Line Counter Compensator v1.0

Line counting reels are a great tool when trolling for fish. Knowing exactly how much line you have out will help you determine where your baits are in the water column. Having accurate data is vital to to your success.

As most seasoned trollers know, using a line counter requires the constant respooling, or reconditioning of the line on the reel. As you lose line due to snags or other mishaps, the accuracy of your counter will decrease. Removing as much as 20 feet of line from your reel can result in an offset of as much as 5 feet in the water column from where the reel is reporting to where you are actually running.

It is important that you keep your line lengths accurate. Typically you would calibrate your reel by replacing the entire spool with fresh line, or at least leaving some old line as backer and simply tying on a fresh 100 yards and remeasuring your line out while adding or subtracting length until the reel output number matches the actual output length. Do a simple search for line counter calibration methods for for info on this necessary chore.

However, respooling and calibrating your counter reel is not always practical or possible, not to mention the increasing cost of quality fishing line. There must be an easier and cheaper alternative.

This is where the Line Counter Compensator app comes in.

Zero out your counter. Then unreel 100 actual measured feet of line. I have a permanent "100 feet" marked off in my back yard because I do this several times per season. Once you pull 100 measured feet of line out of your reel, take note of the value being displayed on your counter. Hopefully it says 100. But if not, your reel needs calibrated, or as in our example, it needs compensated for.

Run the Line Counting Compensator app. Input the value that is displayed on your counting reel (after you pulled 100 measured feet) into the app.

The app will then display a simple quick reference chart of common lengths, and the lengths that your counting reel needs to display in order to reach them.

It also has a sliding control that allows you to cycle thru lengths up to 300 feet out.

This is a great tool for those who find themselves in a pinch. Sure, it is a band-aid, but it works and will greatly improve the accuracy of your trolling when your reels are not fully calibrated. In fact, I keep a 100 foot measured length of line in my tackle box. Even at the boat launch, you can still improve your capabilities should you find yourself with a out-of-whack line counter and either don't have fresh line, or it's not convenient to properly correct.