Spooling Up Fishing Line

DIY Fishing Line Spooling

Fishing Line | By Don Manning

There are dozens of companies that make fishing line today. Some of the line is good and some of the line is not worth spending your hard earned money on. Experience has proven that staying with the two companies that have been making fishing line since the 1950’s, Berkley and Stren, are a good bet. These two companies have very good line and both make many types of line in monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid.

Berkley makes 14 different kinds of monofilament line for all situations. They also have nine different kinds of fluorocarbon line and nine different kinds of braid. Stren makes six different monofilament line, two different fluorocarbon lines and they just came out with a braid line.

A Bunch of Fishing Line

All of these lines have their uses. Monofilament line is used when you need a little stretch, such as fishing shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits. This line is also very tough and abrasive-resistant, has superior knot strength and has very low memory. Fluorocarbon line is practically invisible under water, has great knot strength and is much more sensitive than mono. It is much denser than regular mono and will allow you to get your crankbaits 1-3 feet deeper. When fishing deep diving crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs and drop shot rigs, fluorocarbon is the choice line. It is also great when fishing clear water and around heavy cover. The only disadvantage is that it is not as abrasive-resistant as mono.  Braid or supper line is the strongest of the bunch. This line is usually used to fish top water lures, frogs, buzz baits and jigs. These super lines have zero stretch, no memory and excellent knot strength. The only disadvantage to braid is it is highly visible. In most cases you can add a fluorocarbon leader.

When it comes time to put new line on your reels, here’s a great tip. Try spooling up with one of the new tuff lines (Braid) and you can avoid changing your line every year. These new braid supper lines will last season after season. All you need to do is replace the mono or fluorocarbon leader when it gets worn.

Spooling Fishing Line

Tie on a leader two to three foot in length. You can adjust this leader length to your preference. Use a length of leader that allows you to cast without having to pass the knot through the guides. Typically two knots can be used to join the mono or fluorocarbon to the braid. These include either the uni knot or the overhand knot. Preference is the overhand knot. It is effective and strong for even the largest fish. Try this and replacing your line every year is a thing of the past. You will even have far less line tangles, and in most cases line twist and tangles are a thing of the past.

There is a line for every situation, and with these two companies you can’t go wrong when choosing the line to fill your reels. Pick the line that matches your fishing situation, and you will be sure that the fish of a lifetime will land up in the boat.