Casting small 1/64 & 1/32 jigs?

[Smoltz]

Do any of you cast small jigs?
1/64 and 1/32 with no float.. I really like casting jigs and fishing with no float. And slowly working them back. I make my own hair jigs and they fall so nice and slowly. I just lift n let them fall again.

Just wish I could get more distance. Without having to use a really long rod.

What should I be expecting casting distance wise? I'm using a daiwa presso 6.5ft rod and 4lb mono line. I would like to use some 2lb line but I just don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

The rod is new one to me and I really like it so far. Thanks

[David Matysik]

I would just like to add that a reel with a larger spool, 25 series reels, Pflueger Arbor, etc. , will help your casting distance.  The larger spools lets the line off easier than ultralight reels.

[Slip Sinker]

[Brad Reid]

I really need to get out and take an actual casting measurement.

For long casts, I use a 6'9" St. Croix Ultralight, fast tip with a Shimano Ci4+ 1000 series reel. The reel is very smooth but the trick for me has been using 2 lbs. Sufix Nanobraid (just to be clear, not Berkley's Nanofil . . . though it is a fine line, too). 

Sufix claims this Dyneema traditional braid is .001" in diameter. If you take its stated metric measurement, I believe it comes back via a conversion as .00157" so a bit larger. Whichever is correct, it is just really super thin. 

So, throwing a jighead of .7 grams or approximately 1/40th an ounce with a tiny 2" grub, I suppose I am well over 60 feet. With a larger jighead coming in at 1.7 grams, I guess, what, about 1/17th of an ounce, it casts like a bullet. Much farther.

However, for practical reasons, since I fish from a kayak, seated, I prefer my moderate action 5 foot rod. It loads up well, makes very accurate casts in all directions: to the front, to either side, almost behind me. I don't need long casts from a kayak since I can float up on my target.

I, too, really like to cast far at times and cover water with my long rod, no float, just a steady retrieval to keep it off the grassy bottom in our lake. Lots of fun!   Brad

[Kelly Peterson]

Would like to know more about your kayak, Brad?

As far as the subject at hand am totally done with mono and fluorocarbon. Every time out I get a rats nest, never fails so I have a rig out of business until getting back home. Mind you this was the only rod I own without braid. I would like to try the Nanobraid, have some 2# manofil that says .002 on the package.

[Smoltz]

Kelly.
Do you know how to properly spool a spinning reel? And the proper amount of line to put on?
Do you close the bail by turning the handle to close it or do you close it by hand?
Are you using a very small spool?
Are you tossing spinners?
Not being rude as I don't know you and these 3 things are important to bird listing and line twist.

[Kelly Peterson]

This one was done at the rod and reel shop.
Yes, about 1/8" from end of spool.
Always close by hand and using top of the line Pflueger reels.
No never use inline spinners. Sometimes the small beetle spins, small cranks and small jigs.

Frankly never had any issues years ago when using mono and Mitchell 308/310 UL. Was away from fishing for a couple decades until about 8 years ago so had all my reels re-spooled by professionals at a local shop and that is when my troubles started. Even did some myself and still rats nests. Started using braid and the problems ended but my Michells don't like it. So bought the Pflueger's and have had 3 years of worry free fishing. Last fall let myself get talked into putting 4# fluorocarbon on one reel. Every time I've used that reel rats nests have occurred.

[Smoltz]

Kelly got ya,
Most guys who spool line at store come off the side of spool. Works great for bait casting. Spinning rods.. no.
When holding your reel. Turn handle It should spin clockwise.
When you spool the reel and your looking at the spool of line you want the flat with the label either facing you or away from you. What determines this is... when you pull line off it should come off the spool going counter clockwise. Opposite of the way you reel turns. This will put the line onto your reel in the manner in which it naturall goes onto your reels spool. This will eliminate allot of your problems.

https://www.bassmaster.com/blog/ike-how-avoid-line-twist-spinning-t...

[Brad Reid]

Smoltz/All,

There is a much more intuitive way to describe how a spool of line should be positioned for a spinning reel versus a casting reel. Instead of defining it by labels up or down and clockwise/counterclockwise, I tell people that for a spinning reel the line spool should feed off the bottom of a vertically positioned line spool, that is, analogous to a softball under-handed pitch. For a casting reel, for a vertical line spool, it should come off the top like fast ball pitching.

In each case, the objective is to take whatever line bias has developed on the line on a line spool and arrange it the same way on the reel's spool. 

Everyone knows that most garden hoses develop a bias before we ever take them out of the hardware store . . . trying to wind it up in the opposite direction after using it has the hose acting all wicky-wacky. Same with many fishing lines.

None of this applies to braid, by the way, where I still follow the rule . . . but braid doesn't carry any bias across one spool to another.

Brad

[carl hendrix]

KELLY-- FOR WHAT ITS WORTH;;;  WHENEVER I DO USE MY SPIN RODS;;  AT THE END OF THE DAY; BEFORE GOING IN;;  I CUT OFF ; ANY TYPE OF CRANKBAIT; HOOK; SPINNER JIG OR WHAT EVER--  TRIP THE BAIL;; LET THE LINE GO;; INTO THE WATER AND JUST KEEP GOING;; TILL I GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SPOOL;; THEN ; DRAG IT A BIT MORE;;   LETTING THE WATER ITSELF;; STRAIGHTEN THE LINE OUT FOR ME;;;;;;  THEN; HAND SET THE BAIL OVER; START RE-WINDING ! IN THIS MANNER;;  THE LINE WILL BE FREE OF TWIST AND TURNS;; THE NEXT TRIP OUT !  I ALSO USE;; A LINE DRESSING;; TO HELP KEEP TWIST;; TO A ALMOST NON- EXTENCE;; SOMETIMES; I USE ;; WD 40 ON MY LINE;; BUT;; THERE ARE OTHER; BETTER LINE DRESSINGS TO USE !!

[Brad Reid]

Kelly, my primary fishing kayak is a Native Propel 10, primarily a pedaling kayak . . . though I often raise the drive and use my paddle when I am in or around grass. Funny: I wrote a short blog piece for a Native Watercraft Owners Group and the title was something like "Finesse Kayaking" which was my term describing sort of a minimalist approach to fishing from a kayak. What I meant was taking out a lightly outfitted kayak. What I had noticed was I had developed a typical "rookie" rigging where I attempted to carry everything I owned out with me. Now, I rarely carry a third rod, usually one Plano box for terminal tackle, and fisherman's bag for plastics and lures. Yes, water and life jackets and more, too, but I go out light.

*** Just quickly, back on fishing line again, I went out today and had absolutely no luck with a wacky rigged Reins worm for bass. And, my normal spot for big gills netted me nothing. After an hour or so, I ended up fishing deep in the lily pads in another location and I could hear the "kissing" noise of bluegills hitting bugs on top of the water all around me. So, I reached back and grabbed my 5 ft. St Croix ultra-light with the 2 lbs. Nanobraid, made one cast and hooked up. I really didn't think much of the action, but maybe I thought I had a large gill. No, too much pressure . . . my rod was bent like a horseshoe. I more or less reeled the fish in a bit, the kayak actually moved to it, too. I reached over and lifted the fish with a ton of coontail weed all over it . . . and it was a bass pretty close to 4 lbs. So, it was the largest fish I have caught, so far, on 2 lbs. Nanobraid. Other than one more fish, a crappie, that was it and I headed back in to dodge the heavy rain coming in out here in East Texas.  I love this line!     Cheers!  Brad

[Slip Sinker]

I have lost a little distance by switching up from 3# & 4# Nano to 8# Gliss but I sacrificed a little distance for strength. I landed a nice C.Cat yesterday that I would of never have landed with 2# mono. 8# GLISS has 2# mono diameter.

In 12 years of using super lines I have never had a fish break-off.

if you need to cast tiny jigs far in open water try some 3# or 4# Nano ... it'll blow you away.

[dick tabbert]

2lb would be better for more distance but 4 is fine. Never overspool your spool that's a bad mistake always leave a little room on the spool.