Braid Distance With Boca Bearings.

[rockchalk06]

Hey all. Have a question about the Boca Orange seal bearings when using braid. I've done a bunch of searching and can't pin down the question.

I have two of the same reel. One with 30# braid and the other with 12# fluoro. The reel with 30# braid is my top water rig. Same lure with both reels will go 15-20 feet further on a cast when using fluoro. I've tested to see if it's the reel or rod. Same rod and I switched the line on both reels. Basically the fluoro will cast further.

That being said, I was thinking about switching out the bearings on my top water reel to the Orange seal bearings. I don't want to switch away from braid on my top water rig as its almost perfect for what I use it for.

So guys using orange seal bearings with braid, did you notice a major increas in distance when you switched to the Boca's?

Thanks in advance

[BASSHUNTER1961]

Just because the reels are the same make/model does not mean they will cast the same. They could be set up just a bit different, and one set of bearings could have more grease than the others. Now this second thought is just my opinion... I do not feel you will find much increase in distance with Boca bearings unless you are free spooling.

[LgMouthGambler]

Possibility that the dia of the braid may be your problem. Braid that thin may dig in on itself even while reeling the line in, and that could be hurting the casting distance. The fluoro is thicker and does not do that. Try a thicker braid, or switch to a mono line for your topwater.

[rockchalk06]

Possibility that the dia of the braid may be your problem. Braid that thin may dig in on itself even while reeling the line in, and that could be hurting the casting distance. The fluoro is thicker and does not do that. Try a thicker braid, or switch to a mono line for your topwater.

I used 50# too. Didn't see any difference that I could tell. I kinda wanted to stay away from mono. I don't like the stretch for running popr's.

[Hi Salenity]

Short answer = NO

What reel do you have? Have the bearings been flushed ? Does the spool shaft still have oil/grease on it? Do you set the reels up free or use a lot of breaks?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The braid may be digging slightly as suggested. You can try some KVD L&L. As for the advantage of bearing swaps (or any upgrade for that matter) it depends on the reel model and condition prior to upgrading. There are steps short of bearing replacement that can improve performance. Max casting distance can be improved but whether or not that translates on the water is debatable. The main advantage in reel tuning and upgrades is the easier casting resulting in improved accuracy.

[webertime]

The braid is probably wrapped a bit tighter and not as smooth as fluoro. Coming off the spool the friction of the braid on itself is what you are seeing with the shorter casts. I've used identically set up Curado E's on the same rod with Sunline Sniper and Suffix 832 of the same diameter and the Sniper casted further. I further adjusted the reels (spool tension, brakes) and no matter what, as long as I didn't go to extremes with the adjustments, the Sniper outcast the 832. That being said I still prefer braid...

[J Francho]

Fluoro is a monofilament style line, which has less friction and usually casts farther than a braided super line.

[rockchalk06]

Short answer = NO

What reel do you have? Have the bearings been flushed ? Does the spool shaft still have oil/grease on it? Do you set the reels up free or use a lot of breaks?

Both are STX Revos. Both are brand new. I have blown all the bearings out with air and put a tiny drop of oil on them. Spool shaft has some light oil at both tips. I run 3 breaks on and 3 off. I set the spool control to where the bait falls about 1 foot a second. As for the mag breaks, they are all off.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

For the best performance bearings need to be soaked and flushed with a solvent (acetone, naptha...) then oiled. Air by itself won't do much. This will do more for you than changing line.

[OkobojiEagle]

Do newer reels such as the Revo line have the decade old triple-cross line guide pawl design which helps eliminate thin line dig in?

oe

[SirSnookalot]

As long as the combo with braid is casting far enough I'd forget about it. The longer cast sometimes can be a disservice, gives the fish more time to get unbuttoned.

[craww]

JFrancho is right. Diameter for diameter Braid doesnt cast quite as far as monofilament bodied lines. With that said you can drop down in diameter with braid and get better distance vs a mono you would normally use for a given application. This plays out more with spinning rigs than casting however. I run a 30/8 braid on a few BC's but wont go any lower. I still cant match the distance I get with 12 Yozuri ( a fairly thick line for its rating), but its better than the 50/12 I used to use. I honestly havent had dig in issues but could see it happening at < 20lb diameters.

[21farms]

i'm with LMG and DVT regarding the thinner diameter braid digging into itself. i've noticed this problem on my revos a little using 30 lb. braid and it is really bad with 15 lb. braid. interestingly, in the revo owner's manual, abu makes a point to brag about their wide-angle crosswrap feature which is supposed to eliminate this problem but, as far as i can tell, that is just stock language they put in all their manuals and does not actually apply to the revos or the max-series. i do not experience this problem with thin braided lines on my curado 200s.

[rockchalk06]

For the best performance bearings need to be soaked and flushed with a solvent (acetone, naptha...) then oiled. Air by itself won't do much. This will do more for you than changing line.

Cool. I will do that ASAP.

[rockchalk06]

As long as the combo with braid is casting far enough I'd forget about it. The longer cast sometimes can be a disservice, gives the fish more time to get unbuttoned.

Your right too snook. I average about 50 yards on a good cast but there are times in open water that a little further would help

[BigMoneyGrip]

I would think that the fluorocarbon is more dense, so it carries more mass with it as the lure is in flight.

Sounds cool, anyway...

[Capt.Bob]

start with the bearing flush, air won't blow the grease out and as long as you have grease in the bearings oil won't help. When you flush them use a good LIGHTWEIGHT oil, one small drop, spin em and blow them out lightly. I think you will be very happy without changing your bearings!! I use premium abec 5 bearings on most supertunes when a customer wants bearings upgraded.

[rockchalk06]

start with the bearing flush, air won't blow the grease out and as long as you have grease in the bearings oil won't help. When you flush them use a good LIGHTWEIGHT oil, one small drop, spin em and blow them out lightly. I think you will be very happy without changing your bearings!! I use premium abec 5 bearings on most supertunes when a customer wants bearings upgraded.

Thanks. I will do this with both reels and test it out next week.