Pathetic question...

[manders]

Hi everybody. I've got a pretty lame question about line. I'm about as green as it gets when it comes to fishing so if possible...bear with me.

How do I load line on a spinning rod? I'm completely lost here. I've read up on it and the guy at the sporting goods store showed me. I even did it once with his help. However, the line needs replacing and I'm not quite sure how to do it now.

My problem is that the lingo is always explained as just lingo. Open bail this, open bail that. I don't know anything about the equipment as I just recently started fishing. I enjoy the art of it all but I can't seem to get the tiniest things. I've gone as far as leading the mono up to the reel but I can't seem to figure out where to go from there. So if you're not already laughing on the floor, lend a poor guy some knowledge and help me figure this out, eh?

[crazy]
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[cat_man]

Disconnect the two rod sections. Only use the bottom half.

String the line down through the one guide that is on the bottom half of the rod.

Click the wire (that is the bail) over so that it is not in the way. You can tell it is in the right position by cranking the reel a few times. It should snap back into place. Once it snaps back into place, the bail is "closed". To open the bail ("wire thingy"), click it back over to the side.

Leaving the bail "open", pull the line down and tie it to the spool.

Crank the handle a few times so the bails snaps shut.

Hold the line tight (firm but not extremely tight) with one hand, and turn the handle with the other, reeling up line from the spool of new line, until your reel is full of line to about 1/4 inch from the outer rim of the spool. Don't overfill it or you will have major problems with "backlash" which means the line peels off the spool when you cast and makes a huge tangle.

Make sure that the line isn't twisting when it is being put on the reel. If it is, turn the spool of new line over to the other side and keep reeling. The spool can just lay on its side on the floor while you spool up your pole.

Hope that makes sense.
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey manders,[/size][/black]

[black][size 3]Don't worry, noone is laughing at you - we are laughing with you. Spooling a reel is often a frustrating experience - even when a person knows fishing. In fact, it is such a common thing to happen, there are many manufactured devices to help people to overcome this - and even with these contraptions, a person can still get line twist.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Cat man gave you the basics of the actual mechanics of spooling your reel and it is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]To paraphrase(so you can have another view of the same thing) what cat man wrote, here's a description from another angle.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Sit down in a chair - like a kitchen chair.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Lay your spool of new line on the floor in front of you with the label facing upwards. Unwind 6-8 feet of line from this spool and put the end of that line between your knees and hold it there for a few minutes while you do the following. [/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]While sitting down in the chair, hold your rod in your hand as if you were fishing and crank the reel handle a couple of turns. Notice the wire thing that rotates around when you turn the handle - that thing is the bail.[/size][/black] [black][size 3]The thing it revolves around is the "spool on the reel"[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Carefully take hold of the bail and lift it up and over the "spool on the reel" and click it into place so that it is at a 90 degree angle from where it was.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Now look at your fishing pole. Those round things that are on the pole that hold the line are called eyes or line guides. You will be using the one that is closest to the reel(probably only about 2 feet from your reel).[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]OK Take that line that you are holding between your knees and thread it through that line guide that is right above the reel and bring it down to the "spool on the reel" and attach it to the "spool on the reel" with [/size][/black][url "http://www.animatedknots.com/arbor/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com"][black][size 3]this knot(click here)[/size][/black][/url][black][size 3] .[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]When you've cinched down the arbor knot, click the bail of the reel back down to it's original position - (as cat man pointed out, you can do that by just cranking the handle of the reel a couple of turns) .[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Now hold the line between your fingers(not too tightly but taut enough to keep tension on it as you turn the handle of the reel.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Next, turn the handle untill you have filled the "spool on the reel" with enough line that the line is about 1/4 to 1/8 inch from the edged of the lip of the spool. [/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]If you look at your reel(if it is new enough), you will see the line capacity written on the side of the "spool on the reel" and you can compare that with the amount of the new line you bought. You can probably guesstimate the quantity of line you have just spooled on the reel. For example: If your reel can hold 150 yards of 8 lb. line and you bought a 300 yard spool of 8 lb. line, then your new spool on the floor should be about half emptied when the "spool on the reel" is full.[/size][/black]
[black][size 3][/size][/black]
[black][size 3]Lastly, when you have gotten enough line on your reel, cut the line and tie it to a rubber band. then wrap the rubber band around your reel to keep the line from unraveling.[/size][/black] [black][size 3]If you have lefftover line on the new spool you bought, use a rubber band on it ttoo.

Or, ... to really simplify the whole process, Just go to your local tackle shop/sporting goods store and pay them a couple of bucks to do it for you.

[/size][/black][black][size 3][/size][/black]
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[fish_a_holic]

great answer (2nd is best)...one little tip neither one mentioned - when you start spooling the line onto your reel, crank the handle around 5 or 6 times while keeping firm pressure on the line, then release the line - if the line coils off your real, stop and turn the spool of line that's laying on the floor over before you continue to spool line onto the reel; if when you stop spooling the line the line doesn't coil off the reel, then just continue spooling line onto the reel until you're approximately 1/8" from the outside edge of the spool. Overfilling a reel isn't good.

This little tip will eliminate problems 90% of the time.
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