by Marco Angioni II

Created on: June 28, 2010

When fishing, the inevitable snag or snare will occur in your fishing line.  As such, you should change the line in your fishing reel every season.  There is no guarantee that replacing the line every season will completely eliminate a snag or snare in the line, but doing so will help minimize these occurrences.

The first step in replacing your fishing line is to remove the old line from your reel.  Once the old line is off of the reel, run your new line through the eyes on the rod and to your reel.  Once at your reel, you should tie the spool of line to the reel.

At this point, you need to put a stick in the spool or have somebody hold it to stop it from tangling.  Alternatively, you can purchase a reel filling station at any angler store.  The reel filling station holds the spool of line to prevent any tangles while you load the line on your reel.

Once you have tied your line to your reel and supported the spool, the process of putting new line on your reel differs depending on the type reel you have.

If you have a bait-casting reel, you should fill your reel within a quarter of an inch from the rim.  While filling your reel, be sure to keep slight pressure on the line to avoid any tangles or loose line from being spun into the reel.

If you have a spinning reel, the process is a little more complex.  This is true because on this kind of reel, the line has more of a tendency to twist and spin when you are filling your reel.  As such, you will want to place your spool on the floor.

While loading your reel, take only a few feet at a time.  Make sure to keep the line tight as you slowly reel the line onto your reel.   After you have reeled a couple of feet onto your reel, dip the rod toward the spool on the floor.  If the line twists, flip your rod over and continue.  If nothing happens, continue reeling the line onto the reel while keeping the line tight.  Once you are a quarter of an inch from the rim, you are done.

Remember, make sure that you load the line through the eyes and that the line is held by another person or placed on a reel filling station.  Make sure the line is tight when loading the reel.  If you have a spinning reel, you have to be cautious to avoid twisting of the line when loading your reel.

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