Lady Fisherman

What do the numbers in reel ratios mean? How do you tell a good reel apart from a not so good reel? For example what does a 4.4.2 reel mean? If I'm looking for a good quality reel what numbers am I looking for?

Your post has been very helpful. Thank you so much! What would be your guess for lure weight on my smaller pole? It is thinner than my big pole and the tip is very flexible. It came with a reel and line so the three ( the rod being the third) are all 10lb test. I'm not sure on the length but I'd say it's about 5'-5' 5". And I completely understand providing the info on the whole action/power thing. Feel free to give information. I want to learn all that I can. I do quite a bit of research on fishing. This was one thing that just seemed better to talk to someone about rather than research myself. Also, my larger pole is a bit thicker than my smaller one, as I said, and the tip is not as flexible. It's stiffer but not as stiff as the catfish rods. The rod and reel did not come together. And the length of the rod is 6'.

Oh believe me I got on that road long ago when it came to lures! I have a big tackle box and it's very full. I might need to show you a picture. Might I ask what exactly a casting rod/casting reel is? I'm really clueless what the difference is between different rods and reels.

The reel for my small rod just says "Authentic 33" on it and nothing else. The one on my larger rod says "The Hawg 733 Ball Bearing." As for the rods... I didn't realize they said all that info on them! My small rod isn't much help. It only says "Zebco Dura Action 562M." My uncle bought it for me many years ago but I DO know that it is a 10lb test rod. My bigger rod says 8-17lbs on the rod itself. I had asked the store employee for help picking a rod and he told me it would take a 20lb line and although the rod says 8-17lb the tag on the rod did say 20lbs. For lure weight, I have no idea on the small one. The larger one said 1/4-3/4 and it is medium action. I appreciate all the patience you guys have. I don't really know what information I need to provide and then when you guys tell me I usually have to go look. The trials of a self-taught fisherwoman....

If you mean 20lb test, that's what came on the reel when I bought it.

I'll keep that in mind for the future. I think I'll go with open faced reels/rods from now on. I believe both of my rods need lines replaced so I'll do that from the get-go. The thought of it increasing cast distance is a nice little bonus. I can almost cast to the other side of the local creek where the big bass are as it is. That should get me to the right spot. Thanks for all the help and any more to come.

Thank you for your replies! I have noticed my line keeps wrapping around the shaft loosely. I have been tying it off on a tree and reeling it in with pressure as I was shown by one man before and it has helped. However, it only seems to help for a very short time, especially on my 20lb test line/rod/reel. It seems to help for a longer period on my 10lb test line/rod/reel but again it only works for a short while. But I did try to walk off 100 feet of line like DVT said and I wasn't able to get 100 feet before my line ended so it sounds to me like my problem may just be that I'm low on line. I think the KVD spray sounds like a good idea. I doubt anywhere around where I live carries it but there's always the internet. How would one spray this on the line though? On a portion pulled out of the reel tied to a tree? Or on the lot of it somehow? And thank you for the welcome to the site. As for the welcome to the fishing... I may have only fished for 2 months but I fish 4 times a week, generally 4+ hours at a time and I have a 2 tray plano tackle box full of lures worth a couple hundred easily. You are very right about never stopping once you stop. Fishing is for life.

Yeah I imagine it would help if I knew what I was talking about. Being self taught means not knowing what things are called. This is not the exact reel but mine greatly resembles this.

Hi there. I've had some problems lately with my rods. When I try to cast them the lure/bait simply spins around and no line comes out. This problem has went on for a while. I'm just using a basic closed reel. I've only been fishing for about 2 months and I'm mostly self taught. I have only one friend that fishes and he told me it was because I'm low on line. However, I asked a random fisherman I saw out at the creek about it the other day and he told me I had enough line and the problem was the oil in the gears was in the wrong spot and I just need to dip it in the water. Dipping it in the water DOES work but I have to do this every 15-30 minutes or so which is obviously not very practical. I told this to my friend and my friend said the guy (who told me he had been fishing for 20 years) was wrong and "the gears are never the problem. You're just low on line." I'm looking for a more solid answer. Should I replace the line or no? If it is the gears, is there a way to fix this without dipping the pole in the water every 15-30 minutes? Perhaps taking the bottom off and spraying the gears with a spray bottle full of water? Or using some sort of oil? I know a lot for only fishing for 2 months because I do a lot of research on the internet but I just can't seem to find a good answer on this. If you need any more information just let me know. Thanks!