I was wondering what sort of line storage methods people have settled into.
I’ve been having mixed luck with the Nissin spools, line seems to cut through the side of the foam and the plastic edge and cause issues. Other than that I currently have my two “go-to” lines on the hard blue plastic edged holders which work fine other than taking up what feels like a lot of space! (certainly if say you’re on a longer trip and want to bring more options) For this reason the TUSA holder appealed to me but upon a bit further reading it seemed it was also quite large and cumbersome for what it needed to be, or have I been mislead?
For storing lines at home I use cheap full foam spools for storing different line lengths / weights but could probably move these to card to be a bit more space savv. This may also lead me to be more inclined to take another line option away on work trips where space is at a premium.
Here’s what I’ve settled upon (though I’m not using the blue plastic ones this year). I like the clip on line winders and the thin plastic ones the best.
The thin plastic ones are ones I use to store lines. I bought some from DRAGONtail and was fortunate that the UK Border Agency managed to let them through with a couple of other things without clobbering me with duty/tax. These are the ones - Tenkara Line Cards (4 pack) — DRAGONtail Tenkara
The ones that @davidsr references are the same ones that I have from Dragontail. You can also find them on eBay (occasionally) and on Amazon Japan and other Japanese websites.
The same type of line cards are available in several different sizes:
(ミニ) mini 75mm, (小) small) 105mm, (中 ) medium 136mm, (大) large 170mm, and (特大) Extra large or oversized 210mm. Outside diameter (外径)
Dai-ichi Seiko (第一精工) is one of the better known manufacturers. I believe they are the type sold by Dragontail. Dai-ichi Seiko calls them “spool sheet” (スプールシート) or "shikakemaki spool sheet. (仕掛け巻き・スプールシート)
You can find several versions by doing an internet search for
仕掛け巻き・スプールシート or 第一精工 スプールシート , Dai-ichi Seiko spool sheet.
But if you would want them in a size other than the size carried by Dragontail you would have to order them from Japan via Amazon JP or Tenkaraya or other supplier.
The Dai-ichi Seiko spool sheet ECO 5 sheet packs in M, L, and XL are listed on Amazon US, but only the large size is at a reasonable price of about $25, the other sizes have ridiculous prices of more than $440.00.
I make my own out of heavy card stock in a different shape. For line storage I prefer making them in a larger diameter. Fewer turns to wrap on more line. A diameter just under the width of large zip lock bags from the kitchen works well.
Anyway, just wanted to present some options that you may find worth the extra effort needed to obtain them.
I like the thin plastic ones for profile…and the grey foam ones for ease of use. They both can be bought at dragontail. They also sell a foam spool with a wood pattern but the grey ones are slightly wider and more consistent in form.
The thin plastic cards take a little more time to wind line on…but 4 of them loaded with line have the same footprint as one foam spool.
I notch one side of the foam spool with a razor at 1/4 intervals at the rim of the spool. Just a razor blade width channel to hold the start and ends of the line. Below one of the rim channels i make anothe longer channel to house a fly. You can just pin the fly into the foam…but the recess is nicer and makes it more difficult to accidentally snag.
The Keeper is the way to go because it can store 2 fully rigged lines plus another 6 or so flies and is much better than foam spools that tend to unravel
I bought one of the Nissin spools because I thought it was going to be the best, since it’s from Japan and everything. I have the same problems and kind of hate it.
I used EZ Keepers for a while, until a couple of the tiny little parts fell off & disappeared. Now using a combination of a Nissin spool, old tippet spools and the foam spools. Planning to buy clip-on line winders soon.
For what it’s worth, I use a few of my daughter’s pony-tail hair “scrunchies” to make the foam spools less likely to unwind. This is also useful for tippet spools that don’t come with a collar over the line or if that collar breaks. You can buy them in most drugstores cheaply.
I found these line cards earlier while pocking around.
まきまきシート エコ仕掛巻き（大） 10枚入り from 城東樹脂化工
Makimaki set Eco Shikakemaki (large) 10 pieces.
And have asked Keiichi-san to order them for me. 140mm (~ 5.5 inches) in diameter. I prefer larger diameter storage cards. Fewer turns & fewer coils.
980 yen on Amazon, so maybe not overly expensive after handling and shipping charges are added.
