As a fisherman or woman, you look forward to the magic of that crisp morning on the serene water’s surface, gazing out at the horizon and peacefully waiting for something to nip at your line and be reeled in! What you don’t look forward to is untangling your fishing rods and dealing with pesky gear. It can be frustrating, but this guide will have all the tips and tricks to take your storage-game up at least three notches.
How should I untangle my fishing rods? We have broken the process down into 10 steps:
- Avoid yanking the lines or pulling too hard on any braids/knots. This will worsen the problem and tighten the knot.
- Lay each rod down and angled apart.
- Now that they are spread out, you should see where the knot is sourcing from more easily. Start with the easy parts on the outer edges of the knot.
- Pull away any droppers, hooks, or loose parts of your line that may be affecting the knot.
- Move the outer edges of the knot away and avoid yanking at the center of the knot. Like hair, you have to start from the base brushing out knots then move to the scalp. Starting at the scalp will just pile up 10 knots in one brush stroke. With your line, starting at the center will compound your knots. whereas starting from the outside will slowly give you more room to untangle the center.
- Pull the slack you’ve created back towards the knot it originates from.
- At this point, consider spraying some Line Lubricant or Conditioner to help you in loosening the knot. Don’t apply too much, or you’ll drown it into an oily-mess.
- Now you should have a much smaller knot that you can untie with your fingers or clamps.
- If the knot is too big, don’t stress.
- Just replace the rig and start with a new line.
Avoid boat-rage by sticking with me on this quick guide where we’ll cover how to untangle your rods, remove common wind-knots, store your rods properly to prevent tangles from happening, and even more tricks that will change your approach to storing your gear. You do not need to suffer through the inorganization caused by improperly storing, transporting, or utilizing your gear. Although the word “organization” may send shivery tingles down your spine, you will thank yourself when you realize how much time you’ve saved for being out on the water where you belong!
How to Untangle Fishing Rods in 10 Steps
It may take you a few times of having to deal with the annoyance of tied lines, painstakingly trying to undo knots in your line, staring at two rods that are so tangled together you scratch your head wondering, “did they come like this? Were they ever two separate rods?”
Following these steps will help you to eliminate the knot and untangle your rods, while the next few sections will cover preventative techniques and storage hacks.
The steps to take to untangle your fishing rods are as follows:
- When you see two lines knotted together, the first thing you’ll want to do is remain calm and avoid yanking them. If you pull too hard on the braid or rip too hard on the knot, it will only tighten the knot further. So firstly – don’t make your knot worse. Keep it lose, take a deep breath, and tell yourself to slow down.
- Lay each rod down at an angle so that they are facing away from each other, each rod having room on either side of you, only attached loosely by the knot you are dealing with.
- Now that you have them spread out, you can more easily see where the knot is coming from. If you can’t quite tell yet, your starting point will be to free up any parts of the line that seem easy to untangle.
- Pull out any droppers or hooks on your line to separate them from the knot. This is helping you to distinguish which part of the lines belong to which rod.
- Start with the easy spots. This should cause the knot to begin to unravel and let you get to the root of it. Don’t try to rip apart the center of the knot where it is a tangled mess. This is similar to brushing hair (you have to start with the knots on the end of your hair, or else you are just bunching up the knots from the top of your head to the tip.) You don’t want to compound the knots, so start with the bottom and work your way up.
- Find the outer edges of the knots where the line almost feels close to normal. Get those parts of the line pulled back to their rod of origin and move inwards on the knot to save the most difficult part for last.
- As you’re freeing up the easier parts, the knot will be smaller at the center. At this point, consider spraying some Line Lubricant or Conditioner (link to Amazon) to help you in loosening the knot. Don’t apply too much, or you’ll drown it into an oily mess.
- Now you should have a much smaller knot that you can untie with your fingers or clamps.
- If the knot is too big, don’t stress.
- Just replace the rig and start with a new line. It’s not worth fussing over a huge knot that you may not ever be able to undo. Re-guide your line, and start fresh, while utilizing all of the amazing storage techniques in this guide to prevent knots in the future.
- Utilize a visual representation using this video on How to Put a Line on a Spinning Reel.
- I also recommend this great clip from Ron Jolly on How to Avoid Tangles When Lining.
- Each video shows you the direction your line needs to be opposingly reeled into the spool for proper form as well as how to avoid future tangles.
How to Avoid Wind Knots in Your Line
Possibly even more common that your rods getting stuck together is for your single rod to experience knots in the exposed line or when it gets caught up in the wind.
There are preventative measures you can take for this, such as:
- When casting your line, avoid directing it straight into the wind. There’s a reason these are called ‘wind knots,’ right? Take a moment to set the wind at your back and cast low against the water’s surface if this helps propel your line outwards with the most force.
- Don’t cast in a rainbow arc. Some anglers throw their arm backwards and then launch it forwards in a perfect rainbow arch. This is allowing too many inconsistencies and wind to creep in between you and the landing spot. It will lead to more knots, so if anything, aim low and near to the surface while avoiding the rainbow technique altogether.
- Don’t cast your line too forcefully. I know it’s instinctual (and fun) to send your line out as far as you can. But this can lead to further problems, and you don’t need to use such brute force to achieve results. Keep it from spooling as rapidly and avoid the inconsistency that occurs from sending it out too far. If you want to learn to perfect your casting-practice, consider investing in this Casting Course.
- Slack is a real monster when it comes to tangles in your line. Keep some tension in your line, and don’t let it out too far. This is when the elements take power, and you lose control. Slow and steady wins the race. Or the fish in this case. (there’s a poem for you).
- Keep your line pointed in the exact direction that the bait has landed in. Some people spin around, change angles, and end up all over the place, which leads to wind knots. By pointing your rod’s tip in the same direction you’ve casted, your line will not have to fight against friction, and, subsequently, you will notice a reduction in wind knots.
- Close your reel by hand. When you reel it all the way in, take notice of how its lining up on the spool. You will see if knots are occurring, which is quite common. Take your time, unreel it a bit, and wind it until everything is clean/knotless.
- Last but not least, purchase some Line Lubricant or Conditioner (click to see on Amazon). This will be a game-changer for you. Every angler should have this in the tacklebox. It will help prevent knots, but if they do occur, it will be much smoother to untangle them with a lubricant already applied.
Ways to Prevent Your Rods from Tangling
Prevention is the best method to avoid this situation. You can sit there untying all of the knots each time, or you can make a decision to prevent future tangles altogether. I would recommend the latter, so here are the best tips and tricks to prevent your fishing-rod-woes:
- Purchase Rod Socks or Rod Sleeves. If you throw all your rods in one place, they are certain to get tangled unless they’re wearing protective sleeves over the parts of the rod which have an exposed line. Purchase one sock/sleeve for every rod, and you’ll never have to untangle rods again! These sleeves also protect the entire rod from wear and tear.
Bonus tip with these – to find the rod you’re looking for easier, think about buying your sleeves according to color. So your deep crankers could be blue, you topwater rods could be yellow, and your swimbait rods could be green. A system like that might help you with your overall organizational planning.
- Consider purchasing a cheap Rod Hook Clipper or Rig Keeper. What this will do is tighten your lines while not harming the rod or line. You simply clip it into place and tighten the line so that there’s no extraneous rope-line to get tangled up. If you don’t believe me in their effectiveness, read some reviews. One purchaser from Bass Pro Shop says, “Simple design that works great! If you dropshot fish, you have to have one of these on every rod. They make walking from the truck to the water easy by keeping all my rigs from swinging around and getting tangled up.”
- Another wonderful tool to utilize are these Lure Wraps, which keep everything in your box separate. These are simple cloths that you attach the lures to. You could probably make your own by taking towels or washcloths and gluing Velcro onto each parallel end to make it sealable. Wrap this around your rod or almost any other gear you can think of, just to add a protective layer around your supplies.
- Upgrade your storage. Perhaps you could have fewer issues with tangled lines by storing your fishing rods in a proper storage rack instead of throwing them all in a horizontal box. Organizing stuff can seem like a waste of time, but untangling fishing rods is not good use of your time, is it? Many serious fisherman store their investments in Rod Storage Racks. This will keep your rods separate, stored vertically, and avoid the proximity which allows for tangles.
- Purchase some affordable Pipe Insulation Tubes that you can simply place over your rod. Some will have a slit down the middle for you to peel the tube over your rod, or you can just slide the closed tube over the entire rod. This is a way to keep them all from tangling without investing in hefty boxes for your entire setup.
- Take notice of what side your rods are being stored in if you’re placing them in a box or just free–standing. Placing them right-side up will make them less prone to tangles. Try to keep all of the handles jotted out in the same direction as well so that everything is parallel and balanced. Then things get twisted and at topsy-turvy angles, and knots are more likely to occur.
Proper Rod Storage on Your Boat
If you don’t have anywhere to keep your rods while you’re out on the water, it may be worth it to add an extra organizer that can be built-into your boat. Some tips you can utilize are:
- Keep Rod Tubes and End Caps handy on your boat. These will take up less room than an entire storage rack and allow you to conveniently remove any risk for rod-tangles. Just a note to keep in mind on the size of these rods, one reviewer said, “Rod tubes are 8ft long! If I had known this, I would have only got 2 and cut them in half. Oh well, I’ll find a use.”
- This one is a bit of investment, but many fisherman purchase a Portable Rooftop Rod Bunk Box, which can make boat storage and carrying your rods around much easier. Walking around with your rods is usually where they get tangled or knotted, even if it’s just a single rod getting tangled around itself! This box will hold everything in place and stop those solo-knots from forming, even if you only use one beloved rod.
- Lastly, before you come back from a rejuvenating day on the water, pause for a moment and be sure that all of your rods, gear, and fishing supplies are taken care of and organized. You may want to just head back and deal with it later but try to form a new habit.
Making this lifestyle change will create a more positive-association with you and organizing your box. This is because, the next time you open your setup/box or get ready to head out to the water, everything will be ready to go for you. It’s like a gift to your future self, and you will learn to appreciate it as a lifestyle switch.
Happy Fishing Rod, Happy Life
I hope this guide has opened your eyes to the many variables and factors contributing to your fishing-rod-blues. The real takeaways to take note of include:
- Invest in some proper rod storage to prevent the moments that make you want to pull your hair out and throw the rod into the ocean.
- Step up your storage-game at home and on your boat
- Do not cast into the wind, in rainbow arches, or other elemental forces that lead to an increase in knots.
These may seem like drastic changes now, but by accepting them as your new way of doing things, your passion of fishing will become even more enjoyable and stress-free.
Soon it will be second nature to you, and you’ll forget the terrible habits you once partook in as they fade into your naïve past. These simple growths in the way you organize will help you to enjoy the sport even more and make you curious as to why you ever neglected your fishing supplies so much.
As Doug Larson said, “If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there would be a shortage of fishing rods.”