The #1 Mistake New Anglers Make with a Spinning Reel

Recently, we went over some of the most common mistakes new anglers make in the surf. This week, I’ll touch on the #1 mistake new anglers make with a spinning reel. I, personally, have seen some 85% of my clients (typically new to surf fishing at least) make this one mistake. The mistakes we talked about two weeks ago were centered around tactics of targeting fish. Today’s topic will be more focused on taking care of your spinning reel with some technical incentives.

When I began guiding, I started to pick up on little mistakes and common quirks from the anglers that I’d fish with. Two years down the road and I’ve finally come to the conclusion that this needs to be written about. So without further ado, here is the #1 mistake new anglers make with a spinning reel.

If what is illustrated in this article is confusing to understand, watch the quick video below. Also, be sure to check out my recent YouTube uploads as I’ve released a couple more videos on the San Diego beaches series recently.

Auto Flipping Your Bail is the #1 Mistake New Anglers Make with a Spinning Reel

Here’s why it’s bad…

1. Bad for Your Reel
2. Bad for Line Management
3. Causes Line Twists/Tangles

Have you ever heard of “auto flip” or “auto trip” when it comes to the bail on your spinning reel? Firstly, your “bail” is the half-ring that sits above/around your spool. Its two main functions are: 1) It keeps your line from flying off the spool when you’re fighting a fish or reeling in. 2) It allows you two cast when you flip it up or “disengage” it.

When you flip your bail open to cast, the line is allowed to freely fly off your spool (after you release the line with your finger). The problem that many anglers fall victim to is this: after they cast out, rather than manually flipping their bail back down, they begin reeling and force the bail to automatically flip back down by turning the reel handle. This is bad for many reasons.

Auto Flipping Your Spinning Reel Is Bad For Your Reel

After a couple of years of fishing with clients (many new to the sport/some very experienced), I’ve had to replace the main gears on three of my reels because they’ve been ground and dulled by all the auto flips they’ve experienced. I want to pause here. If you were a past client of mine, I am in no way blaming you for this. I likely forgot you even did it. As I mentioned, some 85% of new anglers that I’ve fished with have done this. And, it’s the #1 mistake new anglers make with a spinning reel… And, gear replacement is in the nature of what I do.

My point: By forcing the bail to automatically flip down, the main gears of a spinning reel engage in a slightly unnatural position. This then leads to your main gears grinding and dulling. If you’ve ever tried auto flipping your bail, you’ve probably noticed that sometimes, you really do have to force it down. Many times, it does NOT feel or sound good for the reel. There may be more damaging results due to auto flips, but that’s the main result that I’ve seen.

It’s Bad for Line Management

Line Management is important in all styles of fishing, but especially in the surf. When you cast out, if you leave your bail open after your bait hits the water, you’re allowing the following to happen. 1) The wind takes more line off your reel and creates slack and a bow in your line. 2) The current takes off more line and causes even more slack. 3) Waves and turbulent water will cause even more slack and misdirection in your line.

To fix this, as soon as your bait hits the water after you cast, manually flip your bail down. After you do this, you can either: 1) lift your reel up and back to ensure your line is taught enough to start reeling in to gain perfect tension. 2) pull your line upward and away from your bail to make sure you’re not reeling loops and twists of line in.

Manually Flipping Your Bail Down Helps to Prevent Line Twists/Tangles

This brings us to our last point of preventing line twists and tangles. If you begin reeling when your line is slack, you run the risk of reeling in a loop of line. This will cause all sorts of trouble in your spool. Sometimes it’ll stop you from reeling, other times you’ll pay for your mistake on your next cast.

By making it a practice to manually flip your bail immediately after your bait hits the water, you’ll eliminate the slack in your line. This will prevent line twists/tangles as well as help you to detect an early bite if you get one.

I hope this article is found to be helpful by many. If you’ve never fallen victim to the #1 mistake new anglers make with a spinning reel, terrific! If you’ve made the mistake before, try to be aware of it so you can stop it. As usual, let me know if you have any questions and check out the forecast below.

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• Rod: Okuma Celilo (8’6″ MA) or the Okuma SST (8’6″ MA)
• Reel: Penn Battle II or III 4000 series
• Mainline: 15-pound monofilament
• For Bait: Carolina Rig:
  • Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
  • Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
  • Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
  • Weights: 1-oz egg weight
  • Beads: 8mm fishing beads
• For Lures: Lucky Craft FM 110 and Shimano WM 115 SP
• Other best surf fishing rods and best surf fishing reels

Surf Fishing Forecast 8/8/21

We’ve had an eventful last week in terms of the surf fishing conditions here in So Cal. The water temp has been playing some tricks on us but it looks like we’re in the clear. Temps are already back on the rise and in the next few days we should be and hold above the mid 60’s.

With more heat on the way, I see this rise in water temp continuing with no hiccups. It also looks like the wind should remain mellow which should mean no more upwelling for the time being.

The surf height prediction couldn’t be any better than it is. We’re looking at 1-2s across the board for the most part in SD. With fresh, nutrient-rich water, warming waters, and low surf, I’d expect the bite to get better and better for now.

I see no reason not to fish any day this week so get out there and fish ’em all!