In the 9-minute YouTube video below, Caleb Wistad shows his proven method for properly filling a spinning reel with braided line. You don’t want to risk making a mistake by putting braid on a spinning reel incorrectly because it’s expensive.
The challenge in filling a spinning reel correctly is “getting the most bang for your buck.” By this I mean you don’t want to waste a bunch of braided line by using way more than you need, but you also don’t want to put on too little, which will result in difficult casting.
Wistad provides good tips on calculating how much braid you need to completely fill a spinning reel — without overfilling it, which can lead to problems (wind knots, tangles, etc.). All you’ll need to properly fill a spinning reel with braid is the line itself, a sharp scissors and some monofilament line for backing. Note: The backing doesn’t need to be new/fresh; feel free to use old mono as backing because it will never be a factor when casting or fighting a fish.
Tip: There’s a million choices when it comes to buying braided line. For spinning reels, I’ve had good luck with the same line as Wistad shows in his video. The brand is Power Pro, and the type is Super 8 Slick V2. It comes in a handful of color choices; I prefer white because it’s easy for me to see under a wide variety of conditions.
