Last time I went fishing was a few weekends ago...

I overslept, the bait remained frozen in the box like a brick (we called it fishbrick), the sun would not come out and we couldn't see where we were going, it was cold, early, and damp.

After all that, I didn't get one bite, nibble or pick.

But the absolute worst part: my line tangled twice, the last time so bad - such a cluster ****, that I had to refrain from tossing my whole set-up into the water. I was mad mad mad.

I was told the line I had was good line, and was not doing anything funky with the rod at the time. Does anyone know why this would happen like this?? And/or what I can do in the future to prevent it?

sweetie, are you casting? what kind of reel?

welcome to our world - fun sometimes eh !! :smash:

:wavey:

Sometimes, mono line - especially thicker/cheaper mono - will have a lot of memory when cold - was it really cold? A lot of things can cause those tangles, wind and not having the line tight on the spool being some of the biggest, but cold weather often amplifies it...

Holler next time you're down this way - I'll show you where some fish are

Penn 6500 spinning reel. Lovely reel. I want to chuck it over the Tobin.

John, do you ever fish in the a.m.? I didn't to say this before, but I think night fishing may be too advanced for me, especially using plastics. I'm used to off the rocks fishing with bait, and when I get a bite, I know immediately.
Between the pounding surf, using plastic and being that d*mn dark, I have no idea if I caught seaweed or Moby #^&#^&#^&#^&. ....

I would love to spend a few hours untangling my lines and go once more before MA freezes over....

You need to have some success in the light of day. I know there are those that will toot the percentages of the night time, but if you are trying to learn something new, complete darkness isn't the best way to do it. You can catch fish in the day, trust me it's more than a little bit possible. Not only that it gives you a chance to watch how the plastic works when you do this or that with your rod/reel, what does the bait do and how does that makes the fish react. For a beginner trying to learn how a bait works, how fish react, what needs to happen to catch, in the fall it's not necessary to dwell in darkness. Yes you can catch larger fish at night, but is that what you want?

If it were summer, I'd tell you to stop fishing, go to a friends house with a swimming pool and watch how the plastic works. With a steady retrieve, stop and go, twitching and pausing, different heads and rigging. Nothing better to gain confidence then knowing what is happening on the other end, based on what you are doing. Step out of the darkness for a bit, you might be surprised at what you learn while you can see:).

Right now - daytime is awesome anyway...

On spinners you ned to use a swivel. the line twists and gets unmanageable. also be careful about using line that is too heavy. You can use a heavy leader but keep the running line thin as your ability allows. I think 20 LB big Game would be about max for your set up.

Another thing that causes tangles is loose line during the retrieve, next cast the coils come off in clumps.