How to Put Braided Line on a Spinning Reel

You might think that putting a braided line on a spinning reel is a simple process. But unfortunately, the process is not that simple. Several things can go wrong with it. This article centers on how to put braided line on a spinning reel.

For any angular, this is one of the most important skills. If you can get it right, you will avoid many annoying problems and fish with confidence. Let’s look at how to put braided line on a spinning reel.

Why Use Braided Lines?

Before we explain how to put braided line on a spinning reel, let’s try to understand the advantages of using braided fishing lines.

First of all, it is much more durable than fluorocarbon or monofilament. Yes, the braid is a bit expensive, but it lasts up to 5 times longer than monofilament.

The braided line is a lot stronger than fluoro and mono. To catch trout, you can use a 10-pound braid instead of 4-pound mono.

There is another great advantage. Other fishing lines are not as sensitive as braided lines. With essentially no stretch, the braid makes your rod very sensitive. Braid also casts better. You will notice the difference when you cast and retrieve.

Things You Will Need

Let’s take a look at the list of tools you are going to need.

A rod for the reel
A spinning reel
A thick cloth
A long screwdriver
Sharp scissors
Electrical tape
Two chairs
A friend to help
A spool of line

The Instructions

Once you have everything ready, you can jump into action. Now we are going to provide step by step instructions for the procedure.

Step 1

First of all, you have to assemble the rod and line up the eyes. Now insert your spinning reel into the reel seat. To secure the spinning reel, make sure you tighten it properly.

When you crank the real, it should wind clockwise, in the right direction. The two spools must wind in the same direction.

To prevent line twists, spool the line onto the reel as evenly as possible, and make sure the line and the reel are winding in the same direction.

Step 2

Now you have to attach the line. Slowly remove your braided line from the spool. To avoid tangles and twists, remove only about 15 feet of line from your spool.

Thread the line through the eyes of the rod. Start at the top and finish at the reel. When you are tying the knot, make sure the bail arm is open.

It is important to keep the bail arm open because if it is not left open, you will have to re-tie the knot, which requires cutting the line.

Tie the braid to the spool. The knot should be tight so that it does not slip. If your reel spool is not yet ready for braid, you can wrap it with electrical tape. This is a good way to prevent the braid from slipping.

Step 3

Now you need the help of another person. Set up two chairs about 20 feet away from each other. Give the spool of line to your friend. In the middle of the spool, there is a hole. Put a screwdriver through the hole. The spool will now spin around the screwdriver.

Tell your friend to hold the screwdriver in one hand and the spool in another with a piece of cloth. This is to put some pressure on the spool so that the line is tight enough on the reel.

The cloth may get a bit hot. Pause for some time if necessary. Throughout the process, make sure the amount of pressure is pretty much the same. If you want to learn how to put braided line on a spinning reel, remember this part. If the pressure is not even, you may have to do everything from the beginning again.

Step 4

Now you will have to wind the fishing line on. It is going to be the most important part of the procedure. Tie the line neatly to the spool, putting some pressure. Try to prevent line bites or overwinds.

Pick up the rod and reel while sitting on a chair. Your friend should hold the screwdriver with the spool.

To make sure the reel is secured, tighten the drag. As you wind the line, lift the rod slightly and allow it to bend a little bit.

Wind the reel at a medium pace. Much of it should be neat and tight. If needed, ask your friend to tighten or loosen the spool. To press on the reel, you may have to stop periodically.

Step 5

Then you have to fill the reel. Keep winding according to the previous instructions until your reel is full. Make sure there is not too much line, because in such a case the line will tend to unspool randomly. Stop when a lip between the spool top and the fishing reel line is still visible.

Step 6

Press the line to see if it is hard. If the line is not hard, you can go back to step 4 and start again. However, winding the line back from the reel is going to be pretty time-consuming. Be careful if this is the first time you are learning how to put braided line on a spinning reel.

Follow the steps from the beginning so that you do not have to start over again and again. Once you have filled and checked it, attach your leader. For your leader, you can use fluorocarbon lines. To tie your line, you will have to use the FG knot. There are video tutorials that show the procedure of tying an FG knot.

You could also read about where to cast when surf fishing.