How much line?

[Cooter]

In the past I've typically bought 300yrd spools and not really paid a lot of attention to how much I put on each reel. I'm sure it was more than enough! Just got a spool of 150yrds and I'm thinking thats enough for 2 reels if I split it evenly. I can't imagine a situation where I would need more than that, especially with 20lb cortland mono for backing.

[Esox_Magnum]

I have casted to my backing before, Honestly I don't know how much line was on the reel. I normaly try and fill 3 400 Shimano spools off a 300 yard. that gives me 300feet on each roughly. Turn it around after awhile and use the other half.

[10,000 Casts]

If you are like me a cut and retie more than you need to then I would say try to get a little more on there. If not then I think that 75yds is the bare minimum. If a fish gets you down to your backing, even if it is 20lb test, your screwed so you might want to tight the drag a bit

[cjac]

I try for 100 yards of my main line, stand on a football field end zone and you'll realize just how much line that really is.

Chris

[propster]

I use a simple trick to get what I need for line on there, and like you, in order to maximize the number of reels I could get from a 150 or 300 yd spool, I would put 75 yds on each reel. I just would clip one of the cheap line counters to the rod out in front and run it through there. 75 yds is enough, and will handle several reties, but it is just enough. One thing I do though is fill the reel partially with mono, then some old braid, then the 75 yds of good line so that the reel is full and you're crankin in maximum line per crank. That seems to help casting and speed.

[slipperybob]

Depends on your spool size and how much backing you want. For typical fishing, I'll have about 100 yrds on spinning gear and minimun 50 yrds on low profile reels. I'm on the shore so I've tangle'd big fish that's given me a run of close 100 yrds until my spool came down to it's knot. So since then, I've upgraded to better equipment and all to prevent that.

[cjac]

The goal is to meet full line capacity of the reel without putting on unecessary yards of more expensive braided line and to fill the lower with inexpensive backing. A full spool helps with casting distance and espeically on a non-disengaging reel like the Luna 253 or the 300 series Shimanos.

Bass reels that hold 120 I typically put just enough backing on the cover the spool. On a muskie reel I do enough so the 100 or so yards of braid fills the spool. I have a 5000 yard spool of 20lb Gander mono I use, and have done it enough that I can pretty much eyeball up how much backing needs to go on. Usually until the spool is covered to about the diameter of a dime maybe?

You would be amazed how much line 100 yards really is. I turn my line around every year and the bottom 1/2 of braid looks like it's never seen the light of day. 100 yards takes you down the street a ways.

Put on a topwater and troll and let put line until you hit the uni knot, that lure is a looooong ways back! If I have a fish run that far I'm calling for a harpoon.....

Chris

[Cooter]

I've used a range finder to evenly split a spool of line for multiple reels.

Think what I might do to get the spool perfectly filled is to measure out say 75 yrd of braid and put that on a reel, then uni knot my 20lb backing and fill it right where I want it. Then I'll take another reel and tie the backing on and transfer the line from reel A to reel B. I'll be set - I only have 6500s. If I get serious, I might even take x amount of backing, once determined, and lay it out and use the range finder to see just how much x amount is. I could get around the reel to reel swappin that way.

Again, I just need to decide if 75yrds is enough. If I'm changing leaders/knots often I don't want to be casting down to the backing or having a half full spool of line to deal with. I hate to crank 150yrds of line on though and only use half of it, reversing it each year or not. 75 yrd is a good distance, if I get spooled I agree its harpoon time!

[Cooter]

BTW - if you happen to be driving through Eau Claire and see a guy with a beer in one hand and a musky rig in the other plus a range finder in his back pocket....that would be me!

[VMS]

Hey Cooter,

I think there is some possibility to what you are thinking...and it would only take one time. Do like you said to fill the first reel...but...as you are reeling up the backing, count the number of times you turn the reel handle until you hit the uni knot. Given all of your reels are the same (or maybe better stated hold the same amount of line) this would work. I've been thinking of doing the same thing as you to split the spools evenly.

Steve

[Esox_Magnum]

I think keeping a spare empty reel around with a clip on line counter would be the trick. I never measure mine just guess, but I may try something to even up a spool. Maybe I finaly found a use for that Abu 6600.