Spooling Wire Line?

[MarkNY]

I've had horrible experiences with copper line so i have been reluctant to try wire for dipsies. I've had good luck with braid dipsies. I gave in this year and got 4 new setups and 4 spools of 7 strand torpedo wire. My plan was to fill the first one backwards to determine how much backing then flip it around on another empty reel. I started reeling on wire and got two or three kinks in the first 100'. Was putting tension on line with my hand but im thinking i need to mount the spool on something to keep the line from flying off. Any tips/suggestions? Any way to remove those kinks? About ready to get rid of this stuff. thanks, mark

[Gill-T]

Get a helper.  Have your helper hold the spool with oven mits on and load the reel REAL tight.  Fill the reel right up once, no need to put backing on.  Helps to put a layer of electrical tape down on the spool to keep it from slipping.  Without seeing the kinks....I can't tell you if they are salvagable,...better to start over for piece of mind.

[Big Dave]

Tie the wire to the spool than tape over it.  I like the straping tape with the nylon filiments in it. I tape with the spool so the filiments are cross ways to the spool and wire.  Put it on real tight.  No backing on a diawia 47 series reel   Put all  1000' on each reel. 

Edited March 28, 2013 by Big Dave

[Hooked on Kings]

If your putting the wire on those Okuma cold water 30's no backing will be fine,I had Okuma Magda 30's and 1000 ft of 30lb wire filled it nice, but I have heard others suggesting putting on 1 hundred feet on, and it will still fit. I bought the Okuma 453's and put 3oo ft on before the wire, probably could have gone with 400 but it's pretty full.   

 

When I spooled my reels the first time I was alone, so I put the wire spool with a bolt through it so it could free wheel in the vise and then I had a second empty spool that was wider that fit tight in the vise so when I pulled the wire off the spool it went once around the empty spool and made enough drag to be tight on the reel. If you have a helper using Gill's method is the easier way to go.

 

No matter how you do it I would still suggest finding deeper waters and letting as much out as you can and reel it back in. That will take the stresses off the line, going from spool to reel and it will be consistently tight as well. I can't wait to use my new Okuma's I have 4 with wire all set to go as soon as summer gets here, if that ever happens.... ha ha ha.....good luck.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Hooked on Kings

[srd]

Did mine by poking a screwdriver through a tennis ball then put the spool of wire on the screwdriver then poke it through another tennis ball and clamped in a vice. You can add as much pressure as you like. 

[Sk8man]

Try one of these from Cabelas

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Ultimate-Line-Winding-System/1432827.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DICast%2BLine%2Bwinding%2Bsystem%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=ICast+Line+winding+system&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Berkley-Line-Winder/702237.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DBerkeley%2Bline%2Bwinder%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=Berkeley+line+winder&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

[Tim Bromund]

No matter how tight you think you have it spooled initially, it's still not tight enough.  Before you use a newly spooled wire rod you really have to go out over deep water, attach a 1 pound lead ball or a tripped diver and let all of the wire out and reel it back in under that tension to truly get it spooled tight.  Just so you can see the difference a tightly spooled reel can make, make sure you zero the line counter before you let the wire out and see what the number is when you have it reeled in tight.  I think you'll be very surprised just how much slack you've taken out by doing that.

 

Tim

Edited March 28, 2013 by Tim Bromund

[MarkNY]

thanks guys...

[GAMBLER]

No matter how tight you think you have it spooled initially, it's still not tight enough.  Before you use a newly spooled wire rod you really have to go out over deep water, attach a 1 pound lead ball or a tripped diver and let all of the wire out and reel it back in under that tension to truly get it spooled tight.  Just so you can see the difference a tightly spooled reel can make, make sure you zero the line counter before you let the wire out and see what the number is when you have it reeled in tight.  I think you'll be very surprised just how much slack you've taken out by doing that.

 

Tim

Or you can put it all on the reel, hook it to your mailbox post and walk off the 1000' and reel it back on like you are fighting your mailbox.  You get some really interesting looks by cars driving by.  I can only imagine what my neighbors say when I'm out there doing this.  It goes on super tight and does not waste any time on the water. 

[Chas0218]

I used a board in a vise with a bolt thru it and a nylon lock nut with a washer. I spooled her nice and tight I dont think she can get too much tighter.

[Matthew]

I've had horrible experiences with copper line so i have been reluctant to try wire for dipsies. I've had good luck with braid dipsies. I gave in this year and got 4 new setups and 4 spools of 7 strand torpedo wire. My plan was to fill the first one backwards to determine how much backing then flip it around on another empty reel. I started reeling on wire and got two or three kinks in the first 100'. Was putting tension on line with my hand but im thinking i need to mount the spool on something to keep the line from flying off. Any tips/suggestions? Any way to remove those kinks? About ready to get rid of this stuff. thanks, mark

I would suggest not to put tension on stranded wire with your hand. When stranded wire is squeezed you can cause the stranded wire to go through your fingers like the thread on a bolt, in other words you are causing the stranded wire to spiral and twist. As others have suggested it is best to have a buddy hold the spool with a screwdriver and use their hands to put tension on the spool, not directly on the stranded wire. Then as Tim said go out on the lake and using a good ball bearing swivel and a one pound ball let most of the line out, when you reel back in your line is set.

 

We have spooled thousands of spools of stranded wire line. At one point we used a wire guide to guide the stranded wire when spooling down from 10000 to 1000 foot spools. We found that constant pressure from a wire guide will cause the the stranded wire to build up tension ( the tension on the wire guide would cause the stranded wire to spiral) . We now use a no touch method and find the stranded wire never builds up tension. Building up tension is not good for stranded wire because eventually with enough tension, stranded wire will want to twist and eventually kink.

Edited April 1, 2013 by Matthew

[Legacy]

I've had horrible experiences with copper line so i have been reluctant to try wire for dipsies. I've had good luck with braid dipsies. I gave in this year and got 4 new setups and 4 spools of 7 strand torpedo wire. My plan was to fill the first one backwards to determine how much backing then flip it around on another empty reel. I started reeling on wire and got two or three kinks in the first 100'. Was putting tension on line with my hand but im thinking i need to mount the spool on something to keep the line from flying off. Any tips/suggestions? Any way to remove those kinks? About ready to get rid of this stuff. thanks, mark

 

I have always hated spooling wire line also so i purchased a Berkley Line winder to make things a little easier. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/products/tools-and-equipment/classics/spooling-station-portable

It made things alot more manageable then in the past. I would highly suggest before you use any wire reel to go out into the lake, deploy all of the wire, and reel it on under the pressure of a tripped diver or 1# lead ball.

As for backer... I just respooled 4 Okuma Cold Water 30s with 100' of 50# mono then 1000' Blood Run SS wire and it filled the spool perfectly.

[CaptSpike]

I also use a board with a threaded rod thru it. Nut on each side of the board. Then flat washer, nylon washer and the spool of line. Then put another nylon washer (to act like a drag system) and another steel washer. Next I put a spring (found at any good hardware store, size to fit application) another steel washer and two nuts. The first nut sets the tention n the spool the next locks that tention in place. When you reel the line on you'll feel like your reeling a tripped dipsey or a 1# wieght, lol. Works great for al your spooling needs. Also cheap to make.

Spike

[MarkNY]

thanks guys... ill get some help when i rig these... 

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I bought one of those Berkeley line winders. They work well. But when I spool wire I also put a slit in a tennis ball and use that to put extra pressure.