by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: July 25, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2008

Spinning reels started to become popular when Mitchell introduced the Mitchell 300, which soon became the industry standard for the sports fisherman. Easily cranked, the bail closes automatically as you start to wind in your line. The open-faced reel may be prone to more line twists, either due to the spinning action of the lure, or the loose line that can be let loose by a wayward cast, or a cast caught in a heavy wind. But, when fishing for heavier fish (over 3-5 pounds), the spinning reel is the best option for the recreational as well as the professional fisherman, and is mainly used for lure, and lure and bait fishing (like a pickerel harness with a night crawler set on it). The spinning reel is mounted on the bottom of the fishing rod, and the finger holds the line against the fishing rod while the bail is opened. The rod is cast, and as the rod passes over the shoulder, or if cast sideways as the rod passes by the fisherman's body, the finger lets go of the line, and the released bail allows free un-spooling of the line from the reel's spool.

In order to properly use the spinning reel, you must know how to spool a spinning reel. The following will guide you through the process of reloading fishing line onto your spinning reel;

* Unwind the old fishing line from the reel and dispose of it in a recycling manner covered by your local by-laws or fishing regulations. You can save your used line and return it to a fishing supply store for proper recycling.

* Open the bail, which releases the line from the reel.

* Feed the free end of the new fishing line onto the spinning reel by feeding it through the eyelets on the fishing rod, and freeing about 6 to 8 feet of extra line. Open the bale, and tie the free end of the new fishing line onto the fixed spool using a slip knot. Tighten the knot until there is about inch of line from the free end of the knot still exposed from the knot.

* Manually spool about 10 to 15 revolutions of line onto your spool, using a bit of tension.

* With the new fishing line being held underfoot, or using any other method that applies pressure (not too much pressure, just enough to cause a minor amount of friction on the fishing line), close the bale (closing the bale can be done by simply starting to reel the handle), start reeling the new line onto the fishing reel's fixed spool by cranking the handle.

* Reel the new fishing line onto the spool until the spooled line reaches the full line marked on the inside of the spinning reel's spool.

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