Ohio Game Fishing banner
Cancel
Create thread New Forums

Closing the bail on spinning reel.

Jump to Latest
11K views 40 replies 30 participants last post by  Shad Rap  
#1 ·
Out of curiosity, what do u guys prefer and why on closing your bails. Reel to close or manual close with the reeling hand? As of now and for the last 10 years or so, I manually close the bail. For a few reasons. I started because it had messed a few reels up in the past( low end money reels) and I've heard that it can even mess up the high dollar reels as well. When done manually, seems like I can be sure the line gets in the roller better. Also I just don't like the feel of reel closing. Its clunky, rocks the reel sometimes and puts an unwanted wobble through the whole rod forcing my other arm stiff to brace it. So what are your guys thoughts?

Sent from my C811 4G using Ohub Campfire mobile app
 
#2 ·
I close manually for a few reasons. I tend to palm the spool in order to control the cast most of the time. Secondly, I have had a lot of issues with getting loose wraps, line jump, and wind knots when I reel to close.
Also, when I was younger and reeled to close 100% of the time, the bait would eventually loosen up. They were cheap reels anyway, but it likely just happened faster than with better reels.

Mr. A
 
#4 ·
manually!

the bail mechanism on the first spinning real i ever had broke due to reeling to close it. as maybe a 10 or 11 year old, i didn't really know any better. with it failing, it essentially forced me to close manually, and later coming to the conclusion it was due to tripping the bail by reeling.

and like A said. turning manually will also insure your line sets on to the roller, and avoids loops, wind knots etc.
 
#11 ·
OK...I've read a few posts on this subject now so this time I'm going to ask a couple questions.

If closing the bail by reeling causes damage why do manufacturers build them to do it?

How does closing the bail by reeling cause line twists that manually closing does not? Both ways do the same thing as far as the line is concerned.

Hope I can learn something.:)
 
#14 ·
I never manually closed just because I have always been in the habit of cranking it closed. I have Shimano reels that I would consider middle of the road reels that have lasted me 15+ years of hard abuse. I've never had a reel fail due to cranking the bail closed. After reading here I can see the benefit of manually closing the bail in order to avoid tangles and ind knots. However I don:t think I could ever break the habit of cranking the bail closed!
 
#15 ·
The first spinning reel I had did not have a bail. You had to place the line on the pick up. Back reeling was how you fought the fish. I was so sick of both methods that I said "never again" to both methods when I received my first Airex with a bail and lousy drag. Really enjoyed that reel and method.
When I bought my first Mitchel 300 it was like Christmas Morning the first time I used it continuing to close the bail by reeling but letting the drag do it's job. I now try to remember to close my bail manually but it is a hit and miss thing. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, darn near impossible.:D
 
#16 ·
Shaggy .... to answer your question about line twist and closing the bail manually, or by turning the reel handle. When you turn the reel handle to close the bail, the line is traveling along the bail as the rotor is turning. The bail is also changing it's angle as it's closing. Both of those actions cause the line to twist. When you close the bail manually the line goes to the line roller pretty much instantly. It may not seem as if such a small thing makes that much of a difference, but it does.

I always close the bail manually when using spinning gear. It's faster, easier, and takes less effort to close it manually than it does by turning the reel handle.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I've had a few posts on here about closing the bail by hand. I don't do it to save the bail spring but to avoid wind knots. Closing by hand puts the line right on the roller... I do a lot of night fishing and fish the fall/winter night bite. Lots of time the best places to fish are where the wind is blowing right into your face. Bad enough its cold out and your fishing with gloves on and can't see much,,,, just don't need any wind knots when your having that kind of fun...
My wife had the habit of casting as high as she did far. Bait would hit the water, she would drop her rod down then using the reel handle click the bail over. Not all the time but often enough she would end up with some amazing knots in her line. Finally got her to hand close the bail and that sort of fixed the knots.
 
#21 ·
I've always used the crank to close my bail and didn't have any problems at all until I started using braid. the braided line has a bad tendency to get a loose loop in the line then when you cast again the loop will hang up in the line and cause a birds nest. but I still crank the handle to close the bail. I just try to watch for loops in my line. but im 63 yrs old and im just to old to switch.

I still don't understand how you get line twist from closing the bail with the handle because the bail doesn't touch the line until it closes.
sherman
 
S
#23 ·
Beemerfly said:
Me either! :confused:
You'll get more line twist from actually reeling in your line than from the bail closing. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I agree...people do realize that the line coils onto the spool hence spinning around it?..and we're worried about the bail touching it when you reel the bail closed?..I dont buy it one bit...there has got to be 1000 times more twist just from reeling alone...if I were closing the bail manually it would be to stop wear and tear on the reel, but I havent had one bail or reel fail me in 35 years of fishing from doing this...reel it closed...imo.
 
S
#25 ·
JohnPD said:
Always manually for me, prevents things like line twist, wind knots, etc. especially with newer, thinner superlines like Nanofil which I use on all my spinning gear.
Click to expand...
Not sure how you get line twist if you're using nanofil...it really surprises me how many people say they manually close the bail...I personally have never seen it done by anyone when fishing.
 
Ohio Game Fishing
posts
3M
members
65K
Since
2004
A forum community dedicated to Ohio’s fishers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, gear, tackle, tips, tricks, reviews, reports, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Lake Erie Fishing Reports Northeast Ohio Fishing Reports Central Ohio Fishing Reports Southwest Ohio Fishing Reports Lake Erie General Discussions