Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I just ordered this thing from Amazon.  I wanted something that fit into a drill. I also have various jerry-rigged devices that I've thrown together for line removal and spool filling.

Quote from: wfjord on July 02, 2026, 12:32:02 AMI just ordered this thing from Amazon.  I wanted something that fit into a drill. I also have various jerry-rigged devices that I've thrown together for line removal and spool filling.

Pretty much what I'm using, with two much stronger springs from ACE hardware, in a bench vise for filling braid.

Interestingly, Daiwa and apparently Shimano have both published tables with recommended spooling tension, and even for 20000-class offshore spinners with PE8+ line they recommend somewhere in the vicinity of 2kg (4.5lb-ish) when spooling with braid and much less with mono or for smaller reels.

I know packing the braid on super tight has become the standard around here but I've always wondered what would happen if you busted off with 700m out and had to wind it back on with minimal tension - would you even get it back on the reel?

Quote from: boon on July 05, 2026, 10:24:28 PMInterestingly, Daiwa and apparently Shimano have both published tables with recommended spooling tension, and even for 20000-class offshore spinners with PE8+ line they recommend somewhere in the vicinity of 2kg (4.5lb-ish) when spooling with braid and much less with mono or for smaller reels.

I know packing the braid on super tight has become the standard around here but I've always wondered what would happen if you busted off with 700m out and had to wind it back on with minimal tension - would you even get it back on the reel?

My take- probably not an issue. 

The basic premise is that the greater the diameter in the line, the greater the accumulated volume of all the little gaps between the coils, so if the line is packed tightly (and with less crosswinding), you can fit more on the spool because the accumated gap volume is smaller. This true to some extent with nylon monofilament, but that is because mono is hard and round, so it tends to have a fairly decent amount of gap volume. Decrease the diameter by stretching the line, and you should be able to fit more line  on the reel, even if you subtract the effect of stretching.

On the other hand, PE braid is not hard and not round, so it will lay flat and also fill in the gaps in the underlying layer. Not very much gap volume. Plus PE braid has very little stretch, so you are not going to affect the area at a given cross section of line once it is under a minimal amount of tension.  As long as you apply a bit of tension, you should be OK  winding in alllll if the 700 yards.  Or at least that is my guess.

But at least theoretically, more tension is not necessarily better. Due to creep and axial load fracture, the greater the tension you store spooled PE braid at, the faster it weakens.  That is probably why factory bulk spools are not packed very tightly.  But I have not seen any good data on where the right tradeoff is between avoiding line digging in at higher drag settings and decreasing the useful life of the braid.  In the absence of good data, I just go with the manufacturers' recommendations.  OTOH, some of the guys here that fill reels for big tuna use crazy-high tension, and they are not complaining that their braid has gone bad.

-J

I learned to spool a conventional reel from my grandpa. He used braided Dacron line as did I (this was before modern braid became popular). He spooled is reels by hand with a soft leather glove. He would take the spool and mount it on a rod in a vice, tie the line to the spool, wrap the line over the top of his thumb then under his forefinger and over his social finger and make a fist...then he would wind away. He told me that the line needed to feel like a brick (hard...no give) when I put thumb pressure on the spooled line. Then I take the freshly spooled reel and start casting first short then longer casts until I reach my casting distance and when that was done I was ready to fish.  I still use that technique to this day and it works for me................but, those line spooling gadgets especially with the adjustable drags are really the modern way to go.

I pretty much agree with Jurelometer on this: "It's probably not an issue.

I used braided Dacron for 42 years on my conventional reels and some baitcasting reels before modern braid (spectra and dyneema) went on the market, and I still use Dacron as backing on all my fly reels.  I don't spool it on particularly tight or loosely -- just what feels right and I've never had any sort of issues with it digging in or bulking up. I still use it on some conventionals.
I now use spectra (PP) to load the spools of some of my smaller conventionals, such as my 150 Surfmaster and mag 10s. I no longer live in close proximity to saltwater so my larger reels (i.e., 113H, etc.) are stored away in their boxes and still loaded with Dacron.

The reel repair guy at a local shop told me to always soak a spool of spectra (PP) in water before loading it onto a reel as "it will seat the line better."  I did so a few times as he suggested, but I haven't really noticed any big difference in it on the reel, whether it's loaded on wet or dry. I've never pre-soaked braided Dacron in water before spooling it on.

Conventional/baitcaster; A poor ol' Long Beach 68, mounted on cheap Shakes. Big water rod. The rig, when used in the house, is wedged into a cushioned table vice in the middle and braced at the bottom against a table leg. For heavier stuff I pound a surf-fishing sand spike into the lawn outside to hold the rig. Hand cranking, good exercise. Thank God for carbon-fiber washers. As the line comes off the 68, I take breaks to rest my arm and loosen the 68's drag setting.
So the line is first pinched with rubber and cloth coming off the doner(plastic) spool to go on the 68, an extra step, this cleans off some of the dust and winds it on at about 2 lbs. Next, onto the user reel, 'bout 5-8 lbs. drag.

Spinners; I just mount the doner(store) spool in the vice on a metal rod make sure the line comes off the doner spool same direction it goes on the reel(mounted on a rod) while they face each other, pinching the line about 0.5 lbs.for mono, 3-5 lbs. for braid.

Quote from: wfjord on July 06, 2026, 08:36:55 PMThe reel repair guy at a local shop told me to always soak a spool of spectra (PP) in water before loading it onto a reel as "it will seat the line better."  I did so a few times as he suggested, but I haven't really noticed any big difference in it on the reel, whether it's loaded on wet or dry. I've never pre-soaked braided Dacron in water before spooling it on.

I don't see how getting it wet does anything. Unless there is some salt on the line or spool, or if the water is highly chlorinated.  In that case, it will increase the risk o spool corrosion.

Unlike nylon, UHMWPE does not absorb water much, if it all.  Any water from "soaking" the line is just loose loose water trapped between the fibers. And since the fibers are already very slick, the addition of water having some sort of useful lubrication effect seems unlikely as well.

-J

I tried it but couldn't see or imagine any benefit to be gained, so it was relegated to history.