As you cast a spinning reel and the line gets down to a 1/4 or 1/2 of the spools height .Using braid only. How much distance are you loosing? My objective is to get the smallest reel possible with out loosing distance.

You will lose some because the line has to be pulled up and over the spool lip. As to exactly how much, you'll have to try it and find out the exact amount for yourself.

Because braided line is so small in diameter, you can get a lot more of it on a smaller reel than you can mono. You'd have to be using an exceptionally tiny reel to cast braid and have your lure go far enough to reduce the line on the spool by 1/2 to 3/4 diameter. Taking even 100 yards of common braid off the spool of even a light duty freshwater spinning reel isn't going to reduce the spool diameter by 1/2.

................

Some peculiar rules of thumb: Revolving spool (conventional) reels with smaller spool diameters tend to cast farther. Fixed spool (spinning) reels with larger diameters tend to cast further. Smaller diameter, smaller mass lines tend to cast farther on both conventional and spinning reels, although the opposite is true for fly rods [fly reels are inconsequential in fly casting distance.]

This sounds like a good research project.
Get a trap throwing device with a powerful spring.
Get the casting rod of your choice.
Get about 50 different reels.
Load each of the reels with the line of your choice - with the understanding that you are going to have one cast per reel.
Put a 1/2 oz weight on the end of each rod.
Figure out a mechanism so that when the rod is at the end of the cast, the reel is released uniformly for all of the reels.

Then, get a tape measure and measure the distance of each cast lure.

Of course each spool will have the reel full of birds nest line on it that will have to be cut out, but once you have the mechanics down , you should be able to get very repeatable results.

Let us know what you find.

Have a very happy holiday.

Roger

Something is not adding up here. A revolving spool reel casts further because the line comes straight off the spool in no coils. So the instant you add coils it reduces distance, so how could a larger reel with larger coils increase distance? Something is not adding up here.

when we talk of spool size Are we talking -- spool face plate size ???

Bill - willierods.com

James,
Maybe -
I think that it is all about transferring inertia.
Which reel can accept all of the energy from the person doing the cast.

Maybe it will be on a little spool, or maybe it will be on a big spool.
Of course it will help if the spool has better low friction bearings.

Testing will tell the story.

Roger

Do I get low friction bearings with a 300.00 dollar reel compared to a 60.00 dollar reel When you go to buy one Are the bearings said to be as such ??? or is that just in the price

Bill - willierods.com

Bill Its not uncommom to upgrade bearings. Its done very frequently in tournament casting and occasionally for surf fishing.Here is a start [www.hatterasjack.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2012 04:08PM by Maryann Cohen.

heck and the prices are not that bad either

I remember a fly reel I looked at - long time ago it felt like it was made from the tin from a Bud can 300.00 I would be afraid to drop it seemed it would bend real easy

Bill - willierods.com

James Newsome Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Something is not adding up here. A revolving spool
> reel casts further because the line comes straight
> off the spool in no coils. So the instant you add
> coils it reduces distance, so how could a larger
> reel with larger coils increase distance?
> Something is not adding up here.

It is probably due to the lesser number of coils being generated.

Don Becker

bill boettcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do I get low friction bearings with a 300.00
> dollar reel compared to a 60.00 dollar reel When
> you go to buy one Are the bearings said to be as
> such ??? or is that just in the price

Low fricton is associated with ceramic or ceramic hybrid bearings. The only manufacturer that I know of that suplies ceramic hybrid bearings with their reels is Akios in their Tourno reels.

Prices
Here you go:
[www.vxb.com]
[www.vxb.com]

And the ones that I use:
[www.vxb.com]

Don Becker



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2012 12:59AM by Donald Becker.

Don you may be interested in this site www.breakawayusa.com/ Nick Myer' s store has up graded ceramic bearings.

James:

A larger spooled spinning reel casts further because each "coil" of line is longer, so the effective diameter of the spool decreases more slowly during the cast. The sharper the angle the line must make to clear the lip of the spool the more friction is produced. You probably noticed this effect when you replaced the line on your spinning reel. It becomes more difficult to pull off each succeeding coil as you get nearer to the end of your line.

My personal experience is that a larger spool on a spinning reel reduces distance. That was my point. You only go to a larger spool when you need more line capacity or use larger line.

Phil and James,
I believe that you are both right.


The issue Phil with larger spools is that you need to be able to impart enough of the casting effort into the rotational speed of the spool to get the spool accelerated up to its maximum speed to be able to cast further.

On the other hand James, even though a smaller spool at the same rotational speed does not cast as far, it is easier to get the smaller spool to accelerate to a higher speed.

So, at some spool size - the two issues will be equal. i.e. the maximum force available will be able to be transferred to the reel. Also, that force will allow the spool to accelerate to its maximum speed.

That match point will end up with the same size spool. i.e. you will have the largest spool possible accelerating at its maximum potential and thus; allow you to cast the furthest.

Good luck
Roger

On a spinning reel, the spool is stationary. I believe that's what Maryann is referring to.

.............

This is my story (post #3) and I'm sticking to it.
Spinning reel (stationary spool): larger spool = more distance
Casting reel (revolving spool): smaller spool = more distance
I'm still open to evidence to the contrary.

The larger the coils the more air resistance there is. Generally, a smaller spool will contribute to greater casting distance.

Many reels featuring smaller spools have increased length of those spools, so the amount of line removed on the cast does not diminish the diameter of the line on the spool any more than if you were using a larger, shorter spool.

Reel size has to be balanced among various criteria - the size line being used, the amount of line required for both casting and fish fighting, the amount of line retrieved per turn of the reel handle. Unless a person is tournament casting for distance alone, I wouldn't recommend selecting a reel size based on casting distance alone.

..............

Maryann Cohen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don you may be interested in this site
> www.breakawayusa.com/ Nick Myer' s store has up
> graded ceramic bearings.

Hi Maryann,

I know Nick. He's quite a character and a fun person. I've met Ryan White.

Regarding the ceramic bearings, did you check on the ones that I indicated that I use?
They are hybrid ceramic ABEC5 bearings and sell for $59 for a pack of 10.
I remove the shields, soak them in lighter fluid, dry and spin them and then install.

Neil McKellow, know for being a world champion caster, used oil viscosity to manage his bearings. I believe he used ABEC3 steel bearings.

The oil viscosity changes greatly when traveling from moderate Hi to heat blistering Tx to frozen NJ. As such, it is beneficial to run bearings dry. This is what makes ceramic bearings so great in the distance casting world. I do have some ceramic ABEC9 bearings that I have put away for now. The tolerances are so tight that it prevents the reel from promptly coming up to speed. Maybe they will be better after being broken in a little.

Don Becker