Don't Get Twisted! Putting New Line On Your Reel

by Gene Bourque

You're heading out for that first session with nice fresh line on your reel. You get to your double secret fishing spot and see surface action - big stripers or bluefish are crashing bait. Your heartbeat elevates and your hands shake as you tie on your favorite bait and heave out that first cast. Arrgghhh!! The new line comes off the reel in tight coils, a couple of which glom onto each other twenty feet or so from the end of your rod. Unfortunately, that's just far enough for a big bass to pick up your bait and charge away. No no no, you say out loud. The line comes tight and SNAP. The coiled line tightened on itself creating a knot that breaks at a fraction of the line test. Away goes your fish, away goes your bait, the fish are starting to move out of casting distance and you're left with a bird's nest of tangled monofilament that has to be cut off, leaving you with less than enough line on your reel. Whose fault was it? The tackle shop kid who spooled you up? Or should you blame yourself? Could be either but one thing's for sure. This frustration didn't have to happen.

In my years of working in tackle shops I spooled up hundreds, maybe thousands of reels using one of the Berkley line winding machines that every decent tackle shop has. Now here is a true confession, one that is very difficult for me to make. Every spinning reel spool I loaded over those years was going to develop line twist. Line twist leads to tangles. Why the heck would I do such a thing to paying customers? I didn't know any better. To anyone reading this who may have had a spinning reel spooled by yours truly, a sincere and heartfelt SORRY! If it's any consolation, I did it to myself too. Now I know better - I know what I was doing wrong, and you can avoid this aggravation by following a couple simple procedures.

It has to do with the way the line machines work and the way a spinning reel loads line. If you're using conventional (revolving spool) reels you'll have no problem - those machines are just fine for you. In a couple minutes you'll see why.

A spinning reel is named for the bail mechanism that revolves around the stationary spool. Some people think the roller mechanism on the end of the bail eliminates line twist, which is patently false. That roller reduces the friction of the line moving over the bail, that's all. To understand what's happening when line is retrieved on a spinning reel, think about it in slow motion. As the bail moves around the spool, every revolution produces a turn or twist in the line that is the circumference of the line that is already on the spool. This is why line that is closer to the center of the spool has more coils in it (along with being tightly wound and hardly ever used) but the line closer to edge of the spool - the part that gets used the most - has larger coils, or hopefully, no coils at all. Now multiply how many times the bail revolves in the course of a normal retrieve. That's a LOT of turns of the line as it is laid on the spool. Now add some pressure from the weight of the lure at the end of the line or a few fish. Those turns (coils) can easily become "set" in the line. Factor in the possibility of line twist resulting from a lure that spins as it swims or spins in the air due to fishing in windy conditions. Line twist, to the max.

The problem with those spooling machines at the tackle shops is that they load the line on a spinning reel spool straight off the line spool. In other words, it's a straight line from the typical large "service spool" that tackle shops use right onto your reel spool. That's fine with a conventional reel because its spool revolves in the same direction as the larger spool mounted on the machine that is giving up the line. Assuming the tackle shop is using good, fresh line there should be little to no "memory" in the line and it will work great right from the get-go. On a spinning reel however, that new line may be nice and un-twisted for the first few casts but twists develop as the lure is cast and retrieved. With some monofilaments these twists seem to stabilize to a degree and the line works fine - for a while. This is especially true with larger spinning reels that have large spools. With smaller reels however the twist problem is amplified because the spool circumference is so small, resulting in more twists happening sooner. Then that line memory comes into play. The twists are literally stretched into the line. The twists result in tight loops; the loops twist together; the angler feels like throwing the rod and reel into the deep blue sea.

So how can this problem be overcome? Very easily. Instead of having your reels spooled up at the shop using the machine, either follow these directions yourself or ask the tackle guys to do it. Buy a small spool of line, either the "one shot" spools that hold a couple hundred yards or the "quarter pounder" spools that hold about a thousand yards. Remove ½ to 2/3 of the old line from the spool (most tackle shops have recycling bins for old line - a great idea). With the bail your spinning reel open, run the line through at least the two larger guides, then connect the end of the old line to the new stuff using a double uni-knot or a blood knot (my preference). Clip off small tag ends as close to the knot as possible. Now here's the important part. Place the new line spool label side up on the floor. With the line pinched between your fingers on one hand and the rod braced against your body, begin reeling. The line should come off the spool on the floor with loops in the same direction as your bail is revolving. If they are coming off in the opposite direction, turn the spool over so the label faces the floor. This way the soft loops in the fresh line mitigate the twist imparted by the revolving bail. After the line is loaded and you've made a few casts, most of the twist will be stabilized and the line will settle in.

There are a few other things to remember to avoid the dreaded bird's nest of tangled line. All line, even the new braids, has a certain amount of what I call break-in. That means it will take a dozen or more casts for the line to go back on the spool with just the right amount of pressure. Using lures like poppers that impart frequent stress and release on the line will make the line more prone to tangling. Be sure to avoid hard, forceful casts for the first few presentations because this can put undo stress on the first few yards of fresh line and stretch just that short section, causing loops and knots. Better to break in (i.e., stretch) more of the line gradually over the course of a dozen or more casts.

Be sure to leave 1/8 to ¼ inch of space between the top of the spooled line and the lip of the spool. Loading a spool all the way to the edge will surely lead to tangles in a very short amount of time. On the other extreme, only filling a spool half or ¾ of the way to the edge of the spool will cut down on your casting distance.

Look at pound-test recommendations on the spool as general guidelines, at best. Modern fishing lines, whether mono, hybrid, or braid vary greatly in diameter regardless of the stated pound-test. Eye-ball the level of the line and remember that the higher the pound test, the less line you'll get on the spool.

As stated above, don't be afraid to leave about 1/3 to ½ of the spool loaded with your old line and tie on to that. No need to use fresh line all the way down to the spool center - you'll hardly ever see that line anyway unless you're changing line and again as stated above, that interior line is wound tightly and "sets," making it undesirable from a fishing perspective anyway. Save yourself a few bucks in the process!

One final note regarding re-spooling: don't be afraid to do it often. No matter how much you spent on that fancy Van Stall and Ron Arra surf rod, that fancy gear will not make a wit of difference if your line breaks or tangles in the heat of battle. It's the cheapest investment you can make in your fishing toys and the most important. And remember, with fishing line as in most things, paying for the good stuff means dependable service. Sure, you can buy a spool of no-name line at the Mega Mart but do you really want to chance losing that 50-pounder?

So again to all those who had me spool them up in the tackle shops I used to work in, a big, big apology. I just didn't know any better!

Spool up right and spool up often. You'll be ready when the fish are breaking and you'll have confidence in your gear.