There’s no denying that fishing offers anglers a host of benefits. Fishing can be fun and exciting. Apart from that, it can also help to eliminate life stresses. While that’s true, it’s also worth noting that fishing can be a complex sport. In case you don’t know, a few fishing aspects, such as stringing a fishing rod and having a tangled line, are slightly tricky.
If you’re pretty serious about fishing, one of the essential aspects of it is learning how to string your fishing pole. Since poles won’t string themselves, you must do the hard work yourself before starting to fish.
Depending on the type of fishing reel you’re using, there are a couple of ways to string your fishing rod effectively. The technique for stringing a regular pole is slightly different from what you utilize for a closed-face fishing pole and a fishing pole with a bobber.
Although stringing a fishing pole can be a little bit tricky, with the right tips, you can always get the process done in no time. In the rest of this post, I’ll share with you a few tips on how to string your fishing pole. That’s not all; the article also includes methods to string a fishing pole with a bobber as well as a closed-face fishing pole.
What You Need to Know About Fishing Reel
As earlier mentioned, there are different types of reels. To learn how to string your fishing pole effectively, you need to get familiar with the fishing reel types. So, before going straight to showing you the steps involved in stringing a fishing pole, let’s first look at the different types of reels available.
Types of fishing reels
When it comes to stringing a fishing pole, there are three different items you’ll need. One of them is the fishing reel, which is available in various types. Here are some of the popular reels available out there.
1. Spinning reels
According to many anglers, spinning reels are the best type of available fishing reels. That’s so because they are popular, versatile, and can function for different purposes. By using spinning reels, you can read assured of accuracy. The fishing tool offers a host of features, including “ease of use.”
One of the many things you can use reels for is to spin fishing with artificial lures. Furthermore, spinning reels are also effective for bobber fishing, fishing that involves bottom rigs and live/dead baits, ice fishing, and many more.
2. Baitcast reels
Bait cast reels are ideal if you’re looking to use weightier baits, which depend on the type of fish you’re planning to land. However, the equipment is a little bit tricky to use. That’s so because the fishing reel spins every time you cast your line, meaning that it requires a lot of experience for you to achieve accuracy while using it.
3. Spincast reels
The design of spincast reels makes them one of the best reels in terms of simplicity. The fishing equipment comes with a host of excellent features. One of them is the metal nose cone, which packs most of the components of the reel. Furthermore, because of the metal nose cone, spincast reels are also called closed-face reels.
That said, the method you’ll use for stringing a fishing pole with a spincast reel is way different from what you’ll use for a rod with a bobber. You’ll get to see the various techniques for stringing fishing reels in the next section of this post.
How to String a Fishing Pole?
1. Put the reel on the pole
The first step is to assemble your fishing pole. As an angler, you must have heard of the term “ferrule.” In case you don’t know, it’s a hollow metal tube that you can use to connect pieces of a fishing rod.
That said, to assemble the fishing pole, you need to bring the ferrules together (at 45°). After that, you need to twist and pull them until the metal tubes along the rod align.
Next, you need to attach the reel to the pole. If you’re using a spinning reel, all you need is to position the equipment right under the fishing rod.
To do that, you need to place the reel foot, the flat metal blade, into the seat. After that, all you need is to tighten down the seat threads.
2. Connect the line to the reel
After successfully assembling the fishing pole and attaching the reel, the next thing you need to do is to connect the line. To do that, you need to attach the fishing line to the reel.
To get started, you’ll need to pass the line through the first guide – the one closest to the reel – on the fishing rod. Next, open the bail and pull the line on the fishing reel.
The next thing you need is to tie the line to the arbor, the center of the spool, using an arbor knot. After successfully connecting the fishing line to the reel, ensure you close the bail.
3. Load the line onto the spool
Since you’ve attached the line to the reel successfully, the next step is to load it onto the spool. To do that, all you need is to place the spool on the ground, and reeling the fishing line into it.
However, while doing that, you need to be careful to avoid twisting the line. The best way to prevent twists is by continuously checking the reel back while reeling the fishing line, ensuring the bail rotates in the same direction as the line moving from the spool.
4. Stringing the pole
Now that you’ve successfully loaded the line onto the spool, the next stage involves stringing the pole. For this process, you need to re-open the bail and run the fishing line through the rod’s guide.
The easiest way to do that is to cut the line closest to the handle and then pass the loose end through each of the guides.
It’s worth knowing that missing out on any rod guides might not be the best move for you. That said, you need to be careful, ensuring that enough fishing line passes through the guides.
5. Time to attach the hook and bait
After stringing the pole, what is next is to attach the bait and hook. You need to understand that there are tons of options for you when attaching a hook to the fishing pole.
However, irrespective of the method you’re opting for, what’s most important is that you need to select the right fishing knot, tying it appropriately. One of the best options for attaching hooks to the fishing rod is to connect the hooks through a knotless knot.
In case you don’t know, a knotless knot is one of the best options for attaching a hook to the fishing line. For this process, you can follow the following steps to get it done.
- You need to cut the top line to a specific length. After that, all you need is to tie the loop at the end section. Going that will assist you in holding the bait.
- The next step involves slowly passing the other end of the fishing line. That should go right through the eye from the front of the hood to the back. That’s not all; it should also pass through the shank.
- Next, use the tag end of the line to hold the shank of the hook – tightly. After that, you’ll need to wrap the string about eight times. To do that, you can start from the shank and move towards the line’s near end.
- However, while wrapping the line, ensure they align side by side by avoiding overlapping. After successfully wrapping it, pick the other end of the line and pass it through the hook eye, starting from that back and moving to the front.
- Lastly, add moisture to the knotless knot, pulling the two ends until they become firm.
Apart from using a knotless knot, another excellent idea for you is to utilize the clinch knot. Many anglers use clinch knots to attach baits, hooks, and swivels to their fishing line. If you’re also interested in using it, here are a few simple steps to do it.
- First, you need to pass the leading line’s tag end through the fishing hook’s eye. After that, wrap the string on its body about five to seven times.
- Next, locate the small loop nearest to the hook’s eye and then pass the tag end through it, bringing it back to the loose end.
- After that, apply moisture to the knot, bring the two ends together and tighten them firmly.
6. Cast your bait
The last stage of stringing a fishing pole involves casting your bait. After that, it means you’ve been able to string the rod successfully.
How to String a Closed-Face Fishing Pole?
As earlier mentioned, there is more than one option for you when it comes to stringing a fishing rod. The steps outlined above might not be the best if you’re considering setting up a closed-face fishing pole.
That said, the question is, what is the best approach for stringing a closed-face fishing pole?
For you to set up your closed-face fishing pole (a pole with a spincast reel), below are a few simple and straightforward steps that you can use to get the job done.
Open the reel’s cover
The first thing you need to do when stringing a closed-face fishing pole is to open the reel’s cover. For this step, you need to place the fishing rod flat on the ground. After that, the next thing is to take off the spincast reel’s lid by unscrewing it.
However, there are a few cases where the spincast reels don’t come with screws. If that’s your case, you can use the push button (if your reel has the feature) to open the cover. If the fishing reel doesn’t have control, it should have a pin and a notch, which you can use to open the lid.
Use a suitable line
Before going ahead to stringing the closed-face fishing rod, ensure you check the line capacity and use the reel’s suitable fishing line. Doing that will prevent you from limiting the casting distance of the fishing equipment.
Attach the appropriate line to the spool
Next, you need to attach a suitable fishing line to the reel.
In the case you already have an old fishing line attached to the reel, it’ll be best to remove it but not completely. Leave a small part of the line, which will allow you to connect the new and appropriate fishing line for better casting.
However, if there’s no old line, attach the new one directly to the spool. To do that, pass the line by running it through the small hole in the cover. Apart from that, you can also run the fishing line by attaching it to the fishing pole’s tip. In case you used a small portion of the old line alongside the new fishing line, make sure you connect the two lines using clinch knots.
Close the reel
The next step involves closing back the reel. However, to do that, ensure that you hold the fishing line very firmly. Furthermore, check to confirm that the string sits correctly and the cover isn’t pinching it whatsoever. Upon successfully screwing back the lid, pull the line a little more firmly.
Reeling the new line
If you only utilize a new line, the next step is to start reeling it. To do that, you need to place the fishing spool on the ground. After that, begin spinning the line. However, while doing that, you will need to be careful not to twist the line or have it overlap.
The best way to prevent line twists is by holding the line tightly with one hand and using the other hand to spin the reel. You don’t have to go fast while performing this process, as you need to maintain maximum tension.
Fill the spool
After successfully reeling the new line, the next step is to fill the spool to about 1/8 inch of the lid. However, for this stage, you need to be careful not to overfill the line. As such, I’ll advise that you open the cover from time to time, confirming the reel isn’t getting overloaded.
Attach the lure
The next stage involves attaching the lure to the fishing pole. However, for this step, you’ll have to utilize a suitable line guide. That’s all about stringing a closed-face fishing pole.
How to String a Fishing Pole with Bobber?
A bobber is a buoyant object that most anglers add to their fishing line. The primary function of the item is that it helps with bite indication. A bobber tells anglers that there is activity going on at the suspended bait – it does that by bobbing around in the water.
There are different types of fishing bombers out there. The two most common are the Captive Bobber, such as the ball, waggler, and spring, and the Sliding Bobber, such as the slip stick.
If you’re interested in stringing your fishing pole with a bobber, here are a few simple and straightforward steps that you can follow.
1. Materials required
To set up your fishing pole with a bobber, some of the likely materials you’ll need include bobber stops, slip bobber, beads (plastic or rubber), split shot, barrel swivels, hooks, and leader line.
2. Set up the bobber stop
The next step involves setting up the bobber stop, a small piece of string that you can tie onto your fishing line. The benefit of the material is to help you set the depth for the slip bobber.
That said, for you to set up the bobber stop, you need to thread the material onto the mainline – that’s the one coming off from the reel. Speaking of distance, you need to set up the depth according to what you want.
For instance, do you want your bait to be 12 feet below the surface of the water, using a 4ft leader line? If yes, then you need to move the stop eight feet above the mainline. Adding that to the four-foot leader line will give you the desired twelve feet below the water surface.
3. Thread a bead to the line
After successfully setting up the bobber stop, the next thing is to thread a bead (rubber or plastic) to the line. By doing that, the bead material will help prevent the bobber from moving over the bobber stop.
4. Setting up the bobber
The next step involves setting up the bobber. As we all know, there are different types of bobbers.
A slip bobber is a tube that has two ends. One of its ends comes shorter and often packs a grommet in its opening. Hold the short end and thread your line through it.
5. Setting up the terminal tackle
The last step involved in stringing a fishing pole with a bobber is the part where you need to set up the terminal tackle, including the leader line, sinkers, and hooks.
For this step, you need to locate the free end of the mainline. After that, ensure to tie a swivel onto it firmly. Next, connect the hook and the leader to the swivel at the free end, and lastly, the fishing sinkers.