[Solesolace]

Long story short, I ended up with a new reel to match the Ugly Stik I got as a result of a warranty claim. I want to try spooling it up tonight. Watched some videos about braid and all suggest tape on the spool. However, the reel is a Penn Battle 2 and the spool is rubberized (I assume to help grip braid). So, should I still use the tape or will I be good with the rubberized spool? Second question, I've also seen ppl suggest soaking the line in water before spooling it up, how important of a step is that?

 

[lawless]

Don't know about the soaking...
The reel is braid ready.. don't use tape.. tie directly to the spool...

 

[Jollymon]

Just tie it to the spool, no tape needed. That's why it has the rubber in the center

 

[1BadF350]

As lawless stated, the reel is braid ready so no need for tape. (and jollymon beat me by one minute lol)
Brand new braid tends to be sorta stiff out of the box. Im assuming the suggestion to soak is to soften it up a bit?

 

[Solesolace]

As lawless stated, the reel is braid ready so no need for tape. (and jollymon beat me by one minute lol)
Brand new braid tends to be sorta stiff out of the box. Im assuming the suggestion to soak is to soften it up a bit?

They were saying something about that helping it to lay tighter on the spool, which is really important with braid (according to the videos I watched).

 

[Solesolace]

Another issue - I thought "no line twist" was a big selling point of braid, but they're saying it's important to put it on correctly so you don't twist the line. The box has a hole in it, I assume for the braid to run through while spooling. Can I just use that, or should I pull it out of the box so I can tell which side is the 'top' of the spool (just like I would mono)?

 

[tjbjornsen]

A really smart guy (that claims to be "dum") on these pages once chimed in on how to properly put braid on a reel, and it has worked for me since...
Load the reel with the braid, with some tension applied as you load it... (hold the line between a towel with one hand as you load the reel)
Then put the reel on a rod, run the line up through the guides, and take it out into the street, or yard, or wherever you can tie it off to something, (your bumper will work just fine) and walk off about 150 yards of line.
Then turn around and reel your way back to your bumper with a good amount of pressure applied to that line.
You should be good to go.
Has worked for me since a nice fellow here shared that method a few years ago.
Cheers,
TjB

 

[Fish'n Phil]

If you happened to purchase the line at Bass Pro Shops they will spool it for you for free. They will also put the backing on for free if you need it.

 

[Solesolace]

A really smart guy (that claims to be "dum") on these pages once chimed in on how to properly put braid on a reel, and it has worked for me since...
Load the reel with the braid, with some tension applied as you load it... (hold the line between a towel with one hand as you load the reel)
Then put the reel on a rod, run the line up through the guides, and take it out into the street, or yard, or wherever you can tie it off to something, (your bumper will work just fine) and walk off about 150 yards of line.
Then turn around and reel your way back to your bumper with a good amount of pressure applied to that line.
You should be good to go.
Has worked for me since a nice fellow here shared that method a few years ago.
Cheers,
TjB

I put it on pretty tight when I first spooled it but I'll give that a shot this afternoon when I get home. I usually go throw a few casts at a local park with just a weight before I ever try fishing with a reel I just spooled. Wonder if it was doing the same thing without me realizing it.

 

[flathead]

What tjbjornsen said. It also gives your neighbors something to talk about.

 

[surfchunker]

you want it on there tight so when you use it, it doesn't dig in and give you problems

 

[Sandcrab]

Soak it in water and put it on under a lot of tension... To reduce twisting, open and close your bail manually...

Sandcrab

 

[dudeondacouch]

using auto bail trip doesn't impart any significant line twist. (unless something is wrong with it, i guess.)

reeling against a fish pulling drag DOES, though, and QUICKLY. this is the biggest problem people have with line twist, along with not using swivels when rigging.

 

[Solesolace]

Took it to a local park, walked it out a good bit, and then reeled it back in under tension. Then, just to see how it was working (prior to my trip this weekend), I threw a few practice casts with a 1oz sinker. Good lord does it cast well. Much, much smoother than mono. And I'm getting a good bit of extra distance off of it as well. Thanks for all the tips and tricks you shared! Hoping that translates into more fish in the cooler this weekend - or landing a monster.

 

[1BadF350]

Took it to a local park, walked it out a good bit, and then reeled it back in under tension. Then, just to see how it was working (prior to my trip this weekend), I threw a few practice casts with a 1oz sinker. Good lord does it cast well. Much, much smoother than mono. And I'm getting a good bit of extra distance off of it as well. Thanks for all the tips and tricks you shared! Hoping that translates into more fish in the cooler this weekend - or landing a monster.

Just wait until your first wind knot, that will be fun. LOL
A guy showed me that if I rub chapstick into the wind knots they tend to be much easier to pull out. I tried it and it worked very well. I always keep some in my tackle box.

 

[DaBig2na]

Just wait until your first wind knot, that will be fun. LOL
A guy showed me that if I rub chapstick into the wind knots they tend to be much easier to pull out. I tried it and it worked very well. I always keep some in my tackle box.

I'm a Blistex person myself.... Green Tube ... Always keep some in my POCKET :fishing:
I don't use much braid so I haven't needed it for that

 

[Solesolace]

Just wait until your first wind knot, that will be fun. LOL
A guy showed me that if I rub chapstick into the wind knots they tend to be much easier to pull out. I tried it and it worked very well. I always keep some in my tackle box.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll toss a stick in my tackle box, just in case.