Reel Repair by Alan Tani

On my larger spinning reels that I use to catch Ulua (Giant Trevally) I just make my standard arbor knot with the braid and leave the tag end lying horizontally on the arbor then spool the line on tightly using whatever method works for you. I usually fish 25-30 lbs of drag and never had line slip.  Prior to spooling up I spray Corrosion X or Superzilla on the spool to prevent corrosion.  Unfortunately, this hasn't prevented corrosion.  I tried carnuba too.

Quote from: Lunker Larry on March 15, 2026, 06:41:10 PMI just put a strip of electrical tape on the spool. Tie my line leaving a 3/4 inch tag or so and put a piece of tape on it. Doesn't take up any room and hans't failed me yet

Electrical tape, or any kind of solid tape, can trap water underneath without access to air. This creates an oxygen deprived environment that prevents a fresh layer of aluminum oxide from forming, which leads to faster ongoing corrosion under the tape. This is not nearly as big an issue for freshwater fishing as it is for saltwater.


-J

X2

Quote from: jurelometer on March 15, 2026, 08:06:58 PM

Quote from: Lunker Larry on March 15, 2026, 06:41:10 PMI just put a strip of electrical tape on the spool. Tie my line leaving a 3/4 inch tag or so and put a piece of tape on it. Doesn't take up any room and hans't failed me yet

Electrical tape, or any kind of solid tape, can trap water underneath without access to air. This creates an oxygen deprived environment that prevents a fresh layer of aluminum oxide from forming, which leads to faster ongoing corrosion under the tape. This is not nearly as big an issue for freshwater fishing as it is for saltwater.


-J

I would think it would be difficult for water to get under a tightly wrapped piece of tape but I'm a freshwater guy so we get away with a lot more than you salties. Corrosion is a rare issue.

Quote from: cbar45 on March 09, 2026, 05:40:34 AMUnless you need the capacity a full spool of braid offers—-I'd tie directly to the spool using 50-100 yds of suitably sized mono backing, then top with 150-200 yds of braid.

Yeah, this. 

I'll never understand how someone will spend thousands on reels and then say a full spool of braid is too expensive. Maybe on a big conventional.

We all fish our own way. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

Not much else to say about arbor knots than what has already been said.

Cost effectiveness i.e., needing only to change the top portion of braid if you've ever had to cut your line back due to abrasion from a long fight, or just from shore fishing over rough ground.