Spooling
a spinning reel
ThereŐs no shortage of reasons to keep a few
spinning reels in the boat. Perhaps you havenŐt yet mastered a baitcasting
reel, or maybe the fishing conditions require you to downsize your bait
selection to try to finesse a bite. Either way, despite the ease of use of a
spinning reel, there are some common problems that even the most experienced
anglers encounter when using them. Some of these problems can be reduced —
if not avoided all together — by properly spooling line onto the reel.
It seems that just about every angler has his
or her own idea how best to spool a spinning reel. While some of the details
may differ slightly, most of the important things are relatively similar.
To begin, it is important that you properly
match the size of line you wish to put on your spinning reel to the size of the
reel itself. Unlike baitcasting reels, spinning reels are for lighter line and
downsized baits. Heavier monofilament and fluorocarbon lines do not perform
well on spinning reels because the diameter of the line is large enough that
the spooled line will jump off the reel spool when casting. This creates
monstrous backlashes that are not easy to fix — and it wastes time on the
water.
When the situation requires anything larger than
10- or 12-pound test line, I prefer to use Fireline as the main line on my
spinning reel. To do this, I spool some monofilament or fluorocarbon line
directly onto the reel spool as backing (to prevent the superline from slipping
on the spool when I have a fish on the hook), then attaching the Fireline to
the backing using a Uni Knot. The great thing about this system is that the
Fireline, although it has a higher pound test, has the diameter of much lighter
line.
Typically, depending on the fishing
situation, I will attach a Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leader directly to
the Fireline (again, using the Uni Knot) or attach a barrel swivel to the
Fireline and run a short leader from the swivel. The swivel helps negate any
potential problems the leader line may have with line twist, which can affect
manageability, but if the leader is too long, the swivel will get caught up in
the guides and affect casting performance. Superline is easy to manage and
casts very well – plus, the great thing is, the durability of superline
allows you to just change out leaders every day instead of re-spooling the
entire reel.
But, if superline isnŐt for you, you need to
know how to put monofilament and fluorocarbon line on the reel. To begin,
select a quality line with a pound test of less than 10 or 12 pounds (depending
on reel size, of course). Run the end of the line through the rod guides and
wrap the tag end around the spool twice. Then, tie an over-hand knot in the tag
end, wrapping the knot around the mainline as it comes onto the reel spool.
Then tie an over-hand knot in the tag end and slide the knot down so that it
rests just above the first knot. After securing the knot by pulling it tight,
trim the tag end so that ¼ inch of line remains above the second knot.
The extra line keeps the knot from coming loose.
Close the bail so that the reel is engaged
and ready to begin winding line onto the spool. If you have a friend available,
have him hold the spool with the front side facing you, making sure that he
keeps plenty of tension on the line. If you are alone when doing this, try
running the line through the pages of a closed telephone book to keep the line
tight.
I prefer that the line comes off the spool
counter-clockwise. The reason for this is because when I cast a spinning reel
like my Abu Garcia Cardinal 804, the line comes off clockwise. By having the
line come off the line spool counter-clockwise, it helps tame some of the line
twist. Keeping tension on the line, I begin to wind the reel handle and fill
the reel spool. Keep an eye on the reel spool to make sure that the line is
filling the spool evenly and fill the spool within 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch from
the edge. Too much or too little line will affect the reelŐs performance. Once
the reel is spooled, cut the line and tie on your favorite lure.
Fishing with light lures and using a
stop-and-go retrieve (like with shaky-head jigs, for example) can result in
line twist in both monofilament and fluorocarbon line. It can also be caused by
improper use of line and lures that are not running correctly. Either way, if
you experience this, youŐll want to release a long length of line behind the
boat and drag it behind you until the line appears to be straightened out.
This is especially important after catching a
fish. If you donŐt solve line twist, it can cause your line to become a mass of
tangles and loops, something that will require a significant amount of time to
unravel or cause you to have to cut the line off the spool and start over.
Fishing with a spinning reel opens up a lot
of possibilities for many anglers. Easy to use and maintain, and capable as
well of carrying out the smaller and finesse presentations, a spinning reel,
coupled with the skill you develop using it, will result in more fish caught
throughout the year. By spooling the reel properly and maintaining your line,
your time on the water with a spinning reel in hand will be that much more
enjoyable.
Scott Suggs is the 2007 FLW Champion and the first angler in professional
bass fishing to win $1 million in a single tournament.