Spooling yourself vs shop spooler

[LakeWinni]

I usually go to the tackle shop to get my 4k sized spinning reel (SW reel) spooled up. Can they get a more even distribution of line/better line lay etc with the machine at the shop verses me just spooling by cranking it home w some tension?

 

Would you guys say that is the better way to do it for those reasons or others and does is really make a difference?  

[TOXIC]

The store spoilers are good for putting specific amounts of line and it’s a convenience.  I can do it just as well at home.  Doesn’t matter who spooled it, I’m going to open the bail and walk out as much as possible down the street or in my yard and respool it anyway.  😉

[looking45]

IMO, the reel will put the line on the spool more uniform than someone manually moving the line back and forth while the spool is spinning. 

[bulldog1935]

I would never let a (20-something in a) shop use a motor on my reel or spool.  

I use a clamp rod holder, line through the two bottom rod guides, source spool on an axle in a vise, and wind through a phone book with weight for adjustable tension.  

  

[Jig Man]

It would take me 6 bucks to drive to the nearest place that can spool line.  My wife does a great job of holding the spool and putting on the tension that I need, no charge, no gas used.

[RipzLipz]

@LakeWinni How it lays on the reel after a "professional" spooling matters very little once you’ve made a few casts & retrieved a lure. At that point, the line lays how the reel lays it on its own.

 

~$30 one time fee & used to come with a line stripper. Adjustable tension, can do spinning reels & move spool 90° from as pictured (although you have to "reel backerds" since reel is mounted upside down), built in line cutter & can last for decades if care is taken & fits Seaguar 1000yd spools:

 

[J._Bricker]

^X2

After decades of use my Berkeley line station still is getting the job done for me and was/is a good investment.

[TOXIC]

My only problem with the line spoilers both store and home versions is that you have to remove the reel.  Yes, I know there are some that clamp onto the rod but those make me nervous.  The problem with removing the reel every time is that I really crank down my reel seats.  I try not to remove the reels any more than I have to which keeps me from cracking the seats.  I’ve had too many reels come off or get loose.  

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, RipzLipz said:

@LakeWinni How it lays on the reel after a "professional" spooling matters very little once you’ve made a few casts & retrieved a lure. At that point, the line lays how the reel lays it on its own.

 

~$30 one time fee & used to come with a line stripper. Adjustable tension, can do spinning reels & move spool 90° from as pictured (although you have to "reel backerds" since reel is mounted upside down), built in line cutter & can last for decades if care is taken & fits Seaguar 1000yd spools:

 

 

I have been using one these for years. It's easy and convenient.  I purchased a used machine store spooler from Gander Mountain when they went out and didn't care for it. It was probably operator error.  I sold it.

 

As far as going to a store, I have had spools broken or damaged twice.  I had to teach a guy at DSG how to use the machine when me and my buddy got one his reels spooled.  I also had guy try to spool a spinning reel backwards and another, and I kid you not, try to do it by hand. That was years ago. I will never have anyone do it but myself. 

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

source spool on an axle in a vise,

Pretty much how I do it - but I Macgyver'd a source-spool station from scrap aluminum I had sitting around that clamps to the bench.

[Glenn]

I don't recall ever having a tackle store do it for me.  I used to do the ol skewer-it-on-a-pencil-and-hold-it-between-my-feet trick until the Berkley spool station was born.  As mentioned above, it originally came with a line stripper.  

 

The line stripper died about a decade ago, and then 2 years ago the spool station broke.  I bought a new one and, although it didn't come with a line stripper, I was delighted with the improvements; namely, adapters for spooling spinning reels, and stabilizers with suction cups that do an excellent job of holding it in place while using it.

 

Check it out: https://bit.ly/43tqQVD

 

This video were made before the old spool station bit the dust, but the technique is still the same.

 

 

[RipzLipz]

@Glenn Berkley still sells the original, without line stripper, FWIW.

 

https://www.berkley-fishing.com/portable-spooling-station-1285958

[A-Jay]

I spool my own bass gear and have been for a few decades now. 

I'm sure it's just me but I honestly can't trust a retail human.

A-Jay

[Susky River Rat]

You guys would cringe out how I spool my stuff. 

[Bankbeater]

I've been spooling my rigs for years.  Besides BPS I don't think there is any shop around here that will do it.

[gim]

I've taken mine to Cabela's every spring for re-spooling for about 15 years.  They have an electric tornado line winder and I know a couple pro staff employees there that are trust worthy.  It literally takes them a few minutes per reel, they do not charge for it, and they do not charge for mono backing when using braid.  Obviously I remove the old line ahead of time and leave the rods at home.

 

I wouldn't mind spooling my bait casters at home because there's a level wind, but spinning reels are difficult to spool without line twist.

 

The one thing I do have to keep an eye on at Cabela's is how much line they put on.  They will fill it to capacity unless you say otherwise.

 

I usually do it in March sometime during the spring sale.  I drop off about 8 or 10 reels and then go shop while they re-spool.

 

[MidwestBassAttack]

I’ve used the Berkeley spooling station in the past but have since moved on. Now I keep all my spools in a Plano Leader Management box and just spool right from there. Line box goes on the ground or stays in the bed of the truck, and I spool from there. No need to remove the reel, works flawlessly and keeps my line organized.

[garroyo130]

6 minutes ago, MidwestBassAttack said:

I’ve used the Berkeley spooling station in the past but have since moved on. Now I keep all my spools in a Plano Leader Management box and just spool right from there. Line box goes on the ground or stays in the bed of the truck, and I spool from there. No need to remove the reel, works flawlessly and keeps my line organized.

 

I considered it but thats really only ideal if all you use is cassette spools or whatever you call them. 

[TOXIC]

For the initial spooling, I use this box.  It will hold up to the 3,000 yd wide spools.  Reels stay on the rods both spinning and casting.  For spinning, after I fill them, I go outside and walk off as much of the new line as possible and reel it in.  That is the absolute best way of removing any line twist I have found. 

[rangerjockey]

On 1/21/2024 at 10:23 AM, Jig Man said:

It would take me 6 bucks to drive to the nearest place that can spool line.  My wife does a great job of holding the spool and putting on the tension that I need, no charge, no gas used.

Mine too. She can do it without looking up from the TV and she has over 30 years of experience .

If I'm in the boat I drop the spool into a Plano spinnerbait box and crank away.

[Bass Junke]

I'm a solo spooler. I have what @TOXIC uses for the small spools. For bulk spools I use lots of things for tension. Books, couch cushions, boxes with tight covers, ect. I think folks make it more complicated than necessary. If you don't like the way it spooled,  like others have said, tie the end to a fence and walk off a hundred yard of line and walk it back on with tension. 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the same spooling station as @A-Jay. Works great and lets me get through a bunch quickly if need be. 

[JediAmoeba]

I have a system - one of my kids hold the spool on one of many different sized bolts with washers to tighten it up and I rell it on the spool. I always overfill it a bit because the next step is I go outside, tie it to a telephone pole and go down the road until the line is all out. I then lock down the drag and reel it in while keeping a lot of tension on it and watching it carefully to make sure the line lays properly. 

 

This has been working well for me for years!

[PourMyOwn]

I bought the Rack and Reel when my Berkeley system finally broke. I think I gave about 25 bucks for it and it handles bulk spools really well-which was my major complaint about the Berkeley. 

[FrnkNsteen]

I do mine manually as well. For casting reels, I have a few different stepped dowels with different diameters I choose by line spool inside diameter. I just put the dowel through the spool and clamp in my bench vise so lin is coming off the top of the spool so it runs right back onto the reel sppol with no twist, tie the line to my reel spool and run it on.

 

Spinning reels just get the spool laying on a flat surface with the line coming off the spool in a counterclockwise direction. Start spooling it on. I very rarely get line twist. If I do, I just flip the spool a time or two to get the twist out and finish spooling.

 

Been doing it that way for decades. I will say despooling the line off reels would be MUCH quicker and easier with the setup A-Jay reviewed though!!!