Just in case anyone is looking for a new Fishing Line.....

[manlystanley]

Mark, Mike, and Ron: I stand corrected. Next season I'm switching to Braid. Thanks!


Best Regards,
Stan

[ronaultmtd]

Stan: you don't have to buy the most expensive braid- a few years ago Cabela's had their store brand braid on sale- I bought a ton of their line...still have most of it- I bought 300 yard spools of 30 and 20 pound test...and some of my fishing buddies use KastKing brand braid- tell me it is fine- about half price of 832...and after you have used braid for a few years...you don't go back...just too many advantages...think about how much investment you have in gear, time and your expectations...think about the direct link to the fish is your line- I think that is the least expense on my list is the line...nothing wrong with mono- fished with it for years...just old technology...just checked EBay- 550 yards of 20# KastKing red braid was $15.58

[Big Mike]

Stan, certainly cost is a factor. In your example 1200 yards cost $96. I rarely put 200 yards on a reel but for sake of argument assume we can only get 6 reels loaded, or a cost of $16 per reel. Obviously that is more expensive than $1 per reel for the big game mono, although other Berkley products will set you back a bit more than that. To me $16 is not all that expensive, especially when I've had the same braid on for two years now and I fish a lot. I've never had my braid break (knock on wood). With a mono leader I also rarely have to cut my braid if snagged or hooked to a CNR. Line is the connection to the fish and in the case of crank baits some expensive lures. If you prefer mono, then by all means fish it but the cost advantage isn't really all that much in the bigger scheme of what we spend in this sport.

[Mark]

So, I am going to be out-of-step here. But, I'm sticking with Mono. When my fishing skills get to your level, I just might switch to braid. But currently, the issue with me, is that Braid costs over 10 times as much (e.g. $7.00 vs $96.00).

Best Regards,
Stan

You need to look at more than cost.

That's a lot of line to buy unless you fish with many reels. Mono has a shelf life. It can get brittle with age.

Braid lasts longer. And as I've learned here, it can be reversed to add to its longevity.

You might want to try a smaller spool of braid just to see what folks here are talking about. I was really surprised by the difference over mono.

[manlystanley]

So, I am going to be out-of-step here. But, I'm sticking with Mono. When my fishing skills get to your level, I just might switch to braid. But currently, the issue with me, is that Braid costs over 10 times as much (e.g. $7.00 vs $96.00). For example:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Vs

https://www.amazon.com/Sufix-Braid-L...832&th=1&psc=1


Best Regards,
Stan

[summersoff]

^^^
Agreed on the older reels. Only the original thick Fireline braid works on Z's, may work on some other older reels.
Also some rods, more specifically guides suck with braid. I had a couple of Rougue rods, relatively expensive rods, sounds like a screeching violin with braid. One of the guides quickly formed a groove. An uncommon problem with most rods nowadays, but it happens to me.

[Mark]

Some reel makers now provide spools with embedded rubber strips to grasp braided line. That negates the need for tape or mono backing.

I had mentioned this before in prior threads so I won't repeat it in depth, but braid is not suited for all older spinning reels. Some bale rollers may not reliably pick up the braid and a nasty knot is created when you reel in line. I returned mono to one of my older reels after dealing with this issue for a season.

[summersoff]

Braid all they way for me. The difference in sensitivity is massive. You can feel a fluke fart with braid (not sure I want to, but it may help). I have fished with a couple guys who were using mono, only to hand them one my braid rods after a couple hook ups.
I primarily used 832, but I have been buying J-Braid more because it so damn cheap and haven't had a problem yet. I even used it on the Cape Cod Canal, which is notoriously brutal on gear with no problem. So, J Braid may be replacing the 832, that is of course until I get my first break off and swear it is cheap crap with no quality control.
I also use Fireline on my Z reels for years, and it works great.
For the arbor, I use a electrical tape with a double wrapped arbor knot, that I flip when it gets old. Braid knots become second nature, it's the nasty cut on the last diget pointer finger caused when pulling in a pig that burns me about braid.

[bignose]

For my personal use, I put a layer of Nashua Silicone Tape (Home Depot), used for sealing hoses, as a backing between the braid and spool. I can build this up as needed to act as an arbor.
This type of tape does not leave a residue like masking tape or electrical tape, and stretches to fit snugly around the spool. The braid will not spin like it would if wound against bare metal.
My newest reel, a Quantum Throttle 10, has a layer of cushioning built into the spool.

As for my choice of line, I use Sufix Neon Orange Braid for it's visibility. It is a round braid and doesn't fray and get fuzzy like the early SpiderWire and Fireline did. I reverse the line, once, when it fades after a season, then replace it. It also tests out at a considerable higher breaking strength then listed, i.e. the 10 pound test I spool up with tested out in a lab test at 18 pounds!
I tie Surgeon Loops to both the ends of the braid and the leader and connect them by looping the ends together. These pass thru the guides fairly easily. That's from my fly fishing background. LOL

On the charter boat we use 40-50 lb. braid for trolling, replacing stainless wire (ugh!), but for our chumming/livelining spinning rods I went back to mono, in both Day Glow Suffix Orange and and P line in Fluorescent Green. Mono's stretch makes it much more forgiving for our newbies.

The multiple colors help with the inevitable tangles, which were impossible to get out in braided lines. And if they do get tangled, it is much cheaper to cut off and replace.

[Mark]

Thanks Tom.

I'd never seen it discussed so I thought I'd ask. Seemed like a logical thing to do. I'm glad to know it has worked for others.

[DanMarino]

Speaking of braid, does anyone reverse the line on their reels?

I rarely use more than the first 30 to 40 yards on my reels. That portion noticeably fades in color from the line under it and it does fray a bit with use. I was wondering if it would be advisable to reverse it to expose the unused portion in lieu of buying new line.

That's a technique fly rodders used to do with their double taper and level lines to extend the lives of their lines.

Mark, I reverse the braid on my spinning reels. Just add some mono to be a backing for it if you need to fill the spool up.

[captmikestarrett]

I have tried many braids over the years. The best for spinning and casting 200 times an evening is Suffix 832. Why? Well the line lasts several years and those wind knots are not so bad to get out. Place the knot in your mouth and mash it down with your teeth to flatten it. Now pull it open and in most cases you snap the loops right out with no loss of test. Power pro slick casts better but knots are impossible. Regular power pro seems to knot up all the time.

So when selecting a braid for my guide reels I look for less knots and if they occur then ones I can get out quickly. And I have to ask why do spinning reels have an automatic bail arm. Stupidest idea ever. Answer: To twist the line.

For vertical jigging I love Diamond Braid or Jerry Brown.

Capt Mike

[Mark]

...The old weathered end is tied to the spool, leaving the fresher line at the outer end.

Good...another affirmation that this will work.

Thanks.

[willf650]

Just in case anyone is looking for a new Fishing Line.....

Why so much drag? I am no expert but even back in the day shark fishing, I never used more than 20# of drag even on a Penn International 50W...20 pounds of drag at the reel equals about 125 pounds of effort on a 5'6" Rawhide blank custom stand up tuna rod...try lifting 125# for 12 hours fighting a 800 pound Tiger shark...that tows a 24 foot boat 8 miles...

It's not so much about max drag. It's more about being able to run a solid 20-25# of drag with no fade. I have locked it up before when a fish is boat side and is tiring out. I haven't caught a 800# shark before but have caught a bunch around 300# and fought them for over an hour at 20+#.

I have some reels on paper say they do 20# but I've to palm the spool at times to get anywhere. I say they don't produce anywhere what they say or the drags are toast. The higher rated reels don't have this issue.


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[J.A. Veil]

I have flipped my line a couple times on reels. I have also pulled the braid off and backed the spool with mono when I loose some line and its starting to affect my casting. I only back the spool on my bass reels where I know I won't get spooled.

I know that many fishermen and tackle shops put a layer of mono on the spools as backing then attach braid on top. My experience is that the knot used to connect the two lines can often interfere with a long cast (it grabs the outgoing line and keeps it from its full length). About a decade ago, I stopped using any backing. I attach braid directly to my spinning reel spool and fill the spool about 80-90% of the distance to the edge of the lip on the spool (filling all the way to the lip often leads to wind knots). In order to keep the line bundle from sliding around the metal spool (that happened to me once), I apply a strip of masking tape to the bare spool, the wrap the braid directly on top of the tape.

Over time, the outer portion of the line gets broken or cut off to remove wind knots. At some point, there is no longer enough line on the spool to make a full cast. This week I did an innovative line reuse on three reels. I had 1000 series, 2500 series, and 3000 series reels that had reached the point of not having enough line. I removed the line from the 1000, tied the end of the line from the 2500 reel onto the bare 1000 spool, and wound the line onto the 1000 spool. I then moved the line from the 3000 to the 2500. I did use fresh braid to spool the 3000, but was able to get additional life out of the line on the other reels. The old weathered end is tied to the spool, leaving the fresher line at the outer end.