Effects underspooling a reel has on casting distance + report

[wem21]

Hey guys,
Braved the cold weather today and headed down to brighton breakwall with my new shimano sienna at around 6pm, for a 2 hour session. I used plastics as well as metal blades. The blades were strikepro cybervibe 40 and they got a hit, unlike the plastics but I didn't land anything. Slow going :down:.
Im just curious, would you be able to snap off 2 hooks on the treble to make a single hook, or snap one off to make a w hook? If so, how would you do this?
Also, im just wondering what the effect of not spooling a reel to the very brim has on casting distance. Is it very significant or just a tiny difference?
Cheers

[azkay]

Rather then snap off trebles you can buy w hooks or single hooks and swap them over with split nose, you might have known that already but i personally wouldn't bother with breaking trebles..

& i find that unless the spool is very empty, slight variations in 'fullness' shouldn't have a major impact.. However if its very low it'll probably catch a bit more drag as the line comes off the spool, but the line quality and casting technique would be way more relevant imo..

[Expomnowcon]

Agree with the above, just switch to small circle hooks!

The more line there is on a spool (provided it isn't overflowing/up to and over the lip of the spool - this will end up in birdsnests, wind knots and wasted time) the less resistance there is on the lip of the lip when you cast. Imagine if you have a low amount of line left on a spool, the line has to come diagonally up from the spool towards the bailarm and then changes direction sharply and runs parallel to the rod. Where as if a spool is filled up to a sufficient amount, it will flow off the spool a lot easier and you will cast further. Each reel is different and some are less forgiving than others but I fill my spools up to around 3-4 mm below the lip.

[dazz999]

fill the reel correctly any advantage you can gain landbased using light jigheads etc is worth it

[skronkman]

A correctly filled spool is worth it. Underspooled will effect your cast distance somewhat; overspooled will result in tangles. That said, cast distance is more affected: by style of cast, spool size, rod, weight of rig, style of rig, etc. balancing your outfit and setting it up right for your style of fishing is more important if cast distance is of concern. If you're lobbing bricks into the sea with broomsticks then an underspooled reel (within reason) is not likely a big issue. if you are seriously depleted on line and don't want to spend the bucks on good new line (braid?) then consider adding more backing.