- Joined
- May 17, 2009
- Location
- Charleston WV
If you do build a better backlash, and it does happen from time to time, the first thing to do is stop swearing, then do nothing and calm down, and think on this.
I have seen it too often to be funny. Someone builds a better bird's nest, and in frustration cuts the line and attempts to untangle the mess by threading the cut end over and under the tangle.
This is frustration negating clear thinking. How can the line coming off the spool and up the rod thread itself under and through the loops on the reel? It cannot of course, and trying to thread the line under, over and through loops will achieve exactly the opposite of what you want.
Most backlashes can be unpicked with some patience, usually in a relatively short time. A crochet hook, if you can find one to buy, helps unpicking no end. Try raiding Grandma's sewing box.
The trick is to pull gently on each loose loop until you find one that releases some line. The key loops to find are the loops around the base of other loops - these loops at the base are the ones that bought everything to a halt.
Then move onto more loops till you find another loop that will release some more line. Sooner or later you will come across the loop that started the problem and as if by magic you are fishing again, often surprised by the short time taken to unpick the mess.
While you are unpicking the backlash, and your partner is happily catching fish around you, it may be a good time to reflect on what advantages you might have gained by doing some casting practice before going out fishing.
I have seen it too often to be funny. Someone builds a better bird's nest, and in frustration cuts the line and attempts to untangle the mess by threading the cut end over and under the tangle.
This is frustration negating clear thinking. How can the line coming off the spool and up the rod thread itself under and through the loops on the reel? It cannot of course, and trying to thread the line under, over and through loops will achieve exactly the opposite of what you want.
Most backlashes can be unpicked with some patience, usually in a relatively short time. A crochet hook, if you can find one to buy, helps unpicking no end. Try raiding Grandma's sewing box.
The trick is to pull gently on each loose loop until you find one that releases some line. The key loops to find are the loops around the base of other loops - these loops at the base are the ones that bought everything to a halt.
Then move onto more loops till you find another loop that will release some more line. Sooner or later you will come across the loop that started the problem and as if by magic you are fishing again, often surprised by the short time taken to unpick the mess.
While you are unpicking the backlash, and your partner is happily catching fish around you, it may be a good time to reflect on what advantages you might have gained by doing some casting practice before going out fishing.