Reel up or Down - Help please.

[gonefishin]

Please can any one explain to me the reason that reel down is more efficient than reel up.
Or is it not???
Something to do with leverage and the point where the line attached to the rod but I cant fathom it.
Thanks

[mick.p]

Please can any one explain to me the reason that reel down is more efficient than reel up.
Or is it not???
Something to do with leverage and the point where the line attached to the rod but I cant fathom it.
Thanks


IMHO, UP or DOWN, makes no difference to efficiency or distances, it's a simple matter of, whatever suits you best.

[Stufish]

The original reason for putting the reel down low was, when using a fixed spool reel, (given they used to be a lot heavier than nowadays) it made the rod feel better balanced. It also effectively makes the rod that bit longer.
The diasadvantage when casting with a mutiplier is that the line can run over your arm and in extreme cases it can melt and break.

Stu

[sciroccoGTX]

I use my reel down the butt and feel that it is a lot better.

The overall length of the working part of the rod is increased, the arc is larger, and as such the swing is slower and more forgiving, especially for beginners and intermediates.

Exact timing is needed for the up the butt method to pendulum casting. A faster swing is needed to lock the rod and a smaller arc is created.

However both up and down work as efficiently in the right hands.

[pobolycwm]

i like it down but some people prefer it up the butt

[gonefishin]

The overall length of the working part of the rod is increased, the arc is larger, and as such the swing is slower and more forgiving, especially for beginners and intermediates.

This is something like what I have heard and I am trying to understand the physics behind the theory.
But how can a rod "alter " the arc through which it is swung assuming that the left hand, irrespective of reel up or down probably closely follows the same path during the cast.
Does the compressed portion of the rod become greater and thereby shorten the lever length of the rod.
If so would this improve ,in the casters' favour, the leverage ratio.
Then would this translate into an easier cast as there would be less "reactive" weight to cast?
Its re-assuring to read that some think that there is no benefit either way and that technique is the important thing .

.

[DAVE H]

CASTING with the reel down can make a stiff rod feel less harsh
but for fishing its up to the user if you want the reel up or down
I fish with my reels up and comp cast reel down.
SO DO what you are most at home with..

[gonefishin]

Thanks Guys.
I've no need to butcher my existing "up" rods after all.
Thanks again.

[rich the fish]

i like it down but some people prefer it up the butt


think i know were you are coming from pob:blink: :blink:

[borisono]

Fished with my reel down the butt for years now, it felt comfortable from the first time I tried it, reeling in took a bit of getting used to but soon sussed that out, I won't be having it up the butt anymore doesn't feel natural now.:uhuh:

[Rob]

The overall length of the working part of the rod is increased

The working length of the rod remains the same regardless of where the reel is fixed, as the working length of the rod is above the hand which is furthest up the rod (The right hand if you are right handed) so your hand would be there whether the reel was or not.

The main reason for fixing the reel down is that rods over about 12ft can be a bit hefty to move around in a big casting arc and the weight of the reel moving through a big arc can make the rod top heavy causing you to lose contact with the lead.

Putting the reel at the bottom of the handle means the rod is counterbalanced, and the reel then only moves through a small arc leaving your free hand to guide the rod through the cast more efficiently. You can pick the lead up much earlier in the cast because you can feel what's going on so you don't need to load the rod up so quickly as you do reel up, that is why reel down casters look more relaxed casting, you have a wider margin for the timing. :)

Some rods suit it and some don't, experiment with it and if it feels better, go for it.

[donkeydawe]

some people prefer it up the butt

thought this was a fishing site lol.....

[rayking]

i like it down but some people prefer it up the butt

typcial pob , always thinking with his rod :uhuh: :uhuh: :uhuh:

[Bass Bandit]

I find it a bit less sensitive up the butt you cant feel the action as well as in the other position.
This subject always brings out the jokers but hey no harm intended some say you never go back once you go from up the butt!

Jim:g:

[smoothound54]

I find it a bit less sensitive up the butt you cant feel the action as well as in the other position.
This subject always brings out the jokers but hey no harm intended some say you never go back once you go from up the butt!

Jim:g:

from this it sounds theres one too many 'B's in your nom de plume mate?

[mintos]

reel down for me, dont know why, I tried it and felt more controlable. One thing I did notice is that the big casters all seem to be reel down, and I have cast alongside a lot of them, so figured it was worth a try.:g:

[dangerpowers]

I've never tried it down the butt. Does the line not interfere with your right hand?

[alan t]

I find casting down the butt you can get a better grip on the spool and less line slip, as you are pulling with your hand in the cast you are increasing the pressure on your spool with your thumb.

Alan

[dave HSM]

i find with the reel down its easier to control the rod and also i get a better grip on the spool sometimes get a few marks on the right wrist but thats about it

[Ravelling Tangler]

down the butt makes the rod feel "slower" and "softer" and means you do not have to be split-second exact with your timing if trying for max distance.
All put together that means you can be kinder to soft baits, can make an almost-lazy (feeling) cast go a good distance and can handle stiffer rods with more ease.

It is inconvenient for winding in. Some blokes put the reel about a foot up from the bottom of the rod, especially if the rod is more than 13 feet long; others add an 18 inch extension just after casting (and remove it just before casting).....if you think that it is good it may be worth going in for a captive reducer (one that stays inside the butt and is just pushed up out of the way for casting; it has a twist & lock "collar" to hold it in place)

[mintos]

I've never tried it down the butt. Does the line not interfere with your right hand?

Ah, yes. the trick is to move your hand around a bit, but still get bitten occasionaly, you could always wear a glove or wrist protection, just remember the softer the rod the lower the cut will be.:g:

[thorny]

hi lads my theory is reel up for softer rods/ short casts as you dont need to bend the rod so much if atall . REEL DOWN for bigger distences stiffer rods as you need to bend them more to get the full use out of the rod. On the stiffer rods a while back the reducer was used to hold the reel ro you can realy get into the butt of the rod when casting hope this helps love thorny

[Painy]

Always casted reel up and tried reel down on the field today.

Absolute disaster and just couldn't get the timing. It felt so wierd so Im going to stick with what I know. It does however make the rod feel noticeably softer.

[gs425e]

hi bottom of the rod is best ,looks good, casts better, sits better in rod rests better for reeling in, get rods higher in rests as reel can sill be at head hight when raised right up , better bite detection this way andy

[crazyplums]

the reason i went reel down, very early on, is simple,

being an ex course fisherman (long time ago now), i was used to fixed spools. my right arm, being the stronger, has always been the one to hold the rod while the left hand winds, the butt of the rod going under my right arm.

when i started using multi's, the seat was fixed up, i couldn't get on with a rod under my right arm, and hated the rod tween my legs, both were uncomfortable, and retreival was jerky etc,

when i first got a multi rod with a sliding seat, i tried it down, it's so much better, both for casting, and for retreival, the butt rests agasint my lower abdomen area, and the whole thing is easier, well... easy now, on occaasoin a big fish will make it hard work, but in general, its easier !

[Roy-S]

Well I thought of trying the reel down the butt, but as yet to chicken to try. Might try when my line needs renewing as I can see it all going Ti@ts up.