Spooling a spinner with braid

[RowdyW]

OK, here's my questions. Which is a better way to spool braid on a spinning reel? Should you have it machine wound evenly & closely spaced or wind it on the reel in it's normal zig zag pattern? Will winding it closely spaced in a machine get more line on the spool then the zig zag pattern? If it does then will having 1/2 of the line out on a fish then overfill the spool after all the line is wound in? I know it should be wound with 8-10# of drag on a machine installation but how about crosswinding on the reel, is it really neccessary? I know about conventional reels but I'm a little in the dark with spinning reels with braid.     Rudy

[handi2]

Rudy I spool the braid using the spinning reel. I do this because when your fishing the reel will put the line on like it wants to. Much like you are describing.

I do use a spool holder but the tension is much less than a conventional reel.

[Tiddlerbasher]

On spinners I use the reel to lay the line. This will put twist in the line. BUT when you cast you will undo the twist. If you spool the line directly on to the spool, using a machine, it will go on without twist. But it will introduce twist when you cast. For drag I use 10lb - just like conventionals - that assumes the reel is man enough for 10lb of drag. If it isn't I would probably be using use light gauge mono/fluoro.

[mo65]

I spool it on using the reel also. I always put a few pounds of tension on it. Loosely wound braid on a spinner will dig in just as bad as a conventional sometimes.

[Gfish]

Waaasss up Rudy!
Iszis your first endeavor into the realm of finesse fishing with spinning gear? If it is, won't be long and you'll be fly fishin, if you've not already tried it...
Agree with TB, line twist/untwist is the most important aspect of a spoolin line on a coffee grinder. Also, when wetten a line, a good functioning swivel will reduce excess or wrong-way twist.

[FatTuna]

In the past I've paid people to do it with a machine but I now realize there is no point. Just because you pay someone to do it doesn't mean they will do it right.

The machine in theory can lay braid evenly; however, after a fish makes a run, the reel is going to lay it the way it was designed to..... So it's only going to stay nice on the spool like that if you don't catch anything......

A lot of the modern spinning reels are designed with a really slow oscillation that lay braid beautifully.

I don't think you are going to get much more line on when using the machine. If you want more line, it's best to go with a more premium line that is thinner in diameter.

Don't worry about the line twist. Typically it's just the working end of the line that gets bad. You can just trim a little out or use your fingers to untwist it.

This is how I spool a spinning reel:

First, run the line through the guides and onto the spool with the bail open. If it has a braid ready spool, just tie it on directly. If the spool is smooth, put a little mono backing on. Anything over 20lb-25lb test is going to have too much memory. Personally, I spool all my reels using a kite rod. That way I can do it indoors.

Either put the braid in a line tensioner or just lay the spool on the floor. If laying it on the floor, pinch the line with your fingers right above the bail to give it some tension. It doesn't need to be super too tight yet because you are going to fix that later. Crank it on. Fill it just a little more than you would if cranking it on with a tensioner. Now you need to find a place with a lot of open space. For example, an empty beach. Tie one end of the line to a tree or a post. Walk off the entire spool of line. Crank the drag down and walk back slowing with a nice bend in the rod. As if you were fighting a fish. I like to use a real rod for this part.

That will give you a fully packed spool. It's good to redo/tighten the line every once in a while to make sure it doesn't get loose. Especially if you have a long run that results in a break off.

[Reel 224]

Just like some guys said, Spooling the line on with the reel and about 8#-10# tension is what I have always don. I have had good success with that.

Joe   

[RowdyW]

Waaasss up Rudy!
Iszis your first endeavor into the realm of finesse fishing with spinning gear? If it is, won't be long and you'll be fly fishin, if you've not already tried it.

Gfish, I'm not spooling up for small stuff. I'm spooling 80# braid for big stuff from the beach. No finesse fishing for me, just going to throw a half-pound of bait. I've done a lot of fishing with smaller spinning reels. Now it's time for my Spinfisher V 10500.

[Gfish]

Sharks?

[RowdyW]

I believe cranking a spinner with 8-10# of drag to spool it is awfully rough on a spinner especially the higher ratio reels. Spinners are designed for pump & wind not to be used as a winch like a stronger conventional. That is why I was inquiring if it should initially be spooled on a machine. The concenses seems to be to wind it on the reel with a reasonable amount of tension. If it starts to get a little loose it can always be removed & respooled. Or so that's my way of thinking with the info so far.

[RowdyW]

Sharks?

And Tarpon.

[FatTuna]

I believe cranking a spinner with 8-10# of drag to spool it is awfully rough on a spinner especially the higher ratio reels. Spinners are designed for pump & wind not to be used as a winch like a stronger conventional. That is why I was inquiring if it should initially be spooled on a machine. The concenses seems to be to wind it on the reel with a reasonable amount of tension. If it starts to get a little loose it can always be removed & respooled. Or so that's my way of thinking with the info so far.

It should be fine. Especially on a bigger reel. Make sure she is greased up. I wouldn't put a ton of tension on a small, freshwater spinner but that 10500 will be fine.

It will get expensive if you're always dependent on someone else spooling it for you.

If the reel is flexing a lot when you are cranking, that's a key indicator that it's not a quality reel. A nice spinning reel will feel rigid under tension.

[day0ne]

I know Basil at BHP just uses the spool and an attachment on the line winder to spool spinners. I've sent him the spools before and he gets a lot of line om them.

[Tiddlerbasher]

Yeh! Lots of line maybe. But the twist thing don't float my boat. Wind it on with the reel If you need more line get a bigger reel

[RowdyW]

I think I've got the biggest. It's the biggest Penn.   80#=580yds