Remember the good old days when you bought a spinning reel and there’d be a spare spool in the box?

A mate came round the other day to go fishing, and he’s just bought a new Shimano spinning reel. I asked him what it was like and he said all good, but there wasn’t a spare spool in the box. I laughed. He looked perplexed. I am guessing either he hadn’t bought a new spinning reel for a good while, or else he had forgotten that any spinning reel brand I am currently aware of and have either bought myself or been given through work doesn't provide a spare spool in the box anymore……………

Perhaps I have just got used to the tackle companies tightening their belts and not putting spare spools in the boxes, but I used to really like it when they did. The days of getting a spare spool were before I had ever fished with a Penn or Abu spinning reel so I don’t know if those two specific tackle companies would provide a spare spool in the box, but I can’t recall any Shimano or Daiwa spinning reels I would have fished with back then NOT having a spare spool in the box when you opened it up.

Do we need a spare spool though? I am guessing that some anglers would put the spare spool aside and never use it, but I distinctly remember filling those spare spools up with the same sort of braid I was fishing with at the time and then storing the spool in my rucksack - for a just in case. I have always had this slight fear that carrying only the one rod and spinning reel could potentially render a fishing session useless if you got unlucky and got one of those humdingers of a wind knot which properly did for you. With a spare spool I could just change them over and get back to fishing.

I don’t recall this ever actually happening when I was carrying a spare spool filled up with braid, but I always liked the fact that I had a spare spool ready to go. For me it’s a bit like barbed versus barbless hooks - I know I am going to be in the middle of THE best bass fishing session of my life and because I am so overexcited I am going to end up with a 6/0 weedless hook in my hand or face or somewhere on my body. Because I crush all my barbs when lure fishing I should be able to get the hook out and carry on fishing. It’s going to hurt, but I will be able to carry on with the best bass fishing session of my life. I have always had the feeling that with the one rod and reel, a wind knot from hell might one day ruin an awesome session for me.

But we don’t get a spare spool in the box these days, unless you happen to be buying particular spinning reels which do come with a spare spool and I don’t know or use these reels. I really like some of the Penn spinning reels, but I know the smaller 2500 sizes especially of the Spinfisher, Slammer IV and Authority can be somewhat “twitchy” with line management if you don’t do things right - underfill (so important), potentially have to adjust the washers to get a flat line lay, don’t use really light/thin braid etc. Bloody good reels I might add, but I have fished with the 2500 and 3500 Slammers and the Authorities enough to know the quirks and adjust for them because I like and need what the reels can do for me.

When you buy a spinning reel these days, do you also buy a spare spool and carry it with you? I don’t, indeed I haven’t really thought much about it until my mate was expressing his dismay the other day, but it does seem that so many things these days are suffering from a dose of shrinkflation……………

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