Need advice on filling spool on new 20000 SW Stella

[Randall Cullinan]

I need to spool up my first Stella, a 20000SW, and wonder if you can get more line on without winding it on. I know the reel is supposed to be very good on laying down line but want to get the maximum on it.

Does anyone know the percentage difference?

[Brandon Khoo]

but Randall - if you don't wind the line on, there won't be any line on the spool!? 

I need to spool up my first Stella, a 20000SW, and wonder if you can get more line on without winding it on. I know the reel is supposed to be very good on laying down line but want to get the maximum on it.

Does anyone know the percentage difference?

[Andrew Poulos]

Hand winding line on helps when distance casting Ive heard , but once you have packed on the extra (if any line) then start fishing, the line will be packed on as per the spool and you may end up with more line and loose coils coming off.
You can try the shaping washers to alter the line lay but I dont think it will alter dramatically how much you get on(unless you go for quite a conical line lay).

[Colin P]

I need to spool up my first Stella, a 20000SW, and wonder if you can get more line on without winding it on. I know the reel is supposed to be very good on laying down line but want to get the maximum on it.

Does anyone know the percentage difference?

Not sure you will gain much trying this Randall. I have a 20000FA and I spooled it as follows -

1 - passed line through rod rings and attached it to the reel via uni knot then wrapped a spool width of duct tape around reel spool

2 - walked 50 yards from my car getting my wife to release line from the spool of 80 test Tuf Line XP then got her to wrap the line round the rubber covered ball socket on the tow bar

3 - pointed rod at car and wound myself back to the car with the reel drag locked up

4 - repeated steps 2 and 3 until I filled the reel.

I got in excess of 450 yards of 80 test Tufline XP on the spool, tight wound i.e. almost impossible to push the line across the spool with your fingernail, using this method and I have followed the same process for all my reels. Don't think I could get any more line on using any other method and the line lay is perfect.

Note: I did have to add one drag washer to the factory setting to achieve perfect line lay.

[Travis Heaps]

....Note: I did have to add one drag washer to the factory setting to achieve perfect line lay.

Isn't it a real  when you noticed that only after you've just finished spooling up!  Keep an eye on that Randall, if the line starts lying onto the spool in a cone shape then you need to add or remove one drag washer, depending on which way (top or bottom) the cone is biased.  I thought they were meant to come from the factory set to normal (no cone) but mine didn't, nor did Colin's by the sounds.

[earlhamilton]

I was thinking of asking a similar question regarding loading Santa's latest gift, my new Stella SW18000HG. The three criteria that concerned me were the capacity, having enough even tension, and keeping out twist. Whatever I do not want the braid cutting into soft layers underneath if I can help it, and I guess good tension will give me as much line as I could put on the reel.
As it turned out I got just over 300m of PE#8 YGK ultra on it, loaded without twist, and a nice even tension.
I achieved this by letting the braid come off the retail spool without tension, in the usual fashion so that it counteracts the twist put in by the bail, and then threaded the braid through a Tiagra 30 (held down on a table by a friend)taking the braid round the spool a dozen or so times and then off the Tiagra spool and threaded through the rod guides and onto the Stella spool, set the drag on the Tiagra to apply enough tension to the braid coming off the Tiagra spool and onto the Stella, and wind away till the Stella was loaded. This seemed to work really well as the spooled braid is really solid on the Stella.
I know its a bit late to ask for my new baby, but what do you guys think would be the ideal tension to set the drag on the Tiagra for for PE8 or a fighting drag on the Stella set at say 15kg ?

[Andy Rowe]

I bought this cool little device today, a japanese tool for spooling and unspooling has a tension adjustment for spooling up and clamps to a table or bench. Very impressed, yet to test it out though.

[Tri Vi Ton]

randall,
er are u mad? LOL i spool hundreds of spools every year, by machine (not hand!!)... yes u can get more line length on, but once it goes off you may find the natural osciltion of reel will put the line(back on) on less efficiently, and hence suddenly you have over spooling, and in some cases bad windknot etc.

other bad effects are line wraps being too adjacent/parallel, that it doesnt come freely off spool, under cast or drag..

even tho i spool that many spools by machine, i think old fashioned is best in terms of performance.. and in terms of the mega sized PE that u guys tend to use, you wont actually gain that much line length.

and lastly, and backing up wot others have said about spooling bias, you know striaght away whether you need to add or remove washrs... with Big sized PE you can usually tell within the first few layers

and ANDY!!! wot is that tools name and maker?

[Andy Rowe]

Hi Tri,

It's in Japanese, I see they are actually advertised on the Plat site if you hunt around abit you should find it.

I'm at work at the moment so can't tell you straight away.

Rgds
Andy

[Tri Vi Ton]

thanks andy...

[Andy Rowe]

Tri,

http://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32_484&products_id=3656

Dai-Ichi Hi-Speed Line Recycler.

[Narc]

I have that line winding tool for almost 3 years now. For spooling of lines, it is ok for lines maybe up to PE3, anything more it seems useless. For removing lines from spool, it is quite funtional.

[Greg Burt]

They are available from Nomad

http://www.nomadtackle.com/nsatackle_accessories.htm