Thread: manual bail flipping...

Another vote for manual flipping. Once in a great while when the bail is flipped over, the line will end up draped over the spool cap; not specific to any brand as I have experienced it with quite a few different spinning reels. With the manual method I can address the problem right away without having to strip line off to get at it.

I have been manually bail flipping so long that it is second nature.

I do with my king rigs, mainly because if I am snobbling or fishing alive bait, I want the bail open until I need to work the bait or set the hook.

I've been manually flipping for several years...I've virtually eliminated bird nests on my spinning reels. I've also found that when I spool new line, if I tighten the drag down, then spool with a lot of tension on the line, that also helps immensely. Obviously I loosen the drag back up, but I've cut the periodic line/casting problems considerably.

If your soaking a live or dead bait in the surf for fifteen minutes, it may not be a problem for you, but if your fishing a bass tournament you'll cast several hundred times. Keep flipping the bail with the handle and you'll keep putting small amounts of twist and/or loops in your line. Most of the time you won't know it until you cast out a spiderweb of line and then the Yosemite Sam starts, @&$! reel!!! When you've done that a few times, you start manually flipping the bail. Plus many cheap reels start putting pressure on plastic parts like tha handle, gears, and housing.

If you are casting a heavy rig and the bail snaps shut when you cast, you can snap the line and send your rig flying toward Cuba (they are "friends" now, huh?). The bigger the sinker, the more expensive. For guys in the northeast with striper plugs that can run up around $20 that is a much more painful loss, so some remove the spring for the bail flip to make at manual. The risk of the line snap goes up with heavier plugs and/or harder casts, so straining to reach breaking fish means break-offs happen at the worst possible time. That is at least one reason for the popularity of PUM (bail-less) on heavy-duty surf reels like Mitchell 302, Penn 706, Van Staal, and Zeebaas. There are online tutorials for intentionally disabling these functions in other reels too. [Perhaps we could work out a deal to give loving new homes to unloved bail springs from Massachusetts or Montauk.]

The claim I have read is that not only do casting reels not have any risk of this bail issue in the surf but a shock leader of about double the rod length should be wound onto the spool to prevent dangerous break-offs as the cast starts. At 10 lbs for every 1 oz of weight for this safety leader, you end up with 60-80 lbs mono as the shock leader, which would cut you finger if used on a spinning reel. I am sure 60-80 braid would not sever a finger, but it could certainly hurt more if you heavy-cast frequently or if you bare-hand grabbed the leader in the surf to beach a good fish. The claim is also made that conventional reels without cross-wind cast further than spinning -- perhaps true for the elite but not for mortals like me.

Frankly, although professional casting competitors and elite surf anglers might need this equipment, most people who have it are like people buying the same clubs Tiger Wood used or wearing a Farve jersey for backyard football -- hoping for magic. I wish I had the problem of casting so hard and so far that I was a danger to myself or others without safety precautions. I'd settle for a #r model hat on the pier.

Originally Posted by midwestexile

If you are casting a heavy rig and the bail snaps shut when you cast, you can snap the line and send your rig flying toward Cuba (they are "friends" now, huh?). The bigger the sinker, the more expensive. For guys in the northeast with striper plugs that can run up around $20 that is a much more painful loss, so some remove the spring for the bail flip to make at manual. The risk of the line snap goes up with heavier plugs and/or harder casts, so straining to reach breaking fish means break-offs happen at the worst possible time. That is at least one reason for the popularity of PUM (bail-less) on heavy-duty surf reels like Mitchell 302, Penn 706, Van Staal, and Zeebaas. There are online tutorials for intentionally disabling these functions in other reels too. [Perhaps we could work out a deal to give loving new homes to unloved bail springs from Massachusetts or Montauk.]

The claim I have read is that not only do casting reels not have any risk of this bail issue in the surf but a shock leader of about double the rod length should be wound onto the spool to prevent dangerous break-offs as the cast starts. At 10 lbs for every 1 oz of weight for this safety leader, you end up with 60-80 lbs mono as the shock leader, which would cut you finger if used on a spinning reel. I am sure 60-80 braid would not sever a finger, but it could certainly hurt more if you heavy-cast frequently or if you bare-hand grabbed the leader in the surf to beach a good fish. The claim is also made that conventional reels without cross-wind cast further than spinning -- perhaps true for the elite but not for mortals like me.

Frankly, although professional casting competitors and elite surf anglers might need this equipment, most people who have it are like people buying the same clubs Tiger Wood used or wearing a Farve jersey for backyard football -- hoping for magic. I wish I had the problem of casting so hard and so far that I was a danger to myself or others without safety precautions. I'd settle for a #r model hat on the pier.

Hmm. I once had the bail snap shut while casting a snagging rig (5oz) for spoonbill. Almost yanked the rod out of my hands. That's the only time its happened though. As for other peoples assessments of repeated casting and retrieving (without manually flipping the bail) causing loops and knots- I grew up crappie fishing with my grandfather, we would be on the lake by 6 am and usually leave by ten or so. It was continual casting with 1/8 oz or smaller jigs with light line and Mitchell 300 reels. Snarls were rare for me (once I was past the age of 6 or so) and virtually nonexistent for my grandfather.
Here in Oklahoma if I fish into the wind I'll sometimes end up with slack line issues, but solve the problem by holding the line or braid between my thumb and forefinger to put tension on it as it feeds back onto the reel.

Most of the new model high end ($250 to $1500) spinning reels by shimano,penn and daiwa along with all blue marlin,accurate,van staal and zeebaas reels no longer have an internal bail trip mechanism. After being in the saltwater tackle business for close to 30 years I can tell you bail failure is the number one reason for a spinning reel to be returned or needing repair.

Originally Posted by john g

Most of the new model high end ($250 to $1500) spinning reels by shimano,penn and daiwa along with all blue marlin,accurate,van staal and zeebaas reels no longer have an internal bail trip mechanism. After being in the saltwater tackle business for close to 30 years I can tell you bail failure is the number one reason for a spinning reel to be returned or needing repair.

That makes sense. If l could manage to flip the bail manually while tossing 1/2-1 oz jigs in the tailraces and not get hung up in the rocks I'd probably make more of an effort to do so. Flipping manually with topwater plugs in the tailraces is certainly possible, its just difficult to remember when its the only time I can do it without losing my gear frequently.

Thats what your index finger is for,to feather the cast in order to slow it down.

Finesse casting? Closing the bail by hand for so long, feathering the line is second nature.