Do You Need to Soak New Fishing Line? Let’s Know the Truth
When you’re getting ready to spool a fresh fishing line onto your reel, a common question many anglers ask is: “Do I need to soak the reel spool of the fishing line first?”
While opinions differ, soaking new fishing lines—whether it’s mono, fluorocarbon, or braid—is a widely debated technique, often discussed in the same direction.
So, should you go for it? Let’s explore the reasons, benefits, and potential drawbacks. You’ll also hear about our experience, and opinion, and drop a link to help you decide.
Why Soaking a New Line is Suggested?
Soaking your fishing line in hot water before spooling is recommended to reduce line memory, especially with mono and fluorocarbon lines.
Line memory occurs when the line retains the shape of the spool, resulting in kinks, loops, or twists on the boat or spinning reel, which can lead to frustrating tangles during your fishing trip.
You might want to read: Fishing Line Keep Coming Off? Here’s How to Fix It.
From our experience, a great trick is to soak a spool of mono or fluoro line in hot water for 10-15 minutes. This helps the line become more supple, allowing it to pull tightly and uniformly onto your reel’s spool. By doing this, the line can easily drop into place, conforming to the smaller diameter of the reel.
In simple terms, soaking the line absorbs water and helps it lay flat on the winding spool without those annoying loops that sometimes lead to line tangles.
We’ve written a detailed guide on getting rid of tangles in fishing lines. Do give it a read!
The Science Behind Soaking
So why does soaking work? Fishing lines, especially monofilament, are made of nylon, which can absorb a small amount of water.
This makes the line softer and more pliable, reducing stiffness when you spool it onto your reel. The heat from the soaked water also temporarily relaxes the line’s memory, helping it conform to the new shape and direction of your reel’s spool.
However, when it comes to braided lines, the benefits of soaking are a bit minimal. Braid is made from synthetic fibers like Spectra or Dyneema, which don’t absorb water in the same way nylon does. As a result, soaking it before spooling doesn’t offer significant benefits.
How Long Should You Soak the Line?
The duration of soaking depends on the weight and type of line you’re using. For most monofilament or fluorocarbon lines, we recommend soaking the line twist the spool for around 10 to 20 minutes in warm water. This short soak time is usually sufficient to soften the line without risking any degradation.
Some anglers suggest longer dipping times, even up to overnight soaking, but this can sometimes lead to water absorption, which can make the line and rods feel slightly weaker and prone to fraying over time.
In our experience, overnight dipping is unnecessary and might cause the rod more harm than good for some line types.
Our Recommendation: A 10-20 minute dip in warm water works best for most mono and fluoro lines.
Alternatives to Soaking – Line memory Conditioners
If you’re looking for an alternative to soaking your line lay down, there are line conditioners available, such as KVD Line & Lure Conditioner.
These sprays are designed to reduce memory, improve casting distance, and even help your line last longer. We’ve found these conditioners to be particularly helpful if you don’t have time for soaking or prefer to avoid wetting your cast or line.
Conditioners can also provide an added layer of protection to your line, for example, preventing it from drying out and becoming brittle over time.
From our perspective, using a line conditioner is a convenient option for anglers who want to maintain their line’s performance without the extra step of soaking.
Our Experience: Line conditioners work effectively as a soaking alternative, keeping your line smooth and manageable.
How to Soak Your Line? Step-by-Step Guide
- Prepare not to Hot Water: Fill a bowl or bucket with not-too-hot water. Avoid using hot water as it may cause the line to weaken. Speaking of weakening the line, you should read our article: What Weakens Fishing Line?
- Submerge the Spool: Place your line spool in the water, making sure it’s completely submerged.
- Wait for 10-20 Minutes: Let the spool sit for about 10-20 minutes.
- Spool the Line: After dipping, spool the line onto your reel under slight tension. This ensures the line lays flat and reduces the chances of twists.
- Enjoy Tangle-Free Fishing: You’re ready to fish with a freshly spooled, smooth line!
Do You Need to Soak Braid?
When it comes to braid, soaking it isn’t usually required. Unlike nylon monofilament or fluorocarbon, they don’t have memory issues, so you can spool it onto your reel’s spool without any hassle.
While some anglers think soaking it helps it lay in the same direction and make it flatter, our experience shows that it doesn’t have a noticeable impact. Plus, its natural abrasion resistance means it’s ready to go straight from the package.
Instead, focus on spooling them with proper tension. Have someone hold the spool or use a tensioning device to stretch and pull to make sure it is packed tightly on the reel. This prevents it from digging into itself when under pressure.
Tip: Spool it with adequate tension and skip the soak.
Also, read: Braided Fishing Lines – When to Use? When To Avoid?
What Works Best? – Our Experience and Opinion
After trying both methods—soaking and not soaking—we’ve noticed a significant improvement when spooling mono and fluoro after a short soak.
For braided lines, however, soaking didn’t seem to offer any noticeable benefits, so we generally skip this step when working with braid.
For fluorocarbon in particular, we love the added flexibility that soaking provides. It makes casting smoother and prevents annoying loops from forming.
On the other hand, with braid, wet spooling under tension works just as well without the need for soaking.
Product Suggestions for Spooling Success
- KVD Line & Lure Conditioner: A highly recommended product to reduce line memory and improve casting performance without soaking. (Check On Amazon)
- Berkley Trilene XL Monofilament: A smooth, versatile mono line that benefits greatly from soaking before spooling. (Check On Amazon)
- PowerPro Spectra Braid: This high-quality braid doesn’t need soaking but spools smoothly when applied with tension. (Check on Amazon)
FAQs
Do you need to tie or soak a new fishing line?
Yes, soaking monofilament and fluorocarbon helps soften the line and reduce memory. For braid, it’s generally unnecessary.
How long should I soak my fingers in the fishing line?
Soak mono and fluoro lines for about 10-20 minutes in warm water. Avoid soaking them overnight to prevent water absorption.
Can soaking damage affect my line?
If you soak your line for too long (e.g., overnight), it could absorb too much water, causing it to weaken or fray over time.
Should I switch to using a line conditioner instead of soaking?
Yes, line conditioners can be a convenient alternative to soaking, especially if you’re short on time. They can reduce line memory and improve casting.
Should I soak the braided line before spooling the thread?
No, it is not necessary to soak it. Just ensure you spool it with adequate tension to avoid line slippage and digging into itself.
