Hi All
Been fishing for about a year now and learnt lots about tactics etc but have neglected the tackle side of things. I am using an okuma slv 5/6 with an orvis floating line. Casting is fine - line lays stright on the water, problem is when i get it back on the reel - it ends up all over the place and in a proper tangled mess when i come to use it again anyway i'm not sure why this is but wondered if its the way the reel id set or if it's wear in the reel itself. Any thoughts?

when you reel in run it between two fingers moving them back and forth across the spool to even the line lay out ...

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

I'm not sure I totally follow you, GHG. Are you saying that when you wind in your line, the line tangles as it's going onto the spool? Or does the line tangle as you try to take line off the reel when you resume fishing?

The SLV is a fairly wide arbor, so you have to make some effort to keep the line under tension as you reel it it. You also have to kind of guide the line so it fills the spool evenly side to side.

Grouse

When I finnish a session , before packing up I cast out a good length of line on to the river bank or grass path then wind it all back onto the reel under tension as Bruce described.

Try winding though the first and second fingers to keep the tension on the line. Which I now realise has already been posted, so that's my original thought for the season out the window.

However.. be very careful about winding lines onto reels: I used to spend hours as a kid winding the perfect line onto a reel in various ways and it became a very fine line (1-weight?) between practicality and OCD!

I now find that most of my problems are caused by taking line off the reel. The minute the line goes through the last ring everything just seems to get worse..

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Wanted: A polarised monocle.

Don't wind your leader on with the line and leave a tail of fly line about 6" sticking out...thats the only two things I can suggest that you should do.

The only time I've ever experienced tangles/birdsnests or loose line on the reel is whilst stripping the line from the reel without any drag or tension on the reel... Without any drag set or tension when you pull line from the reel the reel continues to spin and often takes the excess line back around the spool in the opposite direction...

Just my thoughts... Woz

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This is what I do, but when winding it onto the reel I run the line through a baby wipe held between my index and middle fingers.
That way you get a nice clean line too !

Cheers,
Gary

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"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job."

yes Grouse - it's when stripping off the reel - i do keep some tension on line as i wind in and it always seem fine. I'll take advice to reove leader, and leave 6ins of line out (thanks guys) but i think Woz may have the answer - the reel is set without drag. I'l have atry otherwise this weekend and update. thanks to all GHG

It'll be a first, but glad to be of service

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