How To Spool A Spinning Reel

[Bman]

The best way for a spinning reel is actually none of the above. Going to a tackle shop that has the electric motor system, where the two spools centerlines of rotation are parallel to each other is the best.

[ozarkgunner]

The best way for a spinning reel is actually none of the above. Going to a tackle shop that has the electric motor system, where the two spools centerlines of rotation are parallel to each other is the best.

I agree. Make sure to top them all off with REEL MAGIC.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Buy decent line, plenty of pressure between your thumb and index finger while spooling. I bought a plastic 6-spool holder from Bass Pro which I've found out is great for travel purposes, but I'd rather take out my line of choice, lay it on the ground and spool it that way. To me, flipping the spool over if it's twisting is kinda a myth (but that's just me). I feel the real problem is overspooling a spinning reel, especially if you spool it loose. Just try to learn how not to taper it either from front to back or back to front.

But hey... I'm a river and creek guy. You big lake boys know what to do (especially if trolling) with a spin outfit to prevent twist...

End the end, I'd like to agree with Bman, but jeez... didn't know we had a resident Crocodile Hunter in state!

[FishinCricket]

Geez, how many monkeys does it take to.. Oh, nevermind...

Good post, interesting thread.. I guess it's always been second nature, but Bman and Dave (above) said pretty much all the same stuff I would have, so, good post....

[creek wader]

I used to rarely get line twist. Seems like the only times that I got any was after using an inline spinner. But, anymore I get them a lot. I'm not sure why. I used to use mono, but now I use a variety of fluorocarbon and co-polymer lines. Not sure if this is the problem or something else. But, I think I'll put on new line on a couple of my go to rods and give this method a try. They need new line anyway. I guess I could call it a field test.

[Al Agnew]

The video has it exactly right...if you don't have access to a line winder like the stores use. If you follow the instructions on the video you WON'T need to check for twist after winding on a few yards of line as Dave Potts suggested, because as long as the line is coming off the line spool in the same direction as it goes onto the reel spool, you ARE minimizing twist as much as possible. But as Grizwilson said, due to the difference in diameter between line spool and reel spool, you'll still be adding some twist. Dutch, you are most definitely wrong, even if whatever twist you are adding that way doesn't bother you (which I could only see if you're using a braided line as RSBreth said). The line coming off the top of the line spool like a baitcaster is coming off with NO twist, but as it goes onto the reel spool, each revolution of the bail adds one twist to the line. Over 50 yards of line that's a lot of twist.

Twist is inherent to spinning reels because of the fact that each revolution of the bail adds a twist. It solves itself, ideally, because you lose that twist on the cast as the line comes back off the spool. But lots of stuff adds more twist, most especially reeling while the drag is slipping. Some lures twist the line badly as well.

Where twist messes things up is when you close the bail on slack line, which generally happens on most casts. The twist causes a loop when you close the bail that sticks out of the spool, you wind on a bunch of line over it, and on the next cast the line coming off eventually catches that loop and pulls it off the spool prematurely along with a wad of line, causing a tangle that often makes a baitcasting backlash look like something orderly. Closing the bail by hand, in itself, does nothing to solve the problem...closing by hand over a loop is just as bad as closing the bail by reeling. The key is getting that loop out by tightening the line BEFORE you start to reel, and you can often do that by lifting the rod tip as Dave Potts said, no matter how you close the bail.

I hate twist in mono, copoly, or fluoro, which is why I use braided line on all my spinning reels. The braid twists just as much, but is limp enough that those nasty loops seldom form no matter how badly it's twisted.