Ice fishing reels - line twists

[scugpg]

I was wondering what you guys think - do you think the smaller ice reels increase the likelyhood of line twists and tangles when its cold? Wondering if it would be better to consider 2000 or 2500 series reels over the smaller 100 - 500 series ice reels.

Edited December 29, 2010 by scugog

[spoon]

Get Sufix or Power pro, but don't exceed 15 lbs. The thicker you go the stiffer it would be. The only difference you will see in different spool sizes is when you make long distance casts. For jigging, small spool makes no difference. Get a reel with bigger spool for casting, it makes a huge difference in controlling line twists

[crappieperchhunter]

I have found the best way to reduce line twist is to tie on a barrel swivel about 12-18 inches above your lure. Gets rid of pretty much all the line twist you get from jigging.

[Roy]

Lose the line twists....go with baitcasters.

[canadadude]

Get a good quality reel, I find the cheap reels you get on the combo set-ups are horrible for line twist.I use a diawa whisker 700, bullet proof for ice fishing and line twist is not a issue.

[scugpg]

Get a good quality reel, I find the cheap reels you get on the combo set-ups are horrible for line twist.I use a diawa whisker 700, bullet proof for ice fishing and line twist is not a issue.

 

Well that's a possibility. I have an Abu Cardinal 100u. Seems to work ok but was wondering if it was too small.

 

I like the idea of using the swivel. As I'm mostly fishing perch/crappie there isn't alot of weight on there or the need for heavy line.

 

Roy that is a good point on the baitcasters as well. One with a flipping switch could be pretty handy there.

[canadadude]

I use 2 lb and 3 lb test.....not sure how that would work on a bait caster or a larger reel, for perch I go pretty light 1/32 oz jig is about the heaviest.

[vinnimon]

Lose the line twists....go with baitcasters.

 

 

Im with Roy on that one

Another thing thats worked for me is that I replace the line toward the end of the season. Use it a couple of times then is the early fall I cast out from the front porch, then back in storage. 2 days of ice fishing and not one twist this weekend.

[Fisherman]

Baitcasters are one way, with spincasting, a lot of the problem is caused by the user. When adding new line, the spool "should" usually lay paper face up, after a couple of turns give the line some slack, if it coils, flip the spool over. Secondly, when retrieving your line and fish and if your are still cranking and unable to gain any line on the fish, your spool is rotating on the shaft. Guess what you are doing..causing line twist, either tighten the drag a bit or stop cranking. Learn to do the pump and crank(get your mind outa the gutter). Gently lift the rod tip and crank down, left and crank.

[Nipfisher]

I was wondering what you guys think - do you think the smaller ice reels increase the likelyhood of line twists and tangles when its cold? Wondering if it would be better to consider 2000 or 2500 series reels over the smaller 100 - 500 series ice reels.

 

 

Ice fishing reels - line twists size matter?

 

My wife says size doesn't matter.

[crappieperchhunter]

Lose the line twists....go with baitcasters.

 

Do they make baitcaster's that will handle 4LB line

[Raf]

you will still get line twist, baitcaster or not, if you don't use a quality swivel.

[GBW]

Do they make baitcaster's that will handle 4LB line

HT makes an ice fishing one. You can make it a lefty or righty if you want. The go for less the $10 too.

[aplumma]

Your best bet is to take a piece of 4lb test with you and see if it will fit between the spool and the frame some of the lower quality reels are built with tolerances that are generous in this area and will allow the line to slip up and get cut.

 

 

Art

[scugpg]

What are the best swivels to use for the small Ice jigs?

[irishfield]

Lots of choices.. swivelez and sampo are my favourites, but they're not cheap.

[walleyejack]

Lots of choices.. swivelez and sampo are my favourites, but they're not cheap.

 

Sampos my fav. but where can you get them anymore,they used to be everywhere.

[irishfield]

Bass Pro has them.. I grabbed a bag last time I was in there and almost choked at the cash register.. just over $2 a swivel... What you pay to buy North American made...

Edited December 29, 2010 by irishfield

[walleyejack]

YEOUCH thats nasty, i ll have to keep looking down my way,can t drive all the way up there for swivels. hahaha

unless ......

[bare foot wader]

the 2500 series spool would be less susceptible to memory than the 500 series spools for sure...you could try to find a reel that has a larger diameter spool than average to help...there's a few models out there but not sure how small they go and how well they'd balance on an ice rod

 

limp lines that are better in cold vs. abrasive resistant lines...ie trilene xl vs xt

 

thicker diameter lines stiffen up and hold more memory in colder temps, so use the lightest you can get away with

 

fill your spool right to the lip, may cause some tangles(operator errors IMO..lol) but will be less memory than only half filling a spool, which I seem to notice many guys do for ice fishing

 

buy reels that have oversized line rollers and add a light drop of oil to the bearing

 

give a braided line an honest try, not perfect but the pros outweigh the cons for me and not nearly as bad as most say

[EC1]

I find braided line bugs me on the ice more than anything.. Ice forms at the 5 or 6 inches closest to where it is in contact with air and water making it so bad that you have to pull line out by hand on almost every drop.

 

My recommendation is P-line Floroclear or the Floroice. 4lb test has worked for me all year...and the last time I respooled is about July.

 

On top of the swivels and all, I find KVD line conditioner really does help. Spray some on the night before and you shouldn't see any problems the next day.

[scugpg]

the 2500 series spool would be less susceptible to memory than the 500 series spools for sure...you could try to find a reel that has a larger diameter spool than average to help...there's a few models out there but not sure how small they go and how well they'd balance on an ice rod

 

limp lines that are better in cold vs. abrasive resistant lines...ie trilene xl vs xt

 

thicker diameter lines stiffen up and hold more memory in colder temps, so use the lightest you can get away with

 

fill your spool right to the lip, may cause some tangles(operator errors IMO..lol) but will be less memory than only half filling a spool, which I seem to notice many guys do for ice fishing

 

buy reels that have oversized line rollers and add a light drop of oil to the bearing

 

give a braided line an honest try, not perfect but the pros outweigh the cons for me and not nearly as bad as most say

 

Memory is probably a bigger concern than line twists for me. the small reels are probably not helping.

[Rod Caster]

What are the best swivels to use for the small Ice jigs?

 

 

I like the small duo locks from luremaking.com. Cheap, small and stealthy.

[crappieperchhunter]

I just use whatever barrel swivels I can get. I don't buy the expensive ones...but I don't buy junk either. But I primarily fish perch and crappie through the ice and never fish real deep. Better swivels might be more important if you are fishing deeper water or targeting larger fish...which would mean your running line heavier then the 4LB I use.

 

Something that really helps with both line twist and memory is stretching your line. When I first drop my line to the bottom I peel maybe an extra 10 feet off the spool. Then I grab my line..maybe a 2 foot section at a time and stretch it. Repeat this for the whole length of line you have reaching down to the bottom. Then throw your lure back down the hole and reel all this stretched line back onto your spool. It gets rid of all the memory and if you do it carefully I think it gets rid of most of twist too.

[Garnet]

Go to Steelhead section and get Phantom Swivels. They are 30lb swivel and about the size of a small ant. Reasonably cheap.