Line clips – one of the most underrated features on a reel yet one of the key factors in being accurate.
Gone are the days when they were just used to store a loose end of line when you tackled down; these days, a line clip is regarded as one of the essential tools to aid casting accuracy.
Here at Wychwood we’re running two type of line clips on our reels – the standard metal ‘sprung’ clip that’s featured on reels for years, and the innovative ACS (Auto Clip System) - it’s the latter that we get the most questions about… how does it work? What’s the catch? Will it help my accuracy?
ACS has featured on Wychwood reels for several seasons now and we’re proud to have featured it on reels like the Solace 10 and FS range in the past, and most recently, the all-black Riot-S. Not only is it a line clip but it’s a safety device that will prevent a fish breaking your line when it’s running against the drag. As the name suggests, it automatically releases line from the clip when a fish takes too much line, meaning there’s no fumbling around to try and unclip the line and there’s no chance of the fish snapping you.
How ACS works is simple; the clip is designed in two parts; the fixed based plate and a flexible lip. With a positive click the line runs between these two parts, gripping the line and locking it place. Once the line is locked you can cast and hit the clip as per usual. However, where the clever stuff happens is when the spool rotates as a fish takes line against the drag, because the flexible ‘lip’ is curved along its eading edge on the clip, the line pops out as the angle of the line increases when it comes close to the bail arm roller.
Because this lip is effectively sprung inside the spool there is a degree of movement to allow different diameter lines to be clipped in. Our advice is that on our 65/75-sized reels the ‘perfect’ line diameters are between 0.25m – 0.35mm…. thinner or thicker lines will work but because the gripping points are at maximum or minimum range with these lines, meaning the line may pop out under extreme tension (i.e. when hitting against a big lead at range).
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Because there are times when a standard line clip is required, we’ve built one into the moulding on ACS-enabled spools; simply slide the line underneath the clip and the line is locked and ready to go. If you wanted to cast against the clip and re-clip into ACS once you’ve settled the lead, this gives you the best of both worlds. Remember, however you clip up, mark the line behind the clip for reference with something like a stop knot or a small tie of pole elastic.
