Bail closes during cast?

I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was a
cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure enough,
it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad technique?
Does it have something to do with the position of the crank during the
cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn and the bail
closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically to help keep
the bail open during a cast?

I just got a baitcasting reel, but I want to be able to use both
reliably.

any hints?

--edfardos

edfardos wrote:
I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was a
cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure enough,
it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad technique?
Does it have something to do with the position of the crank during the
cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn and the bail
closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically to help keep
the bail open during a cast?

Sounds like your handle is in the wrong position when casting, (which
means you have a very sensitive trip for the bail, taking little force
on the handle to trip the bail) or your bumping the handle during the
cast, well maybe your forgetting to open the bail sometimes, I do this
myself from time to time.



--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Nutri Shield insect repellent. ,TTI's StandOut Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com

On May 6, 8:10 pm, edfardos wrote:
I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was a
cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure enough,
it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad technique?
Does it have something to do with the position of the crank during the
cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn and the bail
closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically to help keep
the bail open during a cast?

I just got a baitcasting reel, but I want to be able to use both
reliably.

any hints?

--edfardos

I have exactly the same problem with one of my old-style Penn
sal****er reel. If I position the crank to point forward (toward the
rod tip), I will 100% sure the bail will close during casting. This
can be very bad if I use heavy lure or sinker because the line will
break and I will see the lure to fly away and never return. The
workaround is to position the crank to point backward before casting.
One way to find out if your reel has this problem or not is by simply
positioning the crank pointing forward, casting, and then checking the
crank position afterward to see how far it has turned.

I don't know if there is a permanent fix of this problem or not. I
have got used to it. But my new version of Penn sal****er reel
doesn't have this problem. May be you can return it and get something
else that doesn't have this problem.

Hope this helps.

Jay Chan

Jay Chan wrote:
On May 6, 8:10 pm, edfardos wrote:
I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was a
cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure enough,
it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad technique?
Does it have something to do with the position of the crank during the
cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn and the bail
closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically to help keep
the bail open during a cast?

I just got a baitcasting reel, but I want to be able to use both
reliably.

any hints?

--edfardos

I have exactly the same problem with one of my old-style Penn
sal****er reel. If I position the crank to point forward (toward the
rod tip), I will 100% sure the bail will close during casting. This
can be very bad if I use heavy lure or sinker because the line will
break and I will see the lure to fly away and never return. The
workaround is to position the crank to point backward before casting.
One way to find out if your reel has this problem or not is by simply
positioning the crank pointing forward, casting, and then checking the
crank position afterward to see how far it has turned.

I don't know if there is a permanent fix of this problem or not. I
have got used to it. But my new version of Penn sal****er reel
doesn't have this problem. May be you can return it and get something
else that doesn't have this problem.

Hope this helps.

Jay Chan


If your line is breaking from the weight of the tackle you probably need
heavier line.

"Dan" wrote in message
...
Jay Chan wrote:
On May 6, 8:10 pm, edfardos wrote:
I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was a
cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure enough,
it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad technique?
Does it have something to do with the position of the crank during the
cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn and the bail
closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically to help keep
the bail open during a cast?

I just got a baitcasting reel, but I want to be able to use both
reliably.

any hints?

--edfardos

I have exactly the same problem with one of my old-style Penn
sal****er reel. If I position the crank to point forward (toward the
rod tip), I will 100% sure the bail will close during casting. This
can be very bad if I use heavy lure or sinker because the line will
break and I will see the lure to fly away and never return. The
workaround is to position the crank to point backward before casting.
One way to find out if your reel has this problem or not is by simply
positioning the crank pointing forward, casting, and then checking the
crank position afterward to see how far it has turned.

I don't know if there is a permanent fix of this problem or not. I
have got used to it. But my new version of Penn sal****er reel
doesn't have this problem. May be you can return it and get something
else that doesn't have this problem.

Hope this helps.

Jay Chan


If your line is breaking from the weight of the tackle you probably need
heavier line.

It's breaking from the extreme forces encountered when the bail closes
during a cast. I guess if you used heavy enough line your rod would break
instead.

ed

Ed Chait voiced his/her/it's humble opinion in rec.outdoors.fishing on
Wed 01 Aug 2007 10:38:14p:


"Dan" wrote in message
...
Jay Chan wrote:
On May 6, 8:10 pm, edfardos wrote:
I recently got back into fishing and was having problems with my
spinning reel such that the bail closes by itself mid cast. It was
a cheap reel, so I got a new shimano reel ($40 range), and sure
enough, it snaps shut during a cast now and then. Is this a bad
technique? Does it have something to do with the position of the
crank during the cast, whereas the snap action makes the crank turn
and the bail closes? Is there anything I could adjust mechanically
to help keep the bail open during a cast?

I just got a baitcasting reel, but I want to be able to use both
reliably.

any hints?

--edfardos

I have exactly the same problem with one of my old-style Penn
sal****er reel. If I position the crank to point forward (toward
the rod tip), I will 100% sure the bail will close during casting.
This can be very bad if I use heavy lure or sinker because the line
will break and I will see the lure to fly away and never return.
The workaround is to position the crank to point backward before
casting. One way to find out if your reel has this problem or not is
by simply positioning the crank pointing forward, casting, and then
checking the crank position afterward to see how far it has turned.

I don't know if there is a permanent fix of this problem or not. I
have got used to it. But my new version of Penn sal****er reel
doesn't have this problem. May be you can return it and get
something else that doesn't have this problem.

Hope this helps.

Jay Chan


If your line is breaking from the weight of the tackle you probably
need heavier line.

It's breaking from the extreme forces encountered when the bail closes
during a cast. I guess if you used heavy enough line your rod would
break instead.

ed




As a spincaster with 50 years experience I would have to say that you are
probably moving the handle during casting causing the auto-reverse to
engage. Try shifting it off and see if that doesn't stop the bail from
closing. A weak spring might also be the cause.

I've never had the problem you report so it should be handling or spring.


Later......

LabRat...... |:^{)