It used to be a major job in the closed season, stripping old line off reels and filling them with fresh mono. But with the abolition of the closed season on most lakes, and given the amount of fishing I do, I now respool my reels all year round.
Winding the reel until the fresh spool of line empties may seem simple, but it’s no good if you’re left with a reel that’s unevenly filled. That will lead to poor casting, tangles and lost fish, so you need to adopt a ‘best practice’ to get the job done right first time.
My favourite way is simple and takes no time at all – it involves just a bucket of water and a damp cloth. I’ve seen a lots of other ways to spool up being touted, and some will invariably work just as well. Provided there’s a steady tension in the line when winding, the spool will be neatly filled.
THE BEST FISHING REELS WILL GIVE YOU SUPERIOR LINE LAY WHEN SPOOLING UP.
Consider the diameter
Diameter is as important as breaking strain if you want to cast accurately. Take the pellet waggler. On the reels I have for this, I’ll use 0.18mm or 0.20mm Guru Pulse Pro (5lb-6lb) for smaller waters with smaller carp but, for big casts and big fish, that goes up to 0.24mm.
THE BEST FISHING GADGETS MAKE DIFFICULT TASKS ON THE BANK SO MUCH EASIER!
Keep the tension
Line needs to be kept under tension as you wind, and there are two ways to do it. The easier is to drop the spool in a bucket of water to create drag. The other is to put a pencil through the middle of the spool and hold it between your feet as you wind. This takes practice!
COUPLE UP YOUR NEWLY SPOOLED REEL WITH ONE OF THE BEST FEEDER FISHING RODS.
Use a damp cloth
As well as using the bucket of water, I’ll wind the line on to my reels through a damp cloth. This grips the line just above the ring of the rod butt that I attach my reels to when spooling up. It not only keeps the line taut, but also removes any grease on the line as it passes through.
Fill to the lip
Reel spools vary, but what I’m looking for when filling the spool is to have the line laying just ever so slightly under the lip. Overfill it and you’ll get tangles, while if there’s not enough line, casting distance will be affected by resistance, which will also damage the line.
