How to add more line to my reel?

[Steve Chertsey]

Newbie question: The chap where I bought my rod and reel spoolled the line onto the reel for me.

 

Now I've fished a few times, the line is only taking up half the reel, and from what I have read it should be to the edge (1mm off) right?

 

So do I just "add" more line by tieing the line I have thats spare onto the reel and winding some more on?

 

Or do I throw that lot out and wind on another fresh lot?

[jevs]

From a personal view, it's always best to completely re-spool. If you use a "bulk spool", you can just spool the whole lot on and forget about it.

 

In my opinion, if you just add new line by tying the old to the new, you'll one day catch a fish that will require loads of line and you will eventually get to the point where the knot is and you'll lose the fish

 

Hope that makes sense

 

Andy

[Newt]

Yup. If the reel will hold 500 yards of line and you have it down to maybe 200, by all means add new line.

 

Otherwise, remove what is there (and tie it into knots then cut it up before discarding) and respool.

[chavender]

if your reel has a spare spool you could tie some new line too your line and wind on untill your about 3mm (some say 1mm but 3-5mm depending online dia will help prevent loose coils falling of the front of your spool) then wind the lot back onto the spare spool and when you reach the joining knot you could if you wanted cover what you'd just winded on with plummers ptfe tape [50p a roll from diy stores] or electrical tape then tie on the end of your line and continue to wind it all on and you will be left with a correctly filled spool.as a alternative to taping off the filler line if you use a good knot like a double uni to join the two lines you can simply add your new line to your old (but i'd cut a couple of turns of your old line off so you know your tiying to good line) and fill the spool to about 3mm (3-5mm is great)

 

double uni knot:

 

[Steve Burke]

Unlike in other countries, in the UK there are very few shops that buy in giant spools and invest in a line loader . The advantages are that customers can buy exactly the right amount they need for each spool, have it loaded properly, plus it takes the hassle away of loading the line at home. Yes, it's quite an up front investment for the shop to buy the machine, but I'm sure it would pay dividends in the long run - especially if the competition didn't follow suit. Not only would the shop sell more line, but they'd get more customers too.

Edited July 26, 2006 by Steve Burke

[ColinW]

If the spool is "only half full" it will probably take a full spool of line to fill it up again. Ideally you'd have the right capacity spool for the breaking strain of the line, but assuming you've just got the standard depth spool usually supplied (which are nearly always far too deep) then just regard what you have now as the "empty" condition and re-fill it. Of course, if you keep repeating this, the line at the bottom of your spool will eventually get very old and weak but who cares? If it's 100m down it's never going to come into play!

You don't want any knots within say 50 metres of the end of the line because, even if they are well tied and don't cause a serious weak spot, they catch the line coming off as you cast and are a real nuisance.

 

I have to admit being a bit puzzled as to how you can lose half a spool of line in a few trips!

[Unimexsol]

Steve, to be honest as a newbie I don't think that not having the line within a couple of mms to the top of the spool will matter that much. It will affect your casting distance slightly, but as long as there's a couple of hundred yards of line on there then you should be able to manage. Ideally, you will always ensure that you have a full spool but it isn't the most important thing.

 

(This is of course only my opinion, I'm sure that others will strenuously disagree.)

[ColinW]

One small thing to bear in mind is that the force required to cause the clutch to slip increases as the level of the line drops, because it is really a torque setting. So if you "set it and forget it" you might live to regret it. Hey, that's almost poetry!

[robisme]

Hi, I always forget the right way to take line off a new spool to wind onto reel, must be age lol, at least it's only a job I do every few years (replacing all the line)

[Dick Dastardly]

Just a couple of observations.

 

It is a complete and utter waste to fill up a complete spool with brand new line.There isnt a fish that swims in UK (or European) freshwater that will take that much line!

 

It is though amazing that someone can only renew their line " every few years " no matter how little it is used.

 

I use old line to back up my spools and put the appropriate amount of line on.For example on my general purpose pike bank fishing rods I only put 75m of good line/braid on.Im not going to be casting this far and no pike is ever going to take that much.

 

My general float fishing reels get 50m maximum.

 

I change my lines as required.Light mono gets changed twice a year,heavy mono (15lb) once per season,braid gets "reversed" after a few years and shows sign of wear on the extreme end.

 

Daft wasting money puttinf 500m of line on a big pit when the best part of 400m of it wont ever see daylight.But equally as daft to scrimp on the quality/condition of the one piece of kit that actually puts you in contact with the fish.