Line Mending
This process works very well in winds that do
not exceed twelve miles an hour
Timothy Kusherets
Fish move in all different directions making it
critical to have the straightest line possible at all times.
After you cast, and a strong wind picks up your line,
you will be able to see that more line is spent going to either side
of you than out in front. This is called line-belly and nothing can
be done to stop it once it starts, but you can minimize the effects.
Let's say that during your cast the wind is blowing from your left
to your right, and as a consequence so is your line. Moments before
your lure hits the water, flip the bail over. Your line will start
to straighten out. While the line begins to straighten move your rod
to the far left of your body and point the rod down towards the surface
of the water. When your lure hits the water, let it fall for some
time before you pick up your rod to the normal position of straight
out in front. What this does is allow your offering to fall in the
manner that it was meant without the hindrance of wind picking up
your line again. At some point, when you are ready to begin the retrieval
process, place your rod in its normal position that it would be if
you were using a dart, buzz bomb, or zinger and begin pumping your
rod by pulling and reeling in the slack. To make your offering fall,
lower the tip of your rod towards the water line and reel in the slack
and then retrieve your lure by pulling the rod up and across your
body; this motion simulates an injured fish and at the same time,
you will find that most of the line belly is gone. This process works
very well in winds that do not exceed twelve miles an hour. If at
some point the wind becomes stronger than that, and sustains, then
you should either pack it in for the day or go somewhere else.
© Timothy Kusherets 2005/10
