So what… am I the only one who holds the pencil with my feet…?

I've been holding the new line with a pencil held by my feet for a bit over fifty years (half a century!) and never had any problems. Baitcast or spinner, braid or mono - it's all the same.

By the the time you finished explaining all 20 steps, I already finished my spooling my reel

You guys telling about the pencil/feet deal & phone book brought back a slew of memories. 1957 in Houston, Texas I was 12 & never heard of an open faced reel. But when we spooled a baitcast reel, we used the pencil held by feet if no one else around. And of course we were always barefoot. Also I was amazed when my older brother discovered you could run the liine thru the phone book for perfect tension. Houston had a population under a million and the white and separate yellow pages phone book we're about 3" thk. each. Think how thick they would be today if they still made them! Sorry for getting off track but so many good fishing memories over 76yrs. of fishing. Started at about 2 yrs old. Still at it. Enjoyed your video and for the last maybe 35-40 years I've been doing it exactly how you are showing and believe they are best way. But to each his/her own. Happy hookin' everyone. I'm heading to the river. 🤠

I submerge my line in water in the sink and put an upturned bowl over the spool to create some resistance to prevent slack line when I wind it onto the reel. This method works a treat for me

I've always thrown the spool in a small bucket of warm water and sets up perfectly on my spinner or bait caster.

Back in ye olden days I would just thread the line through the Yellow pages, which seemed to provide the perfect amount of resistance and allowed me to perfectly load the spool with no tangles or runaway spools. Given that yellow pages are completely a thing of the past, the struggle is real!

When I had a boat I used to occasionally tie a large swivel snap on the spinning rods and while going slow I'd let the entire spool out behind the boat, then reel it back in. Takes care of twisted line.

I did the pencil thing for around 20 years and never had any problems with it. Never needed another person either, I just held it with my feet. (I have this weird way of holding it against the floor so that I can add tension with pressure.) But I guess that's just one of those things, "If it works for you, it works". Last year I got one of those cheap spoolers that you can clamp to something, like a desk, or the rod itself. I've spooled several times with that, and it's been amazing. Probably the best $15 I've ever spent on fishing gear. It lives clamped to a desk so it's always there, ready to be used.

Good hints! I've been doing it this way for 45 years. I actually made a line winding fixture and I made it so I can adjust tension on it depending on line weight. And I can put regular or bulk spools on it.

I've watched several videos on loading spinning reels. What I first found confusing is the direction your reel is turning on the rewind. It was made clear to me on Nathans video is he is looking at the reel from the FRONT, so it is turning clockwise, so you want the line coming off the spool on the floor counterclockwise. However he was loading on braid which has much less memory than mono or fluoro line.

I slide my spool over my old Ford antenna. Have since high school. Well, I used my s 10 in high school. Putting a deeper spool into a reel box or small TW bow works awesome as well. Of course that's with a casting reel.

I used pencils and similar objects 50 yrs and more. Still catching fish to this day.

I've always spooled my reels by myself

You literally need a to throw your braid in water while you spool it on and you don’t need any of this. I don’t even use backer on my reels they don’t slip. KISS. Life’s golden rule

Just as others have mentioned, it does need a dab of oil before you use it kzfaq.infoUgkxSlytCJqozTF7EbdP4LWP-HUXf9WRDJ0e - put a few drops in through the convenient screw cap and you are good to go! I have fished several weeks with a couple of these, and I will be getting more in the future. I put these against my Abu Garcia Pro Max reel, and they actually perform a bit better than the Abu with some of my lighter cranks, and definitely just as good with the rest of my lures. My Abu is a bit more low profile and fits my hand better, but these are definitely not bad at all. You can almost get 3 of these for the price of my Pro Max. My only complaint is the thumb bar sits pretty high compared to my traditional profile Abu. Bring that thumb bar down a little and I’m sold on these all day long.

Great idea - I have spooled new line on my reels and notice that sometimes it wraps around the rod or causes problem on the reel - thank you for this new tip

He makes it sound like rocket science. Pencils work fine.

Nathan really like all your videos !! I use a method I learned watching an Aaron Martens video some years ago. He pointed out baitcasters come off top of spool and spinning reels off bottom of spools. I’ve used this ever since seeing it and haven’t had any issues what so ever. Thanks for your videos !! 👍👍

Greatly presented, I can follow that very easily. Thank you.

Good good job I've been doing mine like that for about 50 years

Great video! I would just like to add a shortcut...when doing a spinning reel lay the spool flat on the floor and looking down at it make sure it's coming off the spool in a "counter-clockwise" direction, and it will be perfect every time. Some brands are label up, some are label down.

I’ve Ben doing my spinning reals wrong all this time my buddy would always let all his line out with lure off on the way to our fishing spot going full speed and real it back in it would take all the twists out and a lot of memory out of the line great video man thanks 👍

Great tips for a returning fisher guy after many years. Technology has changed everything for the better. Would love to see a video demonstrating different knots used in fishing. Thanks again.

For the baitcaster you stated the spool should be vertical, while holding it in the horizontal (correct) position!

Good video and some great comments. Thanks and all the best to you Nathan.

Good video mate, this is exactly how iv been spooling my reels for years now 👌🏽

Thanks for the great video, I'm just starting out and you were a great help! Much appreciated !

Greatly appreciate how you spend a significant amount of your time creating content that covers the "nuts and bolts" 101 of fishing. Been fishing quite likely longer than you've been alive but till this video never knew not just the correct way to spool a reel but the easiest way. I really appreciate your tips on how to maximize my versatility fishing with soft plastics and jigs as economically as possible as I use soft plastics most of all Thank you.

I found the video very useful. I fish multi day offshore fishing trips. Occasionally I'm replacing line on a conventional reel while I'm on the boat.

I never thought of stopping after 10 rotations and checking for the line twist. Thanks for that tip. Now my line doesn't twist on my spinning reels now

Great and concise explanation and demonstration. Thanks.

I usually do it a little differently but it works for any reel without having to worry about twisting even if it goes on twisted. I reel on as much as I need really fast, and then lightly wrap the end around a stick or a tree branch or put a small rock on the end and walk or drive until the reel is empty. Then pull the line free and pinch it close to the reel, and as you reel it back onto the spool it untwists itself. If you do it in tall grass it will keep perfect tension on it for you as well as help keep it from twisting onto itself. Or just do what I do now and use braid and it solves any problem you would have with mono or floro.

I saw this dude put on new line and threw the spool in the lake… so 💡ding ding… I was at home and dropped the spool in the toilet…! Works frickin awesome..!!!

Thank you for this. Subscribed.

Good refresher series....thanks

I'm planning on putting new line on all my reels tomorrow. Thank you for the tips. I'm sure it will come in handy.

I put on fishing line in a bowl of warm water and spool it onto my reel. It has worked for me without needing any assistance.

Unless your line spool is exactly the same diameter as your reel spool it will cause a minute amount of twist for each revolution so flip your spool like he says if you see twist give it a few cranks and lower your rod tip like he says and when you see that the twist is gone turn it back over ( if you are sure you were right to begin with) and continue with the process as my man described I’m not sure folks realize why their line twist when they know good and well that they had their spool facing the right way and it took me a while to figure this out also the more “difference “ in diameter that there is the more twist you will notice. Example: 1/2 of a line spool wrap might be 1 or 1 and 1/2 wraps on your reel

Wow. Thank you. I'm fairly new to a baitcaster n always struggle with line twist on both.

I have my 1,000 and 3,000 yard spools in a spoolin buddy. I have Dr. C Fishing Line Dr. 5pk over the spools to have tension and go through all the line guides on spinning, spincast, levelwind, and baitcasters. Also on spinning I fill the spools the same way you showed in video.

guys just put it on the ground and hold your rod tip above the spool while reeling it on. the line will come off of the spool and the spool won’t go everywhere.

When doing it this way the line tangles while fishing, thats why i use pencil to put on without tangles later. Experiment do both ways and see which pole gives best results!

Thanks for the tips .

Thanks. My bait shop no longer fills reels so I have to learn to do this myself.

So glad this popped up i knew there was a specific way to do it properly but i always used a pencil until i got a line holding box for it to feed through. But wont use that but to store line i guess.

All good info. Whenever I spool up reels at home I like to tie on a small bell sinker at the end of my rod. When I get to the water I make a few long casts to snug up the new line on my reel. Not sure if it helps, but it gives me some peace of mind that my line is nice and tight and not going to unwind on its own.

That bag trick is ... JUST A BUDDY WITH A PENCIL! LOL

I always use a pen - not a pencil and have zero issues.

I have an electric line spooler where I can mount the spinning reel spool in it and have zero twists on the spool. You don't want it that way because when you make a cast the line will twist 1 time for each loop that comes off the spool leaving you with a couple hundred twists between the spool and your lure. Then when you reel it back onto the spool they come out...mostly. Every time you lift your lure out of the water to cast you loose a couple of those twists and if you get a line break you lose them all. In short order, the first hundred foot that comes off your spool ends up twisted on the spool anyway. I prefer to have my twists on the spool and not between the spool and my next PB. Tight lines!

Great stuff mate 👍

That makes sense . Thank you .

I have never been able to spool a reel correctly ever even with the gadgets they sell, i will try this and if it works ill come back and let you know. I pray it does work because i am so tired of line twist and i would love to have a good day out fishing without messing with my line all day.

Thanks. Easier than I have been doing.

Good stuff Nathan. My biggest problem when putting Power Pro braid on my spinning reel is those darn notches they have cut out of their spools! I try covering the notch with tape so my line comes off the spool without the spool flipping and running across the floor.

LOL ! Just throwing the spool of line into a bucket of water will work every time as well!

Excellent for beginners and the Alberta knot nice addition and I'm going to stop holding the pencil with my feet.Thanks

Sir Advice Time: You NEVER EVER use any spinning reel to spool new line on a spinning reel. NEVER....I have 52 years of repair and upgrading nearly every fishing reel made since the mid 60s. Here is what you do. You make yourself a cheap handy spool jig that will last a lifetime. You take the spool OFF the reel and go to the hardware store and get a 2-3 inch fine thread machine screw to fit the spool shaft hole. You Then get a wing nut and two-3 fiber/plastic washers, depending on your spool type. You then put the screw through the spool's center shaft and use a wing nut and washers to apply tension just enough so it doesn't spin. THEN ....You chuck the exposed end of the 2" machine screw it into your cordless drill and spin the spool full of line just like cranking on a bait casting reel. . In this way you will never have to worry about putting a twist on the line. IF you have taken a spinning reel to any respectable tackle shop, they never use your spinning reel to put on new line. I always put a layer of electric tape or duct tape on the spool so braid or fluorocarbon doesn't spin on the spool. Lastly, if you turn the crank handle of any spinning reel when the drag is not tight enough and you are turning the handle but it is slipping because it isn't tight enough, each turn of the crank will put a twist in your line at the same ratio of the spinning reel's gear ratio. Example: if your reel is a 6.3 : 1 and you crank the handle one full turn when the drag is too loose....you just put 6.3 full circle 360 degree twists in your line. Crank the handle twice and now you have 12- 360 degree twists in the line. Crank IT 3 TIMES WITH A SLIPPING SPOOL DRAG AND YOU HAVE LINE TWISTING MESS. Baitcasting reels don't work that way because they just bring in line straight off line supply spool the due to their direct spooling capability. HOPE I COULD HELP YOU.

Great video man thanks!

A few years ago I I measured a place off in my yard I only change 50 yards of line I unroll the line down to my bedding line pull off the new line to my marked off area cut tie on to bedding line and hold tension on line and spool up. You’ll see the line twisting on the grass as you reel it up. Spinning reels soak the mono line in water for around a week your line twist will be no more. Another reason for line twist is continuing to reel when fish is stripping line.

I have my own process but good info on the spinning reel

Could use a shim on that spool, it’s more full up top. I need to shim mine too.

You can also put the spool in a bowl/bucket of water. An by spooling it on the reel wet kinda helps train the line for that reel.

Very helpful

Great tips

I Have one question at the end of my comment. I've been spooling my reels by myself for more than 50 years (probably because I have no friends) and it's always worked out, but it's always nice to see/hear another persons perspective so thank you. I use the pencil-toes method AND the trapped spool method for spooling. But I do have one pet peeve with your method or preference on reels: I'm right handed. I grew up using a spinning reel with the crank handle on the left side so that casting, retrieving, fighting, netting and controlling the rod with just my right hand. When I finally stepped into the baitcaster game it was a no-brainer to get one with a left-side crank handle as well because it's awkward as hell to have to constantly switch hands to handle the rod. You also appear to be right-handed, which means you cast with your right hand and then change the rod to your other hand to retrieve, and then change back again to cast... why would you want to spend that much money on a reel that forces you to constantly change hands when it's available in a left hand model? Not judging, just curious

You're not a fisherman until you've spooled a reel by holding the pencil with your toes.

Lol you do it the hard way.

The instruction manual for my reels says to wind in the opposite direction that it comes off of the spool. That's basically what I do. I figure Mitchell knows more than I do. Additionally though, after I get the spool wound I take it to a park and attach it loosely to something until I can peel all the line off the spool as far away as it takes. Then I pull it off of whatever it's attached to and just reel in the line with a little weight attached to a swivel and it comes back however it wants to be.

Because if the difference in spool size with the spinning reel- you will still twist the line spooling it just won’t be as bad. I rotate between label down and label up checking as I go. The line will show you when you need to reverse the spool…

Thanks for sharing

Nice video!👍

Thanks!

Just have your favorite shop spool it up , never short or have 20yds left over

Excellent! A lot easier for a spinning rod than standing 15ft away from a spool that is held in place, then stripping a lot of line and reeling up again. Agreed about filling to slightly under the spool lip.

wow always use the kitchen mixer. now thinking about it I will use the blender thanks

Excellent! Come on with the leader knot video too. Thanks for all the help.

You shouldn't have to flip the spool back and forth when spooling a spinning reel. The line should be coming off your line spool the opposite direction that it's going onto your spinning reel. Although, line twist are inevitable when using mono or fluorocarbon on a spinning reel; especially if you're filling the entire reel with it rather than just using enough for a leader. But using better quality leader line with less memory will help reduce it. Seaguar Gold Label is great but not too expensive.

I did this very think yesterday. Been doing it for 30 years. Got my click though. Which was the intent.

I came up with doing it this way in 1984 by my self. I was 8

i use my drum's highhat di do it 😂 I remove top cymbal module put my bobine anti clockwise and put back the cymbal. It heavy enough to do the drag.

I have watched So many do's and Dont's on how to spool a fishing Reel. I have spooled Clock wise, counter Clock wise, coming off Bulk line Spool, even Put Spool line in Pail of very warm water. I experience, " NO REAL DIFFERENCE". If we ever start getting line Twist , out on a lake, we open bail and feed out entire length of line on reel, and Drag it for awhile, and Retrieve it all back in.

Good video Quince! I’ve been doing it wrong for 53 years! Lol

Purchased a $25 dollar spooling station and liking it.i jig fish for crappies and pan fish and it seems like I tear up line a lot so I change my line up frequently.

Pencil through the spool in a cardboard box for baitcasters and label up on the spool 9 out of 10 times on the floor for spinning reels. Add tension with your fingers holding rod in front of the reel. Start to reel and stop/check if line is twisting, if not do some more and check, then good to go fill it up. Don't need to make it so complicated.

I just spool it by hand. It’s tighter that way and doesn’t bird nest. Less room for error as well.

Excellent info. The only thing, that spool of green line that has those cut slits are terrible to get line off. The line keeps getting caught as you reel

Different wrap rates on the spool vs the reel is still going to induce twist in your line. Way smarter to just spool it straight off and soak the line prior to take the memory out of it

Nice to see we have the same reel. Sedona. ( i bought the 4000xg ).

It will still twist up like that, braid is better than mono about twisting. Use a spooler that can spin, for spinning reels. On a bait caster the pencil method is fine.

It depends on how u look at the reel as to which way it's being spooled

With Shimano spinning reels if the line is winding on unevenly use the included washers. The washers are placed under the spool to adjust the way the line winds onto the spool.

Very insightful video... Thank you! It is how the line is taken off the spool! I have an older sewing machine that uses the old thread bobbins that sit upright... If I use the newer horizontal type thread bobbins, the thread coming off can get into a tangled mess. Great info! Now I just gotta go out and fish! 😊

He says label up or label down is the same with a pencil. For bait caster have the line come from the bottom of spool and for spinning have it come off the top of the spool. You can shape a coat hanger instead of a pencil to hold it in hot water bucket at the same time. It creates new memory for the line. Mostly for monofilament.

Spool with pencil and put the Crocs on works great

I pull line off the spool and let it go the the garage floor in a loose pile then as usual pinch the line and reel it up.

If you don't have a line bag, full of line. lol. take your new 150 yards of line or whatever. Put the tag end through the hole in the box. Stick the box between your feet. Tada!

My kids love helping spoil a reel while holding a pencil for me. 😅

Phoenix i have mine is n a tub of water also

Yeah I would like to see a close up of your knots