A most excellent reel de-spooler

A family member gave me his old Abu Ambassadeur C3 along with a nice little custom carbon baitcaster rod. There was some old monofilament on the reel that I’d need to change out; but how to despool it?

It turns out that a toilet roll tube is a light friction fit onto the keyless chuck of my cordless drill. Wedge the end of the line under the tube, put the reel into casting mode, and (gently) rev up the drill. You’ll need to guide the line so it doesn’t run off into the drill shaft. Takes a minute or so to empty the whole reel.

Once you’re done, take a pair of snips and cut the cardboard tube lengthwise, cutting through the fishing line as you go. This ensures that there are no long bits of nylon that can trap wildlife, as fishing line biodegrades very slowly.

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