Swapping Line

[Robert Riley]

Hey guys, 

i have two reels, both of which have braid backing and fluorocarbon line. I would like to essentially swap the reels and line. One is much lighter test (the reel is more palm-able). 

Any tips on how to do this? 

 

I was thinking of wrapping a drill bit with tape until an empty line spool fits, and then just using that, with super light drag (or perhaps just manual thumb drag). 

[iabass8]

Tie them to a tree and walk the line out.

Spool onto another reel.

[gramps50]

Could put a toliet paper tube on a drill and use it to unspool the reels. Then just spool it back to the reel you want.

[Fisher-O-men]

Instead fo a drill bit, I chuck up a pencil and shim the spool with toothpics.

[WIGuide]

Easiest would probably be to tie it to something and just walk it off. Less chances of something going wrong too. 

[Mike L]

Tie them to a tree and walk the line out.

Spool onto another reel.

I've done this also, works the best.

Mike

[Catch and Grease]

I just take the line off of the reel and put it on a empty spool with my hands...

[Fishes in trees]

I've tried all these methods.  They all work.  Spool connected to a drill works fastest.  The trick is to have the right spare used line  spool, a wide deep one works best.  Connect it to the drill securely.  I got a 1/4 " diameter, 12" long drill bit extender.  Find a way to secure the spare spool onto the shaft.  Duct tape works.  I found that some metal rings with a set screw works better - a little slip starting up is ok and doesn't hurt anything.

 

Once you starts the line transfer from the reel to the spare spool, don't stop.  Backlashes and issues are most likely to happen when you try to stop in the middle of the transfer.  Lock the reel down to something solid.  I use the reel seat on my Berkley spooling station.  Hose clamps, a small piece of 2 x 4 clamped into my shop vise work also.

 

Transferring from the spare spool to the different reel, I use my Berkley line spooling station.

[BobP]

I use empty line spools and a cordless drill.  The tricky part is attaching the spool to the drill.  I found a cone shaped rasp bit for my drill - an empty spool friction fits on it perfectly.  If you have a couple of extra spools laying around, you can also take braid off a spool and then reverse it, doubling the life of the braid.

[Robert Riley]

I used an empty spool and a drill, worked pretty d**n well.

[Jrob78]

I use an empty reel to transfer line from reel to reel.  This way, you can take up the mainline and the backer and then respool it and have it be in the right order.  Although, I guess you would need 2 spare reels to trade line from one reel to the other.

[SirSnookalot]

If I'm keeping my braid for backing I'm not going to switch lines, I'm going to put new mono or copoly and discard the old.  I wouldn't use f/c, if I felt the need for it I'd be using a f/c leader not 70 or 80 yds. of mainline.

[FrankW]

Take an empty spool and put a hex head bolt thru the hole in the center of the spool. Then screw a nut onto the bolt up to the spool and tighten. It helps to use a flat washer on both sides of the spool. Chuck the bolt into your drill and you are good to go. I have some spools with a 3/8" hole and they work the best. If you have a big hole in the spool you need to cut a sleeve and put it over the bolt. Cut the sleeve just right and the washers will hold it in place.

Frank