Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

before putting the brain on soak it.put in 5 gallon bucket.when that brain is wet it lays on nice and tight.

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

my brain has always been tight, it's my reel I worry about...:D

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

to many paint chips

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

When I was a kid my dad put a pencil through the spool and I would hold the pencil with a rag putting pressure on both sides. Doing it myself I use HighHook94's method but I put the one rod in a rod holder.

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

I spool it on through my thumb and index finger. I’ve done it this way for 40 years. Seriously? You’re over thinking it.

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

Just realized I use another way to tightly spool my line...I have 2 kites, one for 80, 60 & 50# test lines, one for 40# test lines. The heavier 3 get to fly an 8' shark, the other gets a regular 4 sided tailed kite. I don't bother with the 30# test. Fully load spool under as much tension as you can. Find a big open field with no obstructions(power lines, trees) and fly your kite. Stretches the line a bit and it'll spool pretty darn tightly. I do it in 10-15 mph breeze....You, at the shore, have the beach or back meadows and that wonderful south afternoon breeze. LOL

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

I spool it the same way--thumb and index finger also for over 50+ years..never been a problem..

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

This is a real late post: Stopped using the kites. Now I use a surplus ammo box with my lead in it--about 35-40#. A cheap metal curtain rod and a milk crate; rod goes through one side of crate, line spool is next then rod through other crate side. Next a double folded hand towel on floor with line across it in middle. Fold towel over line, place ammo box over towel. Now you're ready to go. I need almost full strike on lever drags to spool line. Works on braid very nicely. To eliminate braid burying itself, a lot of consecutive rapid cross-overs work, a few yards of left-right-left loading, crosses again and repeat. Set up mono using same setup and load as usual. They both go on very tightly...

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

This is what I use to put line on. The tension is adjustable. A nut with 2 rubber washers on each side of the spool, two washers on one side with a bolt. The other side of the nut goes in a vice. This works just as good as a tackle shop! My braid is like a brick when it's done.

Re: spooling your reel to avoid loose wraps
 

put the line thru a phone book and place a weight to control tension...