Shimano Stella FK Reel

One of the most important elements of our reel, is the the brake. Consequently, the correct calibration of the braking system is one of the crucial points that can make the difference between achieving or not achieving results in a recreational fishing trip.
The brake is one of the points that allows the collection of parts even heavier than ourselves.
how do we know which is the best brake for our reel?

• USEFULNESS OF THE BRAKE
• THE BRAKE ON A FIXED SPOOL REEL
• THE BRAKE ON A ROTATING SPOOL REEL
• BRAKE CALIBRATION
• THE ADJUSTMENT DURING THE FIGHT
• BRAKE CARE

USEFULNESS OF THE BRAKE
Until the appearance of the brake on fishing reels, man was content to fish only for fish that he could control with his own physical strength. In the past, the reel was turned or allowed to turn in the opposite direction, thus giving line to the fish.
By incorporating the brakes, we acquire the possibility of obtaining larger catches.
The brake puts pressure on the spool, allowing it to skid to yield line at the moment it receives the pressure. In this way, the fish is allowed to run away pulling the line, wearing it out physically and then making the retrieve easier.
Each line has a nominal resistance, i.e. a dead weight capacity that it can carry without breaking; if it is exceeded, it will break. The brake is used to make the reel yield line before reaching the breaking point.

THE BRAKE ON A FIXED SPOOL REEL
Fixed spool reels receive are held in place while releasing or retrieving the fishing line. These are the casting reels par excellence; they have great pulling power, making them extremely suitable for fishing medium-sized species.
The greater the thread load, the more possibilities we will have to make a longer cast. However, it is never advisable to overload it, since we could produce overflows and with them the dreaded knots.
Within the fixed spool reels, depending on the model, there are two different types of brakes:

• Front: with a disc at the front of the coil, which is tightened or loosened by turning the front knob.
• Rear: has a knob on the back, which adjusts in both directions for reel adjustment.

The front brakes are adjusted by means of a knob that moves in a rotating direction, so that if we do it clockwise the brake is tightened, and if we do it counterclockwise it is loosened.
Many anglers consider these front brakes to be more reliable for fixed reels, although it is also true that they tend to heat up easily because the friction surface is small.
The rear brake is more accurate, with the advantage that it can be manipulated while the fishing action takes place. Even so, many anglers do not like it because they consider it less reliable.
Brake reels are also available central, the new brake, which tries to combine the qualities of the other two types of brakes, also adding greater braking capacity; in addition and thanks to the increase in size.

THE BRAKE ON A ROTATING SPOOL REEL
The spinning reels are those in which the reel rotates when casting and retrieving the line. They stand out from the previous ones due to their enormous pulling power, which makes them perfect for fishing large species, but not particularly suitable for casting.
Here we can also speak of two different models:

• Star brake: star-shaped piece placed on the side of the reel, under the crank. It is adjusted by turning clockwise and loosens by turning counterclockwise.
  Ideal for Surf-casting, it allows complete release of the spool at the moment of the cast.
  This is a braking system that acts directly on the spool release button, so the brake is completely disengaged allowing the spool to turn freely without pressure on the brake, which allows us to cast at a distance.
  Despite this, and as a point against it, it is worth mentioning the difficulty of handling it during the fight with a fish, since it lacks reference points of the calibration position.
  It has a rather small friction surface, so it tends to overheat. The brake exerts a pressure on the coil that is not regular, thus generating fluctuations that can lead to breakage.
• Lever brake: lever placed on the side of the reel.
  It is the most reliable and efficient type of brake of all, since it never allows the coil to be released at 100% .
  It exerts a very even braking over the entire surface of the coil. But in addition to this, and as a main virtue, we must point out that we can increase or decrease in a precise and gradual way the tension of the brake during the combat, in a safe and totally controlled way.
  In spite of this, many still opt for the use of the star brake, due to the complications of using the lever brake.

BRAKE CALIBRATION
Para to correctly regulate a brake we must first take into account the resistance of the line we have. We must be very careful to consider the diameter in relation to the resistance of the line, since, as any fisherman knows, there are many different lines manufactured by different companies, each of which offers a different resistance.
During fishing, the line will be subjected to a great amount of pushes and pulls, which can break it; to avoid this, we have the brake, the doubt arises at this point: how to know when the brake should start to slip, as it has been determined, to achieve a correct absorption of the impacts and sudden movements made by the fish in its fight not to be caught, the brake shall yield line when it receives a violent thrust equal to one third (1/3) of the rated line resistance. Thus, if we have a line with a resistance of 30 kilos, the brake should slip when the pull reaches a force of 10 kilos; if it does not, we run the serious risk of breaking the line.
In this way, the other two thirds will help to resist and prevent breakage when the line receives a very strong impact.
Therefore, in order to calibrate a brake, it is essential to be able to measure the force of a violent push. There are dynamometer-type scales for this purpose (which can also be used to measure the weight of our catches).
Once we have this scale, we can use it to the following steps must be followed for calibration:

1. Mount the reel on the rod you are going to use; this is very important, always calibrate the reel mounted on the definitive fishing equipment, since the characteristics of the rod significantly alter the force that is transmitted to the line in each case.
2. Once the reel is mounted, pass the line through the guides and fix the rod (ask a partner to help you).
3. Adjust the reel by hand, calibrating it as you see fit.
4. Place the scale on the end of the line, provided with a plastic ring to measure the maximum point at which the scale will reach when the line is pulled.
5. Give a strong tug with the rod and check the maximum point reached by the scale.
6. Calibrate the brake so that the plastic ring does not exceed the desired maximum power.
7. Repeat the operation several times, until the brake skids at the desired power (1/3 of the line resistance).

THE ADJUSTMENT DURING THE FIGHT
Another big problem in the calibration of the brake is its use during the fight. A fish that has taken the bait will not let go peacefully and it is essential to know the correct way to use the brake if we do not want to leave the best of the catch along the way.
To all this we must add the influence of the water on the line and adding to the weight of the line itself means that the more line we have in the water, the greater the load on the entire line. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the brake calibration according to the amount of line outside the line (sometimes it will be necessary to reach up to a quarter of the nominal resistance of the line).
Thus, as we have less line on the reel, we must decrease braking rather than increase it, to avoid breakage.
BRAKE CARE
Keep in mind the following tips to keep your reel brake in perfect condition.

• The first and most important point to take into account in the care of the brake is its storage. When storing the reel we must make sure that we do it with the brake totally free (in the reels of spinning, if the brake is released, we will loosen the brake completely).
• Avoid overheating of the brake. As we have already mentioned, this heating can certainly be common when we are in the middle of a fight against a fish. In such cases it is advisable to cool the reel with water, but not in its central part (it would be useless), but on the side.
  Salt water can damage the reel, but this is better than overheating.
• After a big fight to land a fish, it is a good idea to give the reel a thorough cleaning.

In addition to these simple tips, a good rule of thumb is to have the reel checked by a specialist mechanic, who should determine whether or not it needs to be replaced.

Before making a choice in your purchase of a fishing reel, you have to take into account what type of fishing you are going to do. However, it is also of utmost importance to know and understand the specifications and characteristics of the reels available on the market.
KEYS TO CHOICE

• Types of reels: depending on the type of fishing you are going to do, you can find reels for casting, spingcast, surfcasting, spinning, baitrunner or trolling, among others. If you are going into the world of fishing for the first time, opt for a standard range reel so that you can try several disciplines before deciding on one.
• Manufacturer: consult among your group of colleagues which manufacturer is the best for each discipline, although as in everything, this is a personal opinion and will not always be effective. The most important thing is to trust those manufacturers that use good quality materials and offer durable and resistant reels.
• Material: aluminum and graphite are the elements par excellence preferred by anglers. The choice for freshwater reels is usually aluminum and for saltwater reels it is graphite because of its anti-corrosive properties.
• Solid construction: it is very important that the manufacturer is reliable, the material is suitable and the casing or construction of our reel is totally solid and does not have any loose parts. It is also known by all, that those reels that have fewer parts, have less chance of damage.
• Weight: those with less weight will help us to reduce wrist and arm fatigue, but sometimes we need a heavier weight due to the characteristics of our discipline and the needs it requires.
• Size: freshwater fish are usually smaller than saltwater fish so, with some exceptions, the size of freshwater reels will be slightly smaller in comparison.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REEL

• Line capacity: defined in yards and pounds, it refers to the maximum amount in yards of line or thread that the reel can hold and the maximum weight it can carry. That is to say, a reel that indicates the number 450/20 indicates that it admits 450 yards of line and a maximum weight of 20 lbs.
• Brake or Drag: The brake system of a reel is composed of washers arranged on the spool shaft and sometimes on the action shaft. The mechanism works by lever pressure on the washers, making its resistance greater the higher the pressure. On some reels such as trolling reels or baitcasting there may be star brakes (with screw action) or lever brakes (cam type, easier to adjust).
• Line recovery: refers to the length of line that is spooled for each turn of the reel handle.
• Gear Ratio: this is the number of reel turns per crank turn. This ratio is indicated with a numerical set such as 6:1 where we are told that for each crank turn the spool will turn 6 times. How to choose the correct ratio:
  • Low gears (5.1:1 to 5.1:1): ideal for deep water, large vinyls and spinnerbaits. Indicated for lures that weigh a lot and allows us to reduce the effort in the retrieve. Very effective for heavy baits.
  • Medium gears (6.1:1 to 6.4:1): ideal for medium depth, shallo spinnerbaits and crankbaits. These gears are very versatile and offer extra speed for fishing with movement.
  • High gears (7.1:1 to 8.1:1): for light weight vinyls and worms, shaky heads and bibless cranckbaits. Here the action will be performed by the rod and we need a reel with a high ratio to allow us to retrieve the lure with great speed.
• Bearings: these are placed inside the reel for greater support, stability and smoothness of the winding. The more bearings, the smoother the feel. They are usually indicated as 7+1, 6+1 or 8+1 where the higher number is the bearing number and the number on the right is the number of rollers in the bearing.
• Power: it will be indicated in kg and refers to the maximum tension that the brake of our reel can exert. If the tension caused by the fish is higher, the reel will release the line to avoid breakage.
• Weight of the fish: the choice of reel will depend on the type of fish we want to catch:
  • Ultrlight 1000-2000: for fish up to 2 kg.
  • Light 2500-3000: for fish from 1 to 4 kg.
  • Medium 4000: for fish from 2 to 6 kg.
  • Medium Heavy 5000: for fish from 4 to 6 kg.
  • Heavy 7000: for fish over 8 kg.

The fishing reel is one of the most important tools along with the rod in the world of fishing. Para that we can get the best performance from our reel we must perform maintenance and cleaning after each use. If we do not perform this process, the parts will weaken and the reel will lose its function over time. Para avoid this and get even more life out of the reel, we will have to follow these steps:

• Initial cleaning: we must remove the sand and the remains of dirt that may be with a fine brush, clean with a soft cloth afterwards so as not to scratch it and finally apply some fine oil on the body and the disassembled parts (handle, brake cap, spool and body of the reel).
• Greasing: then we will grease the spool, the brake, the handle, the main shaft and the thread guide since these moving parts must be lubricated regularly.
• Thread guide: we must pay special attention to this part of the reel since it is the one that needs more maintenance because it is in continuous contact with water. We can disassemble it carefully and leaving the parts in order as we extract them, clean them well and grease them and then reassemble the thread guide.
• Central spool: this part never has to be disassembled, but through a small post we can apply a couple of drops of oil directly on the internal mechanism.
• Hand: finally we will clean the hand thoroughly and apply a little oil on the articulated areas and proceed to clean and dry it.

In case you have some doubts in the process, always consult the cleaning guide that you will find in the box of your reel and under no circumstances open the body of the reel because if you find any malfunction it will be best to have it checked by the manufacturer.