TOP LOADING

Don’t rely on trial and error when filling a boat reel with braid to the correct capacity and tension

The way to fill a boat reel with braid.

FIGHTING A big fish on a correctly loaded fishing reel is an absolute pleasure because the reel’s clutch will be working at optimum efficiency and you’ll benefit from having the maximum retrieve, which is always a bonus, especially if fishing in very deep water.

Conversely, an underfilled reel will be nowhere near as efficient. The laws of leverage dictate more pressure will be required to make the clutch function smoothly at any preset point.

If the line has not been wound on under the correct tension, especially when using braid, as soon as you hook a big fish the line will immediately start to cut deeply into the spool. This will result in a jam, followed by the loss of the fish, and you damage many yards of expensive line. You’ll be left with a horrible knotted mess that is almost impossible to untangle.

PRESSURE CONTROL

When filling the spool to maximum capacity, the majority of anglers rely on trial and error, which is not ideal. Getting new line spooled tightly is another issue. One solution is to get someone to control the pressure of the line as it runs off its spool, which is held spinning on a pencil or similar implement.

Another is to load it as tightly as you can, then when you go fishing let the entire length of new line run out behind a boat as it steams in a straight line, and reel it all back on, tightly. That will mean your line is compacted and your reel will be filled to even less capacity, and the clutch even less efficient.

If you decide to run the line astern of a steaming boat, it is vital that you make the skipper aware of your intentions. The last thing you want is to have 300 yards of line streaming out in the boat’s wake just as the skipper alters course around a navigation buoy and accelerates. Make sure there is nothing tied on the end of the line. Even a small swivel can add significant load on the reel, rod, and angler when retrieving upwards of 300 yards of line from a steaming boat. It also increases the chances of the line twist.

With the complete spool of braid wound on the reel, attach the backing, in this case the leftovers of a spool of 30lb monofilament. Always use a good knot to make this connection. It is unlikely that you’ll get to see it run out through the rod rings following a fish taking line. If it does, I assure you it is comforting to know that the knot used is a good one.

Never overfill a spool with new line. There’s one situation where it is acceptable to load perhaps an extra 20-30 yards of line, and that’s when the complete length is spooled at the correct tension and the now compressed volume will reduce the overfilled portion to the correct level. With the backing wound on, I now had the exact amount of line on the correct reel, but it was back to front.

That means the next step of this process is to reel all your new line and backing off the first reel on to another multiplier with a slightly larger line capacity.

It is easiest if you have the assistance of someone else to hold the reel being unwound, but if not, it should be easy enough to hold it using your feet. This might seem a longwinded method, but it’s worth it.