How To Spool A Spinning Reel: A Beginner’s Essential Skill
Tie a second overhead knot in the tag end, just about 1 in (2.5 cm) from the first overhead knot. Pull the standing line to slide the first knot down to the spool and slide the second knot down to the first. Spinning reels are designed to hang down from the rod, not rest above it like spincasting and baitcasting reels are.
So brave, Ryan. Cutting out one day before the House flips and your crimes get exposed. At least now you'll have time to learn how to spool a fishing rod correctly.
— Coastal Crab (@BrontosauRUSS) January 2, 2019
The bail is a little wire handle that flips up and down to open and close it. Flip the bail up to open it and down to close it when you’re finished. If you notice any old fishing line on your spool, you should remove it at this time. Treat monofilament, copolymer and fluorocarbon lines with a line conditioner after each use. In sub-freezing temperatures, spray it on your guides, too, to avoid them gathering sharp ice.
It was not a fun fishing trip dealing with the bird’s nest that followed my initial cast. So I highly recommend spooling the correct amount of line onto your reel. Unlike baitcasters, you can overload a spinning reel with line. Reel enough fishing line onto the spool so that you have about 1/8th of an inch space on the bottom of the spool. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten in a hurry and not opened the bail before tying the line around the spool of the reel. Forcing me to untie the knot or cut the line and retie the knot.
You will get different answers depending on which angler you ask as to which is the best knot to use to tie the line onto the fishing reel spool. Some will say an overhand knot works just fine and others will say you need to tie an arbor knot. On spinning reels, the bail is the little wire arm hanging off the reel. Lift the line up to open the bail, and lift it down to close the bail. Unwrap any old line still in place.Baitcasters don’t have a bail, so you won’t need to do this step.
Some anglers use electrical tape in place of backing, but this is just likely to leave a sticky mess. Once you have stringed up your fishing pole, it is time to tie your line to the reel. This is a very important step that secures your line system and determines how evenly your line spools to your reel.
Reminder, the bail on the spool must be open before you tie. An Arbor Knot is the most common and effective knot for tying line to a reel. To tie an Arbor Knot, begin by wrapping the line around the reel and make an overhand knot around the standing part of the line with the tag end. Next, make a second overhand knot with the tag end, about two inches up from the first. Moisten the line with your mouth or some water and pull the standing end while the overhand knot slides down tight around the spool. The second knot should tighten into the first, smoothly cinching the full knot to the reel spool so that your line catches and fills the reel.
Starting at the rod’s tip, run the new line through the holes towards the reel. Close-faced and Spincast are different names for the same reel. You’ll know you have one if it has this cover you need to unscrew to reach the reel’s spool. For a Baitcaster rod, look for a little hole in the reel. You’ll also need to run the line through this guide to get it into the bail. If you can, obtain several spools for your reel and fill each with a different weight of line.
Finally, once the line is 1/8 inch away from the rim, cut it and secure it to the spool. Thread your line down the rod, starting with the first guide at the tip of your rod. Proceed all the way down to the last rod guide before your reel. Make sure that the line cleanly passes through each guide from top to bottom, and not wrapped around your rod or threaded through the brackets of your rod guides. Before you begin to tie the line to the spool, confirm that the bail is open. If the bail is already closed, it will not catch line and you will be unable to reel in your line.
You can keep loading the line as soon as you are sure that the line is not twisting. Keep adding the line slowly and stop every cranks to inspect your line for twists. First bird’s nest of the year and you’re not even a cast in— not a very good start. “What went wrong?” you wonder to yourself, and what could you have done differently?
In case you are adding leader line, take the end of the fly line and tie it to the end of the leader line. Another Albright knot works here, but a nail knot leads to a smoother line. It involves looping the lines around a pen or other object to tie them together.You can purchase a nail knot tool to help with this kind of knot. Wrap the end of the backing line around the groove in the spool.
Dion Liriano is a 51-year-old American zookeeper who has retired from the business. He was once a highly successful director of the Zoo and Aquarium, but he has since hung up his gloves and moved on to other ventures. Dion's passion for animals began at a young age, when he would help his father care for their family pets. This love grew exponentially when he started working at the zoo; Dion quickly became one of the most experienced keepers in the business. He credits his success to the relationships he built with both staff and animals over the years.