Thread: Braid difficulty

Odds are the line roller on an older reel will have some 'soft' metal (or plating) that may wear down as the braid 'cuts' into it.
Not good for the line to rub across rough metal ;-)
Plus the gearing may not be able to handle the additional stress of using a stronger line.

Any relatively 'new' reel that has a braid line capacity rating should be able to handle braided line within the posted range.
For instance if the reel says:

Mono Cap. (yds/lb)
250/6
170/8
140/10

Braid Cap. (yds/lb)
275/10
205/15
170/20

It should be able to adequately handle up to 20 pound line (braid).

BTW, just because a reel doesn't say "saltwater" doesn't mean it won't work in saltwater.
I put 300 yards of 30# braid on a BPS Extreme EX50 spinning reel to king fish with and have been very pleased with the performance so far (a year).
At first I just threw plugs with it, but snobbled some this week and caught a king on it!
DavidKing.jpg

No doubt I was throwing that cig farther into the 15-20 knot wind than the folks using mono, as it only has the diameter of 8#-10# mono!
Luv the feel of a fish running 200+ yards on braid.
I could feel every tail beat and every headshake to the point I thought I'd been sharked several times. lol

i remember i was fishin one of my convintionals i use for verical jigging with 80# braid off fairhope pier ( one of my worst mistakes when I really didnt know how to catch jacks and was sorta a googan at the time). I accidently got a backlash and as i was pullin it out it got wrapped around my finger all the sudden i felt my line go tight but thank got i puled my finger away in that split second. I wouldnt have a finger right now. One lesson i learned is dont fish heavy braid on a pier. but i like what #r said with that smaller braid u can cast a mile and can have a lotta fun on a smaller reel

the main thing braid is good depending on the fish you are targeting and where you are targeting it at and of course the person you are. for example (in my opinion) braid would be better fishing around structures and reefs than mono but everyone has there own opinion i use braid on the pier flounder fishing ive saved so much tackle and money fishin for flounder with braid vs mono, and i use it cobia fishin. braid doesnt stretch mono does and braid cast further. braid typically gets more knots than mono and its harder to get untangled. if i had to chose id rather have mono it all just depends on the kind of person you are.

I won't use braid for float fishing for reasons rich said and the fact you'll probably get you line cut if you do. I do have braid on my stradic for the extra length but I like working with mono so I put about 6 rotations worth of a #20 mono topshot. I love using it with spoons and gotchas or whatever when I'm steady reeling in. My intentions(hopefully) is to throw yozuri's at kings with it, I'm betting that'll be a good time.

If you're gonna be king fishing off the end when its elbow to elbow please use mono or a high vis braid.

I will offer some advice, as I have been toying around with braided lines and testing different brands over the past 5 years.

My first advice, Hi Vis Yellow. You simply will NOT see any other color of braided line. To me, there is no other color when it comes to braid BUT Hi Vis Yellow.

Next, if you are fishing from the pier or anywhere inshore, don't go over 10# test braided line. I use 3 sizes depending which reel. 5#, 8# and 10#. My 2# and 4# setups are mono only--as braid becomes useless at a smaller diameter than the 5# size offers--especially if it has slick and dense properties like Nanofil (yuck)! There is a catch here, though. If your rod and reel are designed for larger sized lines, then you may be required to step up the size to 20#, or even 30# test braid, in order to avoid issues. I enjoy fishing with lighter gear (so do my damaged shoulders and back), so lighter lines are much suited to the reels and rods I use.

Next is Brand. I've tried well over two dozen brands and left reviews for each company after some extensive testing. My advice? Power Pro SPECTRA. Some people are diehard PP Super Slick 8, and some are diehard other brands--and newer brands are coming out every year (some which I haven't tried and probably won't bother trying). PP Spectra, however, allows you to go into a smooth, abrasion resistant line under 10# test, and my favorite by far is the 5# size in Hi Vis Yellow. You can cast it, against the wind (and sing Bob Seger at the same time), much further than your neighboring anglers. After doing some strength tests, we found the 5#-10# versions to be stronger than 10# super slick 8 as well against dead weight snapping.

Now, how to use it? To answer your question, this will depend on what you are fishing for and your style of fishing, as well as the set up you are using.

However, I will throw out some basics that will help you. First, add about 20 yards are mono backing to the base of the reel. This will prevent the braid from free spinning around the reel. Tie the braid to the mono backing using a 6 to 8 twist double uni or blood knot. Now, spool your reel with your braid. Tuck it tight, but not so tight that the line digs into the spool cavity.

Next is the key element. If you are fishing inshore and doing a lot of artificial casting, then you need a mono top shot. The mistake most people make fishing with braid is they tie it directly to the swivel/leader or lure, then proceed to cast it and find it digs into their finger everytime it gets wet and slippery. Big mistake--as it will groove into your skin quickly that way, and it is tough to hold on to.

Instead, run mono through the rod, and have it wrap the reel a few times. Now, when you cast, your finger is holding on to mono, rather than thin, slippery braided line. You will also have mono attached to your swivel/leader or lure, and doing so will give you shock and stretch to set a hook (while straight braid can break a hook or fish's mouth tissue on set). In addition, mono or fluorocarbon will be more stealthy than your braided line (which fish can easily see in the water). Also, braid tends to be stranded, and strands become lacey in the water (especially if frayed or cut), and then snag onto things such as sinkers, hooks, swivels, wire leaders, bait, etc.--then become knotted and matted beyond repair. Having a mono top shot will fix this 95% of the time, and also greatly reduce your wind knots by putting forward weight into your cast--as well as prevent cast snaps of the fly by stretching into the cast more forgivingly.

Now, once you leave inshore and go to the pier, you want to extend your top shot. Now, if you are casting lures, you can leave it as is--as extending the top shot will affect your casting distance. However, if you are going to king fish by snobbling or using live bait, then extending the top shot is a must. I suggest putting about 10-20 yards of mono top shot over your Hi Vis Yellow braided line.

This does a few things: it gives you some nice needed stretch when setting the hook on a fast running fish, such as a King. It also adds more weight to the end of your line--helping bait to sink more and also wearing your target fish out more quickly during the fight. Most importantly, it offers you flexibility and play once you have the fish at the pier awaiting gaffing or netting near the pylons. Braid can be unforgiving and snap at the touch of a barnacle or fin, and cut other people's lines once in close proximity of the pier. If out of nothing but respect for others fishing nearby on the pier, 10-20 yards of mono topshot prevents close range cutoffs of others, and that's always a plus. Also, once cast out, the mono will be in the water, and your braided Hi Vis Yellow will be visible from the water surface up to your pole tip--always helping you see clearly where your line is, or isn't.

All of that said, in my opinion, braid has one use, and one use only. Strong line capacity without memory. Therefore, use it to that advantage. Get more line capacity on your reel using braid, and be confident that what you spooled under your topshot will be memory free and at a consistent level of strength.

Getting that extra distance can help land a fish on lighter lines. How so? Well, think about punching your arm under water. Water resistance slows your arm down. Now, imagine you are a fish with 200 yards of line trailing behind you. Everytime the fish swims sideways, it is pulling that line against the water's resistance per each unit of line. The line isn't stressed--instead, the fish is. After a few good runs, the fish is done and you're reeling in a log; thus the main reason I am a firm believer that the target fishes we catch at the pier never need any line with a greater strength than 10# (ironically, I am more successful using the 5# PP spectra).

Now, if you're fishing off a boat and reef, or targetting big daddy runners offshore, that's a whole other ball of wax.

I hope this helps, but if you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Originally Posted by Pier#r

Odds are the line roller on an older reel will have some 'soft' metal (or plating) that may wear down as the braid 'cuts' into it.
Not good for the line to rub across rough metal ;-)
Plus the gearing may not be able to handle the additional stress of using a stronger line.

Any relatively 'new' reel that has a braid line capacity rating should be able to handle braided line within the posted range.
For instance if the reel says:


It should be able to adequately handle up to 20 pound line (braid).

BTW, just because a reel doesn't say "saltwater" doesn't mean it won't work in saltwater.
I put 300 yards of 30# braid on a BPS Extreme EX50 spinning reel to king fish with and have been very pleased with the performance so far (a year).
At first I just threw plugs with it, but snobbled some this week and caught a king on it!
DavidKing.jpg

No doubt I was throwing that cig farther into the 15-20 knot wind than the folks using mono, as it only has the diameter of 8#-10# mono!
Luv the feel of a fish running 200+ yards on braid.
I could feel every tail beat and every headshake to the point I thought I'd been sharked several times. lol

my little old shimano definitely does not have a braid capacity listing on the spool. I received it as a gift back around 1991 if I had to guess. might even be older than that honestly. model 300q AX. see Ebay link for an example.

Shimano 300Q AX Quickfire Bio Grip Rear Drag Ball Bearing Mint | eBay

do you think it's possible to use braid on a reel like this (with a mono backing)? I was already planning on buying a new surf reel to replace my 7500ss, just due to the 7500ss feeling too big for my 10' rod. Was thinking of something in the 5500 size range based on some other members suggestions. Seems like that could handle most anything I would be trying to land from the beach or a kayak. So that being said, I wasn't planning on buying a new small reel just to try out braid. I guess i can spool the shimano with mono and braid and if it breaks, it doesn't owe me anything at this point.

Originally Posted by mforbesiii

my little old shimano definitely does not have a braid capacity listing on the spool. I received it as a gift back around 1991 if I had to guess. might even be older than that honestly. model 300q AX. see Ebay link for an example.

Shimano 300Q AX Quickfire Bio Grip Rear Drag Ball Bearing Mint | eBay



do you think it's possible to use braid on a reel like this (with a mono backing)? I was already planning on buying a new surf reel to replace my 7500ss, just due to the 7500ss feeling too big for my 10' rod. Was thinking of something in the 5500 size range based on some other members suggestions. Seems like that could handle most anything I would be trying to land from the beach or a kayak. So that being said, I wasn't planning on buying a new small reel just to try out braid. I guess i can spool the shimano with mono and braid and if it breaks, it doesn't owe me anything at this point.

i dont know if i would fish braid on that reel the braids worth more than the reel but if u wanna sell that 7500 shoot me a pm

If I'm going to fish braid inshore I'm gonna use straight braid with no mono shock leader unless it an actual leader for the lure. One thing to keep in mind with running straight braid is that it has less drag in the water than mono does. Also you need to make sure that the line isn't stronger than the rod it's being fished on. It is very easy to bust the new graphite rods with braid due to there being no stretch.

Originally Posted by the original pier pest

If I'm going to fish braid inshore I'm gonna use straight braid with no mono shock leader unless it an actual leader for the lure. One thing to keep in mind with running straight braid is that it has less drag in the water than mono does. Also you need to make sure that the line isn't stronger than the rod it's being fished on. It is very easy to bust the new graphite rods with braid due to there being no stretch.

Interesting. I have a 7' tourney special bass pro rod. med-hvy power, fast action, rated for 6-17lb line. Do you think that would be ok with something like 10 or 15# braid?