How to Respool Fishing Line on a Spinning Reel

Spinning reels are a popular choice for fishing because they’re easy to use, cast lightweight lures with ease, and hold plenty of line if you’re catching big fish. They’re also pretty easy to spool—especially if you know the tricks to help prevent tangles. Luckily, that’s what we’re here for! We’ll show you everything you need to know about spooling a spinning reel, plus how to choose the right type of line.

Spooling a Spinning Reel

Pass the line downward through the first guide on the rod and flip open the bail.
Use an arbor knot to secure the free end of the line to the reel, then close the bail.
Put the spool on the ground so it spins in the same direction the reel turns.
Pinch the line against the rod just under the guide to keep tension on the line.
Spin the reel slowly, checking for twists every so often.
Stop spooling when the line is about ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) from the reel’s rim.

Section 1 of 4:

Spooling Your Reel

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1
Flip open the bail on your spinning reel. The bail is a little wire handle that flips up and down to open and close the reel. Flip the bail up to open it before you start spooling. If you don’t do this, the line will tangle when you start reeling it on.^{[1]
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- If you notice any old fishing line on your spool, unspool it at this time.^{[2]
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  Research source} To do that, turn down the drag on the reel and pull off the line until you get to the end, then use clippers or scissors to snip the tied end of the line off the reel.
2
String your line downward through the first guide on the rod. The guides are the small circles along the length of the fishing rod. They’re there to help hold the line in place. Unwind a little of the fishing line from the spool and pass the tip downward through the guide at the bottom of the rod, closest to the reel.^{[3]
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- You can pass the line through all the guides if you want, but it’s usually a little easier to spool through just the first guide. Once you’re finished, you can pull the free end of the line up through the rest of the guides.
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3
Tie the line to the reel with an arbor knot, then close the bail. Use an arbor knot to secure the line to the spool. Wrap the line around the arbor and tie an overhead knot in the standing line. Tie a second overhead knot in the tag end, just about 1 in (2.5 cm) from the first overhead knot. Pull the standing line to slide the first knot down to the spool and slide the second knot down to the first.^{[4]
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- Cut any extra line with line cutters or scissors, but make sure that you leave at least ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 cm) of additional line from where you tied the knot. That will help prevent the knot from pulling loose.^{[5]
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- Some people like to place a small piece of electrical knot on top of the knotted end of line to help secure it in place. This is especially helpful if you’re using braided line, which tends to slip, but it’s not as important if you’re using monofilament or fluorocarbon.^{[6]
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- After you’ve tied on the line, flip the bail closed again.
4
Place the spool on the floor so it unspools counterclockwise. Lay the spool flat on the floor and unwind a little of it. Make sure it unspools in the same direction that your reel turns. If you’re not sure which way your reel winds, crank the handle a few times. If it spins counterclockwise, the spool should unwind counterclockwise as well. This will help prevent problems with the line becoming twisted.^{[7]
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- Most reels rotate counterclockwise, and most spools unwind counterclockwise when the label is facing up. That’s why you’ll sometimes hear that you should always place the label face-up when you’re spooling a reel.
- Some people like to drop the spool in a bucket of water when they’re putting line on a reel. That allows the spool to spin as you turn the handle, which may prevent twists in the line.
5
Pinch the line and slowly crank the reel. Use your non-reeling hand to pinch the line against the rod, just under the guide. Crank the reel slowly, about 15–20 times, letting the line slide through your pinched fingers.^{[8]
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- Professional fishing instructor Michael Reynolds says it’s important to “always apply tension to the spool of line” when you’re putting it on a reel.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Michael Reynolds
  Professional Fishing Instructor
  
  Expert Interview} This will help prevent slack on the spool, which could lead to tangling.^{[10]
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- After you’ve added some line to the spool, stop and inspect the line for twists. If the line is twisting, strip some of the line back off of your reel and reel it back on. You may need to flip the spool over to keep it from twisting again.
6
Continue to crank the reel to load the line. If the line is filling the spool without twisting, keep turning the handle slowly. Stop every 20-30 cranks to inspect your line for twists.^{[11]
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- If you find a line twist, remove a little line, realign the spool and you may need to start the process over again. If you have already flipped your spool after the first inspection, straighten out the twist and continue slowly.
7
Fill the spool until it is ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) away from the rim. Reynolds says, “Never fill to the very edge of the spool.” Leave between ¹⁄₈ in (0.32 cm) and ¹⁄₁₆ in (0.16 cm) of space between the line and the rim of the reel.^{[12]
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- If you overfill the reel, the line will fall off, making a big tangled mess.^{[13]
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- If you don’t put enough line on the reel, you won’t be able to cast the line as far as you would if the spool were full.
8
Use line cutters or scissors to cut the line off the spool. Leave a small amount of excess line hanging from the reel. You’ll feed this through the guide and attach it to your rig (like the weights, hook, and lure). This will keep the line from slipping back down through the guides.
- If you’d like, you can also place a small piece of tape over the free end of line on the spool to keep it from unraveling. You can also wrap a rubber band around the spool, or tie the end of the line around the tab if your spool came with one.

Section 2 of 4:

Should you soak the line before spooling your reel?

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Some anglers soak the line before spooling to remove memory. “Line memory” means that the fishing line tends to stay coiled in the same way it sat on the spool. This is especially common with monofilament and fluorocarbon lines. Braided line tends to have less memory. If you’re using one mono or fluoro line and you notice it’s coiling a lot, try dropping it in a bucket of warm water for about an hour to soften the line, which may help remove the memory—but if you’re not having any problems with the line twisting, it’s fine to skip it.^{[14]
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- Nylon monofilament line that sits on the spool for a long time, especially if it comes on smaller-diameter spools, typically has the most noticeable line memory. This type of line may especially benefit from soaking.

Section 3 of 4:

How often should you respool a fishing reel?

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Change your line when it gets frayed or starts to coil. There’s no set schedule for when to respool your reel—it depends on a lot of factors, like how often you fish and what type of line you use. In general, though, it’s best to change mono or fluoro lines about once every year or two if you fish very casually, and up to 4 times a year if you fish regularly. Braided line can last a little longer. But it’s probably time to change your line if it:^{[15]
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- Starts to fray
- Is brittle or stiff
- Snaps easily
- Loses its stretch
- Is discolored (easier to see if you use colored line)
- Starts to bunch or tangle easily

Section 4 of 4:

Choosing Your Line

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1
Use a monofilament line if you’ll be fishing with floating baits. Monofilament lines are single-strand lines that have quite a bit of stretch. The stretch adds to the flexibility of the line, helping the hook to stay secured in the fish’s mouth.^{[16]
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- Mono lines also do well if you’re using a jig or live-bait.^{[17]
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Pick fluorocarbon lines if you’ll be fishing in calm, shallow waters. These lines work very well because they are harder for fish to see underwater. Although they are similar to monofilament lines, they have less stretch and hold up better to abrasion. This line is also more reactive to light bites and bottom contact.
- Fluorocarbon lines are considered a type of monofilament line, so they are also great for fishing with jigs, live-bait, or in crystal clear waters.
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Choose braided lines if you’re bottom fishing. Braided lines are composed of several lengths of braided synthetic material to create one line, which makes it great for creating a larger casting distance. This line provides better breaking strength and won’t stretch.
- The line is visible and it floats well, so be selective when using it.
- Because it sinks slowly, it goes great when using top-water baits.^{[18]
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- If you’re using braided line, consider using a monofilament backing line to fill the first quarter of the reel. This is a more cost-effective way to fill your entire reel, whereas filling the whole thing with braided line would cost more.^{[19]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How do I tie an arbor knot?

Community Answer

Tie an overhand knot around the spool. Then, with the tag end of the knot, tie an overhand knot around the other end of the first knot.

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Question

Line is on the spinning reel already. Can’t figure out if bale should be open or closed?

614 Fishing

Community Answer

If the line is under the bail while it is closed, then it is correct. If it isn't under the bail while the bail is closed, then take the line out of the guides and put it back through the guides.

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Why is the retrieve line is piling up at the rear of the spool?

Community Answer

If the line is not distributed evenly across the spool, it can collect on one side. If the line is twisted, it can pile up on the rear of the spool. If the drag setting is too tight or if the line tension is too high, the same thing can happen.

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Things You'll Need

Spool of fishing line
Scissors or line cutters
Lure, swivel, clip or rubber band (to secure the end of the line)

Tips

If you can, obtain several spools for your reel and fill each with a different weight of line. This will allow you to switch to a lighter, thinner line when fishing clearer water and a heavier, thicker line when fishing in dingy water, weeds, or brush.

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