My old reel I could not get the line to spool on evenly? Any tips?

Baitcasting or spinning? If spinning, after spooling, get out to some water and make a cast and retrieve the lure under its normal pressure. Or just do the same in the yard with a practice plug.

If the problem persists, you may have to add or remove a washer from the shaft so as to get the spool properly positioned.

 

 

Like Marty said, we need more information about your reel.

Nearly every time I spool a reel with line, I tie on a 3/4 ounce drop shot weight and give it a heave in my back yard and just reel it in. I actually find myself doing this a lot when I can't go fishing, especially when I want to try out a reel or rod I've gotten. My neighbors and family think I'm nuts.

Nearly every time I spool a reel with line, I tie on a 3/4 ounce drop shot weight and give it a heave in my back yard and just reel it in. I actually find myself doing this a lot when I can't go fishing, especially when I want to try out a reel or rod I've gotten. My neighbors and family think I'm nuts.

Ha! I do the same thing. Gets line tight and even.

Nearly every time I spool a reel with line, I tie on a 3/4 ounce drop shot weight and give it a heave in my back yard and just reel it in. I actually find myself doing this a lot when I can't go fishing, especially when I want to try out a reel or rod I've gotten. My neighbors and family think I'm nuts.

I do this, except with an old, rotten, plastic frog with the hooks cut off.

oh, sorry, I have a baitcaster.

I spool mine up. Then go out in the yard and tie the end to something like a porch post or anything really. I use a barrell swivel so I have to tie it around the post first obviously. I walk out the rest of the line. I then bend my rod to where it applies a little pressure and I reel as I walk back to where I tied the line off. It usually helps

If you can get somebody to help you, run a pencil/screwdriver through the spool's center hole, tie the line to your reel, and have the assistant hold the pencil/screwdriver and apply tension to the spool. Then, simply reel straight from the spool to your reel. Also, using a line manufactured with a precision winding technique such as Sufix helps more than you'd expect.

You have received great advice on how to spool a casting reel under the assumption that the reel is mechanically sound. If your level wind has gone bad on the reel you will not be able to get the line to evenly lay across the spool. If this is the case you will need to replace it. If this part is in perfect working condition resort to the above posts.

Your level wind should spool your line on evenly, we don't use level wind reels we use our thumb to evenly distribute the line. Step 2 for me is to always troll my line out, for both conventional and spinning, I'm getting any line twist out, getting my line nice and limp and getting it tight on the spool.

how do I know if the spool tension knob is too loose or too tight?

Keep a lot of tension on the line as you are putting it on the reel. I tighten down the drag more than when I am out fishing, and then I run the line off of the spool and through a couple of phone books. You might also try and make sure that the reel is level when adding the line.

I have one of the Berkley line spooling stations and it works fine for me. I think the previous suggestions, i.e. that if you are continually getting poor results spooling on your line it is a level wind issue, is correct.

Ok guys, I fixed it. No more problems thanks!

Those are great suggestions, but that is a bit too much (translates to lazy) for me. My best guess as to why line gets spooled unevenly is because we are putting on the line "at an angle" as opposed to being directly "in line" with the spool.

The next time you add line, make note as to the angle of your rod with respect to the spool. Are you "in line" (directly behind it, straight on) or is your rod at some angle to the left or to the right of the spool? I think the more extreme the angle (the rod is closer to being perpendicular to the spool) the more likely it would be that uneven spooling might occur.

I do my best to spool line with my rod directly inline with the spool, spinning or casting. IMHO, it minimizes the chance of uneven spooling. I also pay close attention to how the line is being laid on. If I see that the line lay becomes uneven, which is not too common any more, I will do what I must to "even it" back out, even it if means.

For example if one side is higher than the other, I will only allow line to get spooled on, on the side that is low until it is even. Then, I continue.

Doing this completely eliminates the need to tie it to something in the yard to get it on straight.

This is based on personal observation. I was trying to figure out why my line, while starting with an even spool of line, got unbalanced while fishing. It was then that I noticed that it occurred more often than not when the rod was at an angle relative to being position straight out from me. Haven't taken the time to substantiate these observations.

Great post Islandbass! I think you are pretty much 100% on track. I too have similar thoughts but you stated it perfect. It is at least something to think about on more of a simplistic level.

For some reason I can't explain some of my spinning reels after they have been in service awhile do not stack evenly, they did when brand new. One reason I always respool myself, instead of a tackle shop doing because they take the spool off the reel and it's always perfect, but if there is an issue with reel you are going to know when you're fishing. Sometimes it becomes trial and error adding or removing shims to get the line stacked up just right.