MisterDeadeye

I pointed out that 4 carrier braid is more likely to catch on things, and it's obvious by looking at the structure of the two. I don't understand your argument. You're just throwing out these one liners as if they mean anything at all. The OP said that no articles they read explained why 4 carrier braid is recommended so often for vegetation and I gave the explanation. It's physics, not an opinion, and I explained the upside and the downside, as well as saying that the difference isn't that big of a deal. What's the point of trying to argue with this?

Sure, abrasion works both ways to some degree, but hardness and surface finish are the main factors here. Go rub a piece of wood against a rock for an hour and tell me how much damage you did to the rock. Take a low grit whetstone and drag it across your arm and tell me how much damage you did to the stone. Go slide on your knees across pavement and tell me about how you totally destroyed the road. I'd argue that 4 carrier braid, or at least a coarse braid, stands up better against grasses exactly because of the coarseness. Where a smooth braid will allow a blade of grass(or whatever kind of vegetation) to rub against it until you pull hard enough to actually cut through, a coarse braid will catch, and because it's a harder material, these waves in the line will naturally dig in to the grass like a saw. You can test this by grabbing a cheese grater and rubbing steel wool up and down. One way, the edges will catch on the steel wool and start to pull it apart. The other way, you'll just be scratching the metal surface very lightly. Every moving thing that comes into contact with another thing is technically abrading through friction. Either way, tests have shown that standard Power Pro has higher abrasion resistance than Sufix 832, and the fact that it's also more abrasive and well suited for vegetation is undeniable. That doesn't make 832 bad, it's just not as good, and I have absolutely no knowledge about the line you're suggesting, so I can't comment on it. The test that I saw most recently suggested that a braid by Cortland(I think) took second place behind PP. Sufix 832 was in the top 5 I believe, but there were only ~15 lines tested.

You actually answered your question about why some people suggest and prefer 4 carrier braid for heavy cover. Because it's coarse, the line works more like a saw. It's abrasive and cuts through vegetation more easily. On the other hand, 8 carrier braid is smoother and rounder so it casts better. I guess it depends on what you consider cover. If you're throwing around wood or rocks, the smoother braid could be helpful because it's less like to catch(like on your finger) and start fraying. Then obviously if you've got grasses or weeds on top or under the water surface, the abrasive nature of coarse braid helps. But don't get me wrong, even something like Sufix 832 will cut through vegetation more than fluorocarbon/mono.

To make it simple, they're carbon fiber. Very similar to graphite(they start out as the same thing), just slightly different in the manufacturing process. It's potentially lighter, more sensitive, and more expensive to produce usually, unless they start out with lower grade materials. Actually, I'm saying they're carbon fiber based on a video on the rod's page, on Okuma's website, that says they're made out of carbon fiber, but they also say that it's carbon fiber wrapped, so it could be largely constructed of graphite and carbon fiber reinforced which makes the result slightly different. Rods that are marketed as being carbon fiber(most graphite rods have some amount of carbon fiber in them, so it's kind of a misnomer), are typically meant to be the best of both worlds. They're supposed to be light and sensitive like a typical graphite rod, but also flexible like a fiberglass rod. The rod you're using probably has a relatively slow action so it will be great for the typical treble hook hard baits like the intended topwater/jerkbaits, as well as crankbaits. Now, despite the fact that technically speaking graphite and carbon fiber are different, all "graphite" rods are composites, meaning they aren't 100% graphite construction. Like I said above, graphite rods use carbon fiber, so the use of the term in their video and the use of the word "carbon" instead of "graphite" could just be the marketing team doing their job. Feel out the action for yourself, but it doesn't really even matter what the composition itself is because rod manufacturers don't release that information. The only thing we can do as consumers is test and compare various rods. Edit: I'm not sure exactly what lures you're using, but I don't like leaders and usually just use straight braid. If you need the stretch, you could always just go full mono or have a leader that's a couple feet long so that it's past your guides when getting ready to cast. As for what lb test, I like 30lb braid, but some people like to go to 40 or even 50 for general use. Mono, I'd go with 12-15lb Big Game whether we're talking about a leader or main line.

I have definitely had this happen with 1/2oz spinnerbaits, heavy catfish rigs, and some heavier topwater stuff. I've never had it happen with anything light. It certainly happens when something goes wrong like the line digging in and getting caught as someone above mentioned.

I noticed yesterday that there's some Yamamoto branded fluorocarbon fishing line available, in both a clear and gray color. It isn't anything new, but I didn't find any threads while searching for opinions. Has anyone used this stuff? It looks a little expensive, and the only review I could even find was one on TackleTour.

I'm asking myself what I would be thinking if it were KastKing.

Have you tried experimenting with various parts to see if it's possible to modify a Tatula SV(or even something like the Steez somehow), to have the standard line guide? I know there are several parts that would need to be changed between the thumb bar and the line guide, the worm gear, pawl, the parts that move the T-Wing mechanically etc. I wonder if some of these parts on, say, a Fuego CT or older Daiwa reel, could be swapped over.

I like the Plano Weekender bags, specifically the 3700 size. They're big enough that you can buy one of the deep, open 3700 boxes that's dedicated to soft plastics in their original packaging, and you can still use two other standard 3700 boxes for whatever. If you're really adventurous, you can get one of the shallow 3700 boxes for terminal tackle, and try to fit four total 3700 boxes in the main compartment. Of course there's still room for markers or dyes, pliers, gloves if you use them, or extra plastic storage if the open 3700 isn't enough. At that point as a bank fisherman, I'd argue that you're trying to do too much at once. So to summarize: Plano Weekender 3700 bag(either style) -Two standard 3700 boxes(for whatever) -One 3731 box(deep, open, for plastics in their bags) -One 3701 box(shallow, for terminal tackle) And like I said, there's plenty of room in the side compartments or the front one for more plastics, there's a "sheath" for pliers etc. I think the ultimate solution as a bank fisherman is the backpack if you move around a lot, and you don't have to take the time to shuffle things around if you want to make a cast on the way. The only problem is that a good one is going to be expensive($50+ on the low end, catered to 3500 or 3600 size boxes) whereas you can get a bag like I mentioned for ~$25. EDIT: I should mention that Plano markets the Weekender bags as having the room for 4 boxes of the appropriate size meaning 4 3700 boxes should fit in the 3700 bag. The method I mentioned above is really pushing the limits of the volume of these bags. 4 3700 boxes are 8" wide, whereas the aforementioned setup would be 8.5" wide. That extra half inch may or may not be too much to fit. I don't know how tight the fit is exactly.

I came back to this thread to talk about exactly this issue. I bought Goody Ouchless 71291 bands from Wal-Mart and they definitely melt when left on my Senkos, or at least my watermelon Dingers. Your picture shows an older packaging so I wonder if they're simply made differently now. Either way I've settled on using grommets. They're stiffer than a O-rings or these bands, they're more expensive, and they're a little wider than using two O-rings, but I put the hook through them and the whole thing is extremely secure. My bait hasn't ripped even a little so until I can find a more elegant solution, this is what I'm going with.

Another vote for the Curado DC. The other reels are fine, some different bearings here and there, slightly different spools, blah blah blah, but the DC is a different beast entirely. It's like buying a new car and you're considering whether you want a base model Toyota Camry, the Camry with the performance package, the Camry with the premium package, or a Jaguar. They're all going to get you to where you want to be, but you're going to have a lot more fun with the Jag.

When I was considering a reel, I took a good hard look at the Casitas. In fact my first thread here was asking people to talk me out of getting one. The main reason I had for getting one was its insane casting ability(distance with everything from light to heavy lures mostly), even though it's supposed to be notoriously "geary" feeling and it has the composite frame. I'd considered all comparable reels, the Daiwa Fuego CT/Tatula CT, Lew's, Abu Garcia Revo X, Quantum Accurist, KastKing, etc. After I looked into the Magforce brake system, and realized that I could get a brand new Fuego CT for <$55 on eBay(from a retailer, not a random person), I just stopped thinking and bit the bullet. I'm extremely happy with it. As far as I can tell there's no friction when turning the handle or spool, and it's silent in that regard, it feels great in the hand, and the brakes are just phenomenal. I've thrown 1/4oz crankbaits and large spinnerbaits with large trailers, senkos various ways, etc, and I've had to make no adjustments at all after setting it up initially.

Yeah, getting one for less than $50 seemed a little crazy to me too. The person who said that was talking about a sale that happened last month some time after the 4th of July sale. Either way though, the 4th of July deal that I got was an eBay 20% off sale. They happen pretty often, there was one in June, there was one in March, and so on. There might even be one coming up for Labor Day.

x5 or whatever the number is, for the Tat/Fuego CT. Check this out for a realistic look at the differences: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/207969-the-tatula-ctfuego-ct-and-misconceptions/ EDIT: I got carried away with all of the reel recommendations. Yeah, line and rod are more important for sure. Your reel is not going to break before your line assuming you aren't using paracord as fishing line, and the rod needs to have enough rigidity to keep the pressure on the fish while you fight through the greenery. So get 50-65lb braid depending on just how thick your area is, and get a rod that can handle the load as well. Typically a heavy rod with a faster tip is what you're going to want, but there are recommendations above ^

I've personally found better casting -- more distance, accuracy, precision, etc -- with a baitcasting setup. Of course, I've seen the same sentiment as you, that spinning reels cast farther than casting reels, so I don't know. It's probably a comfort thing, because I grew up using casting reels on ponds and lakes fishing for bass, rivers for catfish, etc. So if you've been using casting reels for a long time or if you feel a lack of comfort with spinning reels, you're probably not going to get the result you're looking for. I have no spinning reel or rod recommendations, so I can't help in that regard. Edit: For me, spinning reels are delegated to catching bait or the occasional "finesse" approach. My main setups will always be baitcasting.