# Tips to Prevent Wind Knots



## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

Guys,

Wind knots are a common topic on every fishing forum in the world and the majority of anglers blame the braid they are using.

However, it has a lot more to do with casting then the manufacture of the braid.

There are several mistakes that cause wind knots. Failure to manually close the bail is a huge issue and I see this mistake made over and over again.

The bail should be tripped as the lure touches the water. "Feathering" your fishing line as the lure flies through the air ensures you stop the line and close the bail in one smooth action.

The video shows a quick demonstration and covers the topic in detail.

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I'm open to all feedback, good or bad! Let me know your thoughts!!!


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## Brads (Jun 12, 2016)

Good vid Nick,
I'm right handed and never take my right hand off the rod when casting, or ever. Use my left hand to to feather line on drop and close bail. Interesting to see you cast with left hand and and switch. Whatever works, enjoyed it and you hit the nail on the head with name brand braid. Operator error is the my cause for failure.


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

Brads said:


> Good vid Nick,
> I'm right handed and never take my right hand off the rod when casting, or ever. Use my left hand to to feather line on drop and close bail. Interesting to see you cast with left hand and and switch. Whatever works, enjoyed it and you hit the nail on the head with name brand braid. Operator error is the my cause for failure.




I spend a lot more time with a bait caster in my hand then a spinning reel. I have always switched hands with the spinning rod because if accuracy. 


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## Brads (Jun 12, 2016)

Figured that was the reason, bass fishing will do that to you.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

NLytle said:


> I spend a lot more time with a bait caster in my hand then a spinning reel. I have always switched hands with the spinning rod because if accuracy.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Ditto. Thought I was the only one.


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## Snagged Line (Sep 30, 2007)

Well spoken and good explanation of the cause...Thanks
I've been pitching a lure from my dock to land behind my neighbor's boat and whenever the wind is blowing towards his boat, my line between the rod tip and the lure will arc towards his boat and foul on his swim platform or in some of the rigging if i get too close.
I have learned to crank and pull the rod tip downward and into the wind to pull the arc out of the line as soon as the lure hits the water to keep from having to walk around to his boat to retrieve the lure. The timing of the movement of the rod tip keeps the line tight as soon as it starts to build on the spool.
I am more likely to wind knot the line when there is little to no wind and never really saw the reason. sometimes I would notice that some of the line had wound onto the skirt of the spool without me noticing until it was too late and causing a problem.
I think you hit the nail on the head with the description of loosely wound line from a previous retrieve being pulled off of the spool as the tight line leaves the spool.... I need to modify my closing of the bail and making sure the line is loaded early on...... Thanks again for the tip...


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

Snagged Line said:


> Well spoken and good explanation of the cause...Thanks
> 
> I've been pitching a lure from my dock to land behind my neighbor's boat and whenever the wind is blowing towards his boat, my line between the rod tip and the lure will arc towards his boat and foul on his swim platform or in some of the rigging if i get too close.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the kind words. The little things make all of the difference!


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## Snagged Line (Sep 30, 2007)

NLytle said:


> Thanks for the kind words. The little things make all of the difference!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




Another thing I find myself doing because it is hard to always tell if the 10 pound braid is where I think it is, I will dip the tip of the rod in the water and put tension on the line and then quickly pull the rod tip skyward and watch the pattern the line makes on the water hopefully in the direction of my lure and not my neighbors boat if I am lucky… LOL


...


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## Cynoscion27 (Nov 2, 2016)

Side casting rather than overhead casting helps when fishing bridges and docks from a boat.

Close the bail manually and tugs an inch or two of line when you do so. This prevents and removes line twist. Closing the bail by reeling in adds twists to the line and causes foul ups, especially on braid.

My biggest issue is overhead casting where my line wraps around the tip, so I switched to side casting for accuracy and less hassle.

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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

Good tip and well done on the video.

A trick my Dad taught me - if you notice a loose loop covered in tightly wound line on your spool, DO NOT try to cast out to clear the loop. Loosen the drag, and without opening the bail, pull the line off manually until the loop is clear and reload the line under tension for a smoothly wound spool.


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## MaxP (Jan 31, 2008)

The only time I've gotten wind knots was when I had FINS XS Braid 15lb on a Penn Battle. For whatever reason the combination of that line on that reel with me casting was no good. I was getting knots constantly. I've fished braid for 10 years now and never had a problem. I have the same braid from the same spool on three other types of reels and zero issues.


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

Bodupp said:


> Good tip and well done on the video.
> 
> A trick my Dad taught me - if you notice a loose loop covered in tightly wound line on your spool, DO NOT try to cast out to clear the loop. Loosen the drag, and without opening the bail, pull the line off manually until the loop is clear and reload the line under tension for a smoothly wound spool.


That's an excellent point and easily prevents casting a wind knot!


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

MaxP said:


> The only time I've gotten wind knots was when I had FINS XS Braid 15lb on a Penn Battle. For whatever reason the combination of that line on that reel with me casting was no good. I was getting knots constantly. I've fished braid for 10 years now and never had a problem. I have the same braid from the same spool on three other types of reels and zero issues.


I had the same issue with a Quantum Smoke. I switched the braid several times and quickly realized it wasn't the braid!


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## NavarreWadefisher (Dec 21, 2016)

Good tip. I've not been manually closing the bail as much as I should. Gonna work on being more consistent. 
I've also had regular wind knots with 3 different types of braid on my Battle II.


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## barefoot (Nov 3, 2011)

Good video Nick.

couple other tips.

when possible, remove lure, open bail paying out line into water behind moving vessel - close bail at end of line. Re-wind under tension...if you haven't done this great way to remove twists, unbelievable how heavy your line gets when fully extended.

another benefit of feathering is to orient your lure facing you to avoid unusual splash, movement, etc., I like to have my 1st movement towards me, ready for a hook-up.


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

barefoot said:


> Good video Nick.
> 
> couple other tips.
> 
> ...




Excellent points. 


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

Great video, and also great followup posts. I have some tools now to be able to prevent, detect and fix this nuisance. Thanks!


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

markbxr400 said:


> Great video, and also great followup posts. I have some tools now to be able to prevent, detect and fix this nuisance. Thanks!




I'm glad you found it useful. 


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

One huge thing I always add (in addition to pretty much everything else you said) is to pay attention to your rod ratings. So many ignore the lure/weight ratings on their rods and they are there for a reason and very critical when fishing braid in particular.

For example, you can almost guarantee an increase in wind knots when trying to throw a 1/8oz jig on a MH rod rated for 5/8-1oz lures. The rating is there to let you know the ideal loading weights for the rod to cast effectively. Less weight than the lowest recommendation generally leads to an angler whipping the rod faster to compensate for lack of load and to obtain further distance. The issue is the lure accelerates fast from the rod tip but slows rapidly through the cast. Line also accelerates quickly but as the lure slows, the braid begins to push back on itself, forming those loose coils onto the spool before the lure has even hit the surface. It creates the same effect as not closing the bail manually and will lead to the same loose coils trying to pull during the cast.

When fishing braid, its certainly better to throw lures to the heavier side of your rod's weight rating than to the lower recommendation.

Another is to do a somewhat slower cast instead of the bullwhip-style of whipping the rod back and forth like your trying to get the line to make a popping sound. let that rod make a big arc as you power through the cast. It'll be just one more step to cutting wind knots down.


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

Chris V said:


> One huge thing I always add (in addition to pretty much everything else you said) is to pay attention to your rod ratings. So many ignore the lure/weight ratings on their rods and they are there for a reason and very critical when fishing braid in particular.
> 
> For example, you can almost guarantee an increase in wind knots when trying to throw a 1/8oz jig on a MH rod rated for 5/8-1oz lures. The rating is there to let you know the ideal loading weights for the rod to cast effectively. Less weight than the lowest recommendation generally leads to an angler whipping the rod faster to compensate for lack of load and to obtain further distance. The issue is the lure accelerates fast from the rod tip but slows rapidly through the cast. Line also accelerates quickly but as the lure slows, the braid begins to push back on itself, forming those loose coils onto the spool before the lure has even hit the surface. It creates the same effect as not closing the bail manually and will lead to the same loose coils trying to pull during the cast.
> 
> ...


Excellent point, Chris.


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## Dunt (Aug 14, 2015)

Use monofilament backing and you'll be good to go.


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