How to Put a Fishing Line on an Open Face Reel
- 1). Feed the line through the eyelet on your fishing rod, starting from the tip and working toward the reel.
- 2). Open the bail on the reel. That's the wire half-loop that--if you're looking at the reel from the top--looks like a half circle around the widest part of the reel. When open, the bail will be hinged up over the top of the reel in a rainbow shape.
- 3). Thread the fishing line underneath the bail so that--when the bail is flipped down or "closed"--it'll push the line down. Tie the end of the line around the cylinder of the reel.
- 4). Set the spool of new line down on the floor or ground, take a couple of steps back and slowly reel line onto the reel. It should unwind from the spool on its own. You might need to keep some light tension on the line with your fingers as it enters the reel--this will keep the line from tangling.
- 5). Fill the reel to within 1/8-inch of its rim if you will be fishing in deep water or for very large fish. If you're fishing for smaller fish in a shallow lake or pond, you don't need as much line on the reel.
- 6). Cut the line away from the spool of new line a couple of feet from the tip of the pole. Go ahead and tie a hook to the end of the line, then seat the hook inside one of the eyelets of the fishing pole and reel line in until the hook keeps the line taught. This will prevent the line on your fishing pole from tangling.
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