SPOOLING UP FLY REELS

SPOOLING UP FLY REELS

Tim Kempton | Tuesday, 30 March 2021

The Dilemma...


You have a large arbor fly reel that will take 200-300m backing, a spool of backing, and a fly line. How do you know how much backing to run on?

I have collected several pieces of gear that makes life easy.

  • Reel E Good Fly Line winder. This holds the reel and a spool of flyline.Collapsible Aluminium line wider. I use this to wind lines off reels to store the lines. I use this to run backing off reels after saltwater trips so that I can wash the reel. I carry this winder on every fishing trip. It make changing fly lines easy.

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  • Collapsible Aluminium line wider. I use this to wind lines off reels to store the lines. I use this to run backing off reels after saltwater trips so that I can wash the reel. I carry this winder on every fishing trip. It make changing fly lines easy.

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  • Line counter. Counts in metres.

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  • Sprocket attachment for electric drill. It fits all fly reels, and the aluminium line winder.

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 To spool up large arbor reels.

  1. Attach the spool of backing to the end that holds the aluminium line winder. I use a screw driver and G clamp to give tension.Picture 7
  2. Attach the backing to the reel. Loop the backing twice around the spool, and tie with a Uni knot.This is absolutely essential. If your reel falls in the water, you can get it back!
  1. Attach the reel to the Reel E Good winder.

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  1. Fit the sprocket attachment to an electric drill, fit the sprocket into the spokes of the reel, and start winding. Run the backing on evenly. Use a glove to hold the backing give the required tension.
  2. The line counter will give the length of line in metres.
  3. As you run on the backing, occasionally run the backing from side to side. This will stop the backing being pulled tight into the backing by a big fish.We do this on our marlin reels.  Big fish will pull the braid in that tight that it is almost impossible to get free.
  4. Once I think enough backing has been run on, then start to run the fly line on as well.
  5. Once all the flyline has been run on, keep running on backing until the spool is full.
  6. Cut the backing, and make a loop with a 30 turn Bimini Twist
  7. Finish the Bimini Twist with a Rizzuto Finish Knot.
  8. With big fish, the braid will pull into the welded loop of the flyline and it will be impossible to undo.
  9. To make changing fly lines easy, use Gudebrod braid (or similar) to make a loop. Make the loop big enough for the reel to pass through.Pull one leg of the Gudebrod inside the other leg. Pull the double of the braid through the centre of the two legs of Gudebrod , and wrap the Gudebrod and Braid as a 5-7 turn “Cats Paw”. Pull down snug and whip finish (see video above)
  10. Run the backing back onto the aluminium line winder. Run the fly line on the floor as it comes free.
  11. After the fly line comes free, run all the backing back onto the reel, then attach the fly line to the backing using a loop to loop connection of the Gudebrod and welded loop, and run the fly line on. The spool will now be completely full.
  12. If the flyline has a welded loop, and you are uncertain of how it will hold up with a big fish (tarpon, marlin, barra, sailfish etc) you can cut the welded loop off and replace with a Gudebrod loop.

Tight lines!