Spooling a spinning reel seems like the easiest thing in the world, doesn’t it? But, you only understand how complex it is when you face difficulties while fishing. The line suddenly gets cut off when you were doing everything perfectly.
You try hard but you cannot figure out what went wrong at all. If something happened to the line and other parts of the fishing rod are just fine, it is probably the spooling that you got wrong. While yes, it is easy to do- you also have to keep a few things and tips in mind to make sure you face no troubles.
After all, you need the braided line to be strong enough to deal with the fish. Let’s check out some spooling methods for braided lines.
The ways you can spool a spinning reel with braid
1. Using a tape.
When you are fishing and your line is in action with a fish, you may find that the spool is moving away it should not. Thereby, the fish escapes you and you are left wondering why it all happened. This is probably because you have to attach the braid well and it is spinning around without an anchor.
Can you kind of imagine what is going on here? You have tied the knot really well probably but the knot has not been set on the arbor of the spool. Thus, it needs something it can grab on to when it gets pulled.
And, that something is a tape. You have to use a tape that attaches to the surface really well. In fact, you have to make sure that the tape does not come off when water touches it. After covering the arbor with a tape, you can tie the knot on the braided line.
Then, holding the line with one hand, you can use the other hand to wind the braid around the spool.
2. With a mono-line.
The question that might be running through your head right now is why bring in a monoline when we are talking about braided lines? Well, in this case, the monoline acts as the side actor. Apparently, it just helps to secure the braided line well in place.
You have to pull in the monoline through the first eye of the fishing rod down to the reel and then attach it to the spool. After doing so, you have to tie a knot and then move on to attach the braided line to the mono line. In this case, again, you have to tie a knot between the braided line and the mono line.
Now, as you can imagine, the braided line has a strong and stable anchor- a base. So, you have to hold the line tightly with one hand and wind it around the spool with the other.
Keep in mind that you have to stop when you have around 1/8 inch of the gap on the reel.
3. Just use the arbor.
Well, this is the simplest approach to spooling the spinning reel. What you have to do is clean the arbor and make sure it is not slippery. You have to go a step further and make sure it is not slippered for the braid either.
Then, you can tie a knot with the braid, hold it tight with a hand and wind with the other. When you are done, you can cut the braided line. So, once again, your reel has been reeled with a braided line.
It is completely up to you which method you use. Apparently, a lot depends on the availability of materials and how much you want to spend as well. But, the process is the same.
Things you will need
What you will need are:
- The fishing rod with the spinning reel.
- The braided line.
- Mono Line if you plan to use it.
- Tape if you are using the first method.
- Line cutter.
Some Things to Keep in Mind
1. Tie a very strong knot.
If you do not tie a strong knot even if you use a tape or mono-line, the spooling will be of no value. You will only lose your line when you are fishing.
Apparently, there is no fixed knot for this process. You can choose any knot as long as it does not give away. In fact, you can just tie normal knots two times and make sure it won’t tear or give away.
2. Stretch the line when you wind.
You have to wind the spool perfectly and keep the line stretched at all times. A line that was loose when rewinding will not perform well when you are fishing. Therefore, make sure you either use one of your hands to hold one end of the line keeping it stretched or you secure it somewhere that keeps it stretched while you wind.
3. Wind in an organized way.
Keep the lines straight and organized when you wind. It should look completely clean. Because if you wind the spool randomly then it won’t be discharged really well either.
You may experience birds nests or delay when you fish if you do not get this right.
4. Use Wet Rag.
When you are winding your hands may get hurt. In such cases, you can use a wet rag after you are done winding a few layers. It will not only protect your hands but it will also give you a firm hold on the reel.
5. Keep some space free.
When you are close to the end of the winding process, cut the line when there is still 1/8 inches of space left. Or else, you will have a high chance of experiencing knots or bird nests.
In conclusion
You see even though the whole process is quite easy if you do not pay attention to details you will suffer from great difficulties. Thus, when you spool a reel with braid, make sure you take care of all the problematic issues well.