I just picked one up from a member on the site.

I'm curiious as to how you are dealing with premature 6500 SS bail flipping issues ?

1.Who's using manual bail kits or
2.cutting the bail wire or
3. using them as is
4. other suggstions

fcap60,

I bought a manual bail kit this year after a few premature closings that lost plugs. The cost was less than $7.00. Have not used it much yet, but just broke it out to use this weekend. Supposedly though if you have the reel so that when you go to cast the handle is in the down position then the chances of the momentum of the cast rotating the handle and tripping the bail is reduced. Although it may have been operator error on my part that caused the closings - I think that once I am used to the manual bail I will prefer it.

I have a 6500SS with a bail and I use it with the bail and do not really have any problems, in fact, I don't think the thing has ever flipped on me. Once thing I do is line up the line roller with the rod before I flip the bail and get ready to cast, but doesn't everybody do that?

I've got 6 6500SS' and thankfully have not had much issue with premature bail flipation, and I have been casting with these reels for yeeeaaarrrrssss. I have been one to line up the line roller so it is closest to my finger and that has helped, but I can only remember a handful of times I've had a cast stopped short because of the bail flipping from gravity/G-Force. These reels have to be the 5.7 Litre Chevy/GM 350 motor for reliablity and ease of maintenance. Just solid and tough.

Don't know why, but if you flip the bail toward the butt of the rod the bail almost never releases prematurely. Lost a small fortune in plugs before I figured it out. (Actually, I think someone else on this site clued me in.) Takes a bit of getting used to, but now it's second nature.

Here's an interesting idea:

Would the line roller from this:
http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/000P24-6500SP-Conversion-Kit-Bail-Wire-with-Ball-Bearings-P65922C5994.aspx

Fit together with this:
http://www.scottsbt.com/catalog/store/69-750-bOptionalb-Manual-Bail-Kit-P65933C5994.aspx

Even if it did it would cost over $40 to do it.

Are we talking about the 650SS metal body reel? Or the later graphite body version? I have the early edition and love it. No problems. I think they are great reels. I have never tried the graphite 6500ss.

650ss/6500ss have always been metal (aluminum) bodies.

The smaller 4200ss thru the 5500 ss are graphite bodies. New style ssg are graphite and the ssm are metal bodies.

I had the bail flipping issue on one of my older 650ss - it is due to my wristy casting technique that I no longer use. I started to pay close attention to the location of the handle as well - having it pointed toward the butt of the rod was key.

That $31 conversion kit (plus shipping - fixed minimum fee) is STEEP = almost $40 at that point. :(

I had the same issue with the 704z, I just started holding the bail with my pinky when I cast.

Guys:

Great advice, but I'm not sure what this means

"Don't know why, but if you flip the bail toward the butt of the rod the bail almost never releases prematurely."

Typically, I just line the reel up so that my right index finger catches the line off the roller, about 1/2 " to the right of the rod blank. I understand the benefit of making sure the handle points down and I will try that out. I've been doing this for over 40 years, what else needs to be done I'm not 100% sure I follow ?

Thanks.

I have a 6500SS with a bail and I use it with the bail and do not really have any problems, in fact, I don't think the thing has ever flipped on me. Once thing I do is line up the line roller with the rod before I flip the bail and get ready to cast, but doesn't everybody do that?

This is what you have to do, so it dosen't close to fast and you lose your plugs, I went the bailess way and didn't like it to much

Only ever had problems with the 9500 premature bail closures. Kind of stopped using it.

thanks Bob - yeah it works. Just to clarify further, if you do it this way, the bail is flipped away from the handle, so if your handle is on the left, your bail should be flipped to the right, not down away from the rod, but to the right of the rod.