How to Prevent and Fix Fishing Line Twist Like a Pro

From snap swivel advice to on-the-water line repair, here's how to keep your line straight and your fishing fun.

This pink salmon is small, but the twisted line it bit on is of world record proportions. Failing to use swivels can cause monofilament line twist. | Joe Shead

If you've fished long enough with monofilament fishing line, at some point, your line has probably coiled up more tightly than a pro bass angler the night before a major tournament. Line twist is a real problem if you're not careful. It makes the line flow off your spinning reel, causes casting difficulty and weakens your line. Here's how to avoid it and cure the problem.

How Does Fishing Line Get Twisted?

Line twist usually occurs when you're retrieving a lure that imparts some spin to the line. In-line spinners are probably most notorious, but spoons trolled behind the boat for hours on end can also cause line twist.

Spinning reels can also impart line twist. The spinning nature of the reel inherently adds some twist to your line. Cranking the reel when the drag on your spinning reel is paying out line is another way to twist up your line quickly.

Spinning reels can have a tendency to increase line twist, but there are ways to minimize that problem. | Kurt Mazurek

How to Prevent Line Twist

The simplest way to stop your line from twisting is to use a swivel. If you're casting a spinner or spoon, a simple ball-bearing swivel snapped between your bait and your line should keep your line from turning into a curly cue. For trolling purposes, beef up your hardware to a bead chain, which is basically a bunch of swivels linked together.

A snap swivel (above) and a bead chain help prevent spinners, spoons and other lures from twisting your fishing line. | Joe Shead

With a spinning reel, manually close the bail after each cast rather than letting the reel close it automatically, which can cause twist. Ice anglers fishing with spinning reels often either use a swivel to keep vertically jigged lures from twisting in the water, or just change all together to a fly reel style reel, which doesn't twist the line.

How To Untwist Twisted Fishing Line

If your fishing line gets twisted, it's best to just spool up with new line since severe twisting has probably compromised the integrity of the line to some degree. But sometimes that's not possible. You might be on a lake miles from the nearest sporting goods store. Or maybe you've hit that one day in an angler's lifetime where the fishing is so good you don't want to head for the landing.

You can easily fix twisted line on the water. And it's amazingly simple. Just cut off all the terminal tackle from your line: lures, snap swivels, split shot, everything. Then motor along, paying out your line behind the boat. When most of your line is trailing behind the boat, just let it drag for a few minutes. Eventually the water will work on your line like a chiropractor cracking a kinked back. The line will naturally uncoil on the water. After a few minutes, reel in, rig up and you're back in business.

FAQ for Fishing Line Twist

Q: What causes fishing line to twist?

Line twist is most commonly caused by lures that move through the water in a spinning motion, like in-line spinners or spoons. Line twist can also be caused by some spinning reels.

Q: What is the best way to prevent line twist?

Use high-quality swivels with lures that spin, don’t crank against the drag and manually close the bail after each cast.

Q: Can I fix twisted line without replacing it?

Yes. Remove lures and tackle and drag the empty line behind a moving boat to let the water gently untwist it.