New Spinning Reels - What am I doing wrong?

Hello,

It's January and I am trying to get all my gear ready for spring bass
fishing.


In the past I have always picked up a couple of cheap rod/reel spinning
combos. By the end of the season they are in pieces...


This year I did some research and decided to get some better equipment.
I was excited when I purchased 2 Shimano Sonora reels and a couple of
simple berkeley rods. (the Sonora is the bottom end of the line but has
gotton good reviews as a value reel)


As soon as I got them married up and started fiddling with them, two
things become apparent - and seem quite odd to me.


First, after a cast, when you turn the reel handle to close the bail,
you have to really, *really* give a ton of effort to do so. So much
that the whole assembly twists in my hands. Both reels seem identical
in this regard, so it must be intentional. Is this common? Is this
configurable? This alone makes me likely to return the pair. The effort
required seems ridiulous.


Secondly, (this may be tough to describe) in the past, just before I
open the bail to finger the line and cast, I "backup" the spool to the
right position - the reel seemed to know where it should be and only
will reverse to that point - these reels do not seem to work that way.
They have the obvious two settings that I can see, either no backup
whatsoever (no reverse spin), or full 2 directional free-spinning in
both directions. If set to no backup, which is what you what when
normally fishing, the only way to position the spool seems to be to
carefully "eye it to the right point" when reeling in originally. This
is very tedious.


OK. All the cheap ones I have had in the past:
- Let me flip the bail closed with very little effort (click),
- Allowed me to quickly and mechanically line up the spool for
my next cast with an effortless, and habitual reverse backup of
quarter turn or so and provided a nice "stop" at that point.


Please let me know what I am missing here. I am entirely self taught in
the casting department so I may be missing major things here.


Am I just a dolt that should stay away from the real reels?


Thank you for helping a novice,
tonyM

Tony, look for the *** for my replies....

"tonyM" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hello,

It's January and I am trying to get all my gear ready for spring bass
fishing.

***Good man, it's never too early to start. I really need to get going on
my stuff too.


In the past I have always picked up a couple of cheap rod/reel spinning
combos. By the end of the season they are in pieces...

***Well, that's where you made your first mistake. I'd be willing to bet
that if you figured out what you've spent buying cheap reels, you could have
bought some good ones long ago.


This year I did some research and decided to get some better equipment.
I was excited when I purchased 2 Shimano Sonora reels and a couple of
simple berkeley rods. (the Sonora is the bottom end of the line but has
gotton good reviews as a value reel)

***The Sonora is a decent enough reel.


As soon as I got them married up and started fiddling with them, two
things become apparent - and seem quite odd to me.


First, after a cast, when you turn the reel handle to close the bail,
you have to really, *really* give a ton of effort to do so. So much
that the whole assembly twists in my hands. Both reels seem identical
in this regard, so it must be intentional. Is this common? Is this
configurable? This alone makes me likely to return the pair. The effort
required seems ridiulous.

***First of all, I never use the internal mechanism to trip the bail. Many
times when you do this, you'll get a little loose loop of line on the spool,
then wind line over the top. This will lead to snarfled line and
frustration. Get into the habit of reaching down and manually close the
bail. Then, give the line a little tug and you'll never have another looped
line problem on your reels. If you do insist on using the reel to flip the
bail, in time it will flip over easier. Also too, a good cleaning and
lubing will make the reel work easier.


Secondly, (this may be tough to describe) in the past, just before I
open the bail to finger the line and cast, I "backup" the spool to the
right position - the reel seemed to know where it should be and only
will reverse to that point - these reels do not seem to work that way.
They have the obvious two settings that I can see, either no backup
whatsoever (no reverse spin), or full 2 directional free-spinning in
both directions. If set to no backup, which is what you what when
normally fishing, the only way to position the spool seems to be to
carefully "eye it to the right point" when reeling in originally. This
is very tedious.

***The reels that you had in the past probably had the "QuickFire" trigger
system. The reels you have now have instant anti-reverse and I prefer this
system over the "back up to center the spool" system. All you need to do is
watch your rod tip and stop reeling when the lure is about 6" from the rod
tip. With a little practice and time with the reel, you won't even need to
look at the reel to open the bail. I have given up my Trigger spin reels a
long time ago. I've found that I get better hooksets with the instant
anti-reverse reels and no annoying spool slap when jigging or setting the
hook.


OK. All the cheap ones I have had in the past:
- Let me flip the bail closed with very little effort (click),
- Allowed me to quickly and mechanically line up the spool for
my next cast with an effortless, and habitual reverse backup of
quarter turn or so and provided a nice "stop" at that point.

***With practice, you won't have to worry about this at all. I almost never
look at the reel any longer. It's simple to reel, reach down, flip open the
bail, make the cast, close the bail, give the line a little tug and begin
your retrieve.


Please let me know what I am missing here. I am entirely self taught in
the casting department so I may be missing major things here.

***Don't worry about it, these are all things that you'll pick up in time.


Am I just a dolt that should stay away from the real reels?

***Nope, just spend more time fishing! :-)
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

I have fished with a number of spinning reel only anglers who don't care for
the instant anti reverse. I think the whole main line of Shimano spinning
reels is that way. It can be gotten used to. I hardly ever use the
automatic bail return on spinning reels and I use spinning tackle about
equally to bait casting tackle. I pretty much always close the bail by hand
and lift the rod to take up slack.

Up until I started fishing bass tournaments and learning from my buddy Dave
Willhide (local guide) I always used spinning tackle, and after I got used
to it I actually prefer the instant anti reverse reels.


--
Bob La Londe
Fishing Arizona & The Colorado River
Fishing Forums & Contests
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

New Spinning Reels - What am I doing wrong?


Please let me know what I am missing here. I am entirely self taught in
the casting department so I may be missing major things here.

Am I just a dolt that should stay away from the real reels?
Thank you for helping a novice,

tonyM
=======
I was going to add my two cents....but I had to go out and pick up my
spinning reel and rod first....I wasn't really sure what I did. I found
out that I just instinctively do what I've always done...same thing Bob
and Steve does .

Spinning gear has always been my mainstay, I have to work at fishing a
baitcaster, but a spinnng rod becomes an extension of my hands and
arms....thinking about it no longer exists. That probably tells you that
I don't use baitcasting gear very often!

Try what Bob and Steve suggested...after a few times on the water, it
will just become second nature to you.

JK