Part 2

I’ve been teaching youngsters over a sizeable chunk of the world how to use a closed face spinning reel almost since these reels first came to market.

Getting distance with one of these reels is no problem.  Almost any kid can learn to throw a practice weight halfway down the block in short order.  Trouble is those same kids will wind up with their line draped over a telephone pole or with the casting weight hung up in the nearest cottonwood tree.

There’s a way around this problem.  Give casting exhibitions at some of the world’s largest outdoor shows (and I have) and you better be darn sure you can hit your targets and entertain your audiences.  At least you better have that ability if you expect to get asked to return.

Because I was already doing some exhibition casting when closed face spinning reels first came to market, the Zebco people gave me one of their first Zebco 333 spinning reels to try out.  It soon became abundantly clear that getting distance with this new style reel was no sweat.  Consistently hitting my targets was another matter.  Attempting to get the job done by using the reel’s thumb control button just didn’t work.

The reel shown here is the Daiwa Goldcast GC80.  This is one of the best closed faced spinning reels available.  It's small enough in size that youngsters can usually handle it without undue problems.

I tried a number of different approaches before I came up with a technique that worked.  I still didn’t have the pinpoint accuracy I got with a level wind reel or the open faced spinning reel.  But what I did have was entirely adequate.  I hope you’ll study the next few paragraphs carefully.  Get a good handle on how to use the closed face in the fashion I’m about to detail before you attempt to teach it to your youngsters.

Here’s how it goes: Have your boy or girl place the closed face spinning reel in the palm of their left hand.  Have them extend their left forefinger to trap the line securely where it comes out of the center of the reel’s enclosed spool.

Once they have the line trapped securely against the hole in the center of the reel’s spool, have them depress the reel’s thumb control button and hold it down.  When they are ready for their practice weight to fly out, release pressure with both the left forefinger and the right thumb at exactly the same time.

The left forefinger is the key to getting accuracy with the closed face spinning reel.  Note the position of the hands shown here prior to the cast.  The line is trapped with the left forefinger.  The right thumb has depressed the reel's thumb control button.  See the next photo.

Now comes the key to accuracy with the closed face reel.  All the time the casting weight is in the air, the line should be allowed to flow off the spool over the left forefinger.  All in the world your youngsters need do drop the lure smack on target is increase upward pressure on the line with that left forefinger.

It’s downward pressure from the right thumb that lets an expert with a level wind reel put his lure on target time after time.  You can use upward pressure from the left forefinger to do darn near the same thing with a closed face spinning reel.

To make the cast, the pressure of the left forefinger and the right thumb is released at the same instant when you want the lure to fly out to its target.  Be sure the line flows over the top of the left index finger all the time the lure is in the air.  All you need to feather the lure into its target area is lightly increase upward pressure on the line with the left forefinger.

Be sure you get one of the smaller reels I’ve already named for your youngsters.  They will fit nicely into the left palm.  It’s surprising how quickly even little guys and gals, provided they have the right kind of instruction, can learn to get a lure out where it belongs with these little reels and lightweight matching rods.

I’ll have a few final thoughts to share where kids and the closed face spinning reel are concerned.  I’ll do that in my next column beginning Dec. 15.

- To Be Continued-