I've always wondered about the same thing Henry. I've asked the question
before but never received an explanation that was satisfactory.

"Henry Hefner" wrote in message
oups.com...

Bob La Londe wrote:
..... First off spinning reels twist line. No matter what you do you
will get
some line twist, however, that being said there are some things you
can do.......

2. When retrieving close the bail by hand........

OK, I asked about this about a year ago with no takers. I'm a
mechanical kinda guy, and I always have to figure out the mechanics of
how things work. I cannot for the life of me see how closing the bail
by hand reduces line twist over cranking the handle to close the bail.
I have examined very closely how the line is taken up in either
instance, and there is no twist added to the line. I can see advantages
to reel life, or maybe preventing a take-up problem where you have so
much loose line at the reel that it can get tangled in the handle or
the bail, but no line twist. I think this is a myth that someone
started and everybody keeps it alive by beleiving it without checking
for themselves.
Take a spinning reel and paint one side of your line with a marker so
you can see any twisting being added. Open and close the reel both
manually and automatically. Observe the line. There is no difference.