spooling my penn fathom 40

[steelfish]

hey guys... need help here... I think I did right but I still need your input

I recently spooled my fathom 40 reel with JB solid braid 80#

I used some 60# mono as backing really tight, I put 2 complete layers of mono really tight around the spool thinking it will help the fill the reel with 300yd of braid, but at the end 1/4" of the spool is empty, I again made al albraid special knot and filled with 60# mono but it took like 30-40yds of mono.

some could say its ok, but I like to fish with short mono leader 4-6ft

I see two options:
1. take all the line off the reel and put the mono that was on top as backing + 5 more yards, this way I know now it will add enough line as backing to help the the rest 300yds of braid to fill the spool completely.
2. cut almost all the current long mono leader and leave just 6yds, that will leave me with just 300yds of braid, this sounds like a good plan but I just can stand the 1/4" gap of of "emptyness" of the spool.
3. since I have a second spool of new 80# braid I can take out all the braid, and attach +- 80/100 yds of braid to the mono backing and then with uni to uni attach the rest of the 300yds of braid.


what would you do?

if recommended I have 80# dacron that I can use as backing necessary.

[conchydong]

I would do number 3 if it were my reel, especially if you use it offshore. I like to get close to 400 yds. of line capacity as you never know when you will hook a freight train.

[SoCalAngler]

How abut another option, say number 4. Remove the mono topper you have now and attach more spectra. Use a spectra to spectra knotless connection to give you 100% of the spectra's breaking strength and splice in the the amount on top of the spectra you have on the reel now to fill it up to where you want it. Then you just add the length of topshot you want.

[MarkT]

I'd go with #3 as well.

[SoCalAngler]

Hmm,

Mark you would go with removing the braid and attaching more on the bottom using a uni to uni? Interesting

I would think it would be easier just to add more spectra on top using a knotless connection. Splice in some more 80 lb on top of the 80 lb already on the reel and you have no knots, you don't need to remove the 300 yards already on the reel and you have 100% of the spectra's breaking strength.

But that's just me....lol

[MarkT]

That's assuming he has some hollow to splice it with and can open it up and get the solid in.  A couple overhand knots to secure it? Serve it? Sato crimp it? Tac Glue it?  For a connection that'll probably never see the light of day a uni-uni is probably all you'd need.  Hell, I'd be fine with the 1/4" at the top so that I don't have to be all that careful with keeping the line level.  BTW, my HX Raptor has 500 yds of 80# with a uni-uni connection 300 yds down.  I've never seen it since I tied it.  I use a short leader of 50-60# on top and have 1/4" of space if I wanted a topshot rather than a leader.

[SoCalAngler]

Thanks for your input Mark and I see your logic but if the spectra he has is hollow on the reel and if the has hollow to splice in then to me a knotless connection makes good sense. I say this because if there is a failure in the conections attaching the two spectra lines for me I'd like to have it as close to the fish as possible and not down as close to the spool where more drag pressure is because of the lines diameter on the spool being smaller.

The best solution in my mind would be to remove all the spectra and add a spool of 500 yards onto the reel or as close to it as he wants. I did not see that the other spool of spectra he has was solid spectra and I made a assumption is was not, kind of like you made the assumption it was.

Opening hollow spectra is not that hard but inserting the spectra to make a knotless conection may need a latch needle but it is not a must have. JB 80 hollow is a 16 strand carrier if I remember correctly, or at least the 80 I bought many years ago was. Jerry Brown's 80 lb was smooth for inserting needles, wire or mono/fluoro but was a little harder to open in the first place.

For me a hollow to hollow connections makes good sense, then again if both spectra lines are indeed hollow. If the other spool of spectra he has is solid I'd still go with removing all of the spectra and adding strait hollow all the way through or.

I'd use the 300 yards I took off the reel and put it onto another reel or I'd splice in a smaller spool of 80 JB hollow. Jerry does sell smaller spools like 100, 150 and 300 yards of his hollow spectra.

[MarkT]

His post said he has 80# solid JB. Hollow would be a different discussion. As you suggested, best bet would be to start over so there's no connection. But he already has the additional spectra so there you go.

[SoCalAngler]

Wow thanks for pointing that out I totally missed it.

Solid to solid I guess at the bottom is ok but for me I'd add a section of hollow on top. You can add hollow on top of the solid and still have a knotless connection. This would allow you to either tie on your topshots or if you wanted go a bit more stealthy.

Again thanks Mark I missed the soild on the reel stuff.

[fIsHsTiiCkS]

Solid to solid braid is best option and I would put the 100yd in the back. Use a quadruple surgeon knot, Super easy and prove very strong for braid to braid connections.

[CapeFish]

I fill all my reels back to front, it is a bit of a schlep but once you have done it refilling is a breeze. They all get 200m of mono topshot and however many meters of 40-50lb braid backing to ensure they are filled to the brim. So with the empty reel, I use a line meter to put 200m nylon on, then join to braid and fill it to the brim. Then using an empty line spool, strip the line off with a drill, then, using another empty spool, strip it from that spool as well, then simply wind on again and the braid is at bottom with guaranteed 200m nylon on top every time. For a Torium 30 it is usually around 200m 0.55mm nylon and 500-600m of braid. It allows space for a thick 1mm leader of around 9m. This way, when the mono is toast, I simply strip it off, rejoin the new mono with a catspaw (stitch loop in the braid) and fill the reel, Now I get 3x fills out of a 600m spool of line and my reels are always full to the brim. I don't bother with nylon backing, I have never had the braid slip.

[alantani]

double layer of flex wrap, spectra straight to the top, short topshot of mono or fluoro. 

[Keta]

double layer of flex wrap, spectra straight to the top, short topshot of mono or fluoro. 

X2.  If you don't want to fill the reel with Spectra put Dacron on the spool then the Spectra.

[Bryan Young]

if you don't want to unspool the 60#, I would do a step fill.  I would splice the 80# spectra on top of the 60# spectra and fill to the top.  You would get about 175 more yardage.  Additionally, when the fish is close to the boat, you will have stronger line to pull the beast in at slightly higher drag setting...this can be effective when the fish is tired and you just want to crank that baby in.

Then add your 6' top shot.

[MarkT]

Like Alan and Lee, I always wrap some flexwrap on the spool then tie on the spectra.  No mono backing.  Never had any slippage with this method and you eliminate an extra knot and get a few more yards of spectra.