Author Geoffrey Budworth states in "The Book of Practical Fishing Knots" that fishing line can become weakened by as much as 25 percent simply by becoming wet. The tensile strength of the line also is weakened when exposed to excessive sun and abrasions. Therefore, it is important to replace the line on your fishing reel anytime the old line begins to show signs of wear.
Step 1
Feed the line down through the guides in your fishing rod. Pull the line out of the spool until you have at least a 6-inch length beyond what it takes to reach your reel.
Step 2
Wrap the open end of the line, called the tag end, around the spool of the reel and pull it back up toward the standing line in the rod. If you are using an open-faced reel, ensure that the line is passed underneath the bail arm.
Step 3
Coil the tag end of the line around the standing line three times. Keep the created loops loose. Bring the tag end of the line back toward the reel and then feed it through the center of the three loops you created.
Step 4
Pull on the standing line to keep the loop around the reel spool snug and pull on the tag end of the line to tighten the loops into a noose around the spool. Once the knot is tightened and the line is set in place, cut off the excess line from the tag end using nail clippers.
Step 5
Set the spool of new line on the ground and hold up the tip of the rod. Inspect the line to ensure that it coils off the spool in the same direction that it is wrapping onto the reel. If it is coiling in the opposite direction, turn the spool of line over.
Step 6
Reel in the fresh line until the reel compartment is filled to roughly 1/8 inch less than its maximum capacity. Keep the tip of the rod up while you are reeling in to add adequate tension to the line. Placing too much tension on the line while reeling it in can cause the line to stretch and weaken.
Step 7
Check the line in the reel every 20 to 30 turns to ensure there are no tangles or spooling issues that can make casting your line difficult. When the spooling is finished, cut the standing line near the tip of the rod.
Things You'll Need
- Fishing reel
- Fishing line
- Nail clippers
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