Methods for untwisting line?

[Gfish]

What's the best way to (1) prevent excessive line twist, (2) untwist 'bout 50 - 100 yds. a line.
Gfish

[Tightlines667]

Use good ball bearing roller swivels and if using a spinner, make sure it has a good line roller bearing.  Also, can't hurt to lay tue line evenly on conventionals.

My prefeted method for removing line twist is to let the line out while trolling/underway, then reel it back in.

[oc1]

The spinner line roller bearing doesn't prevent twists, it just makes sure the twists are spaced out evenly along the line.  That's important too.  

The twists are inherent in the way a spinner bail wraps line on the spool.  You get one 360 degree twist for every rotation of the bail/rotor or for every wrap around the spool.  When you cast, the line is being untwisted as it comes off the spool.  The net effect is that the line is only twisted when it is on the spool and the line is not twisted when it is out there doing its thing.  

But, when line is pulled against the drag or anytime the spool is rotated the twists are not being removed as line comes off the spool.  So, when you reel that line back in you are adding more twists.  Those extra twists are sort of permanent.  They do not disappear when line is cast off the spool.

The hard way to get rid of those extra twists is to retrieve the line by backing off on the drag and turning the spool by hand instead of turning the handle/rotor/bail.  Its a pain to do it, but it works.

The easy way to get rid of twists is to stretch the line out straight on the ground or on the water and let it untwist itself.  Mono will untwist itself fairly readily but spectra doesn't have as much rigidity and is more reluctant to untwist itself.

A conventional reel does not twist and untwist line as it is retrieved and cast.  The usual cause of twists using conventional tackle is a bait or lure that rotates as it is being pulled through the water.  Trolling with a spoon is just asking for trouble.  Swivels help, but they are not fool proof.  Swivels work best with a rigid line like mono but can be less effective with a braid.

A few weeks ago I had a jig that was tied lop-sided.  It did not spin when being retrieved, but would do a whirly-bird spin as it was cast through the air and it always spun in the same direction.  It is a conventional reel with braid and after a few hours of casting the line had noticeable twists.  When I got home, I laid the top forty yards (the length of the casts) out straight on the ground.  The jig was then spun in the un-twist direction by rolling the floro leader  between the palms of my hands.  After a few minutes of this it had reversed all the twists.  The hard part was figuring out when to stop.  Dragging the loose line (without terminal tackle or lure) behind the boat is easier but takes a little longer.

The alvey-type side cast reels present a different problem.  They impart twists as line comes off the spool like a spinning reel.  But then the spool is turned side-ways and line is retrieved like on a conventional reel so the twists imparted by the cast are not being reversed.  The next cast you add another set of twists and since the twists are not being reversed on the retrieve they start to build up quickly.  Without really good swivels a side cast reel requires a lot of manual untwisting of the line.

A Cuban yo-yo hand spool behaves like a spinning reel.  The line is being twisted on the retrieve and untwisted on the cast.
-steve

EDIT:  Sorry philaroman.  I was typing are you responded.

[philaroman]

what he said, PLUS:
1) don't crank spinners against the drag -- that twists line worse than anything else
2) you can play it out in river current w/ rod tip submerged & nothing attached at the terminal end (same as dragging it behind the boat) & it will untwist itself eventually because it's most hydrodynamic when it's least twisted...  may take a good 1/2 hr. or more, if it's really twisted

[Keta]

To untwist I run the line off in a running boat and respool.

[Gfish]

Thanks Gents, good info. Ballbearing swivels, regular spinner untwist maintenance, troll with nothing ona line. I think the river thing isa a good idea when it comes ta washin saltwater off. Got one navigable river here that also has one good access point, everything else here's private or tourist- business private.
Gfish