How to Fly a Kite With a Fishing Reel

If you love to fly a kite but you don't like to mess with tangled string, try using a fishing reel to handle the line. Read on on how to do this simple trick, and you'll be flying high in no time!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fishing reel
• Short fishing rod
• 300 yards of 15- to 30-lb. test nylon monofilament
• Swivel and swivel-snap, 30-lb. test

1. Decide what kind of reel you are most comfortable with. A bait-casting reel is easiest to manage, but spinning reels work fine if you are used to them. If you already have fishing equipment, all you need is the lower half of the rod with the reel. Or if you have a short boat rod (less than 3 feet long) and reel, you are ready to go.

2. Buy a fishing reel and either the shortest boat rod you can find, or an inexpensive 2-piece casting rod. Buy a 300-yard spool of 15- to 30-lb. test monofilament fishing line, unless the reel is already filled with similar line. Buy small packages of 30-lb. test snap-swivels and plain swivels, to attach the line to the kite.

3. Attach the reel to a short rod or the handle-end of a 2-piece casting rod. Wind on enough nylon monofilament line to fill the reel. Don't overfill the reel with line, or you will get more tangles. Feed the line through the guides and tie a snap-swivel onto the end. Tie an eye-swivel onto the lead line of your kite. Now you're ready to fly your kite.

4. Find a wide-open place to fly your kite, like an athletic field, a park or the beach. Connect the snap-swivel on your fishing line to the swivel on your kite lead. Let out about 6 feet of line and lick the reel.

5. Unlock the reel, using your thumb or the drag to control line tension and run with the kite to launch it if there isn't enough wind. If there's plenty of wind, just unlock the reel and let out enough line to get the kite airborne. Use the drag control and reel lock or bail to control the release of fishing line and height of the kite.

6. Practice reeling in and free-spooling line to control kite position and stability. Once the kite is stable, you can free-spool long lengths of line to fly the kite higher. You'll have much better control over your kite when you use a fishing reel for the line.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid inexpensive children's fishing outfits with a short rod and reel. They don't have enough line capacity, and will probably break quickly under the strain of kite flying.
• It's a good idea to wear eye protection when flying a kite to avoid an injury from the kite, the fishing rod or from windblown objects.
• If you let out too much line in a strong wind, you may have trouble getting the kite back, or it may start pulling you.