When was the last time you changed your line?

Fall is in the air and the fishing is going to get better and better as the days go by.  For many anglers around the state, no matter what you like to fish for you may not be ready for the fall season.  How you ask?  Your line.  As the title states, how long ago did you put line on your reels?  If you want to get the most out of your reels and lures, fresh line is an important part of that want.  Keeping enough line on your reel is the most important thing you can do to maximize casts and efficiency of your reel.  Here are a few tips to save you a bunch of money in your life and to keep your Quantum Reels in the best working order it possibly can be in. (note: this information can be used with baitcasting and spinning reels)

This reel is in desperate need of line.  I can see by how empty the spool looks and my technique of coloring the line.
Can you see the darker or black line showing through?  This is telling me that I am getting close to my "backing line".
This gives me a visual after a long cast that I will need some new line soon.

Backing is line that is put on your reels and never taken off.  You shouldn't/won't use the bottom half of your line ever.
I color the top 2 or 3 foot of line with a black permanent marker and then tie my fresh line with an overhand knot to it.
The "black backing" never comes off my reels, thus saving me 100's of yards of line each year.
This also saves me a lot of money as I only use half the amount of line, and I know it is always fresh.
One last advantage, I can re-line a reel in matter of just a minute or so and not lose fishing time.

Another common mistake of anglers is not filling their spools to the maximum capacity.
The more full your spool is; the better it is going to perform.
Notice how the new line is 1mm or 2mm from the top of the spool, this will allow maximum casting distances and allow your reel to work at the proper gear ratio.
An "empty" spool is a BAD spool!