Reel Spooling Issues

[MuskieBait]

It's a reel design issue. Uneven spooling is caused by the rotation of the bail as your retrieve line.

In the case of line spooling more toward back side, the bail spends more time on the back side of the spool than it does on the front side. In some cases, I've read people adding an extra very small and thin washers on the shaft supporting the spool. You add this just underneath your spool (usually, there should be a washer or two there already). You'll have to either order an extra washer part from the company, or make one of your own.

In the case of gaps between the line spooled and the wall of the spool, it means the bail spends more time in the center and doesn't adequately reach the side of the spool. I'm sorry, there's no solution that I've read about aside from getting a new reel.

Aside from material, more expensive reels do offer better design and function. You don't need $100 reels (well, sometimes you do), but go too cheap and you may regret that decision later (and you end up spending more in the end anyways). Reel around the $40-60 range such as Abu Garcia Cardinal 100, Pflueger Trion, Shimano Sedona, and Daiwa Regal Xi (now replaced with Laguna and Legalis I think) are all good reels within that price range.