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The Smart Spooler

The Smart Spooler, designed by Belgian fly fisherman Roland Henrion made its debut at the recent Chatsworth Angling Fair which is held each year in the rolling parkland of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, on the banks of the river Wye. The Smart Spooler is a line winder especially designed for the saltwater fly fisherman, although any fly fisherman will find it useful when changing fly lines or backing or cleaning lines and reel spools.

The Smart Spooler is used with a (variable speed) cordless drill. It has a spool which is used to removes fly line and backing from a reel by putting the spool’s mandrel in a drill and attaching the end of the line using one of the line attachers. As you increase the speed of the drill, the line and backing wind on to the spool, evenly and progressively. The empty reel can now be serviced and desalinated. In the meantime, the spool containing fly line and backing can be soaked in hot soapy water for several hours, then rinsed and spin-dried.

After complete drying, the line can be left on the spool until the next fishing trip or season. One spool can hold two fly lines or one fly line + up to 400 yards of backing. Thanks to the open construction and large arbor, fly lines are stored in optimal conditions : no line memory, no twists, no mildew! Users can buy as many spare spools as they need.

There is also a winder which is a rubber disk which fits on the cordless drill by means of a stainless steel mandrel. Placing the winder onto the face of a fly reel, the user will make sure the reel’s handle and counter-weight will poke through a matching pair of holes in the winder (nine different combinations). Now, when the drill spins, it turns the reel as well. Progressively, the speed can be brought up to as high as 800 RPM and winding a fly line and several hundred yards of backing onto a fly reel takes only a few minutes.

To wind line onto a fly reel, the spool has to be placed onto the spool holder. This cylindrical box acts as a spindle around which the spool can spin. The end of the line is slipped through the line guide ring and then attached to the fly reel. The user then places the winder on the reel and starts the drill. Proper line tension and even spread is ensured by the friction between spool and spool holder and the line guide ring.

The Smart Spooler’s winder fits on more than 85 per cent of the fly reels produced world-wide. Most reels fitted with a cylindrical counter-weight will find their matching pairs of slots on the winder. The Smart Spooler is not suited to fly reels without – or with odd-shaped – counter-weights, nor for anti-reverse reels (special shaped handles). If needed, certain slots can be customized to fit special shaped reel handles. Also, for very large off-shore reels, special pre-traced slots can be cut out, using a sharp knife and a round file.

The Smart Spooler will increase the life span of fly reels, fly line and backing and comes with a two-year guarantee.

To find out more, visit www.smartfisher.com