Tangling may mean different things to different folks. Maybe you like to “Tangle” with grizzly bears, or a bison in Yellowstone Park. Perhaps the wind of Big Sky Country “Tangles” your hair. Maybe on a remote hike you get “Tangled” in the briars and thickets.
To Anglers, “Tangling” is just a fact of life. I know of no angler that is not a Master Tangler. We have all created masterpieces over our time on the waters of Montana and elsewhere.
There is ONE IMPORTANT RULE when dealing with Tangles.
Rule 1 If it takes longer than 2 minutes to untangle, cut the line and start over, or grab a backup rod.
Anglers that spend their free time untangling fishing bird nests and knots are wasting quality fishing time.
My Aunt Francie would pick up lost monofilament that she found along the creeks and rivers. She kept it in a box by the sofa. While she watched TV, she used a safety pin to untangle and carefully wrap the decent recycled line on her reels or spools. She never bought any new fishing line. She was also a master knot tyer and showed me her way to tie a line-to-line blood knot.
TANGLING TIPS
I always have a safety pin on my fishing vest.
Monitor your line every cast. Take a quick look or feel to see if there is a loop or knot.
If you get a snug knot in the line, cut it and begin again. Even if you manage to release the knot, the line will be permanently kinked and will be the home of another tangle in a few more casts.
Keep your reels and line out of the sun. Cover with a sock or case. Heat will also ruin your line.
Stretch out the memory /loops in your monofilament before casting. If I am in a boat, I pull several feet off the line and squeeze it as I respool it on the reel. You can also gently stretch the loops out of the line before fishing.
Consider using Line Conditioner on your monofilament. It sprays on and soaks into the spooled fishing line.
Old Line will tangle and break more often. Change your line annually.
Dispose of your old line in a recycling box. These are often found in most tackle shops.
Quality line means less tangles and more durability. Cheapo line is cheap for a reason.
Use it or lose it. Frequently used lines have less opportunity to develop a loop or memory that will lead to tangling. Nothing works better to straighten your fishing line than a Big Fish!
Stay Hooked and Happy!
Montana Grant
