Ok...so I've built a few rods here and there and have never had a "complaint" about wind knots. Sent two identical rods to a customer....and he LOVES them....but says that he is getting wind knots. Changing reels from a Penn Conquer 4000 to a 6000 and he still gets them. He is using Suffix 832 in 20lb test.

Blank = 7'6" L904 2 piece rated for 10-20lb test and 3/8oz - 1 5/8 oz
Guides are Fuji BKWAG 30,25,20,16,12 10's to tip

Other than Wind....what causes wind knots? Is it butt guide size? butt guide distance from spool? Line flex? Casting too light of lures for the rod? etc...

I'm stumped.

In test casting using a similar 4000 reel....didn't have any issues, but didn't have any fishing conditions either (wind, breeze, etc)

In my experience all so called "wind knots" are caused by poor casting technique.

Care to explain a poor casting technique?

Aren't Fuji KWAG supposed to shed wind knots?

Never heard of a rod causing wind knots. Does he flip the bail manually? If not he should especially with braid. If you depend on the bail auto flip, the line has a tendancy to cross over face of spool and then you start the problem. This is usually the issue vs actually being caused by "wind". If he is throwing really light lures/baits, he can make things even worse. Braid likes some tension when going back on the spool. You can find plenty of videos on line about prevention of wind knots. Mark Nichols from DOA lures had some good ones a while back. The Fuji K guides prevent line from "wrapping" around the guide, but don't eliminate wind knots.

On my UL rods I was getting Loops in the reel
I put a small swivel at the end of my braid 4 LB and they had stopped Seems the bait was spinning and causing loops in the spool

Bill - willierods.com

Put braid on reel wet and pretty snug yourself, not with a machine.
Spool should be under spooled not over.
Suffix 832 is a limp braid unlike Berkley but try casting out onto a field and lightly spray some WD40 on the spool. Reel line in and lightly spray again. Do Not Drench it.
1/2oz lures or less may be too light for that particular rod.
Always manually close bail to prevent line twist.
Casting in crosswind can cause wind knots.
Give the line a tug away from the reel before you retrieve.
My personal favorite major mal function is supper man casts.

Have him pinch the line between his thumb and index finger every 10 casts for one outing and see if that does not help take the twist out.

I have found that poor line management causes a lot of the problems.When you first start to wind the line back onto the reel if you have a bit of slack
you can end up getting a loop and next cast you have a mess.Fishing very light lures can be a problem area especially in a cross or head wind.I now
keep an eye on the spool looking out for any loose line and give the line a quick tug after the bail arm closes to get rid of the slack.
3lb flouro has given me the most trouble with 2 to 3 gm lures.

cheers

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

Years ago someone has shown me this little trick. It is really easy to do, much easier then explain. Before the cast hold line with index finger and make sure the roller on bail is straight under the line. Then open the bail and cast using your favourite cast. But keep your index finger slightly touching the edge of the spool and sort of slow down the speed of line coming of the spool. When your lure is about to hit the water stop the line with your index finger completely. This will tighten line straight before lure hits the water and eliminate line loop. Then close the bail manually and pull the line out with your other hand to make sure its tight. Done
If he fishes with light lures/weights tell him also to pinch the line and give some extra resistance when reeling last few meters of line.

is this his first fishing of the season? has he taken a break over the winter? could be technique.

eric
fresno, ca.

Here's the Fuji video.

[www.youtube.com]

Don

Don Becker

throwing ultra light lure sometimes can cause me wind knot
never have a problem with bigger lure (in same setup)

Slack in the line when the angler first starts to reel will cause knots as well. I got a buddy that we knick named "wind knot" for just that reason. He'd make a cast and and get slack in his line and just start cranking. Loose line under tight line will tangle every time.

bill boettcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On my UL rods I was getting Loops in the reel
> I put a small swivel at the end of my braid 4 LB
> and they had stopped Seems the bait was spinning
> and causing loops in the spool

I found that using a spinning reel without a swivel somewhere in the business end of the rig, is just asking for loops on the spool.

slack in the line with braid is probably the cause. I get wind knots working top water and if I set hook and miss or pop my lure loose from an obstruction. It is not restricted to spinning gear by any stretch.

Could be user error. How many times have you seen someone cranking frantically on an open-face spin reel with the drag so loose that little or no line was retrieved?

I like to let the line out behind the boat with no lure and retrieve it a couple times every few trips to help relieve the twist spinning reels impose. I don't have as much trouble with braid as I do with flourocarbon however. Not engaging the bail by hand and checking to make sure the line isn't crossed over the spool lip is the biggest mistake I see people make that are less experienced, especially when using light line or braid.

John

I also use a banana weight long and has an arck in it Or slight bend Drop shot stile I think that was spinning I was getting loops every 4 - 5 casts Way tooo much

Bill - willierods.com

Loose line on a spinning reel can pose problems with loops on the spool that can come off in a mess. Consider the use of MicroWave spinning sets as they will wind the line tighter on the spool during the retrieve. I fish a lot of top water in the wind with spinning gear which is prone to tight-lose tight etc. retrieval and I feel my issues with that problem are greatly reduced if not eliminated altogether.

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

I posted a while back about wind knots and micowave guides. I was using 10# power pro super slick 8. I was blaming the guides until i changed to regular Power Pro 10# and no more wind knots. I can't explain why it was happening with the other line i can only tell you that now my MW rig is my favorite to stick for Redfish.
JS

I have had excellent results using the fuji K guides and putting an unbraced spinning tip top one or even two ring sizes smaller than the last running guide.