How To Spool Line On The Most Popular Spinning Combo
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Braid, Fishing Tips, Line, Mono, Weekly Newsletter: 8-28-22
This lesson shows exactly how to spool up the Ultimate Inshore Spinning Combo that we just started offering for inshore fishermen to get an excellent combo at a great price.
Many fishermen rely on tackle shops to load line onto their reels, and I highly recommend doing it all yourself because you’ll save money and you’ll be able to it better than them if you simply follow the directions shown in the video below.
Not only will you have spool the lines so they have less twists than a store-spooled reel, you’ll see an easy trick to make sure you put just enough backing on the spool so that you can fit exactly 150 yards of braid on top of it.
Spooling Line On Spinning Combo
Click on the video below to see the entire process of building out the full spinning combo from start to finish. Here’s a list of the topics by time in case you’d like to skip around:
- Putting reel on rod – 1:50
- Spooling Equipment Needed – 2:30
- Attaching mono backing – 3:45
- Loading mono backing – 5:44
- Line gap trick – 8:00
- Tying braid to backing – 9:20
- Loading exactly 150 yards of braid – 13:25
Get the Ultimate Inshore Spinning Combo
Equipment Listing
Here’s a list of the individual items shown in the video above that are part of the Ultimate Inshore Spinning Combo bundle.
- Rod: TFO Pro S – 7’6″ Medium Power
- Reel: Daiwa Fuego 2500D-XH
- Backing: Ande Mono – 10 lb
- Mainline: J-Braid 8 Grand – 10 lb
- Leader: Ande Mono Leader Spool – 20 lb
- Scissors: Salt Strong Rigging Scissors
Related Items
Here’s a list of additional topics that link to helpful lessons on each topic in case you need help/guidance on finishing up your line to lure assembly.
- Best braid mainline to leader knot – FG Knot lesson
- How long should the leader line be?
- Best knot for connecting to a lure – Non-Slip Loop knot
Conclusion
Nobody cares as much about our fishing equipment as much as we do, so it’s on us to make sure we select the right equipment and that we put everything together the right way.
Once I started using these items and assembling them together as shown in the video above, my fishing has significantly improved in terms of casting distance, fish catching, and getting less wind knots.
I hope you give the lessons above a try.
Please leave a comment below if you have any questions from this lesson.
And please use the Comments section below to share any other helpful tips for spooling line onto a new reel that you have found to be helpful… we’d love to hear from you.
Tight Lines!
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What is the primary purpose of the mono-backing. Is it just to save money so you don’t put an unnecessary amount of braid on the reel or is there another benefit?
Guess I should have scrolled down further in the comments before commenting. I found the other post and the link to the video where you explained it was for cost savings.
thanks for all the info learning something every day be ready when i go to Florida in June 1 to the 7th can’t wait
Do you always use a leader at end of braid and what is your leader normally
Consider me an old goat/old school fishing type, so question??
What is the point of having the backing line? Is it because of the use of braid and not putting it directly on the reel?
Thanks in advance and for all you guys do.
Tight Lines
Yes, braid does not stick to the arbor of reels very well, so it’s best to start with mono or to put electrical tape on the arbor to make sure the braid can be anchored properly (nothing worse than having then entire spool of line slipping around the arbor).
An added bonus is that it saves money given that braid is so thin, so filling even a 2500 sized reel will result in much more line than is actually needed… might as well fill the bottom with cheaper mono.
Hi Luke –
Great video showing how to do something that has confounded me (and many spin fishermen/women) for years! But I do have a couple questions:
Thanks!
Glad to see that you enjoyed this lesson. You are correct in noting that the 1/4″ gap needs to be increased/decreased slightly as the diameter of different spools differ slightly from the one shown in this video.
As for the diameter of the backing being different than what I showed, the only changes that makes is the amount of mono used to get to the 1/4″ gap as well as the knot size (thicker lines will result in less line used and a thicker knot in the spool).
Yes, I used to soak my spools in warm water so the mono will reform to the shape of the spool when I used mono as my mainline. Now that I only use it for backing, I don’t bother with that step because the mono rarely ever sees the light of day.
Got it! Thanks!
Again, thanks. I had a couple of other questions come to mind:
Thanks again!
I can’t remember… I normally use 15 lb line for the backing of 10 lb or less mainline braid so that the weak point isn’t the backing knot in case I have to break off a big fish that gets my mainline out.
As for your question about backing strength, the only con on going to thicker line is that it creates a bigger knot that’s more likely to cause issues in the spool… this is a non-issue if using the FG knot though.
Thanks, that’s what I wanted to know!
ok guys please bear with me and my ADD moments – is the only benefit of the backing cost savings ?
thank you
found my answer surfing the net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xqxjj0gw-4
and of course thank you Luke and Team
Glad to see that you found your answer
thank you
follow-up with a different question – as far as applying tension to the line while spooling, i understand consistency is required, how much tension ? i feel like i am not applying enough – different subject and too much tension rod to pinky while tying the FG knot
The tension of the line going on the reel needs to be enough to make sure the line feels tightly packed (not soft) on the spool… no such thing as too much as long as you’re not damaging the line by using an abrasive material.
As for the tension of the FG knot, that doesn’t need nearly as much tension as what’s needed for spooling… just enough to keep the coils in good shape while threading the leader around the braid.
thank you Luke, make sense and is exactly what i needed to know
Is the FG knot used to join the braid to the mono base on the reel when spooling it or used to tie the leader to the braid and then the lure?
I use the FG knot for all situations where I am connecting braid to mono/fluoro because it is so strong while also being very thin, but it of course is optional because there are many other knots that can be used.
Great instructional video, Luke. Does the line come off the spool in-line with the reduction guides like it does on the Slot Machine video you posted?
Thanks Steve!
This rod’s guide alignment is the 2nd best that I’ve tested for 2500 and 3000 sized reels… the only one to beat it is the Slot Machine which has the extra advantages of having a higher modulus blank (better feel and lighter) while also having nicer components.
Both rods are great overall values for the respective price points.
Nice instructions. For the leader, are you ok with the double uni vs. FG?
The double uni is a great knot, but the FG is noticeably stronger and thinner so I made the switch to the FG.
Thanks for the lesson Luke. Great package… price and quality… this is a duplicate set-up for me. Salt Strong introduced me to this rod & reel combination 2 years ago and I have loved it for salt water inshore fishing in SWF.
Salt Strong! Thomas