Spooling a fishing reel can be a cumbersome and frustrating task. If you toss the spool on the ground and start reeling, you’ll more often than not wind up with line twists or a full-on bird’s nest. But there are lots of little tricks that can get you by.
For instance, you can hold a pencil between your knees to give the spool something to spin on. You can also have a buddy hold the spool for you. You can maybe even wedge it between a few things and reel it at the right speed so the spool doesn’t climb its way out.
If you find yourself spooling more than a couple reels a year, however, you might consider investing in a tool to make the job a little easier. That’s exactly what the engineers had in mind over at RAILBLAZA when they brought their Spooling Station to life. Today, we’re going to look at this product and showcase the various ways it can be used in your shop, boat or kayak to make spooling fishing reels a lot easier.
Two versions
For starters, the Spooling Station comes in two different models—there’s a Track Mount version for kayaks and other boats with track systems that retails for $44.99. There’s also a Fixed or StartPort version that can be permanently attached to a surface using screws or can be used with RAILBLAZA’s quick-connecting StarPort Mounts that retails for $39.99.
Technically speaking, there are three versions of the Spooling Station when you list them out: The Fixed, StartPort and Track Mount.
But you basically just need to remember that the Track Mount version is one option and the other two are sold in one package—the StarPort and Fixed versions. I chose to mount mine in the shop, so I went with the Fixed option of the three.
Installing the Fixed Spooling Station
The install went fairly smooth. RAILBLAZA includes two self-tapping screws in the package that will do the job if you’re attaching the spooling station to most any kind of wood. You’ll need a couple metal-cutting screws if you’re wanting to attach the spooling station to a metal surface. I attached the device to a set of wooden shelves in the shop and the provided screws worked great.
Then I attached the Spooling Station to the mounting bracket using the provided bolt, plastic washer and nut and tightened the connection using a Philips screwdriver and a socket wrench. The plastic washer is important, as it allows the Spooling Station to pivot left and right.
180-degree pivot
I really like the fact that the whole Spooling Station will pivot on the fixed mount. Sometimes I like to re-spool reels while sitting in the boat. Sometimes I’ll do it sitting in a chair or standing somewhere else in the shop.
The Spooling Station effortlessly pivots to follow my rod tip from wherever I’m spooling my reels. This eliminates the concern of mounting it in the perfect place in the shop. You can just pick a place and know that the Spooling Station will accommodate a wide range of use.
Tension knob and spooling shaft
In this photo, you’ll see two bright green knobs. Unscrewing the one on the right will allow you to remove the spooling shaft and place a spool of line on the Spooling Station. When doing this, you’ll also be able to adjust the height of the shaft based on the diameter of the spool.
The green knob on the left is actually used to adjust an integrated brake for adjustable spool tension. This keeps your spool from dumping a bunch of line off when you stop reeling, a common nuisance that occurs with other methods of spooling reels.
With these two adjustments, the Spooling Station can accommodate a spool up to 2 inches thick and 4 1/2 inches in diameter. You’ll also notice a spool line retention clip near the bottom of the photo used to keep the line from unraveling when not in use.
Easy to install and use
This is an easy product to assemble, install and use. But if you get lost, RAILBLAZA was kind enough to include all the directions you could possibly need right there on the box. The packaging is the same, regardless of which version you choose. So there’s instructions for installing or mounting all three versions right there on the box. And again, you’ll be able to troubleshoot any issues that might possibly arise with using this device by simply looking at the box as well.
This is a pretty straightforward product and is a great device that solves a practical problem when it comes to fishing. The Spooling Station is rigid and durable where it needs to be but also adjustable and versatile as well.
I particularly liked the added touch of the integrated brake for adjustable spool tension, as this is one of the key features that really sets the Spooling Station apart in my opinion. RAILBLAZA did a great job with this one, creating something that any angler can use to solve a common problem.
