I just did the other day.

 

I was tuning a reel and felt the line begin to fluff almost immediately on the cast.

 

When I went to control the spool, I ended up with a nice friction burn.  Turns out I thought I'd adjusted the tension but it was it was actually 360 degrees out of where it should have been.

 

Josh

First cast should always be easy!

Oh, yeah, I know... but sometimes confidence breeds messups.

 

Josh

Many a time. I have had a fish hit while I was still in free spool. It always gets my attention.

Try to stop a big flathead catfish from getting into a logjam with braided line. Surprising I have a thumbprint left from the number of times I've done that. Big wipers will do the same thing. 

Yes.  You say how as I only use spinning reels, not quite true.  I do use an Avet mxj, no adjustments, no level wind.  When I first got it I hadn't use a conventional reel in some time, I practiced in my pond.  My first cast I burned the crap out of my thumb.  I had about 30# kingfish on, tried to thumb the spool, that taught me to love my lever drag, never happened again.

Oh yeah, cupping a spinning reel spool on a 20lb salmon in heavy current will burn your hand pretty bad. The fish ran almost 200 yards, then the hook popped out. Probably the hardest fighting fish I have ever hooked.

Had a big spring chinook make a run one time on a surf rod with a penn jigmaster reel.  Oh My Gosh.  Wasn't ready and drag was a bit light.  Took skin right off the old thumb.  Happened fourty years ago and still remember the pain.

Thanks for the memory update

I keep my finger under my line above my baitcaster typically. One time I went to set the hook with new reel and braided line, next thing I knew, I had sliced my finger open from the braid. I guess the line sits lower on that reel compared to my others. It hurt like a b...

Most often it's my pinky while trying to control a big trout on my centrepin reel.  Not so much with bass fishing.

Actually sliced my thumb open on a 30 lb carp that hit a power worm on 10 lb line. Like a dummy I put my thumb on the reel to try and slow him down and the next thing I know I'm dripping blood from my thumb. Too excited to feel any pain I guess. Got the beast in though.