When is too early to respool in preparation for spring?

Anglinchef · February 15, 2011, 05:36:13 PM

Hello! Im new here, and this will be my first post.......anyways, i just recently moved to michigan from california(yeah it kinda sucks) in october and im getting that "cabin fever" that I have heard about for so long, and I am getting all my equiptment ready for spring fishing in a couple months(i hope!!). Took my reels apart, cleaned and re-lubed, etc... but i was wondering if it would be better to wait and respool when the time comes closer? Does new line sitting on a reel for a couple months cause memory? In california I fished year round and just changed my line periodically, instead of having a down season. Any advice here would help. Thanks alot!

finesse13 · February 15, 2011, 06:54:12 PM

I'm not sure about waiting,I know mono has memory and so does flourocarbon. I've heard of people doing different things to help erase the memory in fishing lines,like sprays and lubricants. You can also let all your line out behind your boat while trolling in the water,you don't have to have a lure on the line the water will have enough tension to pull it off your reel. I live in CA so when I respool my reels don't sit for a long amount of time.Hope this helps I know someone will chime in with more knowledge.

Dan1962 · February 15, 2011, 07:06:26 PM

OR just hook The Line to something solid like a tree or truck bumper and pull out about 90% of the line & pull on it NOT Super hard but firm for about 1 min & The Spool memory in the line will be gone !

gillrod2728 · February 15, 2011, 07:25:57 PM

I would wait since your not fishing for another month or so just wait. I no its hard to wait but it'll be better

scottydoesnt · February 15, 2011, 08:24:29 PM

Screw it I say. I just got my Pflueger Patriarch in the mail, and already put line on both spools. Granted they were both Fireline, and wouldn't have done the same if I were using flouro or mono.

Oh, forgot to mention it is currently 20 degrees outside, and I won't be fishing for around 2 more months.

Kal-Kevin · February 15, 2011, 08:31:42 PM

Being someone that has lived most of my life in this state of Michigan I never respool till we get close to season. I use to spool it during the winter and found it to hold to much memory when the seaon got here. I tried the line behind the boat trick and it still had to much memory for me. Now Braid I have never tried it so it might be ok for it.

DBrooke · February 15, 2011, 09:39:08 PM

I say you go all braid and set them up

gillrod2728 · February 16, 2011, 07:06:35 AM

Braid it will be okay to spool early but mono and fluro no really just wait. If you got 15 dollar fluro and did it now it would be like fishing with 5 dollar fluro in two months due to memory a little exaggeration there but you get the point.

Bassthumb · February 16, 2011, 07:51:15 AM

AnglinChef,

Over here in Nebraska, we all are going cabin-fever-crazy... I too, have cleaned and lubed everything and just this weekend, I started putting backer on all of my reels.

I use 12# Cajun-red as a backer line, and partially fill each spool to reduce the amount of premium line I use during the season. I vary the amount of backer used by the technique (reels used for casting have less backer as oppsed to reels used for flipping and pitching).

I also gave each freshly spooled backer a generous dose of KVD line conditioner as it awaits its mate.

We should be fishing here within 30 days...

jimfc3 · February 16, 2011, 08:10:50 AM

welcome to the board....... YES wait..

mattorschell · February 16, 2011, 11:00:34 AM

WAIT on mono and flouro. If you don't wait your line will look like a pigs tail the first time out. You will just waist line.

senile1 · February 16, 2011, 11:56:12 AM

I always wait with fluoro and mono. Our water has been hard and our ramps have been frozen in Northwestern Missouri but the temperatures the last few days have reached 50 and it is supposed to continue. I am going to spool my reels this weekend and hopefully a week or two thereafter, I'll be able to wet a line somewhere. I always spool up my pitchin/flippin rod with braid to practice during the frozen months.

Anglinchef · February 16, 2011, 02:24:05 PM

Well thanks everyone for all your input! It really helps helps when I start second guessing myself and hear what others have to say! I definately agree that I never have a second thought about spooling up with braid, since there is little to no memory, its the fluorocarbon and mono that have me concerned. I know DBROOKE recommended to go all braid, which esentially could be nice, but I tend to fish it all and love it! Thanks alot everyone!

finesse13 · February 16, 2011, 02:53:52 PM

You could go all braid and use a mono or flouro leader,or go straght braid.I have one pole with all braid that I use for flippin.

coldfront · February 16, 2011, 03:07:47 PM

Quote from: gillrod2728 on February 15, 2011, 07:25:57 PM
I would wait since your not fishing for another month or so just wait. I no its hard to wait but it'll be better

I usually spool up the week prior...or the night before...

screwballl · February 16, 2011, 04:13:34 PM

The respool myths that are spread around are leftovers from poor line qualities from the 60s and 70s where line was not much better than using dental floss. With todays quality lines, at most all you should NEED to do is trim the last few yards off and continue on using it.

Considering most lines sit in the package for 3-48 months before we actually buy it, and sitting in storage (either on the spool or on the reel) out of the sun is pretty much the same, there is not really any need to respool. The only time you really NEED to respool more often is if during the below freezing winter months your rods are stored in a shed or somewhere that is exposed to the extreme cold or extreme heat of the summer.

Most people I speak with that do lots of tournaments, only respool once every 3-4 tournaments, and sometimes then just pull 20-30ft off and clip it there. The only people I see that respool after every tournament or every fishing trip are those that really have entirely too much time and money on their hands.

In my case since I fish for fun, most of my lines stay on the spool for years at a time without any problems at all.

Pferox · February 17, 2011, 06:07:14 AM

Welcome to Ultimate Bass AnglinChef!

I mostly fish salt water species and "Hot Shot" many of my reels with braid as a filler and a good length of what ever flavor of line I want the fish to see, most of my braids are on the reel for 5 years or so before I see a need to replace.

Due to circumstances I had my equipment in storage for about 2 years and didn't fish at all, when I did bring them out to use, I went out with them and the mono lines worked well with a little squirt of line conditioner. Memory isn't what it used to be for most quality lines, and the products on the market now to recondition the line work wonders.

senile1 · February 18, 2011, 09:50:34 AM

I don't know. Maybe I'm just picky about memory, but I like to replace monofilament and fluorocarbon lines every year at a minimum. I use KVD line conditioner and I still see memory, especially in fluorocarbon. Are my lines still fishable? Yes, but I prefer to have less memory that what I see after a certain period of time. Using backing lines is a good idea if you want to save time and money respooling.

Hoop Goobner · February 21, 2011, 10:07:39 AM

I respool mono and flouro yearly, and sometimes more often if its one of those years where I get on the lake a lot. I have definitely noticed a breakdown from UV rays on every kind of flouro or mono I've ever used. Those 8 to 10 hours that rod sits in the sun on your deck is hard on line IMO

TheLastRodBender · February 21, 2011, 10:22:26 AM

I generally wait until the week before i first hit the water. I respooled this past week with the hopes to get out saturday but things didnt work out.. but it' snot like i'm gonna rip the line off and re do it as the time comes to get the lines wet.

I would wait until you've got a chance of going out. Only because there's no real reason to do it before then. I dont know if waiting necessarily will cause problems, but waiting will 100% NOT cause any additional problems.