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Hi, Filling up a spinning reel spool with braided line. Something that I think I could improve. What is the best way have as much line as you can get and as tight as possible on the spool? Is it better to spool it by reeling the line with the reel or try and optimize the line lay by having the spool rotating with some tool (like a drill) and lay the line along the spool with your own hands like at the shops? 2 years ago, I bought an Ecooda portable Spooler thing (Piscifun also sells it) I really like that the spool spins as the line goes on the reel. Some people wont agree but I think this might be a good thing because it eliminates (completly?) line twist that I frequently experienced before (when leaving the spool on the ground with the label facing up). With this gadget, the thing is that you are limited on the actual tension you can put so the line feels tight but could be tighter. You are also spinning the reel handle and using the gears, so how much pressure can you actually put... I will share this: Using the Ecooda spooler, I spooled my Penn Clash 6000 with 30lbs Kastking Mega 8 braid. All the way to the last ''Line capacity ring''... It seemed like it was tight enough and would not dig in. The line spool was 547yds, but there is no way I fitted the 490yds of 30lbs braid that Penn states will fit this particular reel. Then I go to Cabo, hook into multiple big fish from the beach en enjoy the longest runs I ever heard on my reel. Alot of line come out...cast + fish run = >200-250yds? Anyway, this line goes back on the reel with all the pressure of these fish. After my trip I realized that my line is much closer to the middle ''Line capacity ring'' than the last one... And now the line is VERY tight on the spool. Looks like I could fit 100yds or so of more braid... Now I'm wondering if I should fill it more with the rest of my spool making a connection double uni-knot (10 wraps each side) or will I whish I didn't when a big fish make a long run with15lbs-20lbs of drag on that knot. (I will prbably make another topic about braid to braid connection knots and purposes) So... Should we over fill it a bit at the beginning? We all know that Penn Spinners don't like being overfilled, so if I'm going to loose 50-70yds on braid from windknot.... Should I wet the spool? ? ? I'd like to here some ideas. thanks!

I can really use advice from you who've used this reel extensively. I've now got the Ultegra XSC 10k and the 12-ft Tiralejo. I'm an old school dude, only switched to braid last year and I'm used to essentially drama-free Penn reels. A little leery of this machine. 1) Some have advised that the reel needs to be opened up and greased before use. Though it seems that Shimano only recommends oil on the drive train. How are you guys prepping and maintaining this reel in general? 2) 40# braid is the lightest listed by Shimano for this reel. I assume 30 is fine and maybe 20? I want max distance, but I don't know if lighter line will increase the likelihood of twists and knots. Or decrease it. No rocks around where I'll be fishing this. And 20# mono has been plenty for the fish I catch. 3) Spooling line on. Lots of conflicting advice out there for this reel. Shimano say no machine, but to reel it on off of a free-spinning spool held vertically. Some say this is best, others say it will cause problems without the stronger tension applied by a machine. But then a machine will leave you with a horribly twisted first cast. Etc, etc. Haha. Perhaps I'm worrying too much about this. What to do? 4) The spare spool. I was assuming it would be an identical spare. It's not. Why? It's a 6000 with about 40% of the line capacity. Still plenty though...it can hold 250 yds of 30# PP. For the main spool, which can hold 600+ yds of 30# PP, what kind weight mono backing for 20 or 30# braid? Is there a ratio for braid to mono that works? 5) Lastly, the shims. There is nothing in the manual or website explaining why or how to install. Baffled. Is this something that I need to just watch for at first? An uneven line lay? Sorry for all the questions. My "distance" caster has been a modestly powered 10.5 ft GLoomis 1264-S. Real nice, but this new rig reminds me of the day my dad took the .22 from me and handed me the 12-gauge for the first time.