Recently I developed a system for loading reels with new line after my newly serviced reels came back to me with the old drag washers. Cut a pair of PVC board or wood scraps, clamp them together, and drill a hole through the pair to accept a 3/8-inch dowel. Cut the dowel slightly longer than the width of the line spool plus the boards. Slide the dowel through one board, add a few drag washers, the spool of line, a few more drag washers, and the other board. Set the assembly into a large C-clamp that’s been mounted in a bench vise. Adjust the C-clamp to tension the spool so you can reel line onto your reels, and refill them under even tension. Al Loreto Shelter Island, New York
Clamp It
I fish docks for sheepshead and redfish, and move often from dock to dock. The simple tool I call “the clampet” quickly secures to pilings, understructure or decking. It saves time when repositioning, and it doesn’t drag like an anchor. Screw two stainless screws into the jaws of a woodworking clamp so the points are exposed inside the jaws. Then drill holes in the handles, and loop a dock line through them. Grab a dock board with the clampet, and cleat the line off on your boat. The harder the boat pulls, the tighter the jaws lock. Phillip Wheat Orange Beach, Alabama
Forkinator
When I fillet fish, I like to remove the fillet from the carcass and then remove the skin. This has always been a slippery chore, until I came up with a simple solution: Bend the tines of a kitchen fork 45 degrees, and file them to chisel points. I use this tool to hold the fillet securely by the tail on the cutting surface as I remove the skin. George L. Riccucci Torrington, Connecticut