I thoroughly enjoyed the articles in the latest"Rod Maker",am glad my mail's being forwarded. The EAC Article has given me some pause and I want to read it a few more times & ponder it ; I have plenty of pondering time during this recovery period.
Meanwhile a question( and what else is new Warren?). How would serious would you-all rate line slap during unloaded(no fish) line retrieval with spinning tackle. I'm not talking about the REASON for the slap just the slap itself as far as wear on the line goes.We're talking about a rod that is used primarily for lure fishing, there are a lot more"unloaded rerieves" than loaded ones.
This problem would show up primarily when using surface lures like Spooks, pencil poppers, and the like.
To the best of my knowledge the reasons for this"problem" are; 1. Reel too lagre or rod too short(ie unmatched/balanced tackle)2. Butt/stripper guide too something( small in diameter, too far from the face of the reel spool, guide ring too close to the blank, or somecombination/all of the above.)
As a striver for"perfection" and knowing that compromise is a foregone conclusion I wonder how you-all look at this"situation" as experienced builders. Is this an absolute no-no or a not desireable but not taboo occurrance. Thanks much. Warren

If you set the rod up as shown in the article or with the new guide concept article they did earlier you will not get any line slap at all even under unloaded line conditions. The very high frame butt guide you use with both systems and the placement of it pretty much keeps the line a long way from the blank.

looks to me like if you got line slap on a retrieve, you'd get line slap on a cast, which would be (for me) a absolute no-no. hope this helps.

thanks, matt

Warren, glad you're doing better. I know what you are talking about; that type of line slap is prevalent if you test cast in the yard. I fish unweighted soft plastics with spinning tackle. I don't think you would have any problems with line wear but I think you should be concerned with how the line lays on the reel with that much slack. Loose line on the reel will eventually tangle and may dig in under load causing the reel drag to appear too tight.

mike, I experience this line digging in and twisting and whatnot you talk about way too often. I tend to always have 1 rod rigged with a soft-plastic jerk minnow, usually with no weight. seems not to make a bit of difference how the rod is set up, and is again amplified by using a cheap reel. I really think it is just a matter of being diligent about putting a little bit of tension on the reel always, even if it means running the line through your fingers before it goes over the line roller. If this is incorrect, someone please tell me what I am doing wrong.

Jnail and Mike - I have experianced the same thing, and at first I just thought I did someting wrong. It is also amplified when using mono over braid, at least for me it is. good to see I'm not the onlt one who this happens to. Funny thing is, before I built rods and had a clue, I would've never noticed. Now I see it all the time.

Billy

jnail, every 3rd or 4th cast I like to run the line through my fingers to help tighten it up on the reel, especially when fishing at night. The twist can often be minimized by making sure the bait is perfectly straight on the hook, but after a full day it will usually be pretty bad.