How do I fix common fishing problems on the water?

Most beginner gear problems fall into a small number of patterns with quick fixes. Find your problem below.

My reel handle spins but nothing reels in

The bail is open. Snap the wire arm down over the spool. The handle should now engage.

If the bail is closed and the handle still spins freely: the anti-reverse mechanism is slipped or broken. Look for a small lever on the underside of the reel (anti-reverse switch); flip it ON. If that doesn't help, the reel needs service. On a $25 combo, replacement is faster.

The bail won't snap closed (or opens by itself)

The bail spring is sticky or weak. A drop of WD-40 or reel oil on the hinge fixes most cases. If not, replace the reel.

I try to cast and the line gets stuck (or the bait falls at my feet)

Most common cause: you forgot to open the bail before casting. Open the bail (lift the wire arm up so it clicks into the open position). Now line will release when you cast.

Second most common: you forgot to pinch the line with your index finger before casting. Without your finger holding the line, it spools off freely while you're swinging the rod, and the bait drops at your feet instead of flying out.

Third: there's a tangle on the spool (a wind knot). Open the bail and pick at the loose loops with your fingers. If it won't come apart, cut the line above the tangle and re-tie.

My line is wrapped around the rod tip

Open the bail. Strip 2 feet of line off the spool by pulling. Push the line back out through the tip's guide; the wrap should fall away. Close the bail. Reel up the slack.

I have a giant tangle in my reel (a bird's nest)

Open the bail. Pull line off the spool slowly until you find the start of the tangle. Pick the loops apart with your fingers. Don't pull hard, that tightens it.

If it won't come apart, pull all the line off until you find the snag, cut above it, re-tie. A new spool of cheap monofilament is $4.

Prevent next time: don't cast too hard, don't open the bail before reeling in slack, and re-spool every season so old line doesn't develop memory.

I cast my lure and now it's snagged on something underwater

This happens to everyone constantly. Don't yank first; yanking usually breaks the line and loses the lure.

1. Try slack and a sharp pop. Reel in until the line is loose, then give the rod a sharp upward snap. The lure sometimes pops free.
2. Try a different angle. From a boat, motor around to the opposite side and pull from the other direction; the hook usually comes out the way it went in. From a bank or dock, walk to a different position if you can.
3. Try jigging it free. Lift the rod tip 6 inches and let it drop, repeatedly. The vibration sometimes works the hook out.
4. Last resort: point the rod directly at the snag, hold the line firmly, and pull straight back with steady force. The line will break (best case at the lure, worst case at the rod tip). You're going to lose the lure. It happens to professional anglers all the time. Re-tie and keep fishing.

To lose fewer lures going forward: when fishing around brush or rocks, use a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm with the hook point buried in the body (called "weedless"). It snags far less than treble-hooked crankbaits or open jigs.

I cast my lure and it's stuck in a tree

Same approach as an underwater snag, opposite direction. Try slack and a sharp pop downward. Try walking to a different angle. If it won't come down, hold the rod tip up at the angle of the line and pull straight; the line will break at the weakest point. Better to lose a lure than climb the tree.

The drag is screaming every time I cast

Drag is set too loose. The drag knob is the round dial on top of the spool (most spinning reels) or sometimes underneath. Turn it clockwise a quarter turn, test by pulling line by hand, repeat until line releases under steady pressure but doesn't give up effortlessly.

My line keeps twisting on itself between casts

Spinning reels add line twist every time the line comes off the spool without the spool spinning. Two fixes: tie a small barrel swivel a foot above the lure or hook so the rotation absorbs at the swivel instead of running up the line, or strip 30 feet of line off and drag it behind a moving boat for 30 seconds to undo the twist before reeling it back in.

Replace old line every season. Line that's been on the spool a year holds twist permanently.

The bait keeps falling off the hook on the cast

• You're casting too hard. Soften the throw.
• The bait isn't hooked deeply enough. Push the hook through more of the worm or cricket or cut bait, leaving only the point exposed.
• The bait is too soft (an overripe minnow, a mushy hot dog, a worm that's been in the sun too long). Use fresher bait.

A big fish broke my line

Drag was set too tight, the line is old, or the knot was weak. Check the line near the break for nicks by running it through your fingers; rough spots mean it was abraded on rocks or wood. Loosen the drag a bit. Re-tie. Move on. Big fish break lines. It happens to everyone, including the people you watch on TV.

A small fish swallowed the hook deep

Don't dig for it. You'll kill the fish trying to pull the hook out of its throat or stomach.

Cut the line as close to the hook as you can. Release the fish. The hook usually rusts out within a few weeks (most cheap freshwater hooks aren't stainless, by design).

If you keep gut-hooking fish, switch to circle hooks. They set in the corner of the mouth almost every time and rarely get swallowed.

I just hooked myself

See handling fish safely for hook-in-finger first aid. Short version: if barely in, back it out. If the barb is past the skin, push it through until the barb comes out the other side, snip the barb with pliers, then back the smooth shaft out. Clinic visit if it's near a face, eye, joint, or anywhere that bleeds heavily.

The kids are losing their minds

Snack break. Swim break. Switch species (if bluegill aren't biting, catfish on the bottom often are). If nothing works, pull anchor and go home. Tomorrow is another day.

Watch on YouTube

• How to untangle a bird's nest in a spinning reel
• How to free a snagged fishing lure
• How to fix line twist on a spinning reel
• How to set drag on a spinning reel
• How to re-spool fresh monofilament line

Related guides

• Casting and hookset for the casting motion that prevents most tangles
• Fishing knots for line failures
• Handling fish safely for the hook-in-finger fix
• Baiting and rigging for bait that won't stay on the hook