Going out to do some fishing is something that you look forward to all week. It’s so relaxing and it’s really going to make you happy to spend time doing what you love.
There can be times when fishing will be more complicated than it needs to be, though. When you’re just trying to enjoy yourself, it’s going to be frustrating if your fishing reel bail isn’t working properly.
Sometimes people encounter issues with fishing reel bails not closing normally. It isn’t always clear what’s wrong.
Keep reading to find out what to do when this happens, so you get back to catching fish.
It’s Supposed to Close Automatically
As soon as you start turning the handle, your spinning bail reel is supposed to automatically close. When things aren’t working properly, you’re not going to be able to do what you need to do.
This is frustrating, but you just need to figure out why it’s happening so that you can fix things. Generally, this will only happen when one of three things is wrong.
1 – The Bail Spring Is Broken
Have you examined the bail spring closely yet? It’s possible that there might be something wrong with the bail spring itself that is preventing the reel bail from closing.
Often, people who have this problem discover that the spring is broken and will no longer function as intended. This means that you will need to go out and buy a replacement bail spring to get things working again.
If this is the problem, you might not be able to do much about it until you go to the store. This is annoying, but these things do happen from time to time.
It might be less likely to happen if you make sure to buy high-quality reel parts. Hopefully, this won’t happen to you all that often so that you can just enjoy fishing.
2 – The Bail Spring Is Installed Incorrectly
Another option is that the bail spring could be installed incorrectly. Perhaps the spring isn’t broken, but it is placed incorrectly or something such as that.
It isn’t easy to say exactly what is wrong until you examine the bail spring. You need to look it over and see whether or not it has been installed properly.
The easiest thing to do is likely to remove the bail spring and check it out to make sure that it looks functional. After this, you’ll be able to install it the right way to see if the fishing reel bail starts to close normally.
Spin the handle and see if it functions as it is supposed to. If you got things working, this shows you that the bail spring was installed wrong.
3 – The Bail Wire Is Bent
There is always the possibility that the bail wire is bent. When this happens, it’s going to catch and not work as intended.
You might notice that the bail wire catches during revolutions. Sometimes wear and tear will bend the bail wire, and you’ll need to try to get it back to normal if you want the fishing bail reel to close.
Thankfully, this is fairly easy to fix once you know what you’re doing. You just need to remove the bail screw and start working on the bail wire.
Take the time to bend the wire until it is properly shaped. It’s recommended to use your palms since that will make it easy to get the desired results.
You want to line things up so that the screw hole in the bail wire is lined up with the hole that’s placed in the side of the rotor. If you’re able to achieve this, you should be able to get things working again.
You Could Buy a New Fishing Reel
Of course, you might not feel like bothering with any of this. If you just want to get something that works, you could spend a bit of cash to buy a new fishing reel.
It’s easy to get what you need from a fishing specialty store, but you can also find such equipment in many department stores. When you just want to get on with your fishing trip, it might be easier to buy replacement equipment.
This just depends on what you think about the situation. If you have a broken bail spring, you might find it way easier to buy a new reel.
Since many fishing reels are inexpensive, it’s not something that’s out of the question. If you have a very fancy and expensive reel, it might make more sense to repair what you already own.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you feel much more informed about why a fishing reel bail would stop closing now. There are really only three potential causes that you need to worry about.
The bail spring could be broken and no longer able to function properly. If this is the case, it’s going to require you to get a new one to get things working once again.
It’s also plausible that the bail spring could be installed the wrong way. Try taking the spring out and installing it properly to see if that fixes the issue.
Sometimes the bail wire will get bent for one reason or another. This causes the wire to catch and keeps the reel from closing as it’s supposed to.
Bending the wire back into the proper shape should get things working again. If you don’t wish to mess with any of these problems, you might want to go ahead and buy a new fishing reel.
Fishing is something that is meant to be relaxing for many people. This is why it’s a big letdown when your equipment doesn’t work as intended.
Luckily, it isn’t hard to get things working again. You can turn things around and get back to doing what you love.
Just remember to take care of your fishing equipment to keep it safe. It should help things to last as long as possible so that you can continue to enjoy fishing.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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