There should be a special board where a guy can ask those questions that bug him but asking them makes him feel stupid. I have accumulated thousands of them.
For example: what do you do when you get a backlash in your baitcaster reel. Now dont tell me you have never had one!
I have my own solution but what is yours;quit fishihg ,sit down and pick it out, cut the line , cut out the backlash and salvage the good line with a blood knot.
Bob; there should be a special place you can ask these questions without feeling stupid.

One of my instructors at college used to say "The only stupid question is the one you don't ask". He was absolutely right.

I work on it for 5 minutes. If it is a mess I cut it and do a blood knot to add line if necessary. I also carry a backup reel.

[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: UltimateFeashKacher ]

First and foremost, you have to cuss, very important state of mind there, and then get out the spare reel or spool. Don't forget the cussing part.

The first thing I do is grab the line and yard it in hand over hand.I have learned from bitter experience that the hook,weight and float will hang up in the rocks . Once the rig is on my side of the river in the shallows I start to pick out the line. This is where I curse,curse those big wide bars on the calcutta reels. Either the japs have very small fingers or never get backlashes.
If it isent out in five minutes I switch to anothe reel .If I get two backlashes in a morning I sit down ,curse some more ,have a drink and a smoke , and curse the calcuttas.

hey coot, i thought all you cannucks used those knucle busters. actually a good question. if i get a bad backlash, i quit fishing.spare spool sounds like the best option to me.

Well Ya Bardo I still have several of those knuckle bustin centerpins but I`ve seen the light. mind you we are slow learners up here so you`ll still see some centerpins on the Vedder.
Actually when it comes to fishing light from a flyrod its hard to beat the smooth drift of a centerpin.Even the Yanks from Michigan will tell you that. By the way you can still get the mother of all birds nests with a centerpin.

See? Cussing is the most important part! Really though, the dull fingernail cleaner/file of your clippers works great, more cussing though. Ha ha, good luck.

I am particularly adept at undoing birdsnests on my 6500C3. I just find the offend part of the nest and pull it to the right or left. It usually comes out in a few tries.

Maybe I should clean my reel, as I got it as a wedding gift from the wife 7 years ago, and I have yet to do anything but rinse it off.

Coot

After guiding for many years, I had my share of backlashes! The one and only simple way that I found that really worked was to use my comb as pick. I could never get my big fingers inside to find the lead rap. By using the very end of your plastic comb, you will be able to pick out the backlash in very short order. It worked for me thousands of times and it will work for you too. The comb is soft enough that it will not chap your line during the picking process.

Try it, you'll like it!


Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

First thing I do when I get a backlash is look for the cause of it...(never my fault) a stick, rock, twig, piece of grass...etc...and seek vengence.

i always carry a back up rod and reel with me. if you get a backlash and get it out and continue to fish with kinded line it is 400 times easier to get another backlash.
tyler

2 words FLY FISHING hee hee


NO seriously something that is pretty important when picking out a backlash on a bait caster is not to pull too hard on any one strand. Doing do can cause some major kinks in your line and even if you do get the backlash out you may have done some sever damage to your line that could result in a lost fish. And worse yet that fish is gonna be swimming around with who knows how mych line hanging out of his mouth. So try to keep everything loose as you undo the backlash.

Actually I think that was a dang good question on a topic that almost every steelheader encounters on a daily basis.

Kind sir, there are no stupid questions. I have, however, on occasion, witnessed some stupid answers.

Like this one.

I let everything drift downstream and pull it all toward the bank as far as possible, knowing that 8 out 10 times I'm gonna lose it anyway. Then I pull up on all the wraps I can get ahold of. Usually that will align them well enough that smooth pulling of the main will unwrap it.
If all else fails, I cut the mess out and reconnect it with a blood knot. And then I cast until I've worn a hole in my thumb from those little nubby ends that protrude from the blood knot.
Or you could switch to a closed face Snoopy rod.
diana

ok ill ask one do you think it matters which way you fill your reel with line to reduce "loopy line"
mike

Hey Coot ... I'm a firm believer in what UFK has to say. Ask away, right here, right now

If anyone makes you feel stupid, let me know and I'll inflict a world of cyber-hurt upon them :p

We all had to start sometime, or all started over with a new technique at another. We all have had questions at one time or another that we now feel everyone should know ... something we should always keep in mind

Coot
UFK and Bob are right on. First thing to do is avoid birdsnests by making sure your reel is adjusted right for what you're tossin. Second don't overfill your reel. My major pain is not birds nests right off the bat but that occasional d@mm overspool at the end of the cast that leaves a little loose line on the spool. If left there they will ultimately cause a birds nest and other problems.
Only solution is to let the line continue spooling off until you've cleared it and reel up the slack quickly. Pain in the butt when you've put your gear in the sweet spot.

gooose

Thanks Gooose. Fairly new to casting reels. Thought that loose line at the end of a cast was only happening to me.

Good call, gooose. Set the reel up right and as long as you clear the blackberries and cotton woods behind you, you'll be fine.

I've never had a "professional overrun" that I couldn't clear in less than 5 minutes, but I've had a lot of them. I've been fishing for years with a Quantum, just got a Curado and fished with it for one day (before I blew out my knee and haven't fished since December). I couldn't believe the difference. The first bird's nest I get in that reel will be a surprise.

SkyWalker thanks . Best birdsnest I've ever seen was due to overhanging brush that none of us can avoid....even the "elitists." Guy next to me clipped a branch behind hin and ended up with a world famous backlash....for some reason he didn't care much about that as much as the 2/0 gammi sunk in his butt !
Man those hooks are sharp. Anyway they borrowed my leadmasters to clip the hook point off and withdraw the offending object. One of my fondest funniest fishin memories.

Gooose