by Marisol Dayton

Created on: June 24, 2010

For many thousands of years, fishermen were restricted to fishing very close to shore or close to their boats.  Then in 1667 came the brilliant invention called the fishing reel.  Rudimentary reels have been used in China since the 3rd century BC, but with the advent of the modern reel, fishermen could fish many times further than before.

With the modern reel came variations of the reel for different fishing conditions.  The most common are the spinning reel, the baitcaster reel, and the fly reel.  Likewise there are several kinds of fishing line – monofilament, fluorocarbon, braided, and fly line – and not all lines are suitable for all reels.  Choosing the right line for the reel is as important as spooling it.

-          How to Spool a Spinning Reel

Spinning reels are considered one of the easiest reels to use and are common among fishermen who do not fish often though many excellent fishermen swear by a good spinning reel.  Spooling one of these reels is easy to do alone or with a friend.  Spinning reels work best with smaller line, usually less than 16 pound test for monofilament or fluorocarbon.  Braided line has greater strength for its diameter so braided line up to about 30 pound test can be used with a spinning reel.

To begin spooling a spinning reel, run the end of the line through the bottom eye of the rod.  Tie the line on the reel with an arbor knot or slip knot.  If you have a friend available to help, have him hold the spool with a pencil or dowel through it to keep the tension on the line.  If you are alone, use a pencil or dowel to secure the spool and run the line through the pages of a heavy book to keep the tension on the line.  Using the crank wind the line off the spool and onto the reel.  Keep an eye on the reel to make sure the line is going on evenly across the entire reel.  When there is about 1/8 to 3/16 inch between the line and the edge of the reel, there is enough line on it.  Cut the line off past the tip, string the line through the remaining eyes from the bottom of the rod to the tip and tie on your favorite lure or leader. 

Tips:

1) Spool the line on counterclockwise.  Most reels will wind on clockwise so taking the line off the spool in the counterclockwise direction will help tame some of the twist.

2) Use a monofilament backing when using braided line.  The monofilament backing

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