Simple question here. When you are putting on line, what contraption if any do you use to help this process?

The line, a screw driver through the spool and my wife holding the spool and providing tension.

For casting rods I have a little spool clamp attached to a workbench in the garage. For spinning I just put the spool on the floor whatever face up it needs for line to come off counter clockwise.

large screwdriver, bulk spool and my feet

Berkeley line spooler max

It’s $50+ if you buy it new, I kept searching eBay and got it for $20+.

I like that you take off your spinning reel spool and clamp it to the crank. It spools it the way it the way it comes off the spool of line. It’s plastic and a little cheap but it does work.

Bait casters it has reel seat to put the reel on, it is finicky but after a few times I got the hang of it.

Piscifun Speed X Line Spooler $38

Reduces line twist on spinning reels. Works for bait casters also but I usually just use my feet.

I bought a KastKing line spooler when I wanted to measure how much backing was adding to a reel, but the vast majority of the time I just use a pencil between my toes to keep tension on the spool.

I had an underutilized Plano hydro flo hanging box 3505 and decided to keep most of my line/leader in there. There is always enough slop and enough friction in the spacing to just leave the spool in there as I reel in the line with finger pressure and through my 1st rod guide only. I find the real trick is to make a couple bomb casts, I love a heavy hookless spoon with a good swivel on it, and to reel it in against the water pressure. It tends to set me up perfectly.

scott

Take mine into Cabela's every March. They have a tornado electric line winder that takes minutes per reel. They do not charge anything and they also put on mono backing for free if you want braided line.

Been doing this for about 15 years now.

Zero line twist on a spinning reel too.

I use a few cushions from the couch standing on end and a shirt or a rag if it is a 300m spool. I stick the spool between the cushions and put the rag in front. adjust the cushions for tension the rag keeps the spool from popping out.

For bulk spools I just sit the spool on top of the couch almost behind the cushion with the rag in front, this creates enough tension, the rag keeps it in place and bulk spools don't fall over.

I use a metal coat hanger. Take the hanger apart, slide the spool on and put the hanger back together. Badda bing badda boom.

I used to have an apparatus I made in haste that was essentially a cardboard box, with a full body goose decoy stake run through it. The spool(s) would be threaded onto the stake. I would wrap a rubber band around the stake, which the spool would rest on. The rubber band wouldn't allow the spool to spin too fast and added a little tension. To either side of the spool I would have additional bands to keep the spool from moving to either side. I put a dozen 8oz J weights in the box to keep it from moving. I could fit 5 spools in one of those small TW cardboard boxes.

I just run the line out of the hole in the side of the box, put the box in a side pocket of a tackle bag and leave a little gap between the zippers to let the line run through.

If the reels have great line management, ill wind it on in a pinch, but prefer to have it put on with a machine. Bigger spinning reels that I put 180 or 200 yards on will always be done on a machine.

This should help!

Currently using a Piscifun SpeedX. At my last place I had a rope tied between two nails that I put line spools on. I do like the Piscifun better because I don't need the rod to spool line.

My wife has definitely got the hang of it after 30 years or so. If shes not available I use an old Plano spinnerbait box. 2 spools fit between each divider with some tension.

I used to use a variety of home made solutions, and it worked. However, I wanted something a little better. I found a line spooling tool made of metal on Amazon that uses springs and little bullet shaped pieces to keep the line on the tight and clamps to the edge of a table. Works fantastic and allows me to spool solo and tightly. Also came with a tool you stick into an electric drill to despool old line.

I put this together from some scrap aluminum I had sitting around and a couple springs from the hardware store. The big clamp is to secure it to my work-table.

I put the spool in a box so it doesn't bounce around then run the line through a couple of heavy books.

I use the pacifun speed X as well.

Mainly because I’m cheap and try to save my line or move line around among my 10ish reels.