How to Spool New Fishing Line Onto a Reel

You should replace your fishing line at least once per season. If you fish frequently, you may have to change it even more often. If you replace line incorrectly, you may have problems with line twist. Here's how to do it right.

Steps

1. 1
   Take the old line off the reel, then run the end of the new line up through the rod guides to the reel and tie it to the spool of the reel.
2. 2
   Put a pencil into the new spool and have somebody hold it. Or use a reel filling station that you can buy at a tackle shop to hold the spool of line. To avoid twists, make sure the line feeds off the top of the supply reel.
3. 3
   

    Baitcasting reel
   For a baitcasting reel, fill to within a quarter inch of the outer rim. Keep a bit of pressure on the line so it doesn't get loopy and tangled.
4. 4
   

    Spinning reel
   For a spinning reel (the kind that hangs down underneath the rod), you place the supply reel on the floor. You need to determine whether to place it label side up, or down, in order to minimize introducing line twists during the loading process. This needs to be done for every supply reel, as the direction the line has been loaded can vary from reel to reel, even among the same brands of line. The following 3 steps detail how to determine which side of the supply reel should face up.  
   1. Look down at the top of your spinning reel, and turn the handle as if you are retrieving the line. Note the direction that the bail rotates around the spool. Most spinning reels rotate in a clockwise direction.
   2. Examine your supply spool, and find the end of the line (the lead). It may be secured by tape. Orient the supply spool so that the lead is at the top and the label is facing you.
   3. If the lead is coming off the spool in a clockwise direction (i.e., if the free end of the line were an arrow, it would be point to your left), you want to place the supply reel on the floor label side up. Otherwise, you want to place it on the floor label side down. If your spinning reel turns in a counter-clockwise direction, you want to reverse this.
5. 5
   First lift the bail arm so it will loop line as you reel and then run the end of the new line up through the rod guides to the reel, and tie onto the spool. Once the line is tied onto the spool lower the bail arm.
6. 6
   Hold the line between two fingers to keep it taut as you reel a couple of feet onto the reel.
7. 7
   Stop reeling and dip the rod toward the spool on the floor. If the line twists onto itself, turn the spool over before putting more line on. If the line is okay, go ahead and finish.  
   1. For a spinning reel, a good way to spool the line is to take a soft cotton cloth and hold the line in the cloth at about the first eye. Apply a good amount of tension, so the line does not spool loose, and you can real as fast as you like.
8. 8
   Fill the reel only until it is about a quarter inch from the rim.
9. 9
   For a closed-faced reel (like the Zebco 33, etc), fill it the same way you do a spinning reel, except make sure you run the line through the hole in the reel face before tying it to the reel spool. Screw the face back on before reeling on the new line.