The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 15, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 May 1990 — Page 94

SUMMER — Wednesday, May 23,1990

Fill it up; tips for proper reel loading

By MARK THOMAS Have you ever had twisted line on your reel? Most of us have and the reason is, more often than not, the reel was filled incorrectly. Improper loading of your reel can cause line twist which will reduce casting accuracy and distance. Worse yet,, it can cause you to lose a fish. No brand of line twists on its own. It must have a mechanical action applied to it such as a bail or pickup pin rotating. The fishing experts at Du Pont, maker of “Stren” and “Prime Plus” fishing lines recommend following a few simple steps so you will not have trouble with line twist. First, you must know what type of reel you are using because that determines how you should load your reel. If you’re filling a

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baitcasting reel, insert a pencil or dowel into the supply spool to allow the fishing line to feed smoothly off the spool. Have someone hold each end of the pencil while you turn the reel handle. Keep proper tension on the line by having the person holding the pencil exert a slight inward pressure on the supply spool. Most people have problems filling spinning and spincasting reels. By following a few simple steps, these reels are not any more difficult to fill than revolving spool models. The most important thing to remember about loading spinning and spincasting reels is to allow for the rotation of the bail or pickup pin which will cause line twist. To load a spinning reel, have someone hold the supply spool or place it on the floor or ground so when the line is pulled it spirals

or “balloons” off the end of the spool. Thread the line through the rod guides and tie the line to the reel with the bail in the ,open position. Never load a spinning reel off the rod. Hold the rod tip four or five feet from the supply spool and crank the handle fifteen to twenty times. Now it is time to check for twist. Drop the rod tip to about a foot from the supply spool. If the slack line twists, turn the supply spool completely over. This will eliminate most of the twist as the rest of the line is wound on the reel. It is important to keep a light tension on the line when filling any reel. This will allow the line to go on smoothly with less twist. Spincasting reels are almost identical to spinning reels. Follow the same steps. The reel cover must be partially removed so that

you can see the pick-up pin and you'll also know when the reel is full. As a rule of thumb, reels should be filled to approximately % inch of full capacity. Reel manufacturers say this is the optimum amount of line for the best casting distance and drag performance. Maybe the best way to fill a reel is to take it to your local tackle dealer who will fill the reel on a linewinding machine. However, it pays to learn to load reels yourself because most line problems occur at lakeside, miles from the nearest winder.

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