holds up to fishing near rocks.

As everyone knows, monofilament is the worst line for line twist on spinning reels, but braid is the worst for baitcast reels for slight overrun spool snags. I still prefer braid over mono for any reel type.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I think the twist is caused by the bail roller preventing the twists going back at the same rate as they came off. Other causes are the actual lures/bait imparting twist as they spin also giving line via the drag and baitrunners.

We shall have to agree to disagree then, Ray. I was curious and looked into this many years ago, 70s in fact, long before big rollers on reels and the popular use of braid. You say "if without letting go of the end you wind it back", but that's exactly what happens when you retrieve many types of fishing tackle, floats, feeder, plugs/jerks, doesn't matter as they don't spin back to undo the twist. As I imply though, some spoons etc. might because they could untwist the line. Then again, if they spin the other way they compound the problem.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I think the twist is caused by the bail roller preventing the twists going back at the same rate as they came off. Other causes are the actual lures/bait imparting twist as they spin also giving line via the drag and baitrunners.

We shall have to agree to disagree then, Ray. I was curious and looked into this many years ago, 70s in fact, long before big rollers on reels and the popular use of braid. You say "if without letting go of the end you wind it back", but that's exactly what happens when you retrieve many types of fishing tackle, floats, feeder, plugs/jerks, doesn't matter as they don't spin back to undo the twist. As I imply though, some spoons etc. might because they could untwist the line. Then again, if they spin the other way they compound the problem.

but braid is the worst for baitcast reels for slight overrun spool snags.

I will agree with that, but as one Mr Ron Clay used to say on here, you have to develop an educated thumb!

 

[spoonminnow]

I will agree with that, but as one Mr Ron Clay used to say on here, you have to develop an educated thumb!

Kind of impossible to prevent a bird's nest when the lure hits a tree branch at full speed rather than under it. mg:

 

[David Gane]

For those suffering from wind knots in braid, the possible cause is an over-filled spool. Unlike mono, braid is best not loaded onto he spool right up to the rim. That way it “balloons” less when leaving the reel on the cast.

 

[spoonminnow]

For those suffering from wind knots in braid, the possible cause is an over-filled spool. Unlike mono, braid is best not loaded onto he spool right up to the rim. That way it “balloons” less when leaving the reel on the cast.

True, but the same applies to spinning reel: 1/8" below the spool rim.

 

[naxian62]

Now tried all the above mentioned tips and tricks, all to no avail. Even walked out the first 25-30 meters from the spool and then ran it through my fingers smoothing out/ undoing the twist , which at first seemed to work, but no. It soon reverted to it's twisted good self. As far as I can tell it doesn't appear to have any detrimental effect, Maybe casting is hindered a little hard to say.

 

[spoonminnow]

What bait are you casting? How heavy?
Braid twist is minimal and barely detected.