There are a lot of upsides to using braided fishing lines, but that does not come with some drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is that braided fishing lines can get easily tangled.
Some factors that will cause your braided line to get tangled are;
- Your reel management
- Weather conditions
- Your casting technique
To minimize your chances of getting tangling, I employ a few tactics that anyone can master.
Braid Tangles (Wind Knots)
Braid tangles are also called “wind knots.”
Wind knots can occur with any fishing line if the right conditions exist.
They usually happen when casting into the wind or a cross breeze.
How Wind Knots Happen
Wind knots are formed when the speed of your fishing line coming off your reel is faster than line speed moving past the end of your pole.
Line friction is the main culprit to why your line slows down.
- Air resistance
- Friction as the hits the rod guides
- Casting light lures which can slow down your line speed faster than using heavier lures
Once the speed behind any point along the line is faster, the line will start overlapping. In many cases, this will form a knot – hence Wind Knots.
A more appropriate description of what happens is “line speed deviation knots,” but that is a mouthful.
That name underlines the importance of keeping consistency across your line as you cast.
Positioning and Equipment
Here are a few things that create fishing line consistency of speed by improving your form.
Physical Positioning
Since wind creates friction against your fishing line, slowing it down. Then reducing your fishing line exposure to the wind helps avoid deviation in the overall speed of the line.
Try not to cast directly into the wind. It’s best to cast with the wind (having the wind at your back).
The wind will help carry your lure and line across the air rather than slowing it down.
If you cannot avoid the wind, casting on a lower, flatter trajectory helps reduce wind drag.
Avoid Lighter Action Rods with Braid
A lighter rod action is a benefit because it is more sensitive but flimsier.
A flimsier rod can cause your lure to gyrate after casting. This will cause the line to bounce up and down or sideways within the rod guides, creating friction and slowing down the line.
Another issue with some rods is that the rod’s eyes (or guides) were not designed to use a braided line.
Smaller eyes with plastic or porcelain lips can restrict a braided line as it moves through the guides.
Make sure to use a rod designed for braided line usage.
Line Management
It is overlooked, but making sure your line is in the best shape possible can help you avoid wind knots.
Leader Management
Some anglers like to use an extremely long leader line. So long where the leader to mainline knot is travelling through the guides or is in the reel itself.
That leader to mainline knot will hit the guides as it travels through, slowing down your line. If you choose to have a leader line that long, you must use a small and compact leader to mainline knot.
To avoid this entirely, always make sure that you stop your line before your leader crosses the first eye on your pole.
Not to mention, having a knot hitting the guide can reduce the life span of the guide itself. This can cause other issues down the line.
I recommend it’s best to avoid doing this altogether.
Line Tension is Key
Line tension is vital to reduce the potential of line twists, increasing the likelihood of line tangles.
Braided lines don’t line memory, but they have the same line twist issues as a momo line with a spinning lure.
A twisted line can unravel or coil on itself once tension is released, creating a knot or just a mess. This usually happens when you try to do your next cast.
To avoid this, keep line tension from when your cast is done until the lure is fully retrieved.
Over-Spooling
Fishing reel spools with too much line on them can cause coil overlap, leading to pulling and tangling as the line comes off the reel.
The tangling must go through each eye and slows the line down at each step. When it leaves the reel, the difference between the line’s speed from start to finish is significant.
A solution is to ensure you don’t over-spool your reel with line. Most reels I’ve seen have a stop line indicating when to stop spooling or stop once the line reaches 1/8″ from the spool’s edge.
Watch Your Line Spool Placement
How your line lays on your spool is essential as well.
Suppose it’s crossed over or double-backed on itself throughout the spool. In that case, the chances of a tangle happening as you cast are significantly increased.
Monitor how your line sits in your spool and pay close attention to how it spools when retrieving the lure.
If you notice excessive overlap, pull your line off the reel until it evens out, then retrieve it in an even manner.
Improved Technique
Improving your casting technique can help you avoid wind knots.
Force Does Not Equal Distance
When casting a fishing lure or bait, using more force does not mean you will cast further.
Applying more force into your cast will accelerate the line speed at the reel, but the line will slow down due to wind once it leaves the reel.
This is particularly true if you’re overcasting with a baitcasting reel because it adds another step in the line speed deviation sequence: The speed of the spool pushing the line off the reel.
That means you have two phases that increase the line speed and one factor that decreases it, causing knots at one end and backlash at the other.
Cast Braking
This method works if you are using a baitcasting reel.
Using your thumb to slow the line as it comes off the reel creates a more equalized speed with the line as it leaves the rod.
Combined with proper tension and braking, your line speed will be consistent.
If you’re using a spinning rod, you can slow the line coming off the reel by holding your hand above the reel spool as the line comes off and letting the line graze your fingers.
This will slow the line coming off the reel significantly. It does, however, take practice to get it down properly.
Flatten Your Cast
Casting with a high, booming arch is fun but creates a significant disparity with line speed.
Keep your casts consistent in arch and form as if you would throw a ball to a friend, not as if you were practicing shagging outfield flies.
Keep the Rod Straight
Keep your rod tip pointing in the direction of your cast until your lure hits the water.
Like any other sport, you want to follow through with your cast and maintain your position and form.
This minimizes your line from hitting your guides during the cast, ensuring you get a long cast and reducing the chances of wind knots from occurring.
