Fishing Line Spooling Station - Build One For $10.00 Or Less

I was sitting around the house, while it is still cool and
raining thought I would take some of the scrap wood that I had and build a Spooling Station.

This design is for bait casting and closed face spinning reels.

Material That You Will Need:

1 - 2x6 about three feet long for the base
2 - 1x6 boards about 18 inches long
1 - 2x4 about eight inches long
15 - 1 1/2 inch wood screws
Drill and over size bit
Saw
1 wooden dowel
2 rubber washers
1 old fishing rod that you do not use anymore
and saw it about four inches up from the handle
making sure that you still can mount a baitcast
reel to the rod.

Assembly:

Take the 2x6 3 feet long lay it down.
Now get the short 2x4 and center it at one end of the 2x6
and use three wood screws secure it to the 2x6. This will
allow you to put the rod on top and then the reel so the
handle does not hit the 2x6.

Now the 2 1x6 pieces lay them together and drill a over size hole about 1 1/2 inches at one end. This will allow you to run the wooden dowel through both boards. At the other end, I like to drill a starter hole for the wood screw so the wood does not split on you.

Place 1 of the 1x6 on one side and secure it to the 2x6, and do the same for the other side ensuring that the oversize holes lines up together.

Run the wooden dowel through the oversize hole and through the spool of line then into the other hole.

Place a rubber washer on each side; this will keep the spool from free rolling.

Open Face Spinning Reel Mounting Requirement

The only change for open face spinning reels is you have to build up the 2x4 so the reel mounts under the rod where the handle does not bang into the base.

Now you are ready to mount your reel and spool the new line on your reel for this upcoming fishing season.

If you are the type that does not like to tinker building little things like this Home Made Spooling Station, they do have them on the market already built like the Berkley® Portable Line Spooling Station.

*****BIG TIP FOR SPOOLING****** When spooling your line on let's say a bait caster, make sure that the line feeds from under the spool, and on an open face spinning reel the line feeds from the top of the spool.

If you do not have a spooling station, lay the spool of line on the floor in front of you, with the lable up, and feed it into your reel.

The reason is, believe it or not, you can put line on upside down, and the first tell tell sign is when you cast the line comes off in loops or circles. It takes practice and I know you will get it.

*****Another Big Tip When Spooling******* A lot of folks will fill the reel to the max....Stop and think 75% of the line will never see water much less hit it. You will notice that it will cast farther when the reel is not full to the max.

Fill your reel and leave at least a thumb nail down on the
side of the spool.

Second, if you are filling your reel with a braid, always use
a backing such as masking tape or monofilament on the spool. Do like I do, leave some monofilament on the spool just where you can not see the spool, and join the braid with a knot and cut the loose ends and then put the braid on your reel. What this does is it keeps the braid from backing off when the reel is not in use.

Using Braid Without Cutting Your Hands

A rule of thumb with braid when you get hung up, do not try and break the line with you hands and fingers. It will slice you like warm butter and ruin your fishing trip.

Use a screwdriver or pieces of wood to wrap the line around and try and get it that way or just cut it.

Before you cast again, feed some line off because braid will dig down into the reel and when you cast, it will go so far then hang like a back lash. This goes with catching
and fighting a large fish; do the same pull some line out to ensure that it has not dug into the spool.

Use these tips and you will not have a problem at all.

Keep The Hooks Wet!

Steve McGoldrick