Spooling Braid

[Badbagger]

Picked up a couple of new Shimano reels and going to be spooling up some braided Spectra. I know it's got to be put on tight. Do yall have them spooled at a local shop and if so, where or do you spool them yourself and what method do you use to keep it tight ?

Thanks

[Rhettley]

It doesn't have to be THAT tight. I do all mine myself and have no problem.
The first thing is to put enough wraps of mono on the reel so it grips the spool. Braid will not grip most spools and will actually spin on the spool. Tie the braid to the mono using a uni to uni knot. I run the braid through the first guide and grip it with a washcloth or similar cloth to get a better grip on it. Braid will cut you in a hurry to if it wraps around a finger under tension. I use the cloth to grip it and just reel it on. Don't over fill the spool because you will get wind knots.

[Salty Gator]

Do yourself a favor and take them to Kevin's or s ga outdoors and have them spool them for you. It will make a huge difference. They will get it on tighter WITHOUT putting a twist on the line. Trust me you will have much less problems with the line twisting later. After noticing a big difference, i will never ever ever spool my own reels. Also don't fill them as full as you would w mono. When the spool is more full you will get more knots, not sure why, but I definitely notice more knots until I get a few yards pulled off. Good luck

[Chalk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwGSTZ-c4Rc&sns=em[/video]

Braid should be filled to capacity, wind knots come from reeling slack onto the spool when reeling in. Closing bail by hand is a must as well. You need to keep tension on the line when reeling. If you fish topwater as an example and drop the rod tip then reel, you are reeling slack aka wind knot. My two cents...since spooling like the video and being conscious to my reeling, no wind knots in a year or so.

[Salty Gator]

I agree about closing the bail by hand, but I can't be convinced that twisted braid doesn't contribute to knots. Since Kevin's has been spooling my reels, I haven't had any knots either. My shimano reels seem to have less problems w full capacity than my cabo's for some reason. It seems as though there are very different opinions here, maybe it works well both ways. Good luck

[dombern34]

i too take my reels to Kevin's to have them spooled by the machine. like Gator said, they just preform better.

[neckmoe]

i too take my reels to Kevin's to have them spooled by the machine. like Gator said, they just preform better.

Same here. They put on a base shot of mono followed up with braid of your choice. Cost about 20 bucks per reel. 300 yards of powerpro is about 30 bucks so I figure not a bad deal.

[Badbagger]

Thanks, my reels hold just shy of 600 yards of 65# braided so I'll follow suit. I've got line so I'll just need them spooled up.