Line Coil.....How do you deal with??

I’ve got fluorocarbon on most of my rods and when starting the day out fishing it coils up really bad. What can I do to minimize this? Is mono any better? Currently just use mono for topwater. Never been a fan of braid. Maybe I need to re-visit braid but fishing in really clear water it makes me doubt myself. Thoughts??

Run the line out completely on the reel and reel it back in while spraying line conditioner. The heavier the line the harder it is to completely get the coils out though.

Braid mainline. Any loss in bite frequency is balanced by improved bite detection

you don't mention if you are using spinning or baitcasting reels.. I have gone to 30lb braid and 12lb fluro leader on my spinning reels. The twist still exists with braid.. but its just not near as problematic as fluro or mono. I use 30lb braid.. which is the same diameter as 12lb mono. I may go down in braid size based on what I have been seeing of the Elite guys. I use 12lb mono on my trap and shallow crank bait rigs to allow for some stretch on the strike. Deep divers, soft plastics.. all braid on both baitcasting and spinning. I'm pretty happy with this setup.

BD

I run my line out and let it stretch a little and then reel it back in in a rag with line conditioner on it

Are you spooling it onto your reel correctly? How are you spooling it off the spools to your reel?

This

Line conditioner... what brand you using... are your rods stored in the cold garage or inside your house..

Is it coiled or twisted?

Stretch it and apply conditioner

I've seen this question asked a lot on TFF and maybe I'm lucky but I've never had this issue. I have never owned line conditioner and have never even thought about it. I run #8 to #20 on about 20 combos with a variety of line and reel brands. I usually fill my reels to the top and don't fish them below a half spool.


Braid will solve the coil issues and it's cheaper to run in the long run. I don't like it for most techniques on a bait caster but do run it on a few.

This^^^^^

This subject pops up every year when the weather gets cold. Fluorocarbon is fluorocarbon. It is a pain in general. The question you have to ask yourself is, Is it worth it? Do I feel like it helps me catch more fish? Does it give me more confidence? Do I use it because "They" say it helps you catch more fish?

Braid is a pain too but it obviously has no memory. It is way visible. It gets wind knots. It is very difficult to pick out if you backlash.

Mono is a good compromise between the two but it has a lot of stretch. It is more visible in very clear water than Flo. Is still has quite a bit of memory in cold weather but it is 1/5 the price of Flo so you don't feel quite as bad stripping it off and putting on new line every trip so you don't have to deal with the memory.

So to answer the OP's question. You deal with it however you choose to deal with it. You can also tie off the end of it and stretch it a bit before you hit the lake. That helps too. Does it hurt the line to do so? Maybe.. Line conditioner helps.

I fished last Thursday when the high for the day was 37. I had Seaguar Invisx on three reels. I had 15 Big Game on one more. I put new 17 Invisx on one of the reels in the boat right before I started fishing. It was a pleasure to fish with. The other rods and reels. Not so much.

I will add this. If you are throwing a moving bait that you are going to cast out and reel back, the line memory is much easier to deal with than if you are fishing a worm or jig.

So in summation ( finally found a spot to use that word, impressive ) Invisx is the way to go for fluorocarbon ? Or were you referring to 17lb ? I usually fish 12lb flouro for square bill, chatter baits, etc. - 15lb flouro for worms/jig in light cover, 17lb Trilene XT for thicker brush and 60lb braid for real heavy deep brush. Drop shotting is either 12 or 10 depending on depth and cover. Do I need some changes ? I can take a small amount of abuse.

Very Impressive Ronnie. Did you google that?

Yes 17# Invisx. I like Berkley and Seaguar. Both are good. Just be aware that 15# Berkley and 15# Invisx handles very differently. Compare the diameters and you'll see. The difference is noticeable.

No didn't google, learned it in the first grade just never found a spot to use it. What about 12lb vs 15lb. Tackle warehouse has 12lb Invisx for $59 and 15lb for $69 1000 yd spools.

Both are good. Depends on what your gonna do with it. If you use 12 and get broke off I'm gonna tell you you you should have been using 15. You do know that right??

All braid,...one reel with 5o, the others 20-10, flouro or mono leaders as required,...noproblemo..!!
come on day light savings time/warm weather..

Yea I know, after being married twice I use to hear " I told you so " 3-4 times a day. Got this figured out though. I'll use the 12lb on smaller fish and 15lb on the bigguns. Pretty smart huh.

Here is what I do:

Invizx #8 for leader on 10-20lb braid on spinning reels unless I'm in the thick of big aggressive fish and I will upsize to #12 leader.
Invizx #12 for finesse presentations, deep crankbaits like 8 and 10XDs and jerkbaits
Abrazx#17 for jigs, heavier plastics and most running baits such as squarebills and lipless cranks. If I feel I need to fish deeper will downsize to #12 but rarely. Abrazx is much more abrasion resistant (hence the name) and you won't get the nicks you get in Invizx nearly as often. It's a little stiffer but I don't mind it at all.
#20 mono for topwater or usually straight #65 braid or if needed I add a short mono leader (walking baits).
#20 Tatsu Flouro for skipping jigs under docks

Strictly baitcasters here. Rods stay in storage in the boat. I really seldom fish in cold cold weather. Maybe I am spooling incorrectly and might have to research that more as well. Appreciate all the good info here and will try some of the methods mentioned.

You can also let line out while idling down the lake. Reel it back in and twists are gone. Gets you through the day. For several rods I suggest tying off and stretching before day-on-the-water

like many have said for reels spooled with flouro....tie to something and stretch the line for 40 or so yds and spray with conditioner. Or just switch to braid and leader if you can.
I still use both...mainly flouro on cranks and braid and leader on everything else.

Switch to braid.

Stretch your line before your trip.
Use KVD line conditioner.
Choose lines that do not have a lot of memory issues to begin with. Invizx fluoro, P Line CX premium, and McCoys Mean Green are three very good lines to use.

T-line is a monofilament line with the least amount of memory that I have ever seen.

http://www.masontackle.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=22

Stretch IT. Works great. You can use dish washing soap also to take out memory.

Lots of good info.

Spooling up: for a vertically oriented line spool, line should come off the top for a baitcaster, like an overhand pitch; and, off the bottom for spinning reels, underhanded pitch). This way the bias the line has from being wound on the line spool will lie in the same direction with the same bias on your reels. Think here of how a garden hose is purchased and has an original bias that is hard to ever change.

Line stretching: Elasticity and Plasticity are not the same thing. Traditional monofilament lines were/are very elastic. So, they stretch and then recoil closer to their original lengths. They are more like rubber bands. Fluorocarbon lines also stretch but are more plastic than elastic, so once they are stretched, they don't recoil as much to their original lengths. They are more plastic than elastic . . . like pulling on a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. Both products have both characteristics, just to different degrees.

*If you stretch a fluorocarbon line that is already heavily twisted, already fished with, it will damage/weaken the line. It'd have the same effect as pulling on the ends of the little cardboard cylinders inside toilet paper, or, say, paper towel rolls (formed by thin cardboard or paper being twisted into the cylinder shape). Grab an empty roll and pull it apart and watch how it tears. Do this with a twisted fluorocarbon line and, no, the twists won't come out, but you'll create deformities and micro-tears all along the length of the line.

It would be okay, might work, to pre-stretch fluorocarbon before it ever twists. It is going to get stretched, sooner or later (you hope!), so you could take it out ahead of time and stretch it. Stretching a line alters its shape and I suppose it might change how easily it twists. Hmm?

Fluorocarbon lines of the 100% varieties do not absorb water. Monofilaments absorbs water easily; it has much less dense chemical bonding, so room for water to move inside. Ice fishermen often prefer fluorocarbon lines because they don't freeze, aren't as affected by low temperatures.

So, KVD's line treatment is water-soluble as best I have seen. If so, if it works on fluorocarbon lines, it must have something to do with coating the line, nothing to do with actually being absorbed. My guess? If line treatments do work, and there are plenty of anglers here that swear by them, it would likely benefit baitcasters more than spinning reels for several reasons. One would be the added "film layer" would add a bit of weight to the line and that could be good on a baitcaster, then the friction considerations. But, on a spinning reel, I don't think I'd want anything on my line that might prevent the coils from freely spiraling off the reel. Anything that'd add surface tension to the line would not be a good idea on spinning reels where the line sort springs off the reel, not pulled off.

2018 to 2020 New Year Prediction: As monofilament lines get better and better, many will give up on fluorocarbon lines except for a few presentations or as leaders in others. Yeah, right!

Brad

I agree with everything you said except this. Line goes onto any "fixed spool" reel like a spinning reel in a clockwise motion. The spool is stationary and the bail wraps the line around the stationary spool. It is twisting as it goes onto the reel. If it doesn't come off the new supply spool of line in the opposite manner it will be twisted worse as it goes on.

The problem is most supply spools of line are larger in diameter than the spinning reel spool so it is virtually impossible to install new line with zero twist.

If you lay the supply spool of line on the floor and allow it to come off in a clockwise or counter-clockwise manner as you reel it onto a baitcaster, you are twisting the line as it goes on. If you're not doing this, then it is most likely just memory and not twist you are experiencing.

Marc, are you kidding? Can you elaborate? (there's a big word)

Tom Mann made lots of money with Tangle Free Line Enhancer. To me it was dish washing soap in a watered down version.

So on my spinning reels and bait casters I tried Palmolive with a little water mix and it worked great.

Soften hands while you do dishes was their logo statement. Well it also softens the line. IMO

I remember their TV ads. "Dishwashing liquid?? You're soaking in it"

If you are using a Spinning Reel and Fluoro line then it is very difficult to keep it "straight" and not twisting. Some of the Higher Quality Reels and Quality Fluoro will work better.

In a different direction... this can be a function of the rods you are using. I was fighting this issue and doing a lot of experimentation with the subject this season. I worked directly with a major rod manufacturer to try and rectify the issue. When you run your line through all the guides, bring a length of it out and tie to a stationary object (heavy enough you can load the rod tip up). Lift the rod and see if your line is making direct contact with the rod blank between any of the guides. Pay specific attention to the rod tip and if there is and contact taking place there with anything besides the eyelet of the rod tip. Fluorocarbon line is extremely sensitive to temperature changes. Every time you cast, flip, or pitch the line goes shooting out at a high rate of speed. If you were to record and slow down the replay to a snail's pace you would see the line violently flying all over the place as it passed through the eyelets of the guides. This causes friction. If you have a specific "pinch" point near the rod tip or first few guides that causes the line expulsion to slow more quickly, this is going to cause the line to quickly bunch up and the increased friction and heat which will cause line coil (similar to using a pair of scissors to curl a ribbon). I'm sure I'm opening up a can of worms here but I have done a lot of experimentation on the subject this year as I was having major issues with line coil and fluorocarbon line (sidenote: I am on the water 200 days per year and know exactly what I'm doing with proper spooling and line care).

I tested many different rod and reel combinations (from $50-$400 rods and same with reels) and there are drastic differences in what kind of coil it caused over ONE day of repeated use. The most important factor in reducing line coil in fluorocarbon line is reducing the repeated friction the line becomes subject to during casting. If you notice that you have increased issue with line coil immediately after reeling in a fish, your line is not the issue, your rod is. (back to the scissor and ribbon explanation) The coil is likely being caused by the way the line is passing through the tip and guides. This can be fixed by adding an additional guide toward to tip of the rod to prevent the line from contacting the blank. I am currently experimenting with different rod tips also to see what difference that makes. Again, fluorocarbon is most sensitive to these heat changes but I have also noticed the issue when using braid.

As many others have mentioned, keeping your line conditioned and making sure it goes on correctly are also of importance. Hope this provides some alternate method to possibly solving your problem!

EDIT: I should also mention I tested 40 different combinations of 100% fluorocarbon lines (10 brands in 4 different line diameters from 12-20lb test - yes I spent a ton of money this year trying to solve this issue) and they all had the coil problem. My problem was only solved when I eliminated the rod blank contact issues and made sure every guide was perfectly inline...should also note that the guides should be on a consistent downward plane toward the rod tip. I noticed on several of the different brand rods I was using that between the rod tip and the 2nd guide, there was a larger proportional height difference from the tip height and blank which caused a sharper angle for the line to pass through between the tip and the 2nd guide. These are the rods I had the worst issue with relating to the line coil issue. I am by no means a rod builder or expert but I got really tired of a $20 spool of fluorocarbon being nuked after one day on the water.

Im pretty positive how you spool it on has ALOT to do with it. Casting vs spinning, mono, floro, and braid all have specific ways to be spooled on.

It does and another thing I have noticed is that most folks don't fill their reels full. If you don't fill it up properly, you will exacerbate line memory issues. It will also kill your casting distance. Fill em up!

OK I have been saying this for years on here. Now I read Marc posting the same so maybe some of you will try it.. Just hook on to something and stretch hell out of it. BAM like new line.

Well, one correction to another post: fluorocarbon lines DO NOT heat up more than monofilament lines. The coefficient of friction is much lower for the former than the latter. And, the thermal resistance is much higher.

We often see or hear that fluorocarbon lines "burn" if you cinch down hard on a knot without wetting it. This is simply inaccurate. It needs the lubrication to help pull the knot tight since it is typically a bit stiffer. Lubricating helps seat the knot; it has nothing to do with it burning, certainly not more so than monofilament lines.

So, especially early on, anglers had problems with weak knots/breaking knots using fluoro. Knots that expand the area of friction (more wraps) seem to be the solution if a Palomar knot keeps failing.

Brad

This from Bill Dance.........

Have you ever experienced line twists from applying new line to your reels? Well, here's a little tip to help you.
Hold your newly filled spool under hot tap water for a couple of minutes. This process changes "service spool" line memory to a "reel spool" line memory thus allowing for longer smoother casts... Good Luck,...Bill

If you have a Palomar knot fail using Fluorocarbon line then you are tying it wrong. If you tie it correctly, It will work just fine, same as with any other line.

Well,,,,what were the results of all that testing? What did you discover with all that testing that works well, you left that part out.

Agreed

I use braid to lead on all my rods for every technique. I tie a LOCKED FG Knot or a Blood knot if I m gonna be reeling the joining knot through my guides a lot throughout the day. (especially micro guides!! They can be pretty brutal on joining knots) braid has close to zero memory so it doesn’t coil near as baid. Hope that helps!

“Line coil, how do you deal with it”? Mostly I deal with it by limiting my use of fluorocarbon line. Really. I’ve tried to drink the coolaid but fluorocarbon line is on the bottom of my list. Increased memory and cold water “brittleness” on baitcasters and for spinning reels? Forget about it. Just open the bail and the line jumps off by itself. On mono? An occasional line stretch before going to the lake just takes a few minutes. Simply hook the already attached lure(I never remove whatever was the last lure used) to fence or tree branch and walk across the yard. Stretch it tight. Not anywhere close enough to break so no noticeable weakening of line. I will also occasionally use KVD Line & Lure and it really does work. Makes line more manageable and lasts longer before developing memory(coiling). The only reels I mess with regularly are those I use for “feel type lures”. Those used for soft plastics....those you need constant contact with for detecting bites. Strait non kinked Line is essential for these lures. I have started using McCoys Mean Green co-polymer Line this past year or so and have had good success with it. Real good “feel”, manageable, very limited memory(coiling) and excellent price point. Good luck, 361v.

Agree with this too. Caught a Zillion fish on Trilene Big Game. Still use it for some apps.

Now when I go fishing, I just put new line on my reel once I am on the water. Takes all of about 3 mins. I'm not fishing against the clock in a tourney but I even did this when I was fishing a lot of events. I could string up three reels with new line in under 10 mins while we were waiting for our boat number to be called.

I always leave a little backing of whatever was on the reel and tie a granny knot to the new line and start reeling. I can change line on my reel quick enough that is has never been an issue for me. Then I enjoy the day using brand new line that is memory-free and smooth as silk.