Reel Up, Or Reel Down? Explanation And Analysis

The position of your reel on your fishing rod can make a lot of difference to your casting and fishing in general. Here, we take a look at the pros and cons of fishing with a reel up the butt, down the butt and even in between the two. 

Reel Down 

It was tournament casters who initially began using their reels at the base of the rod butt. There were numerous reasons for this, but the primary one being that the top hand, the one now not having to firmly lock its thumb around the reel, could concentrate fully on applying power at the end of the cast. Moving the reel to the bottom of the rod also makes the rod feel lighter and softer, meaning that powerful rods become seemingly easier to bend and faster to move. In the days of thicker rod butts, a reel placed right at the very bottom of the butt could be gripped with greater ease with the addition of a reducer- a lower diameter section of rod of around ten inches in length that was used solely for this purpose. Reducers are still used today and although the name has stuck, they are technically now used as an extension to assist with winding in. A reel right at the bottom of the rod will be extremely difficult to use when it comes to winding in without at least some rod below it.

Reel Up

The classic way to fish and probably still the most popular set up for the majority of shore anglers. 

The reel is placed somewhere around arms length from the butt cap, and as is the cases with most rods, where the reel seat has been glued. Of course, if using a rod with a sliding reel seat, you have the option of positioning the reel seat where you choose, but up the butt is the best place to start with if you’re new to fishing. Reeling in is arguably easier with the reel in the up position and favours greater leverage when playing fish or retrieving any kind of weight.

If you’re fishing a muddy or sandy venue, a reel positioned up the butt will also mean that it is further away from the muck.

Somewhere In-between

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to where you should position your reel on your rod. The vast majority of budget to mid range shore fishing rods feature a reel seat glued on in the ‘up’ position, but if your rod has a sliding reel seat then it is possible to experiment with its placement.

My advice would be to start with the rod butt in your armpit and secure the reel at your full arms length. From here you can jiggle it about until it’s at a place that you find most comfortable.

Learning to cast down the butt can take a bit of getting used to, but when you do, you will find that your previously powerful rod feels a lot softer. When you begin gripping the spool of the reel with your left thumb on the opposing side of the gear box that some heavy ground reels feature, you’ll also find it easier to wrap your thumb around it. My personal preference is to cats a multiplier down the butt, but position the reel around ten inches from the butt cap. This ensures there is enough rod below the reel to aid retrieval and doesn’t hinder any part of the cast. Incidentally, I’ll use a fixe spool reel up the butt, preferring my stronger forefinger of the right hand to make the cast.

But- do what works of you!