tuning, is it right for you?

Something we see often in the realm of fishing reels, especially baitcast reels, is what is referred to as tuning.  What is tuning?  To most, it is throwing parts at something and hoping for the best outcome.  I see this with customers and competitors alike.  Add this here and add that there, which is nothing more than the upgrade process, not tuning.  Please follow along as I dispel some myths and get you on the path to making your reel more competent and easier to manage.

At its core, tuning is taking what is already there and massaging it to function better with a minimum of added parts.  For comparison purposes, let’s say you are tuning a piano or a guitar.  As the tension of the components is adjusted, the instrument technician will listen for tone to ensure it is on key or in accordance with the needs of the musician.  Tuning a reel is very similar as we make adjustments; employing shims, springs, and polishing components to make them both feel and perform their best.  Not only that, but correct lubrication must also be chosen to round it out.  This can involve using many differing viscosities of both greases and oils to achieve the goal.  As we can see, tuning is much more than throwing parts at something and praying it works right.  Tuning is a process that can be done to factory spec and upgraded reels alike.  It’s the icing on the cake that makes everything work together harmoniously.

What is the goal of tuning, you may ask?  To many tuners, their benchmark for a tune is casting distance, which is a rather poor metric to use.  Why is that?  For one, there are too many uncontrollable variables at play.  Wind speed and direction?  Can’t touch it.  Power and technique used to cast?  Those too are not constant.  Distance gives one bragging rights and nothing more.  Furthermore, it’s possible for a spool to spin too well, which leads the fisherman to use more thumb, more brake, and/or more spool tension in order to slow it down and make it more manageable.  No matter what, you will always be at the mercy of one or more; thumb, brake, and spool tension.  Is there anything beneficial about having something overly difficult to cast?  No.  A good tune should make the reel more user friendly, not less.  Is it possible to make something user friendly, yet capable of swinging for the fences?  Absolutely.  Reel tuning is an artform.  Upgrading without purpose is not.  Remember, reels are all about compensation.  The laws of physics dictate the outcome, and competence in physics is what this is really all about.

While there is no all encompassing tune, each reel needs to be tuned for a purpose.  For instance, a surf reel would be tuned differently from say a bait finesse or catfish reel.  While the shimming and polish work remains the same, the rest is all in the brake implementation and lubricant viscosity.  Something many tuners overlook is the lubrication and how it fits the purpose of the finished product.  Most will default to the lowest viscosity available because they are under the belief that it will perform better.  While it will perform better on the table in the form of parlor tricks, it’s far more nuanced than that.  Too low of a viscosity can be counterproductive on the water and make for a runaway spool or lubrication not lasting as long, things which hurt actual performance.  As I mentioned previously, a runaway spool can only be tamed by three things; thumb, brake, and end tension.  Wouldn’t it be nice to cast relatively worry free with a low brake setting and no tension?  A competent tuner can dial all of that in simply by understanding lubricant properties and how they influence the intended outcome.

With all of that out of the way, that begs the question; is tuning really necessary?  The short answer is no it is not.  If you’re buying a reel, especially one that costs a decent chunk of money, chances are that it’s completely fine out of the box.  When does tuning become necessary?  When internal upgrades are done.  This right here is the meat and potatoes and what trips up a lot of tuners.  Let’s say you are converting a more standard reel to bait finesse; you get a lighter spool, some micro bearings, throw it all in, and call it done.  As you’re fishing, you may notice the braking adjustments may have an all or nothing feel.  This is because the brake hardware on the palm side plate is designed to work with a heavier spool, and that brake makes a lighter spool peaky.  What steps need to be taken to remedy the new problem that came up?  In the case of Daiwa, a stiffer inductor spring can be used, shims can be added to the inductor to limit travel, or the magnet assembly can be swapped from one of their more finesse oriented models.  As we can see, when a tune is employed, the reel must be viewed as the sum of its parts.  If not, performance will be touch and go.

As is the case, tuning should ideally be done to make the reel more user friendly.  The more you can cast trouble free, the more your line remains in the water and not fluffed up on the spool.  It’s a lot of fun flicking the spool or smacking the handle and watching it spin forever, but that all goes out the window once you take to the water.  User friendliness and durability should be at the very top of the priority list for any tuner.  Parlor tricks, while fun to watch, don't offer much more than that.  Fast on the bench does not equate to good on the water.  Happy fishing!