Reel Line Capacity Question

[Big_Easy_Bassin]

First off... I apologize in advance if this has been addressed, but I’ve spent the past hour searching and have yet to figure it out lol. 

 

Anyhow... I’m getting rid of some older reels, but after buying a new reel the other day, I’m realizing how much I wasn’t taking line capacity into mind. Is there a chart or diagram somewhere that can give me a “guesstimate” when it comes to the suggested capacity vs a slightly larger line? I know they go off mono which is larger than braid and most flouro, but is my 12/120:14/110 ratio correct? Hoping someone can either give me some insight and help me out.... or just give me a simple answer or solution and make me feel like a dummy

[ike8120]

I was given this link awhile ago. Don't know if it will be of help  https://www.pattayafishing.net/fishing-reel-line-capacity-estimator/

[Big_Easy_Bassin]

36 minutes ago, ike8120 said:

I was given this link awhile ago. Don't know if it will be of help  https://www.pattayafishing.net/fishing-reel-line-capacity-estimator/

Thanks. That was super helpful. I actually think I got to that website during my extensive google search, but I must’ve skimmed it and not realized it was what I needed lol. Granted... that chart/site goes off of Berkley Big Game and I usually am throwing either flouro or braid, but this gives me a much better idea of how much a few lure changes can put you low on line really quick. 

[Deleted account]

3 hours ago, Big_Easy_Bassin said:

 but this gives me a much better idea of how much a few lure changes can put you low on line really quick. 

Tie a uni, only an inch or two of tag each time. But even if you are loosing a bit more with another knot, it would take a lot of retying to make a difference, unless you are frogging with a 100 sized reel, blue 50 lb braid (that comes off on your hands), and a little piece of black tape on the arbor knot. WHO DOES THAT?! 

[Scott F]

I’ve been fishing for over 50 years and have NEVER paid any attention to line capacities on any reel, spinning or casting I’ve ever owned. They all hold more line than I need, so exactly how much they hold, to me, doesn’t matter.

[OnthePotomac]

Kinda hard to discuss line capacity without knowing what reel you have.  They are all different.

[MN Fisher]

I'm with @Scott F - reel capacity is way more than I'll use in a season (or 2 or 3 for braid) even with multiple lure changes and retying, so I don't worry it.

[Shimano_1]

I'

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

I’ve been fishing for over 50 years and have NEVER paid any attention to line capacities on any reel, spinning or casting I’ve ever owned. They all hold more line than I need, so exactly how much they hold, to me, doesn’t matter.

I'll back this up as well. The only reel in my arsenal I would even give a thought about line capacity Is one I use for big glide baits and swimbaits.  Dont care much even with it just dont want a crazy shallow spool.  Otherwise I think it's way over rated. I prefer shallow spools for everything else as it saves me wasting a bunch of line I'm never gonna use anyway 

[JediAmoeba]

Does anyone ever have problems getting spooled?  The first 30 or 40 yards of line on my spools only ever sees the light of day twice...when it goes on and when it comes off.  

 

Since I use braid for almost all of my main lines if the line is getting worn out I just reel it on to another reel to reverse it.  I fished for muskie a lot and never had a fish spool me...  Leaders get changed out all the time but the main line is always fine.  

 

When buying line I figured out those small 150 yard or so spools were worthless as I would end up only getting 1 1/2 spools of line....better to get the 300+ so I have less waste.

[Deleted account]

4 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Does anyone ever have problems getting spooled?  The first 30 or 40 yards of line on my spools only ever sees the light of day twice...when it goes on and when it comes off.  

 

Since I use braid for almost all of my main lines if the line is getting worn out I just reel it on to another reel to reverse it.  I fished for muskie a lot and never had a fish spool me...  Leaders get changed out all the time but the main line is always fine.  

 

When buying line I figured out those small 150 yard or so spools were worthless as I would end up only getting 1 1/2 spools of line....better to get the 300+ so I have less waste.

I just bought a 100 sized reel from someone on this site. It came spooled with 50 lb braid, no backing. I was casting the entire spool with a 1/2 oz frog, I could have casted it another few feet if I had it.

[Big_Easy_Bassin]

On 7/3/2019 at 10:30 AM, OnthePotomac said:

Kinda hard to discuss line capacity without knowing what reel you have.  They are all different.

I was using a Shimano SLX. I also don’t like to run the line on my reel too low. I feel like once I get to certain point I lose the feeling during the retrieve. 

[islandbass]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:57 AM, JediAmoeba said:

Does anyone ever have problems getting spooled? 

Not a problem, but it happened once. A brute of a chum salmon spooled my curado 201DHG

 

I tipped my hat to the fish and felt bad he got stuck with the hook and all that line. He was going to die anyway, but still felt bad. 

[JustJames]

On 7/3/2019 at 12:34 AM, Big_Easy_Bassin said:

 I know they go off mono which is larger than braid and most flouro, but is my 12/120:14/110 ratio correct? Hoping someone can either give me some insight and help me out.... or just give me a simple answer or solution and make me feel like a dummy

I don’t spool line base on lb test only but diameter along with type of line (mono, FC or braid) Mono and copolymer nowadays, they listed as one or other so I’ll group them the same. Now let look at mono/copolymer line. Trilene XT where a lot of ppl base on 12lb is 0.15 diameter (listed as mono @ TW), where as Hybrid which have a lot of user here 12lb is 0.13, while Mono from Japan like sunline super natural 12lb is 0.11, FC 12lb also mostly fall between 0.11-0.12. 

To sum up I spool line with dia in mind, A lot of reels base on Japanese market and not over state like US MARKET for Lb test. If I want 12lb, I’ll look for line with 0.12 dia and you can be curtain that you’ll get as close to 120 yds per line capacity, but if use XT of course you might not get even 100 yds on that reel.

NOTE:

Daiwa also well know as they usually pessimistic with their line capacity on a lot of reels.

Reels manufacturers built a lot of reel size/capacity for user to get advantage of specific need. The bigger size reel, more line capacity, more weight and even more weight when you have full spool of line. The smaller size reel, less line, less weight and make it smaller/more palm able.

Im not gonna use 200-300 size reel for Finesse, not use my 70 size reel for big swimbait.

[Glaucus]

Apparently I'm the all time worst at casting because I couldn't even spool something like an SLX unless I had 20lb+ line and a behemoth of a lure.

On 7/3/2019 at 4:01 PM, BassWhole! said:

I just bought a 100 sized reel from someone on this site. It came spooled with 50 lb braid, no backing. I was casting the entire spool with a 1/2 oz frog, I could have casted it another few feet if I had it.

Should be equivalent to about 12lb mono diameter. I couldn't imagine spooling 12lb diameter with a 1/2oz lure. That's crazy. 

[GreenPig]

With 25 & 30 lb CXX and a 4 to 8 ounce swimbait, line capacity makes a big difference in LPT on a long cast.

[Spy]

I pulled up the info on my capacities so I know how much mono backing to put on each in order to fill three different reels at 100 yds each from one 300 yd spool. 

[hwright38]

On 7/5/2019 at 2:16 PM, Big_Easy_Bassin said:

I was using a Shimano SLX. I also don’t like to run the line on my reel too low. I feel like once I get to certain point I lose the feeling during the retrieve. 

You'll also get less casting distance, since the spool would have to spin more times (and take more energy) to release the same amount of line. 

 

Also, don't necessarily trust any measurement that's on the box for a given line. For example: Stren Original Mono comes in a few different colors, but the most popular I've seen are Clear, Clear-Blue, and Hi-Vis Gold. They're all listed as the same diameter on the packaging, but the hi-vis gold is significantly thicker than the Clear versions. The diameter ratings are usually close, but don't expect to get accuracy to the yard when filling up a reel.

 

For a SLX I've yet to fill one with less than 100 yards when spooling up to 14lb mono. 100 yards is plenty for general bass fishing. It's a 150 sized reel, so you should be good with pretty much anything you'd normally use.

[WRB]

On July 3, 2019 at 12:34 AM, Big_Easy_Bassin said:

First off... I apologize in advance if this has been addressed, but I’ve spent the past hour searching and have yet to figure it out lol. 

 

Anyhow... I’m getting rid of some older reels, but after buying a new reel the other day, I’m realizing how much I wasn’t taking line capacity into mind. Is there a chart or diagram somewhere that can give me a “guesstimate” when it comes to the suggested capacity vs a slightly larger line? I know they go off mono which is larger than braid and most flouro, but is my 12/120:14/110 ratio correct? Hoping someone can either give me some insight and help me out.... or just give me a simple answer or solution and make me feel like a dummy

Are you confused yet?

I am confused reading the replies and didn't exactly understand your question.

If 12 lb test capacity on your reel is 120 yds and 14lb test is 110 yards how many yds of ____ would the reel hold?

Tom

[Deleted account]

16 hours ago, Glaucus said:

Apparently I'm the all time worst at casting because I couldn't even spool something like an SLX unless I had 20lb+ line and a behemoth of a lure.

Should be equivalent to about 12lb mono diameter. I couldn't imagine spooling 12lb diameter with a 1/2oz lure. That's crazy. 

It was brand new braid, still fairly stiff and staying round. It felt a bit thicker than 50 PP, but not much. Probably could have loaded a few more feet on the spool too. Just for S&Gs, I'll lay it out and measure it at some point.

[Big_Easy_Bassin]

7 hours ago, WRB said:

Are you confused yet?

I am confused reading the replies and didn't exactly understand your question.

If 12 lb test capacity on your reel is 120 yds and 14lb test is 110 yards how many yds of ____ would the reel hold?

Tom

 I’m slightly confused still, but that’s kind of my fault lol. The reason I raised this question in the first place is bc I tried to use the SLX as my lipless crankbait reel. As I switched colors and brands, I felt less and less of the lure action. I think I’ve realized that a little bit bigger spool on my crankbait setup will help with this problem. I tried to go up from 12# to 14# test and this only enhanced my problem

[Junger]

13 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

It was brand new braid, still fairly stiff and staying round. It felt a bit thicker than 50 PP, but not much. Probably could have loaded a few more feet on the spool too. Just for S&Gs, I'll lay it out and measure it at some point.

It's KastKing SuperPower 50lb, no backing but enough electrical tape to cover the arbor knot and most of the spool once for some line to dig into. Per KK's specs, it should be .40mm.

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, Junger said:

It's KastKing SuperPower 50lb, no backing but enough electrical tape to cover the arbor knot and most of the spool once for some line to dig into. Per KK's specs, it should be .40mm.

How do I get the dye off my fingers?

 

[J Francho]

40 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

How do I get the dye off my fingers?

 

Wash them using Megastrike, then pretreat with KVD L&L.  When dry, seal with U40.  You'll get 10 more yards from all your casts.

[WRB]

1 hour ago, BassWhole! said:

How do I get the dye off my fingers?

 

Use Fins braid the colors don't run.

Why use braid on crankbaits unless ripping through grass?

I thought the issue was line capacity after casting you couldn't feel the lipless crankbait.

Using .40mm/ .016 dia braid is going in the wrong direction!

Fins 20 lb WindTamer braid is .010 dia.

Sunline Armillo Defier 11 lb mono is .011 dia.

Tom