Spincasting tackle may well be the easiest fishing gear to use, but that doesn't mean it's foolproof or that you can't find ways to use it better and enjoy it more.

Although some of today's lower-echelon spincasting reels are nearly the same as those of decades ago - with inferior gears, poor cranking power, and unreliable drag - many are much improved, and some are equal to good-quality baitcasting and spinning products, having strong gears and good drags, which mean they're capable of taming tough fish. For some models, throw in drag clickers, longer handles, convertible retrieves, no-fail line-pickup systems, and comfortable styling, and you have good freshwater fish-catching tools.

What issues exist with spincasting tackle revolve around the following subjects. If you know how to deal with them, spincasting will be a complete pleasure.

Twisted Line
Twisted line reduces casting distance and leads to snarls. Twisting can be prevented by putting line on correctly, reeling it in under tension, using a swivel with lures that are likely to spin in the water, playing large fish properly, and, most importantly, not reeling against a slipping drag. Some spincasting reels have a drag system built into the drive shaft so that twist won't occur when you reel against the slipping drag. However, for all other types, when the handle is turned as the drag slips, line twist occurs.

It's good to maintain some tension on the line when you're reeling in, especially when retrieving a light object. This tension can be applied by letting the line flow through the thumb and forefinger of the hand that holds the rod and reel. This may require holding the outfit slightly forward of the top of the reel and/or in the back of your palm. Using your fingers for moderate tension should only be done when retrieving objects that offer little or no tension, not when playing a fish. The purpose is to try to control slack line and keep whatever spring may have built up in the line from unloading.

Spool Issues
Because spincasting reels have narrow, shallow spools, low line capacity is often an issue. Most smaller spincasting reels hold between 60 and 100 yards of line. You seldom need that much line, but in the course of fishing the amount of line on the spool declines. Obviously you can put more line on, but since the line is hidden under the spool, and few people take the spool off to look underneath, many people ignore it until suddenly they don't have enough line to cast or play a decent fish.

Changing line on a spincasting reel isn't difficult. You have to take the reel cover off and you should remove any old line and replenish the spool with completely fresh line, winding it on under tension.

Fill the spool to within 1/8-inch of the top of the lip. If you overfill, or have excessive line slack, the line may get under the spinner head, which causes the line to stop dead in the middle of a cast. If this happens, remove the reel cover, press the pushbutton or trigger, and remove line from underneath the spinner head, usually by unwinding it. Rewind the line under tension and fill to a proper level.

Accurate Casting
Casting with a spincasting reel is done by pressing the pushbutton with your thumb (or the trigger with your forefinger) and holding it throughout the backcast, then releasing it at the optimum point in the forward motion.

Most people cast with one hand, which is adequate when there's no need for accuracy. For more control, however, you should use two hands. Assuming that you're right-handed, place the rod and reel in the palm of your left hand so that the handle of the reel is up and facing you. Extend the left forefinger to trap the line against the opening of the spool and depress the pushbutton with your right thumb as you point the rod tip at a target. Make a two-handed casting motion and, as the rod accelerates forward, release the line and the pushbutton at the same instant during the forward stroke to cast the plug toward the target.

While the casting plug is in the air, the line should flow across the tip of your left forefinger. To put the plug right where you want it, increase upward pressure with the left forefinger. With practice you'll learn at exactly what point in the forward stroke to release the line and the pushbutton, which is a major element in attaining the proper trajectory for accurate placement.

Distance Casting Because of the design of a spincasting reel, achieving supreme distance is unlikely. This is because more areas of a spincasting reel come in contact with the line during casting than spinning or baitcasting reels. These friction points reduce potential casting distance. The inside surface of the front cover, and the edges of the protective front cover line guide where line exits the reel, are special culprits.

Nevertheless, a good caster, using the right outfit, can be very accurate. It may help if the reel has a large line opening in the cover, so line comes off the spool without encountering the inside of the cover. However, this only works if the larger coils of line that flow off the reel, which have to be necked down at the first rod guide, meet guides that are similarly large. Generally, properly shaped reel covers, with small holes for the line to exit, work well with standard casting rods, which sport smaller line guides.

Selecting Gear
Four- to 8-pound-class spincasting tackle is suitable for all types of panfish, plus small trout, small bass, and small catfish or bullheads. Tackle in the 8- to 14-pound range is heavy for most panfish, but adequate for bass, walleye, pickerel, some trout fishing, and some pike and catfish angling. Heavier tackle is suited to fishing for larger species and in places with a lot of obstructions.

Spincasting tackle is generally less expensive than other comparable types of tackle, and it represents a good value for the expense. For a little more money, you usually can step up to better equipment, especially a better reel, and the kind of features that the best spincasting reels have (ceramic pickup pins, dual-grip handles, helical gears, continuous anti-reverse, etc.) certainly provide elevated performance and, in most cases, greater useful life.

Ken Schultz is Fishing Editor of Field & Stream and author of the books Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia (IDG/John Wiley & Sons), North American Fishing (Carlton Books), and the forthcoming Spectacular Fishing - Ken Schultz's Guide to Great Fishing Sites in North America (Carlton, Jan. '03). For information about his books, visit www.kenschultz.com.

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