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Keeping line from tangling fishing UL

I have been UL fishing for years and still have issue with this. I try to make sure I don't put line on loosely, but every now and then I let a twist loop stick out and sure as the world it gets caught on the next cast and I get the bird's nest. Carefully bring it back in untwisting loops and usually rescue it. But every now and then I don't and snip goes several yards off the end (always gathered in and disposed of properly). It doesn't happen all that often, but usually at least a couple of times a day. I have gotten it with Mono, flouro and braid. Pretty much anything is susceptible to it when casting light rigs. Any hot tips from others?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by dick tabbert on February 2, 2015 at 5:22pm

That's a bad feeling when you go to cast and out come a birds nest. I'll try to help and these are some of the things I do to lesson the chance although you'll never eliminate the problem. First get a quality line and I personally use a fluorocarbon but any quality line will do that's just my preference. Lay spool down flat run the other end through your rod eyes and connect to your reel. Start winding your line on always checking while your filling for twist. If you start to wing and its starts to twist pick the spool up off the floor and turn it over. After the reel is filled never overfill your ready to hit the water. All the next things well be discussing are important. When casting open your bail, make your cast. After casting get a taught line and close your bail by hand. If you close the bail with the handle you'll be guaranteed to have a small twist and after a time of small twist a mess one of them birds nest. Always be sure drag is set for the line you using. If its to light all then little clicks of the reel you make while your reeling is a line twist and after awhile another mess. The final and most important is if and when you have a fish hookup and your fish is taking out line don't reel. Let the fish pull the drag and after he is done pulling drag reel him in till and if he takes drag again. If your reeling and the fish is taking drag that's a big line twist. So it is vary important to set your drag and don't be afraid to check often. These things helped me through the year although it won't eliminate the twist all together it will lesson the chance of a twist considerably. Hope this helps.

Permalink Reply by David, aka, "McScruff" on February 2, 2015 at 5:33pm

I use a long rod (7' minimum) and a down lined trigger spin-cast reel.
By down lined, I mean 4# test on a reel intended for 6-8#.
Since I fish from a bateau, I can get close enough that I don't need to cast light lures 100 yards.
I happened on this arrangement wholly by accident. I just love the Daiwa trigger spins, so I had several hanging around a couple seasons back. At that time, Id also gotten a few spin-fly rods and the two just ended up together.
The spin-fly rods are really just a fly rod blank with spinning type guides... A seriously subtle combination that is highly underrated.
The long, whippy rod imparts more momentum to the light lures, so they fly well and lash back less. The length, too, cradles the line better along the length if the rod. The same effect is seen with spinning reels, too.
It's probably not for everyone, but I like it.

Permalink Reply by jim cosgrove on February 2, 2015 at 5:34pm

close the bail manually.especially with braid.modern reels often recenter when you engage the reel and will often pick up a loop of slack.watch your reel.many times it will turn more than you think before engaging the reel.got sick of bird nesting 10 dollars worth of braid.

Permalink Reply by Andy is OptiMystic on February 2, 2015 at 5:40pm

Dick - your first statement is actually really helpful - "you'll never eliminate". It isn't just me. I didn't think so, but it helps to hear that there isn't some secret handshake I didn't learn yet. I am bad about reeling to close instead of doing it by hand and reeling against drag being pulled out. I need to work on those more. I do check for twists and flip the spool it comes on as needed. I currently have good 4# flouro on the UL. Flouro casts great and sinks fast because the limited memory keeps it from coiling, but since it isn't coiled it seems t want to just jump off the spool.

Permalink Reply by jim cosgrove on February 2, 2015 at 6:05pm

could be the fluro and.yi could see that happening.i use it for leaders on my bass rods but it is pretty stiff.rreeling against the drag puts tons of twist in the line.a lot of people backreel and keep the drag tight.i just let em run against the drag.i keep mine loose cause i mostly fish braid so 0 stretch means a lighter hook set.first time i used it i actually tore part of the the lip off a smallmouth.felt bad.

Permalink Reply by Andy is OptiMystic on February 2, 2015 at 6:18pm

The 4# flouro is pretty limp. It's "spy line" - .007". OTOH it does not coil so it has some backbone, but not enough to keep from doubling and twisting sometimes. I have the nanofil (sort of braid like; fused dyneema) on my light rod. I had it on UL for a while. It rarely got a full nest but pulled loops off the reel very easily. It was more a time annoyance than anything else; I could almost always untangle it.

Permalink Reply by Andy is OptiMystic on February 2, 2015 at 5:48pm

David (McScruff) - I have a spin-fly pack rod that I am setting up as my secondary UL; still mulling over the line choice for that one. I have a light spinning reel and a fly reel for the rod. I read some reviews that said it was a better UL than fly rod. It's okay as a 6 wt (what I have on the fly reel) but I have tried UL with it yet.

Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on February 2, 2015 at 7:47pm

when i first started using braid i was horrified at the birds nests i used to produce... then i became very proficient at untangling the knots ... still carry a crochet needle with me for the stubborn ones. an absolute accessory to carry in your tackle box. heres the thing wd40 sprayed on your spools was an automatic cure all for me... tried reel magic as a line dressing ... i found wd40 was more productive in curing the wind knots... i really don't recall one in 2014... that alone is an amazing statistic.

Permalink Reply by Andy is OptiMystic on February 2, 2015 at 7:52pm

If you are careful not to pull it tight, dyneema (braid and nanofil) just about always can be untangled IME (and I have more experience with that than I would wish). I will have to try the WD-40 trick. Mono and flouro both get me every now and then right when I am sure a loop is about to pull through and untangle and then suddenly it kinks and you're done...

Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on February 2, 2015 at 7:55pm

try the crochet needle or a heavy duty sewing needle

Permalink Reply by Slip Sinker on February 2, 2015 at 7:56pm

never had a wind knot on my nanofil

Permalink Reply by Andy is OptiMystic on February 2, 2015 at 8:01pm

The nanofil I get undone almost every time. I sometimes have a loop sticking out form not keeping line tight enough on previous retrieve and the loop gets slightly twisted with outgoing line and its like I am casting three lines at once. I have to figure out which is the true main line and pull it until it reaches the base of the loop and then reel it all back on. It mostly just costs me time when it happens and can be frustrating.