Setting up a reel

[GeckoGuy]

I want to set up some copper and wire rods this year, but I'm not sure how to set it up.  How do you know how much backer to put on the reel before you put the wire on while keeping the line counter accurate.  I want to set up my Okuma Stratamaster SM30D with with either 300' or 400' copper or wire for dipsys. Which do you recommend and how do I spool it?  Thanks.

[GeckoGuy]

Also, do I have to change the rod tip to run wire?

[Paul Czarnecki]

You're talking about two different things my friend. Copper is its own deployment device. Wire is multi stranded stainless and is used with dipseys.

I doubt your Okuma is big enough to handle a 300 or 400 copper but should work for a wire Dipsey setup.

To run a wire diver you "should"'replace the tip with a twilly.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[GeckoGuy]

You're talking about two different things my friend. Copper is its own deployment device. Wire is multi stranded stainless and is used with dipseys.

I doubt your Okuma is big enough to handle a 300 or 400 copper but should work for a wire Dipsey setup.

To run a wire diver you "should"'replace the tip with a twilly.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

 

I was trying to figure out if I should run copper or a dipsy setup.  If I do run wire, how much mono backer should I put on and how much wire?

[Paul Czarnecki]

If you had to choose only one I would say go with 30# stainless wire (malin, afw, torpedo or my favorite BLOOD RUN). 1000 ft of wire with a little mono under it should fill your reel nicely.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[bout time]

Usually little or no backing needed for wire. Put 1000' of wire on your reel. Trick is put one or two wraps around reel and hold in place with a piece of electrical tape and then spool the rest of the wire on. With Wire you will want to change out the tip to a twill tip. Simply heat up the old tip and pull off, clean the glue residue off and instal the twill tip with a drop of super glue

Edited April 9, 2015 by bout time

[Legacy]

I was trying to figure out if I should run copper or a dipsy setup.  If I do run wire, how much mono backer should I put on and how much wire?

 

A 30 series Okuma will hold 90 yards of 30# mono backer along with 1000 ft of wire

[GeckoGuy]

Thanks everyone I think I've got it figured out

[bottom-feeder]

I run 30 series okuma's for dipsies

 

600' of braid backer with 500' of wire

[finsntins]

if you are not sure you can always have a tackle shop do it like jons little salmon shop in mexico or any of the shops in pulaski.you can bring them your reel to set up or buy them pre-loaded with copper or wire.it really sucks when let out 300 ft of copper and the first fish breaks you off cause your knot didnt hold.alot cheaper to let the pros do it.

[John E Powell]

Set up a wire diver on a reel that size. As to rigging here we go again

 

Filling a wire reel:

 

 

Step 1) Choose your type of wire.

 

First decide if you’re going to use 7 or 19 strand wire. I like 19 strand, others prefer 7 strand which also can be a bit cheaper. 19-strand is softer than 7-strand. Softer wire is easier on rod guides. 

 

With wire, a kink and failure is something that sooner or later happens to everyone. With 7-strand, you don't get much warning that the failure is about to happen. However, the 19-strand gives you a little warning because some of the very fine wires around the outside will fail and form a small birds nest on the wire. Usually you will see this before it completely fails. 

 

This means you can repair it before you lose your diver, ball bearing swivels, flasher and fly, etc. 

 

7-strand fails less frequently, but it's harder on rod guides and greater chance of losing all your gear.

 

19-strand fails slightly more frequently, but it's easier on rod guides and less of a chance of losing all your gear.

 

 

Step 2) How to determine the amount of backing you will need so your reel will be full when you load on the 1000’ spool of wire:

 

To prevent overfilling and having to cut the wire, or under filling, I wind the setup on backwards so the backing is on top. I add whatever amount of backing fills the reel, and then transfer it to a second reel. At each splice, I write down the line counter number so I can then duplicate it on other reels. 

 

Wire and super braids like Power-Pro will slip on a reel's metal spool. To prevent this from happening, guys do a number of things. Some people use electrical tape, but I don't like the idea of using something with a sticky adhesive on the reel spool, it's not necessary. I just use regular mono next to the spool for about three passes of the levelwind; mono doesn't slip on the spool either and it doesn't have an adhesive.

 

To fill the reel backwards, I spool on all the wire, then splice 65lb power pro to the wire and fill the reel. The power pro will be your backing behind the wire when you're all done. I'll take the other reel and tie on 30lb big game with a spool knot. Wind on just enough 30lb to make three passes across the spool. Splice the Power Pro from the first reel to the Big game on the second reel and transfer all the backing and wire from the first reel to the second reel. When you get to the splice between the power pro and wire, note the line counter reading on the second reel.

 

To fill more reels the same size, just put on three layers of 30lb, splice on power pro backing and load the PP to the same line counter reading you recorded from the previous reel and top with the full 1000' spool of wire. All your reels will be equally and fully filled.

 

The final and important step that people tend to overlook is to run out over deep water to properly tension your new wire and backing on the reel. As mentioned above it's difficult to get this right when you initially wind on the wire. While trolling, let out all your wire and backing (down to the mono) with a 1lb weight or tripped diver (to give proper resistance), and then reel the entire rig back in. This will assure the backing and wire is properly tensioned on the spool. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the wire pulling below loosely-spooled wire on your reel and kinking your new wire.

 

The final and important step that people tend to overlook is to run out over deep water to properly tension your new wire and backing on the reel. As mentioned above it's difficult to get this right when you initially wind on the wire. While trolling, let out all your wire and backing (down to the mono) with a 1lb weight or tripped diver (to give proper resistance), and then reel the entire rig back in. This will assure the backing and wire is properly tensioned on the spool. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the wire pulling below loosely-spooled wire on your reel and kinking your new wire.

 

Copper reels can be filled the same way.

Edited April 10, 2015 by John E Powell

[Thun]

I would only add that it's real important to keep that wire or any line for that matter, directly under the line guide as you deploy or reel in your wire. If that wire's coming off the spool on the opposite side of the line carriage guide, a tremendous amount of stress is placed on the tiny pawl the rides in the grooves of the worm and moves the line carriage guide back and forth winding the line evenly on the spool. If the line carriage guide and wire are out of sync, it may cost you the fish of a lifetime, not to mention a reel repair bill.

[Chas0218]

If I had to choose one or the other it would be a dipsy setup first.  They just produce fish. I'm not saying coppers don't but dipsys have produced more than any other setup on my boat.

 

I use okuma 30 series without any backing, straight 1000' onto the reel.

[GeckoGuy]

Set up a wire diver on a reel that size. As to rigging here we go again

 

Filling a wire reel:

 

 

Step 1) Choose your type of wire.

 

First decide if you’re going to use 7 or 19 strand wire. I like 19 strand, others prefer 7 strand which also can be a bit cheaper. 19-strand is softer than 7-strand. Softer wire is easier on rod guides. 

 

With wire, a kink and failure is something that sooner or later happens to everyone. With 7-strand, you don't get much warning that the failure is about to happen. However, the 19-strand gives you a little warning because some of the very fine wires around the outside will fail and form a small birds nest on the wire. Usually you will see this before it completely fails. 

 

This means you can repair it before you lose your diver, ball bearing swivels, flasher and fly, etc. 

 

7-strand fails less frequently, but it's harder on rod guides and greater chance of losing all your gear.

 

19-strand fails slightly more frequently, but it's easier on rod guides and less of a chance of losing all your gear.

 

 

Step 2) How to determine the amount of backing you will need so your reel will be full when you load on the 1000’ spool of wire:

 

To prevent overfilling and having to cut the wire, or under filling, I wind the setup on backwards so the backing is on top. I add whatever amount of backing fills the reel, and then transfer it to a second reel. At each splice, I write down the line counter number so I can then duplicate it on other reels. 

 

Wire and super braids like Power-Pro will slip on a reel's metal spool. To prevent this from happening, guys do a number of things. Some people use electrical tape, but I don't like the idea of using something with a sticky adhesive on the reel spool, it's not necessary. I just use regular mono next to the spool for about three passes of the levelwind; mono doesn't slip on the spool either and it doesn't have an adhesive.

 

To fill the reel backwards, I spool on all the wire, then splice 65lb power pro to the wire and fill the reel. The power pro will be your backing behind the wire when you're all done. I'll take the other reel and tie on 30lb big game with a spool knot. Wind on just enough 30lb to make three passes across the spool. Splice the Power Pro from the first reel to the Big game on the second reel and transfer all the backing and wire from the first reel to the second reel. When you get to the splice between the power pro and wire, note the line counter reading on the second reel.

 

To fill more reels the same size, just put on three layers of 30lb, splice on power pro backing and load the PP to the same line counter reading you recorded from the previous reel and top with the full 1000' spool of wire. All your reels will be equally and fully filled.

 

The final and important step that people tend to overlook is to run out over deep water to properly tension your new wire and backing on the reel. As mentioned above it's difficult to get this right when you initially wind on the wire. While trolling, let out all your wire and backing (down to the mono) with a 1lb weight or tripped diver (to give proper resistance), and then reel the entire rig back in. This will assure the backing and wire is properly tensioned on the spool. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the wire pulling below loosely-spooled wire on your reel and kinking your new wire.

 

The final and important step that people tend to overlook is to run out over deep water to properly tension your new wire and backing on the reel. As mentioned above it's difficult to get this right when you initially wind on the wire. While trolling, let out all your wire and backing (down to the mono) with a 1lb weight or tripped diver (to give proper resistance), and then reel the entire rig back in. This will assure the backing and wire is properly tensioned on the spool. If you don't do this, you run the risk of the wire pulling below loosely-spooled wire on your reel and kinking your new wire.

 

Copper reels can be filled the same way.

 

 Wow, this is a lot of very useful info.  Thanks it will help a lot!