The highest and best use of a spinning rod and reel is one where the angler whips the tip of their spinning rod, and a smooth stream of monofilament, fluorocarbon, or braided line shoots out of the guides, carrying your tackle precisely to where you were aiming.
If you value your time on the water and are interested in a custom spinning rod, don't waste your experience suffering through twisted lines fouling up your casts. Here are some steps to ensure you get your line on your spinning rod and reel the right way.
Line Capacity
Most reels nowadays have the recommended amount of line and the associated size (whether in the pound test or the diameter of the line) etched on the spool. If your reel is of the vintage where that’s unavailable, apply enough line to your reel spool so the line is almost to the edge of the spool's upper part but not outside the spool.
If you wrap too much line and fill the spool, you will know fairly soon as that the line will slip over the top of the spool, creating tangles and knots. If you follow the listed recommendations on the line's diameter and length (amount) and keep the line inside the edges of the spool, you are off to a great start.
Line / Spool Direction
How you spool the line onto the fishing reel is possibly the most critical step you can take to ensure you’ve done your part in keeping the line straight. When you purchase your new line, the spool in the packaging is the source spool, and your reel contains the destination spool for your new line. When performing this transfer, you must execute three essential steps before you tie and wind your new line onto your reel.
Ensure the line coming off your new line spool matches your reel's direction when retrieving the line. If they don’t match at first, flip your new line spool over on the other side, and that should match them up.
With your index finger, open the bail on the spinning reel. Tie your line to the spool on the reel and begin to reel in the new line. It is helpful to pinch the new line between the fingers of your free hand to provide a bit of tension before the line wraps to the spool on the reel.
This small gesture creates a consistent tension on the line and will keep the line from binding up and causing your first cast to fall at your feet.
Reel Spool Diameter and Line Memory
At this point, you have your new line consistently wrapped around the spool of your reel, but there is still some “memory” in the fishing line. This means the line will retain some of the shape from the new line spool even when it is on your reel. This retention of form is called line memory. It happens in differing degrees depending on the type of line you are using. Even though you took great care in making sure it was going in the right direction and had consistent tension, you still have to contend with the diameter of the new line spool being larger than the diameter of the spool on your reel. The line “remembers” the circumference of its original spool and will bring that to the new reel. To solve this memory problem, you can get your line to learn and remember the circumference of your new reel by using warm tap water.
Take the newly wound spool off your reel and submerse it in a warm (not hot) water bowl for three to five minutes. The temperature change will cause the line to conform to the spool on your reel.
Generally, monofilament fishing line has the most memory, fluorocarbon, and copolymer blends have a modest amount, and braided line has the least.
Following these steps are simple but requires you to go through an orderly sequence, giving you the best chance to make consistently smooth long-distance casts. If the tedium of going step by step seems too much, there are alternatives to getting it right for your spinning reel.
Line Spooler
Line spoolers are ingenious inventions that allow you to take only four steps to perfect your line being applied flawlessly onto your sping reel spool.
That is it; there's nothing more. When winding the line onto your reel, the spooler rotates, eliminating the twist and allowing consistent tension. After a few casts, you may find a little line memory, easily fixed by dropping the spool from the reel in warm water for a few minutes.
Maintaining Your Straight Line
Spinning reels are practically unbeatable for casting when your line situation is all figured out. After several outings, you may notice your line getting harder and harder to cast, along with some tangles here and there. There can be several causes, the most common being that the tackle or lure you are using is causing the line to get a twist. This is easily overcome. If fishing from a boat, remove your tackle and open the bail on your reel. You can allow your line to stream out behind you in a moving boat. This enables the line to un-twist naturally. Reel your line back on your spool, and you are in business. If you are on land, find forty or fifty yards of open space, preferably with grass, open your bail, and walk forward, trailing your line behind you in the grass. The same principle is in effect. With the lure removed and the line off the reel, it can release, removing the twist.
When you put what you’ve learned into practice, you will be consistently satisfied with your spinning reel/rig while getting the distance and accuracy you’ve been looking for.
