Curious: Have you ever been spooled while bass fishing? 2025
Darren. reply :
I think generally a 2500 size is pretty much the "agreed upon"
size spinning reel for bass fishing, but discussions have gone
to 3000 and 4000 size reels. Sometimes discussion refers to
the positive of having more line.
My question to everyone is, have you ever actually been spooled
while bass fishing (spinning or casting)?
Suppose that could be open ended, i.e., "yes, by a sturgeon" or
a 100# catfish...in which case maybe the waters fished require
larger reels with more line capacity...
I love 1000 size reels for bassing and have never had a worry
about my line, this after many bass over 6# in sticks, laydowns,
open water, bridge pylons, grass, and so on.
Again, just a curiosity. I remember watching Larry Dahlberg get
spooled with his Curado 200 down in Mexico. Only because he
didn't tie his braid down (no backing and didn't tie to the spool)...
and it was on a cast with a weighty lure, which sailed away, LOL.
WRB reply :
Larger diameter spool spinning reels are used to reduce coils in the line, not for line capacity when fresh water bass fishing.
Tom
Darren. reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 9:45 AM, WRB said:Larger diameter spool spinning reels are used to reduce coils in the line, not for line capacity when fresh water bass fishing.
Tom
Thanks, Tom. Braid takes care of all that for me.
I've read of some who swore by large capacity spools for bass fishing due
to the "safety" of having enough line.
I've never bought the argument, so was just curious as to whether or not
people have been spooled while fishing for bass.
Fun4Me reply :
I've never been spooled by a bass.
flyfisher reply :
I have never had a bass pull that much line out. The only time i have ever been spooled in freshwater was when targeting carp with my 4wt fly rod and i was deep into my backing on three separate occasions.
lakeannaangler reply :
I almost got spooled by a 40lb blue cat while on the Potomac river.
Scott F reply :
I've been spooled when the line on my reel was getting low and I then tossed my lure into a tree. Broke off at the knot that tied my braid to my backing. Does that count?? Other than that, while bass fishing, I've never even been close. I don't fish for largemouth much but I can't remember many largemouth that even pulled much drag and I keep my drag pretty loose. River smallmouth often test the drag on my spinning reels, but have never pulled more than 10 or twenty yards of line. I use small spinning reels, 10's and 20's for the most part, braid that goes 10lb at the most. If I use up enough line that I can see my backing at the end of a long cast, that reel gets retired for the day. That almost never happens either, well...once.
Darren. reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 9:54 AM, Scott F said:I've been spooled when the line on my reel was getting low and I then tossed my lure into a tree. Broke off at the knot that tied my braid to my backing. Does that count?? Other than that, while bass fishing, I've never even been close. I don't fish for largemouth much but I can't remember many largemouth that even pulled much drag and I keep my drag pretty loose. River smallmouth often test the drag on my spinning reels, but have never pulled more than 10 or twenty yards of line. I use small spinning reels, 10's and 20's for the most part, braid that goes 10lb at the most. If I use up enough line that I can see my backing at the end of a long cast, that reel gets retired for the day. That almost never happens either.
That counts, Scott 
I've never been spooled, either, on my 1000s but I've had to cut
a lot of braid due to a snag or such and have cast out past my
arbor knot into the backing...which (then) was only 4lb test, so I
was a tiny bit nervous, LOL.
timsford reply :
I've never been spooled by a bass, but I have by a catfish and I've come close with stripers. I fish below dams a lot and I'm making very long casts with most of the baits I use. I also use 10 lb mono normally on my spinning reels. I prefer at least 130 yards of capacity because it's fairly easy to make a long 60 yard cast with a heavy lure and long rod and I wouldn't feel comfortable fishing for stripers or even big smallmouth in heavy current on relatively light line and drag with less line. Also the larger spool isuch more manageable with line, gives longer casts, and the larger sizes usually balance better with most bass rods, especially the longer rods most people use nowadays
WRB reply :
LMB aren't physically biult to make long hard straight runs, they are shaped for fast sharp turns and simply don't have the stamina to run a hundred yards.
Tom
davecon reply :
The waters I fish are brackish. As likely to catch bass as well as snook and tarpon. I use 3000 size reels for the extra line capacity. Never a problem with bass, they just don't fight that hard. I'm in a river so the tarpon, for some reason, don't pull out that much drag - they just go airborne. Snook on the other hand have come VERY CLOSE to spooling me on several occasions. Not uncommon for them to take out 150 feet of line three or four times in the same battle.
OCdockskipper reply :
I haven't yet, but I am spooling some 4 lb test on a rod for when I go Saturday, so I might then. The water clarity on my lake has improved significantly over the past few weeks and I am curious if 4 lb test will make a difference in the number of bites.
Even though most of my gear is setup with 10 lb test, I don't even get spooled by big catfish when they hijack my lures because I usually chase after them. If I was stuck on shore it might be a different story, but there is no reason to not use your trolling motor & follow a big fish when he starts stripping line. Plus, it seems like the big catfish usually end up doubling back & swimming to to the boat during the battle. I often wonder if they even know they are hooked...
Darren. reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 10:32 AM, OCdockskipper said:I haven't yet, but I am spooling some 4 lb test on a rod for when I go Saturday, so I might then. The water clarity on my lake has improved significantly over the past few weeks and I am curious if 4 lb test will make a difference in the number of bites.
Even though most of my gear is setup with 10 lb test, I don't even get spooled by big catfish when they hijack my lures because I usually chase after them. If I was stuck on shore it might be a different story, but there is no reason to not use your trolling motor & follow a big fish when he starts stripping line. Plus, it seems like the big catfish usually end up doubling back & swimming to to the boat during the battle. I often wonder if they even know they are hooked...
Good point, and I did think about it, but shore-bound anglers
have few places to "run" the fish. At least in my tree-surrounded
waters.
Turkey sandwich reply :
The only times I've been close have been big channel cats or carp in current while fishing for smallmouth on 4-6# test mono. On those occasions, I've had some pretty crazy runs down stream. Those times were mostly on light or ultra light gear fishing drop shotted live helgramites and those were not short fights. Still, even fishing that light, I've never had even big smallmouth come close to spooling a small 1000 size reel, in current, on 4# test.
Sam reply :
Nope. Line usually breaks before the line is exhausted.
Catt reply :
Twice!
Both times I out on the main lake of Toledo Bend.
First time I was sitting on a ridge in 18' of water when I noticed something chasing shad about as far away as I could cast. My jig just settled on the bottom when I felt the tap, dropped the rod, reeled the slack, & set the hook!
Last time I was in control of that fish, never slowed her & never turn her!
That was on a Calcutta 50; when the line snapped I had about 15 yds of line left...pretty sure it was a Stripper!
The second time also on the main lake & 15-18' of water. This time she stripped enough line I could see the silver of the spool beneath the line. Had just enough drag & rod left to eventually turn & land her...healthy little 9.46 lb Hawg.
That was on a Calcutta 100 & was the hardest fighting bass I ever hooked.
bigbill reply :
The trick in shore fishing is being able to make longer casts. It can be pro vs con sometimes. I've had record breaking bass on long casts and lost them. But I put out a scent trail on my first cast with my Topnocker. (Bait mate bass scent) I cast it between the open channel and the submerged weed line. The current is moving away from me which is a plus.
Was using a 20 sized reel with 6lb test, a 25 sized reel with 8lb test, a 30 sized reel with 10lb test, a 40 sized reel with 12lb test.(spinning reels). I purchased the US REEL super spinning reels with the larger spool diameters but I been ill so I haven't been out with them that much. But what little I did use them they cast a few more yards with them. When the Lilly pads are near the shoreline a few extra yards could mean success. When sight fishing with action going on in the weeds. The only line I use is Excaliber Silver Thread copolymer line. I find it very flexible and very low memory. It also has less stretch.
i have upgraded to inshore/light saltwater tackle too for larger baits. I feel like a fool but it works.
soflabasser reply :
No I have never had a largemouth bass spool my reel,not even close.Bass don't have much power/stamina in them and usually give up under a minute or so of total fighting time.I had a shark almost spool me once,but it was on a bass rod so that is expected(ended up catching that shark).
bigbill reply :
Sorry I understand what spooling means now. I always add new line on my reels when the capacity gets low. I never hit the backing.
portiabrat reply :
For me, the main benefit of a bigger spool is improved casting distance. I could be wrong, but I also feel like the drag is smoother with bigger reels. Another thing to consider is that your reel needs to be the right weight for your rod. To maximize casting distance, I'd go with 4000's, but they're too heavy for my smallie rods, most of which are 7' M power.
I've never been spooled while bass fishing. Ocean fishing is a different story, though. Saltwater fish can make some huge runs.
J Francho reply :
Not by a bass.
MassYak85 reply :
I wish 
GORDO reply :
I had a 6ft ml rod with a 1000 reel that I use for smallies, I normally use 6lb line but ended up buying 4 and spooled it. hooked a 5lb smallie in a river on a jighead and little grub worm. It didnt take me to my knot but darn close.
senile1 reply :
Never by a bass. A crappie spooled me once. 
Ratherbfishing reply :
I almost got spooled while trolling and I snagged and I could not get the boat operator to stop immediately. But on a fish? Never even close.
Catt reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 10:28 PM, senile1 said:Never by a bass. A crappie spooled me once.
senile1 reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:18 PM, Catt said:
That's a nice one. I don't know the size of the kid holding it but I would guess that one is near 4 lbs, if not over. Three or four years ago, I was fishing a shad rap at Table Rock and caught a crappie right at 3 lbs off a stick-up while fishing for bass. Upon further investigation, I discovered the stick-up was part of a brush pile someone had dropped. My wife and I proceeded to catch 8 crappie off that brushpile and all were between 2 and 2.5 lbs. There were no more 3s but it made for some nice eating that evening. I've caught a lot of limits of crappie but I've never caught so many big crappie all together like that.
everythingthatswims reply :
I use the correct size line for the reel and keep my reels full, I'm not sure what some of you guys have been doing.
The only time I have ever come close to being spooled by ANY fish was when I hooked a blackfin tuna on a cardiff 400, we were chasing it with the boat and it still had my spool looking hungry!
I don't use 1000 shimanos for bass because they don't pick up line fast enough, but they are excellent for panfish and trout.
WRB reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:18 PM, Catt said:
Is that your grandson Catt? His smile is a big as the fish, great photo!
IndianaFinesse reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:18 PM, Catt said:
Wow, that is one of the biggest crappie I have ever seen! How long was it and how much did it weigh?
Catt reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:47 PM, senile1 said:That's a nice one. I don't know the size of the kid holding it but I would guess that one is near 4 lbs, if not over. Three or four years ago, I was fishing a shad rap at Table Rock and caught a crappie right at 3 lbs off a stick-up while fishing for bass. Upon further investigation, I discovered the stick-up was part of a brush pile someone had dropped. My wife and I proceeded to catch 8 crappie off that brushpile and all were between 2 and 2.5 lbs. There were no more 3s but it made for some nice eating that evening. I've caught a lot of limits of crappie but I've never caught so many big crappie all together like that.
That one wasn't weighted or measured but released!
Not my grandson, a friend of mines son
Wayne Hosea
Poverty Point Reservoir north Louisiana
3.24 - 3.16 - 2.28 - 2.24
All 4 were released 
Crappie are finest eating fish that swim!
Darren. reply :
There's monsters in them thar Louisiana waters!!
Bankbeater reply :
I've been spooled just once about 40 or so years ago. We were catfishing with cut up bait, and the rig I was using was a Zebco 33 on a very limber rod. The line started going out and out and out. I couldn't do anything with that fish. When the spool was empty the line broke at rod tip. After that I started using heavier gear for catfishing.
buzzed bait reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:47 AM, Catt said:...pretty sure it was a Stripper!
oh yeah, they'll take you for all you've got.....
Darren. reply :
LOL
Raul reply :
By a bass, never.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Never had a bass even make me nervous about getting spooled. I had a blue cat get me to my spool knot on the Missouri river once.
N Florida Mike reply :
No.But a bull redfish came close when I was surf fishing.I estimated that fish at 30 pounds.Hooked him on a finger mullet.He pulled app.3/4 of the spool before I turned him.Was using a whippy 9 1/2 foot whiting rod at the time.He ended up breaking a 30 pound wire leader as he dug in at the last sand bar.
wnspain reply :
Never even close by a bass. But....While i was in HS, me and a friend went bowfishing for carp in the duck ponds located on the eastern side of the Great Salt Like. Now before any of you call bull let me assure that there are no fish in the GSL but the waters that feed it (canals) are full of cats and carp, at least they used to be. Land owners would use these canals to form shallow ponds used by the waterfowl so the water supply, although not very good quality, was plenty good for waterfowl, catfish, and monster carp. We have stuck plenty of carp going 20+ lbs and although we never weighed any of them, I can assure that 20+ is not being exaggerated. I don't remember much detail concerning the tackle used but I would assume that I was using a Mitchell 300 spinning reel full of 12 or 15 lb. test mono. While taking a break from bowfishing, we would cast into the canal using spining gear and corn for bait just to see what might pick up the bait and provide us with some excitement for a minute or two. One day, something picked up my bait and began swimming down the canal, not in any hurry, but could definately tell it was alive and big! After about 20 or 30 seconds, I tightened up my drag but that only made my pole (correct vernacular back then) bend more, didn't effect that creature on the end of my line whatsoever. It continued to peel line off at a steady pace until there was no more, then the line snapped and the fight was over. Never know what had picked up that corn but we guessed it was carp, big carp.
wnspain reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:18 PM, Catt said:
Holy cow, what a SLAB!!
scaleface reply :
Bass nope . Asian carp have spooled me . I hooked something at night below a dam that moved slow , spooled me then snapped my line . I like to think it was a hundred lb catfish but probably just a log moving down stream .
Mosster47 reply :
I've never had a bass run more than 10ft.
geo g reply :
Never been close to spooled in fresh water. I have had several bass and one big peacock, take drag even with full drag set. No more then 10 yards. I have been spooled in salt water from the beach with a freshwater set up, years ago. Whatever it was, was powerful.
Oufb90 reply :
I was under a dam catching sand bass on an ultra light with 6 lb test one time and foul hooked a 22 pound spoon bill in the back with my jig. Best fight I've ever had. All but ran out of line a few times. A group actually formed to watch me finish it. Thought I had a monster striper but no sir.
doyle8218 reply :
Nope. Not even close.
boostr reply :
I've been using a 2500 Shimano haven't been spooled yet. Caught a 4lb LM on it without getting spooled, and my drag wasn't to tight. Maybe a 4lb Smally would, but probaply not.
Jonister reply :
We were getting spooled all day long on deep cranks. Turns out, we got one up close to see it was a sturgeon almost the size of my 10' john. Probably about 7'. Stupid things were stacked so thick we were snagging them nearly every cast. Big and small, they would eventually straighten the hooks. We gave up and fished a different spot ?
j bab reply :
On 9/23/2016 at 11:47 AM, Catt said:pretty sure it was a Stripper!
pretty sure you meant Striper...
I wish I was around when Toledo still had stripers.
Catt reply :
On 9/29/2016 at 9:31 AM, j bab said:pretty sure you meant Striper...
I wish I was around when Toledo still had stripers.
Toledo Bend still has Striped Bass
j bab reply :
On 9/29/2016 at 10:08 AM, Catt said:Toledo Bend still has Striped Bass
Where? I've caught hybrids but no stripers. From what I understand they quit stocking them years ago
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