What is the reel washer used for?

Surprisingly, many people are unaware of the washer included with every reel, specifically the “spool adjustment washer.” Let’s explore the function of this washer to see what changes it makes to the reel.

First, the taper (the tapering of one side) of the reel’s spool can be categorized into three types: a square taper, a trapezoidal taper, and a reversed trapezoidal taper. The current consensus is that a straight taper is preferred for distance, while a reversed taper is preferred for line trouble prevention.

Assuming that the shape of the spool is a regular taper, the shape below is obtained when the line is normally wound up to the spool edge.

​

However, if the line is not wound in the shape of a regular taper, but is wound in a reverse trapezoid shape with the line leaning forward,

​

Or if it is wound in the shape of a pure taper that is pushed towards the back of the spool.

​

Let’s see how we can use spool adjusting washers to adjust the shape of the taper.

For ease of understanding, the model used is Shimano’s Airnos model, which is versatile.

​

First, separate the spool from the reel by turning the drag counterclockwise.

The part in the picture below is a washer.

Washers come in three sizes.

If you wind the line on an Airnos reel with a regular taper shape and it is in the shape of a trapezoid, the spool is down, so add a washer. If it is the opposite, replace the washer with a thinner one or remove it.

However, when the line is wound on a reel with a spool shape that is often used in one-two fishing, if it is wound in a shape with a positive taper, the line will be pushed upwards, so a washer must be added.