Rotate your Star Drag adjustment all the way forward to lock down the drag. With the reel in hand, place your thumb on the spool and hold it in place. Now try to turn the handle. If the spool rotates while your thumb is holding the line in place, then you have line slippage. To fix this, remove the line from the spool and place a wrap on the spool with electrical tape or duct tape. This will give the braided line something to “bite” into and eliminate the line slippage.

It is possible the pawl cap has become loose allowing the “Pawl” to slip out of the worm gear. Check that the pawl is correctly aligned in the slot and that the pawl cap is tight.

Two issues generally cause backlashes –

1. The 6-pin Centrifugal Brake System needs to be adjusted to the bait you are using. If you switch baits to lighter, or heavier baits, this system will need to be re-adjusted. Open the side plate of your Ardent Reel to access the 6-pin Centrifugal Brake System. Move all 6 weights to the outer most position. Close the side plate of your Ardent Reel and try a few practice casts, repeating steps A & B and move the weights in one at a time until the casting distance you require is good and the backlash ceases. Fine-tuning this adjustment can be made with the Cast Control Knob.
2. The Cast control cap is not properly adjusted. Tighten or loosen the Cast Control Cap until the proper tension for the bait you are casting is reached.

The 6-pin Centrifugal Brake System needs to be adjusted to the bait you are using. If you switch baits to lighter, or heavier baits, this system will need to be re-adjusted.

Open the side plate of your Ardent Reel to access the 6-pin Centrifugal Brake System.

Move all 6 weights to the outer most position.

Close the side plate of your Ardent Reel and try a few practice casts, repeating steps 1 & 2 and move the weights in one at a time until the casting distance you require is good and the backlash ceases.

(Fine-tuning this adjustment can be made with the Cast Control Knob.)

The Cast Control Knob is for making “Fine-Tuning” adjustments to your casting AFTER major casting adjustment is made using the 6-Pin Centrifugal Braking System. Once you have adjusted the 6-Pin Centrifugal Braking System, tighten or loosen the Cast Control Cap until the proper tension for the bait you are casting is reached.

To put line on your Ardent spinning or casting reel, mount the reel in the reel seat of a rod. Take the spool of line (for recommended weights please refer to your reel owner’s manual) and run the line through the guides from the tip to the reel. Tie the line to the spool (we recommend an Arbor Knot for this connection) with the bail in the open position on an Ardent Spinning reel, or through the line guide on a casting reel (there is no bail on the casting reel). Pull on your line to assure that your knot is secure, close the bail on the spinning reel, and then crank the handle until you have spooled up the proper amount of line.

Remember, for braided lines, put a wrap of either black electrical tape or duct tape on the spool before attaching the braided line. This will give the line something to “bite” into and prevent the line from spinning on your spool.

A good rule of thumb is to set the drag at 1/3 of the line weight; e.g., if you are fishing 15lb line, you would want your drag set at 5lbs. You can adjust the drag by running the line through the guides and attaching it to a fish scale that a friend is holding. Lift the rod tip as if you are fighting a fish and adjust the star wheel until the drag begins to come off at the proper 1/3 weight of the line.

It varies depending on the type of line used. On one reel, you may be able to put 150 yards of Monofilament on it, but with a braided line of the same test strength, you may be able to get 200 yards. In general, you want to fill your spool up to about 1/16” to from the lip of the spool. Too much line increases the chance of backlash. Too little, and you might not have enough line to successfully bring a fish to boat.

Lubrication is key to optimizing reel performance. For reels used only a few times a season, annual service and lubrication is recommended using a kit such as Ardent’s Reel Care 123 Pack, which contains Reel Kleen Cleaner, Ardent Reel Butter Reel Oil, Ardent Reel Butter Reel Grease, and Ardent Line Butter Conditioner. For reels that are fished on a regular basis, use Ardent Reel Butter Reel Oil for monthly lubrication of the bearings and main shaft, and Ardent Reel Butter Reel Grease for lubrication of the main gears and pinion. This will ensure your reels stay in top fish fighting shape. Remember, a little bit goes a long way. Over lubrication can cause poor performance of your reel as well, so a light coating is recommended. Also try Ardent’s other high-performance cleaning and lubricating products, such as Reel Supreme and Corrosion Inhibitor, for the ultimate in reel protection and performance.

A clean, well-lubricated Ardent reel will provide years and years of peak performance. For reels used only a few times a season, an annual cleaning and lubrication is recommended, using a high quality cleaning and maintenance kit such as the Ardent Reel Care 123 Pack, or Ardent Reel Cleaning Kit. For reels fished more heavily, a monthly cleaning and lubrication can be the difference between landing a fish and losing a fish, or in some cases, even losing the use of your reel entirely. With Ardent’s line of reel care and reel cleaning products, it’s easy to keep your reels in top shape for ultimate performance.

Ardent Reels come in a variety of gear ratios. The gear ratio is the number of times the spool will turn with one full crank of the reel handle. For example, in a reel with a 7.2:1 ratio, the spool will revolve 7.2 times for every one crank of the reel handle. Likewise, in a reel with a 5.1:1 ratio, the spool will only turn 5.1 times, for one crank of the reel handle. Why are these important? A reel with a larger gear ratio will pick up more line with each revolution of the reel handle, meaning line is coming in faster with each turn. Conversely, a reel with a lower ratio will pick up less line with the same number of turns on the reel crank. Certain presentations require a faster retrieve, and some need a slower, more methodical retrieve. For example, during the peak of summer, when Bass are most active, they will often follow and attack a quickly retrieved bait, such as a Rat-L-Trap or a large spinner bait, and in this instance a higher speed reel will be helpful. Other times, such as when you are deep drop-shot fishing or fishing deep diving crank-baits, a slower, more methodical approach will work best. It all depends on how you are fishing. Each lure requires an optimum retrieve to work and this is something that comes with time and patience. The gear ratios of the reels merely help you narrow the zone of your fishing speed to most efficiently work a bait.