Spooling your line correctly is very important in the formula for a successful fishing trip. Here is a very basic run through of how to properly spool your typical spinning and bait-casting reels.

SPINNING REELS

Best way to spool a spinning reel is to run the line through the rod guides and down to your reel. Simply flip the wire bail of the reel open and tie the line onto the reel spool. After tieing the knot, make sure to get rid of any excess line on the end using a nail clipper or scissors.

Next, lay the filler spool down on the floor so that the line coils the same direction as the spool turns when you reel the handle. So, if the reel turns counter clockwise, make sure that the line is coiling off of the filler spool counter clockwise as well. If the line coils the opposite direction as the turning reel, the line will have a tendency to wind onto the reel and twist; this can and will cause many problems for you. When filling the reel, do so to the level indicated in the reel's manual or to within 1/8 inch of the spool's capacity.

BAIT-CASTING REELS

For bait-casting reels, start at the very top of the rod and run the line through all the guides until you reach the reel. Using the reel line guide, feed the line to the reel spool. Next step is to loop the line around the spool and tie it down, clipping off any excess line. Get a friend to hold a line spool directly in front of the rod tip using a pencil through the middle of the spool. If you don't have a friend nearby, try placing the line through a book, making sure to keep the rod tip pointed at the book. Reel the line off of the spool and fill the bait-cast reel to about 1/4 inch of the spool's capacity or as instructed in the reel's manual.

And there you have it, very basic techniques to properly spool your spinning reel and bait-casting reel. Happy fishing!