Trouble with line spooling and line twist

[jrwerner310]

Hello everyone!

 

  I have begun the long fun task of respooling all my reels before i head out for the first time this year.  I am having the worst of time with spooling my reels so far.  I'm wondering what some of your techniques, tricks or even methods for doing so.  I have a piscifun line spooler that seemed to work last year with both fluorocarbon and braided lines. But after a could weeks the spinning reels I had spooled were starting to have line twists.  Even the baitcasting reels started to have some line twist that had only fluorocarbon on them.  The braided reels were fine.  I even tried respooling one spinning reel with fluorocarbon line that was sitting in a pot of hot water while i spooled it and there was still line twist right after i have spooled it.

 

  So I am wondering what i am doing wrong.  Is maybe the line bad?  Some of the line was new at the beginning of last season and some were maybe a year or two older then that.  I could really use any help that anyone could offer.  Maybe it was the brand of line? I mostly used Trilene, stren or pline fluorocarbon. And does anyone use line conditioner while they are spooling fluorocarbon on?  Are there any tools that you would recommend for unspooling old line and spooling new line on?

[bulldog1935]

For spinning reels, I have done the option of laying the spool on the ground label-up, and putting my weight on top of the spool.  

This still results in a small amount of twist because of the diameter difference between spinning spool and source spool.  Also w/ spinning, fish a micro swivel, and twist will disappear.  

 

The easiest way is hang the spool on an axle, e.g., in a vise, and take off the bottom of the spool for spinning, and off the top of the spool for baitcaster.  

I always have my reel on rod in rod holder, run the line through the 2 closest guides, and also run the line through phone book with weight for adjustable tension.  

  

[newapti5]

Line twist in spinning reels is inevitable, given enough time. What I do when spooling, besides the detailed process mentioned above, is to spray some KVD line conditioner on a piece of paper towel, and pinch the line with that towel when spooling. I find it helps a little, especially with fluoros.

[TcRoc]

Are you keeping your line tight as you are spooling,, I do use line conditioner. When I feel necessary to get memory out,, I will hook onto anything stable outside and walk my line out to just about the empty spool.  Keeping line nice and tight will starting reeling back up occasionally stop, spray some conditioner on give the line a little stretch than keeping reeling up. 

[gim]

I take mine into Cabela's and have them do it with a Tornado Line Winder.  Zero line twist on a spinning reel, takes 3 minutes.  No charge for doing it, no charge for mono backing either.

 

I know a couple pro staff there otherwise I would be hesitant to allow a complete stranger to put line on my reels.

[WRB]

The Kastking line spooler is a device clamped onto the rod with a mandrel that turns the filler spell sideways facing the reel. The line is fed up through a guide turning 90 degrees before going through a rod guide onto the reel spool.

Spinning reels you want the filler spool  rotating  counter* clockwise, casting reel  clockwise.

I couldn’t determine how light pressure is applied to the filler spool, must be an adjustment.

What could go wrong? 

1. Filler spool rotating the opposite direction will cause line to twist.

2. Too much filler spool pressure will cause line twist on spinning reels.

How to untwist line.

Boat, remove everything off the line end so only the line is going into the water. Troll about 100’ of line behind the boat about walking speed for about 2 minutes or a few hundred yard, the while the boat is still moving reel in the line.

Shore angler, walk off about 100’ of line without anything tied on and lay on a grass surface. Soak a terry cloth towel in water near the rod tip. Reel in the line and spray the reel spool with line conditioner (KVD for FC) a few times as the reel the back on the reel.

All spinning reels twist line if the end can’t rotate. Spro Micro swivels help to let the line unwind as you retrieve lures using a spinning reel.

Bait casting reel don’t twist line but some lures that spin in the water will twist line unless using a swivel.

Tom 

edited*

[jrwerner310]

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

For spinning reels, I have done the option of laying the spool on the ground label-up, and putting my weight on top of the spool.  

This still results in a small amount of twist because of the diameter difference between spinning spool and source spool.  Also w/ spinning, fish a micro swivel, and twist will disappear.  

 

The easiest way is hang the spool on an axle, e.g., in a vise, and take off the bottom of the spool for spinning, and off the top of the spool for baitcaster.  

I always have my reel on rod in rod holder, run the line through the 2 closest guides, and also run the line through phone book with weight for adjustable tension.  

  

Thats a great idea. 

38 minutes ago, TcRoc said:

Are you keeping your line tight as you are spooling,, I do use line conditioner. When I feel necessary to get memory out,, I will hook onto anything stable outside and walk my line out to just about the empty spool.  Keeping line nice and tight will starting reeling back up occasionally stop, spray some conditioner on give the line a little stretch than keeping reeling up. 

I do try to keep a much tention on the line a possible.  the line spooler I use for spinning reels turns and the bail does while reeling in. its suppose to falling the reel spinning and removes some of the line twist.

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

The Kastking line spooler is a device clamped onto the rod with a mandrel that turns the filler spell sideways facing the reel. The line is fed up through a guide turning 90 degrees before going through a rod guide onto the reel spool.

Spinning reels you want the filler spool rotating clockwise, casting reel counter clockwise.

I couldn’t determine how light pressure is applied to the filler spool, must be an adjustment.

What could go wrong? 

1. Filler spool rotating the opposite direction will cause line to twist.

2. Too much filler spool pressure will cause line twist on spinning reels.

How to untwist line.

Boat, remove everything off the line end so only the line is going into the water. Troll about 100’ of line behind the boat about walking speed for about 2 minutes or a few hundred yard, the while the boat is still moving reel in the line.

Shore angler, walk off about 100’ of line without anything tied on and lay on a grass surface. Soak a terry cloth towel in water near the rod tip. Reel in the line and spray the reel spool with line conditioner (KVD for FC) a few times as the reel the back on the reel.

All spinning reels twist line if the end can’t rotate. Spro Micro swivels help to let the line unwind as you retrieve lures using a spinning reel.

Bait casting reel don’t twist line but some lures that spin in the water will twist line unless using a swivel.

Tom 

I was just looking at one of the kastking spooling tools.  They have 2 or 3 of them to choose from and both of options for spinning and castings.  i didn't know that spinning was a clockwise and casting was counter clockwise. I thought you were just supposed to spin the line off the line spool in the opposite direction as the reel was winding in.

[jrwerner310]

Thanks everyone for you ideas and information!!  here is the Piscifun Fishing Line Spooler I am using

[casts_by_fly]

21 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

Thanks everyone for you ideas and information!!  here is the Piscifun Fishing Line Spooler I am using

 

If you're using it in that orientation, then that's why you're getting twist on a spinning reel.  Those spools are perpenduclar to each other and the reel has to twist the line to put it on the spool.  Turn the line spool 90 degrees so the faces are paralle to the reel spool face.  Or better, don't even use a spooler like that.  Put the reel on the rod, lay the line spool on the floor, and start reeling.  Reel for a dozen turns and see if line between the rod and the spool on the ground is twisting or not.  If its twisting, flip the line spool over.

[WRB]

54 minutes ago, jrwerner310 said:

Thats a great idea. 

I do try to keep a much tention on the line a possible.  the line spooler I use for spinning reels turns and the bail does while reeling in. its suppose to falling the reel spinning and removes some of the line twist.

I was just looking at one of the kastking spooling tools.  They have 2 or 3 of them to choose from and both of options for spinning and castings.  i didn't know that spinning was a clockwise and casting was counter clockwise. I thought you were just supposed to spin the line off the line spool in the opposite direction as the reel was winding in.

Corrected counter clockwise.🥺

[Bankc]

2 hours ago, TcRoc said:

Are you keeping your line tight as you are spooling,, I do use line conditioner. When I feel necessary to get memory out,, I will hook onto anything stable outside and walk my line out to just about the empty spool.  Keeping line nice and tight will starting reeling back up occasionally stop, spray some conditioner on give the line a little stretch than keeping reeling up. 

Do this, but tie it up with a swivel inline, so it can spin freely to untwist itself.  Or tie on a lead weight and drop it out or troll it in the water so it's free to spin around as you reel it back up.  Or come up with your own method.  The idea is just to unspool the line and reel it back up in a way where it's free to untangle itself.  

 

But yeah, when spooling up new line, you want the line to come off the manufacturer's spool in the same orientation that you put it onto your fishing reel's spool.  So that Piscifun line spooler is only good for baitcasting reels.  With spinning reels, just lay the spool flat on the ground and keep the line tightish by pinching it lightly with your fingers as you reel it up.  You might want to grab an old rag or something to hold the line with so you don't burn your fingers, or in the case of braid, get gunk all over them.  Sometimes it helps to drive a nail partly into a board and push the center of the spool through the nail so it doesn't roll around.   Or put the spool into a small bucket that's just big enough to keep the spool from flopping around.  There are tons of methods that work.  You just need a way to keep it from flipping over or getting up on its side and rolling off.  

[gim]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

If you're using it in that orientation, then that's why you're getting twist on a spinning reel. 

Beat me to it.  Every time the handle is turned, the line is twisted.  So the line is going on twisted.

[TcRoc]

1 hour ago, jrwerner310 said:

Thanks everyone for you ideas and information!!  here is the Piscifun Fishing Line Spooler I am using

I have the same.. and yes that image is not correct way .. baitcaster yes.. I only use it for spinning though. 

[Glenn]

First, it's way beyond just spooling the line that causes line twist, but let's start with spooling it correctly:

 

 

Then, here are additional tips that you absolutely must follow to avoid line twists (not doing this is how most people get line twists)

 

 

 

Then, if you ever do get line twists, here are two ways to solve it, first on the water, the second is on land.

 

 

 

 

[slowworm]

I wonder if anyone will ever post a question that @Glenn can't answer with a relevant video!

[jrwerner310]

38 minutes ago, slowworm said:

I wonder if anyone will ever post a question that @Glenn can't answer with a relevant video!

HAHA so true

[Glenn]

Just givin' the people what they want. LOL!

 

[MN Fisher]

I built my own spooling station, and it comes off the top (letting the source-spool turn) when spooling baitcasters, off the end when spooling spinners (source spool doesn't move).

 

If you're letting the source spool turn while putting line on a spinning reel - it's gonna end up with line-twist right from the start.

 

[BrianMDTX]

It’s why I love braid-to-leader on a spinning rig. No worries about line twisting.