crappie/bass fishing tackle

Question
Jack, I'm another new fishermen that has recently caught the crappie fishing bug... I've been fishing a lake in TX from off the bank and have been having some decent luck. I don't have much knowledge on tackle but I've been using a basic Zebco 33 and 600 series spin cast rod and reel medium action with 10-14 pound test line. Trouble is, I've been having problems losing fish due to my line snapping. These can't be crappie or bass? Any advice? Also, can you explain to me the difference in the rod action? I feel like my rod is going to snap on the fish I can't pull in.

Thank,

Will

Answer
Will; To begin with I am not very fond of spin casting tackle especially most of the so called starter kits that they sell at Walmart or KMart etc.  While the Zebco 33 is a fairly good reel of its type it can't handle 14 pound test line well at all.  Most of the rods that come as spin cast rods are not very good either.  Let me suggest that you buy yourself a new outfit.  Buy yourself an open face spinning reel.  It does not have to be an expensive one.  The one I use is an Abu Garcia Cardinal reel that cost around $20.  Next get yourself a 7 foot medium action spinning rod.  The reel may come spooled with line.  I suggest that you take half of that line off and then tie it down on the spool with several half hitches.  Next buy some 8 pound monofilament of a good quality.  Do not spend a lot of money on co polymer lines or other expensive lines.  But at the same time don't buy cheap line either.  I like Trilene XL but Stren or a few others will work well too.  Tie an overhand knot in the end of the line and then make a slip knot around the main line.  Slip the loop over the spool as far back as possible.  Make sure the bail is open when you do this.  Pull the slip knot tight.  Now lay the spool of line on the deck label up and begin cranking the line onto the spool.  When taking line onto the spool or at any time you are reeling in what amounts to slack line use your non cranking hand to hold the line between your thumb and index finger keeping tension on the line as you reel in.  Reel in holding the rod tip up about eye level.  After fifteen or twenty cranks stop cranking and drop the rod tip down to below belt level.  If the line falls flat to the ground you are fine.  If, however, the line  tends to twist on itself when you drop the rod tip turn the spool over and start cranking again.  Check yourself by repeating the procedures of dropping the rod tip after fifteen or twenty cranks.  The line should fall flat without tending to twist on itself.  If it doesn't you probably misread the first try so turn the spool back label up and try again.  Once you have the line going on properly keep reeling with the tension of your thumb and index finger until the line on the spool is about one eighth inch from the top rim.

Now is the time to check your drag.  Loosen the drag knob on the front of the spool until you can easily pull line off while holding the handle and not letting it turn.  If you really want the best drag tension use a small scales like one used to weigh fish.  Tie the line to the scale hook and have someone hold the scale.  Now begin cranking until the spool gives line.  Have the other person watch the scales and tell you how much pull it took.  With eight pound test line your reel should give line at about five but not more than six pounds.  If it is lower than that tighten the knob until you get that reading.  When the spool starts to give line stop cranking.  Never continue to crank while the spool is giving line as every turn of the reel will put one twist in the line.  If you make twenty cranks that is twenty twists.  You will certainly have a mess when you get twists in your line.  If you don't have the time to use a scale try tieing the line to a can of beans or something that weighs about a pound.  You should not be able to lift the can off the ground with the rod without the spool giving line.  Of course if you use heavier line use a bigger can of beans.  I do not recommend ever using monofilament line over ten pounds on an outfit like this.

Once you have this set you can get the feel of how much weight it takes to make your reel  give line and you can set it by feel.  I do not always follow my own advice and I set mine quite a bit tighter but this is because of years of  experience and learning to back reel to give line to a running fish.  I seldom have a fish break my line unless he gets around a stump or something like that.

You ask about rod action.  I am not an expert on this at all.  In fact I am not even certain what all the different names for rod action mean.  I just try to find a rod that has a good feel to it in my hand and when I cast it.  I want the tip to have a bit of give to it so that I can cast relatively light lures but I also want the rest of the rod to have enough backbone that it does not bend all the way down to the handle.  When I go to buy a new rod I always take the reel that I want to use on it with me along with a practice plug of the weight I plan on using with the rod.  I insist on them letting me put my reel on the rod and tie on the practice plug.  If they don't want me to do this then I will buy my rod elsewhere.
To me the most important thing about any rod and reel outfit is how does it feel to you in your hand.  I do not care what someone else thinks about what should be if it does not feel good to me I do not want it.

When you say you are having the line snap with a fish on I am wondering  a couple of things.  One, how old is the line.  Is it the same line that came on the Zebco 33 and how long have you had it?  If it is over a year it is time for new line.  Another thing is how is your drag set.  If a fish can break the line then the reel is likely not adjusted properly.  Of course you may be hooking something much bigger than crappie or bass (although a five pound bass can pull pretty hard). Perhaps big catfish.  It also sounds like your rod is one of those wet noodles that bends all the way to the handle.  If you have a good rod it is nearly impossible for a fish of almost any size to break it if you handle it correctly.  It is possible to land very large fish with light rods and light line providing you do not try to "reel" them in.  The key to landing big fish is to make them fight against the bend of the rod.  If I have a properly adjusted reel and a proper rod and handle it right I can tie the line to your belt and you will not be able to get away from me.  I will eventually wear you out.  This is what you must do when you have a big fish on your line.  Trout fishermen catch very large trout on leader tippets that only test one pound.  The secret is never to try to reel in a fish but just take in line when you can and give line when the fish runs.  

Well there you have it.  This is about all I can say given your questions and the information you give.  If you have some specific questions use a follow up and I will attempt to clear them up for you.  Thanks for calling on me to answer your question and I hope this has been of some help.

I am
Jack L. Gaither   (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia