How to reline a fishing reel [2022]

As a responsible fisherman, it’s inevitable that you’ll need to change the line on one of your fishing reels. But don’t worry, with this step by step guide by your side, you’ll be back out on the water in no time!

Tie a knot in the end of your fishing line by bringing the tip over the main line and back under itself.
With one hand on each side of your reel, slowly wind in until you see the last bit of tension on your lure. Read to know more.

How to reline a fishing reel

Tie a knot in the end of your fishing line by bringing the tip over the main line and back under itself.
With one hand on each side of your reel, slowly wind in until you see the last bit of tension on your lure.

Then stop winding completely, but don’t let go of either side yet. Wrap one end around itself (like you would for a figure-8 knot) until there are roughly two inches left on top; then wrap that section tightly around again to form another figure.

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A design similar to a figure 8 before any excess length was cut off of either side; at this point, there is only one inch of space left between the two ends of the chain (you can use an exacto knife).

This action will result in the formation of a knot that is referred to as a clinch knot, and when it is complete, it should give the appearance of two lace cuffs with the laces knotted together in front of the cuffs.

Wrap the main line

Wrap the main line over the tip and back under it to make a loop.
The line should be wrapped over the tip so that it sits right next to the reel spool. It needs to be straight, tight and not twisted.

Before you start winding your main line around the spool of your reel, you will want to make sure that it is not either too long or inadequately short. If it falls into any of those categories, you will need to remeasure it.

Spool of your reel

If it is excessively long, when you unwind it from around the spool of your reel, there will be an excessive length of line left on each end of what was initially wrapped around said spool. This will occur if you have wrapped it around the spool more than once.

This will occur if it is the case that it is too long. In a similar vein, if there is not sufficient length for a proper wrap-around, then there may not be sufficient length for proper tensioning or casting purposes in the future (this could cause damage).

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap the loop of line

Loop the line around the main line three times.
How many you wrap the loop around the main line depends on the knot. If it’s an overhand knot, two or three loops will do; if it’s an Albright or perfection loop, four or five loops are needed.

The goal of wrapping is to secure your line so there are no loose ends that could cause your reel to slip. But be careful! You want something tight enough not to come undone but not so tight it cuts off circulation in your fingertips.

Make a knot

Slip the loop through to make a knot.
If the loop is too tight, you won’t be able to draw it through holes or fractures.You want your line to stay in place when you reel in your catch, so make sure the knot is snug but loose enough to move.

Pull-on both ends of your line to tighten up the knots. If you pull on one end and it gets bigger, then it means that the knot is too loose and you can pull more tightly on both ends until they are of equal size.

Pull the rest of your line

Pull the rest of your line back into place with your other hand while holding the first bit in place on the spool.
You don’t need to pull all of your line back into place before moving on to step 3, but you do want enough slack in there.

It is to help you to wind it around the spool as we’ll be doing next. If you’ve got too much line lying around, just pull out what we need and leave the rest lying across a table or something similar until we’re finished with this step!

Pull on both sides

Pull on both sides to make sure that your knot is tight and won’t slip through any holes or cracks. Be careful not to pull too hard, though—you don’t want to damage the fishing line or reel. The best thing to do is use both hands as evenly as possible.

It is important to pay attention while you work in order to ensure that the knots you create are of an even size and symmetrical shape. This will ensure that they remain securely in place once you have finished relining your reel.

Make sure your knot is tight

A clean, straight cut helps in respooling. Knife, razor blade, scissors, string trimmer, or weed whacker can cut the line. Whichever tool you use should cut cleanly on both sides of the line. When re-spooling your reel, maintain everything aligned for seamless operation.

You may measure how much line you need for your reel with a ruler or tape measure. Cut off any surplus fishing line so there are no frayed ends (these can get caught in other parts of your fishing gear).

Conclusion

There is really only one good way to decide what type of line and how much of it you will need for your reel. That is by using a measuring device that can tell you the length of each spool of fishing line in inches.

With this information, you will be able to figure out exactly how much line should go on your reel without having any problems with tangles or over-spooling it so tightly that it won’t spin properly when cast into the water.