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Spring 2018
page 54
Back-reeling allows you to instantly adjust the amount of force the bass is imposing, putting you in control instead of the bass. If the bass dives at the boat, reeling backwards the moment you feel your rod tip loading up will prevent the bass from creating enough power to break your line or tear out your hook.
It also allows you to react just as quickly to gain line the moment the bass quits diving and starts to make a run back at you. Switching your reeling direction forward and backward throughout the fight is the only way to maintain consistent, even pressure on a fish from the moment of the bite to slipping it in the net.
Bass anglers have their share of skeptics, and when discussing back-reeling some dismiss it as “unnecessary” or “too complicated,” or my favorite: “stupid!”
I once thought back-reeling was stupid also, and that a good reel and good drag eliminated the need. The key word is “used” to think that way. When I analyzed how I could catch big trout on 1-pound test tippets with a fly reel (with no drag) and realized others caught huge fish (of other species) on tiny spinning reels and light line, I became determined to learn their secret and apply it to bass fishing.
IT HAS A HISTORY
I learned back-reeling has been employed since spinning reels have been in existence. At age 16, I landed a record Sockeye salmon on a Mitchell 300 spinning reel with 4-pound test (and a #16 hook).
Back-reeling is the only way I kept in the game. Since then I have caught many fish over 20-pounds on 4-pound test (ok, some were carp and catfish, but the point remains).
I have also landed many other record size fish by back- reeling, including three IGFA 6-pound test line class records
(bass and walleye) including a 6-pound test IGFA World Record for walleye.
Forget the theory that your line will tangle when back- reeling. While tangles are possible, in practice, even with beginners they rarely occur.
Forget “complicated” as well. When you detect a bite on your dropshot or shakey head worm, set the hook with enough force to sink the barb, but not quite break your line.
The way I achieve this is to keep my drag just under the breaking strength of the line. When I set the hook, I first reel quickly until the rod loads, then use a long sweep, so that I move as much line as possible until the drag just slips. This is the perfect drag adjustment to set the hook, but it is too heavy to keep from tearing a hook out of soft tissue during a prolonged battle, or to keep from breaking your line.
Once the hook is set (and while the bass is far from you) and the rod tip is properly loaded, I simply flip off the reel’s anti-reverse lever. This allows the reel to spin both forward or backward (note: always keep your hand on the reel handle).
Knowing when to reverse your direction is simply a matter of feeling with your hand the pressure on your rod tip and on the reel. Again, the goal is to keep the maximum bend in your rod, without variation, from hook set to photo time. It is less complicated in practice than it is to explain.
Watch the demonstration in the video and stay tuned for Part 2 in the next issue with more tips and additional video. Ciao, Marc Marcantonio. •