Every year I take a trip up north with a few guys and rent a sleeper shack on one of the many lakes in Minnesota. We usually try for some perch but at night we will throw down some baits in hopes of catching a walleye or maybe the elusive eelpout. Rental shacks sometimes come with rattle reels built in but often times do not.  I came up with this cheap and easy alternative to store bought rattle reels that you can make in a few minutes at home.

If you are like me, you probably have a dozen or more empty or old spools of line laying in the basement. That is our starting point. You will also need a few split shots, BBs, glass beads or other small round object. Lastly a knife or scissors, some glue, and a thin piece of plastic or fiberboard. I like the clear rigid plastic that many of your Christmas gifts come in. You know the stuff that you need a chain saw to open the package with.



Once you have gathered up your materials you will need to cut the plastic or whatever material you choose into a circle to cover the open end of the spool. You will also want to cut out the center hole. When using the plastic a drill bit does a good job for the center hole.
The label on spools is usually sticky. You will need to throw a little flour from your kitchen on the inside of the spool to take away the stickiness of the label. Don't Skip this Step or your BBs/beads will stick in the reel and not make noise you are looking for. You can also just take off the label and make a second cover but that is extra work and materials.

Once you have the spool floured drop in your BBs, beads etc.



Now glue on the cover you cut out previously. I don't recommend using a hot glue gun with the clear plastic as it doesn't hold real well. Super glue is a better option. Hot glue may work fine with a thiner fiber board type material.

Spool up with a heavy braid or typical rattle reel line and a fluorocarbon leader. All that is left to do is slide a piece of dowel or small curtain rod through the hole and lay it on the floor over the hole in the ice shack. Center the spool over the hole. A small bobber can be used to set depth or keep a larger bait from pulling out line.




When a fish takes your bait, the spool can spin freely on the rod and the bbs inside the spool will make enough noise for you to get up from the poker game and pull him in. Use a rubber band on the spool to keep the line nice and neat when not in use.

We used a couple of these home made rigs last year on Mille lacs and they worked like a charm. Hopefully they will work for you.