How to Put a Fishing Line on an Abu Garcia Reel

Respooling new line on your Abu Garcia reel is easy.

Changing out the old fishing line on your Abu Garcia spinning reel is a good idea at the start of fishing season. Monofilament line wears down and becomes brittle over time, so it's a good idea to respool your reel with fresh line every year so the big one lurking in the depths doesn't get away.

Things You'll Need

• Abu Garcia reel and rod
• New spool of fishing line.
• Scissors or a pocketknife
• Pencil or similarly sized wooden dowel

Instructions

How to Put a Fishing Line on an Abu Garcia Reel

1. Mount the Abu Garcia on a fishing rod.
   Flip up the reel's stainless-steel line bail to disengage the old fishing line.

2. Unwind all the old line down to the knot that secures it to the line spool.
   Cut away the knot and discard the old line.

3. Thread new line through the ferrules of the fishing rod and attach to the reel spool, taking care to be certain the line unwinds in the same clockwise direction as the reel spins when retrieving line.
   Cut away any excess line at the knot around the reel spool to prevent tangles.

4. Place a pencil or wooden dowel through the hole of the plastic reel that came wound with the new fishing line. Have someone hold the pencil like an axle so the line spins off smoothly and does not twist.
   Close the bail over the spool to catch the line.

5. Begin winding new line on the reel by turning the crank handle in a steady motion.
   Be careful not to exceed the Abu Garcia recommendations for line length on your particular reel, otherwise you run the risk of tangling your line the next time you go fishing. As the pound test (line strength) increases, the amount of line you can store on the reel will decrease.

6. Tie a snap swivel or practice casting weight to the end of the line and clip to the reel bail. Tighten the reel crank slightly to prevent the fresh line from unraveling when the equipment is not in use.