air-bound metals

[PNG1M]

Hi all,

Just a quick 'fish' for some info about possible causes of the line snapping & metals dissappearing into the distance while casting.

Yesderday I was on the beach south of the sand pumping jetty, Gold Coast.
I was using a St Croix 8ft surf casting rod with a Calcutta 400 baitcast reel loaded with good quality 20kg YGK braid and a 6ft long 15lb schnieder mono leader.

The first lure I used as a SLIDER and it cast like a treat for the first 20 or so casts, getting very good distance. Then suddenly I felt a kind of a jerky flick in the line while the lure was in mid-air - and suddenly the line went 'snap' near the knot and 'bye bye' slider lure - off it went towards the horizon.

Next I attached a new gold Halco and with a carefully tied knot to a swivel at the nose of the lure and the exact same thing happened within TWO casts..

So I packed up to ponder the reasons and contemplate losing a third lure (went home instead).

The wind wasn't very strong but it was a bit breezy. The only thing I could think of causung it was wind knots??

What d'ys reckon?

[wags on the water]

Were your knots passing through the guides? I have had lures sail off into the distance after the knots rubbing through the guides.

[Dan5]

The line has'nt dug in deeper down on the spool has it? or crossed over somewhere?
I've had it happen to me before........jeez they get some distance when they ping off.

Dan

[randell]

Have a look in the forum, Tackle and Accessories, under the one Metal spinning on braid...
same problem.....................
I've done that with mono as well, sometimes on the backcast a look goes around the rod tip.... hate wasting lures that way...........
I'd rather snag them on the bottom or in a tree..........

randell

[PNG1M]

The only knot passing through the guides was the albright (well tied & thin) joining the braid to the leader.

I usually like to have the leader long eough so that the knot stays just above the reel when read to cast. It worked for a few years for me in PNG so I applied the same principles to using a baitcaster off the beach.

Like I said, the first 20 casts were pearlers (I was hoping thre were people watching) - then I lost two metals in three casts.

But there is a chance that the braid couldv'e bedded down deeper in the reel as the reel has been in storage for nearly two years while I've been working overseas in the UAE. The braid looked in good shape though as the Calcutta has been stored in a foam stubbie holder, in a zipped tackle bag in a cool secure storage area, undercover. So it wouldn't be line fatigue due to exposure.

But, just in case the braid has bedded in deep further down in the spool and may possibly have crossed over itself I'll put a chunky floating lure on and cast out into Biggera Creek and let the current take the lure a long way down to watch how the line goes off. Then I'll wind it in & give the beach another try.

I read on another thread about using a very short nylon leader (only a foot or so) above the lure when beach casting. So I might give that a burl too even though I'm used to longer leaders..

[PNG1M]

Yep, and I'll check that Metal spinning with Braid thread out too on the Tackle & Accessories page.

There might be some handy hints there.

[Si]

sounds like a guide wrap to me. your line coming off the reel possibly a touch faster than your line is going out and add a bit of wind in the wrong direction wraps around a guide and then inertia takes care of the rest.

[PNG1M]

I think the guide wrap explanation sounds like it might be the cause.

I did notice the line seemed to behaving a bit ballistic as it went off the spool and I felt a few wobbly bits under my thumb as it spooled out fast.

So if it was guide wrap is there a way to prevent it from happening? Maybe tighten the dial a tad on the side of the reel to slow the spool?

[Si]

yes i would do that along with with thumb control on your spool. some lines are less prone to do this than others.

[PNG1M]

When those metals went air-bound I was really putting some beef behind those casts & letting loose, so the spool woud have been really going overtime.

But I am still thinking of changing the main line.

Has anyone tried FINS WINDTAMER??? I thought I give it a try but as its a bit excy it'd be good to get an opinion from someone who's used it before I buy.

Anyone?