Reel Repair by Alan Tani

The very first time I tied a Springer I cast out and caught a 298.8# YFT on 100#. Had a hook pull the next day on a similar size unit and the day after caught a 321# YFT. That sold me on the Springer for heavy line!

Quote from: rogan on April 19, 2026, 09:44:16 PMJim, You are doing two very important things:

1. practicing your knots
2. testing your knots

These two things are the most important when it comes to knot trying. All that matters is what you can do with the materials you have available in the conditions you are going to fish. Don't get me wrong, I watch and read what others are doing, but then I test out these other options to see if I can make them my own. It doesn't matter which knot really has the ultimate strength if it's a knot that I can't tie well, or I am unable to tie while on the water with cold, wet and tired hands in low light conditions (or without cheater glasses), or I have to tie with different materials because my luggage got lost and I buy local stuff which is different tham my normal stuff.

Case in point, I avoided the FG knot for several years. I watched three austrailian gents (three different videos) tie three different versions of the FG, and all of them said, "make the knot your own". After some trial and error, I was able to make a version using some info from all three gents. Last year at Cedros, I needed new leader on my trolling setup, so I tied my 65lb j-braid to 60lb fluro leader with my version of the FG, which requires me to use a lighter, after the knot is complete, to melt the end of the mono into a slightly larger diameter ball to ensure the braid doesn't slip off the end of the fluro. One of my fellow fisherman got very upset that I was putting a flame anywhere near the braid, but let me do what I wanted to do anyway. I practiced (and tested) this many times and had confidence in this exact set of materials, and I was tying the knot while sitting at a table in the lodge (ideal conditions). The next day, I landed and released a 140lb grouper using 22lb of drag in an 8 minute high intensity fight. I have very high regard for the angler who cautioned me on using the lighter and I employ many of the tips and suggestions he has given me over the years, but I had practiced and tested that method for a couple of weeks, dozens of knots, and felt very confident in my abilities.

I choose a different method for testing my knots. It has been suggested here that for tuna fishing your reel should be capable of 50% drag settings for the line weight you are using. In my testing of the above materials, I knew I would be using my Andros 12 with a strike setting of 20lbs and a max drag of 26 lbs using the above mentioned 65lb jbraid solid and 60lb fluro, which is below the 50% line rating of 60lbs. So when I tested my knots, I attached the braid to a metal shelf, tied the fluro to a 30lb weight, and let it hang for a minumum of 30 minutes. At least twice during this time limit, I would lightly move the weight side to side. My FG knots held the weight for 30 to 90 minutes without failure. For me, this is how I envision using the knot, in a protracted fight with a larger than expected sized fish. And for me, that actually happened and I landed the fish of a lifetime, my largest fish to date. Is my method an exact test? No, the line isn't wet, we aren't changing pressures/tensions on the line from the boats movement or the fish's surging attempts to get away, etc...  But it gave me the confidence that I can tie good knots in my chosen materials.

Since we cannot duplicate the violent thrashing of a fish, head shakes, sudden bursts of speed in a controlled environment, I'm not sure how much accurate, useful info we can actually get by any method other than actually having a fish on the line.  So, when Capt. John Collins says he has used that Springer Knot for x-years in real world conditions, without a single knot failure, the answer becomes relatively easy for me, at least for higher test line.  I do believe when I finally get on a LR trip, I will test the 3-wrap Springer knot in real world conditions, and have a clear answer that I can't get any other way.   

Quote from: akfish on Today at 12:41:56 AMThe shaft on my HXW two speed bent when I fought a cow tuna on 100#. Fortunately, I got the fish in. The spool rubbed on the frame, something I didn't notice until I opened it up. I had Rocky do a rebuild which included a stronger and stiffer shaft and a pinion bearing that could tolerate extra drag. I've caught several fish on that upgraded reel -- but nothing bigger than 120#.

I have seen people land mid size fish on HXW reels but I personally think that over 80# one needs to step up to a heavier built a reel like the Avet EX30.  I am also not a fan of wide reels for plus size fish. 

A heavier spool shaft is a good idea when pushing these reels hard.

The shaft on my HXW two speed bent when I fought a cow tuna on 100#. Fortunately, I got the fish in. The spool rubbed on the frame, something I didn't notice until I opened it up. I had Rocky do a rebuild which included a stronger and stiffer shaft and a pinion bearing that could tolerate extra drag. I've caught several fish on that upgraded reel -- but nothing bigger than 120#.

Does anyone have any leads on preset knobs for a duel 9/0ws, Im looking for two of them.

Are you able to post a picture of the reel. Maybe I'm mistaken but are they nof different reels?

I've seen them bend from too much drag on reels that were being fished with an inappropriate line class, or from breaking off snags while locking the spool up with a thumb plus the drag.
Always small chinese-made lever drags; the drag design is capable of huge pressures but the spool shafts are not, the steel they used is too soft. Quite a lot harder to do to a well-made reel with a proper tough spool shaft, but I guess not impossible.

Whenever I try a new knot, I tie a whole bunch of them and break them, look at how they fail and see if it's just how the knot fails or if I've made a mistake in how I tied it. When I first started using the FG knot I had a bunch fail by slipping off the end of the leader, made some changes to how I tie it and now they usually last until I cut them off because I've clipped the end off the leader so many times. Same with PR knots, my first 20 or so were terrible.

A less-good-performing knot tied perfectly is always better than a more optimised knot tied poorly. But also keep your mind open to new techniques - if you can get close to 100% knot strength it might mean you can fish a lighter mainline, which in turn might mean you can use lighter terminal tackle, which might be the difference between getting bit or not.

Also, I trued my best toblook for it but couldn't find any info on thrust bearing, I will probably upgrade all bearings but does anyone have a source for a fitting thrust bearing that can be sourced 3rd party or will I have to get myself a measuring tool and go look for myself?

How the greased iternals looked before I wiped them down again: