When using jerbaits on my spinning gear, i get an occasional tangle in my line, and i think it may be because when i reel in the slack like it isnt tight around the spool. Is there any way to fix or prevent this?

First, be SURE to close the bail by hand everytime, at the same time raising you rod tip up a little.

Then before you start to retrieve, be sure there isn't an inordinate amount of slack before you start your retrieve.

Mike

I always close my bail by hand, and sorry but whats that mean? not a ton of slack?

If you close the bail by turning the handle it will allmost allways cause the line to twist.

By taking out most of the slack in the line before you start to work the bait, the line will spool straighter and tighter.

Mike

some reels don't pick up slack very well, especially mono or fluoro. no way to really fix this

Closing by hand also eliminates possible loops forming on the spool and making a mess on the following cast.

If you find the line developing a loose wrap on the spool, make a maintenance cast every so often out behind the boat and reel it all back in again tightly. Then resume fishing. Works for me. It's annoying to need to do this at times but it's a necessary evil.

Great advice Rooster, thanks to all of you!

What kind of line are you using and are you referring to hard jerkbaits or soft baits like a fluke? I normally fish hard jerkbaits on a casting rod with 10lb mono but if I'm fishing smaller baits or in clear water where I want a long cast I'll switch to spinning gear. Line conditioner and a quality line with low memory is a must. I don't like fluoro for suspending jerkbaits because it sinks and messes with the baits ability to suspend. Stren original works very well but I really liked how the new Pline C21 fished a jerkbait. I fished it a bunch at the White River in Arkansas for brown trout with jerkbaits and had zero problems with it in 4 days. I know some guys like braided or fused line for jerkbaits on spinning rods with a mono leader and have great success with it.

If you're fishing a soft jerkbait you may need to add a small, quality swivel to prevent line twists.

The slack can cause a loop while your jerking, it happens and more so with lighter braid. It's a good idea to close the bail by hand, but that does not eliminate twist. Twist is primarily caused as the line wraps around the fixed spool as you are reeling in, also certain lures like inline spinners and some spoon types that rotate a lot create line twist. A BB swivel may help some for the latter problem, but it isn't a cure all. That said I never tie line to line (except for a few SW species), I always use BB swivels.

Soft jerkbaits: spinning tackle

Hard jerkbaits: baitcasting gear

Im talking soft right now.