30 years of river fishing with spinning rods, equipment selection, techniques, strategies, tips, gossip, tricks, shushanele
To be honest, this mini guide to fishing with spinning rods on the river was imposed by a few blog readers whom I provoked with the article. “The History of the Spinning Spoon: Julio T. Buel, the Man Who Changed Fishing with a Spoon.” Anyway, it seems I've awakened many memories, but also curiosities related to spinning fishing.
Do you know how the saying goes among various influencers in the local fishing industry: “Many of you have asked me…”?
Well, in my case you were few, but good. It all started with a few private messages and a few comments on social media, to which I gradually responded. I gathered the advice given in the messages I responded to, and where I didn't know the answer, I asked for the opinion of other fishermen who were better than me. This is what came out, a kind of guide to fishing with spinning rods on the river, I say.
The first 3 rules for choosing equipment for river fishing with spinning rods. So that you don't end up spinning in vain...
- A rod for river fishing with spinning rods must be flexible enough in the first third to cast lures well, including light ones, and stiff enough to sting or string fish in the current. So ultralight and medium light, with action pomposity or extra fast. You will read more about the throwing beach later.
- Reels should have a large, generous spool, preferably shallow, that is if you don't want excess loops and changing the line after each fishing session. You will cast further, you can use thicker lines and you get rid of line twist, the number 1 disease of spinning fishing.
- If you want to stay within a decent budget, have more frequent presentations, without too many missed lures, forget about multifilament. Get yourself a proper monofilament line and you will thank me later. Plus, you will become a better fisherman, monofilament has a gentleness of its own that brings in more fish.
Now, let's take them one by one. We'll also talk about rotary presses, what and how to choose, but I'll let you know right now that I'm subjective and conservative in this regard.
Are tastes discussed over spinning rods for river fishing?
Yes. Although most river anglers use relatively short rods, 1.60–1.90 m, I, personally, have come to prefer longer rods, between 2.13 and 2.20 m, for several reasons. Firstly, a longer length helps me cast much more accurately underhand, in pendulum, in the banks covered with vegetation. Secondly, the longer the rod, the smaller weights I can cast below the casting range, which allows me to use more powerful rods when targeting larger fish. And last but not least, I have better control over the lures, which makes fishing with spinning rods on the river much more effective.
For all the rods I've loved before
From small rivers to larger ones, I have four rods that have served me for many years in spinning fishing on the river and beyond. Probably too many years, but I can't part with them. For me they are relatively universal, I use them with reactive lures, but also with rubbers, most of them are not (anymore) available in the market, I leave them here, maybe they will inspire you: an old lady over 25 years old G Loomis GL2 SR 782-2 light, 6'6”, fast, 4-8lb, 1/16- 5/16oz (upgrade Octavian Torescu), probably the coolest rod for reactive lures Daiwa Steez FlexLite STZ 661 MLFSA-FL medium light, 6'6”, fast, 4-10lb, 1/32- 1/4oz, one of travel AsavaCustom with which I would and have given anywhere and to anything, it doesn't even matter what it says on it, Phenix Red Eye BR-S 720M-3, medium light, 7'2", fast, 6-12lb, 3/- 1/2oz and the last purchase I fell in love with, a boss for barbels, chubs, trout, seabass, etc.. Daiwa Airity Spin, ultralight, 2.25m, 3-12g.
Reels for city ladies or country girls?
I think it's been more than 30 years since I spun my first spinning reel through the water. Since then, my reels have gotten bigger and bigger, from 1000 to 2500. When I first started spinning, in ultralight fishing, the only solution to not let your hand drop on a day of fishing and to balance a rod correctly were 1000 size reels. But they were a pain in the ass, they didn't wind the line well, and because of the small spool and the twisting effect given by the spinning reels, the line would soon become like a telephone cable. The only reel that managed not to cause me such problems when fishing with spinning reels was, and still is (I still use it when fishing with micro rubbers) a Daiwa Luvias 1003, who I believe is also turning 20 soon.
No bikes, but I understand brand affiliation
Yes, you got me, again. I'm a Daiwa fan. As Daiwa reels got new technology and lighter bodies, I started to increase the size of the reels I used, from 1000 to 1500, then to 2000 and 2500. My first lighter reel was Daiwa Infinity Q 2000 (die-cast aluminum alloy – Die Cast) Daiwa Caldia and Luvias. Then I embraced the era Air Metal with aluminum and magnesium alloys in the first models Daiwa Steez and Luvias. From the bodies of Zion Since then, all 2500 size reels, even the cheapest ones, have become suitable for spinning fishing. Large reels, shallow, I don't twist the line anymore and you can cast much further using larger diameter lines. Honestly, I once fished with 0.22mm, by mistake from which I learned a lot about oversizing equipment for river fishing with spinning rods.
Threads without threads
I won't say when I started spinning fishing, because I'm getting more nostalgic than I should and this article is intended as advice for beginners. The truth is that in my time... there was monofilament and that was about it. Then came super wires, I used them to the detriment of monofilament, but not for long. They twisted harder, made loops that I couldn't untie, cut into rocks, and yes, they were soooo much more expensive than they are now.
So I quickly returned to monofilament, at least when fishing with reactive lures. And I haven't changed it since. In terms of diameters, I started from 0.10-0.12mm in my apprenticeship, then when I started to increase the size of the reels and implicitly the drums, I raised the diameter to 0.14-0.16mm, feeling much more comfortable both in casting and in controlling larger fish. In addition, I no longer lost spinning rods caught in rocks or trees. The maximum I went up to 0.18mm in extreme conditions. What monofilament lines? I said this before, for me there are Stroft and the rest...
Focused on rotary presses
It may sound like opulence, but I started fishing with spinning rods on the river directly with Panther Martin. Also 30 years ago. From the beginning I liked the axles, the ones without a “rider”, that is, the ones with the blades mounted directly on the shaft of the lure. Like any fisherman, I tried other models with a rider, but I didn't like them for various reasons that there's no point in telling you, let's just say that I'm quite traditionalist and conservative with everything that works well from the beginning.
Then, of course, I met him. Berti from whom I learned more about fishing for axes both on the river and on the lake. In the past, much ink was spilled on this subject in fishing magazines, articles that at some point I will republish in digital form. All this time axes Eugen's were accomplices to many podium finishes in fishing competitions and pleasure parties. From the first models of axles which Eugen produced, up to Focused Pro (with integrated vortex), I remained loyal to the company Berti in spinning fishing on the river and lake.
Basic rules for carrying spinning rods on the river
"Slow" is the key word when fishing with a spinning rod on the river. I try to take advantage of the spinning rod's ability to actuate and rotate at a slow retrieve speed. The longer you keep the spinning rod in the strike zone, the more attractive it is to the fish. In short, a spinning rod that rotates slowly is more effective than one that spins at a dizzying speed.
When casting upstream or at right angles to the current, I retrieve the spinner a little faster than the current to keep it spinning. This may seem too fast for the fish in a strong current, but trout or chub are real athletes in this environment and will get to the lure instantly. Casting across the current or downstream and walking the spinner across the current is again a very effective technique and I use it to get near or above where the fish are without them being alerted to my presence. A kind of camouflage in the technique.
When I retrieve the spinning rod in the current, I reel in just enough line to keep the paddle spinning on the shaft. Downstream, at certain times, I don't reel in at all, I let it work on its own. Before a new cast, during the retrieve, when the spinning rod reaches directly under the rod and tends to rise to the surface due to the resistance to the current, I extend the presentation at as low a speed as possible and let the line evolve on the fall.
Point blank, point blank!
Casting accuracy is a very important component of river fishing, the closer you present the spinning rod to the fish, the more catches you will have. The compact and heavy shape of the spinning rod is by definition ideal for precise casting. Conventional overhead and side casting are suitable for large rivers, but on narrow rivers overgrown with vegetation, the underhand, pendulum casting is a must do it.
Underhand casting is done by letting the spinners hang about 4 feet (1.2 m) below the tip of the rod. The spinner is swung back in a pendulum motion to load the rod, then quickly swung forward and released from the line held with the index finger. The technique is similar to that of the fishing rod, except that, by the movement of the wrist, the spinner can be guided towards the target.
A major advantage of this cast is that you always have the spinner in your sights. It also travels on a low trajectory above the water, so you can get under trees or vegetation. And, of course, you don't have to worry about obstacles behind, above or to the side of you, as is the case with overhead casts. Once the spinner has started casting towards the target, having it in your field of vision, you can make distance or angle corrections in the air, by moving the rod or applying the hand brake directly on the reel drum.
Tangled, untangled, straight line tips for river fishing with spinning rods
Some anglers claim that you must put a swivel clip on your reel. From my own experience I don't think it completely solves the line twist, I've fished with and without one. Rotaries temporarily twist the line, but as long as they don't spin continuously in one direction, they won't cause any problems.
In river fishing, when the reel hits the bottom or rocks, it stops moving, and the torque developed in the line will cause the paddle to rotate in the opposite direction when it starts again. In deep water you can make the paddle change direction by stopping, slackening the line to stop it spinning, and then starting the reel again. Of course, it is a good idea to stop and start the retrieve several times to prevent the line from twisting.
As an extra safety measure, from time to time, I lift the reel out of the water, at a rod length, let it spin in the air, in the air, to eliminate some of the twist in the line. Sometimes, in the old days, those old days, when stores weren't full of good lines, at the end of the game I would remove the reel from the rod with the clip and let the line flow freely down the river to recover from the twist. Then I would retrieve it. And from the boat, on the lake, on the trolling I would do the same. I still do it, I like it.
But enough about me, let's talk about you too
If you've made it this far, I hope these tips will be useful for your future river fishing trips with a spinning reel. There are certainly others, and the rest of you who are reading this article and are more advanced, possibly more so than I am, can leave some tips of your own in the comments, either here or on social networks where will I give Shari to this article. To make things even better.
For those who don't have equipment and champions to buy, advice from the Berti brothers
Apart from the friendship that has connected me for several decades with Eugen and Petre, aka the Berti brothers, we have as a common denominator Stroft monofilament yarns, Daiwa equipment and of course Berti pivoted rotary. Well, and the oscillating ones too Typhoon and spinnerbaits, and the oscillating spoons… and all that metallic crap proudly made in Romania by Berti.
In terms of rods and reels, my recommendations are decrepit and impossible to purchase from the Romanian fishing market, because, well, both mine and their age, except in the lucky case. Daiwa Airity. So, we asked Eugen and Petre to give you (us) some advice and suggestions in choosing products that won't break the bank, we're talking about river fishing with spinning rods, not advanced spinning fishing techniques...
“We use ultralight rods with moderate action, which load well when casting, in order to be able to fish precisely even in places with abundant vegetation where classic casting is not possible and must be cast under the hand, and which can correctly and efficiently absorb the shocks during the drill, especially when fishing with barbed hooks. The rods that we have fished a lot with lately and that we recommend for fishing with spinning rods on the river are: Daiwa Silver Creek UL F Spoon, Daiwa Silver Creek 6662 ULFS, Daiwa Preso Trout Spin, Daiwa TD Trout Area Comm.
For reels, we prefer larger sizes (Daiwa 2500), with a shallow spool, because I noticed that if the reel spool has a larger diameter, the line twists less. They also have the advantage of storing more line, thus being able to give up a few meters of line affected by stones during the game. In cold periods, it also helps us to be able to fish with slightly thicker lines (Stroft GTM 0.16mm, (because we are fans of fishing exclusively with monofilament), to be able to retrieve the lures from the hooks. The favorite reel this summer was Daiwa Exceler LT 2500 (shallow drum version).”
Eugen and Petre German – Berti
In the end, it doesn't even matter
After 30 years of spinning reels on rivers and lakes, I hope that after this article I have passed the baton to you. Get the gear that makes you feel comfortable, regardless of the brand, and write your own story on the river, just like Uncle Buel did with his first reel.
Fishing is a beautiful game, especially when you take it seriously.
