Line Recommendation

[LWD]

Hi to all, what pound line I'm using braid cast the farthest but is the strongest? I think 50# braid has great strength, but my casting distance with it is not far. I'm willing to go down to 20#, but what do you all think? I had 10# mono snap right off when I set the hook. So I need a reliable strength but small enough to cast to the moon.

[kickerfish1]

You may want to share some background information first...

Are you fishing braid on casting set up or a spinning set up?

What size baits are you throwing?

What kinds of cover or structure are present?

I don't use braid very often but have 50lb on 7 and half foot MH casting rod and it casts quite far. I didn't notice much difference in distance when I was using 30lb braid.

If you aren't getting the distance you think you should be getting try sending your reel off for service... cleaning, lube, tuning etc. If you are mechanically savy try it yourself. I am not sure why it wouldn't be casting far unless the tension knob is too tight or there are too many brakes applied.

[SirSnookalot]

A hookset can exert more pressure on your line and knot, I'm not one that sets the hook real hard, I do not run into breakage problems. Most braided lines have a breaking strength greater than the number on the label, the strength does vary between manufactures. If I'm looking at 20# braid that breaks at say 35#, in essence I'm using 35# test line. If distance were an issue I might consider the thinnest line with the highest breaking strength, an example might be 20# Spider wire ultra cast that breaks around 50#. Never used the product so this is not an endorsement.

All this said, a average 20# braid should be able to handle a minimum of 20 -30# of pressure, weight and fish pulling strength, I think using your drag correctly contributes to success as well, at least that's my opinion.

[LgMouthGambler]

If your using a baitcaster, I wouldnt go any smaller than 40#. Otherwise its going to dig into itself real bad on every hookset.

[JigMe]

You need to give out more details; I wouldn't fish heavy structures with 20lb braided lines.

[Marty]

I use 15# braid on spinning equipment and have always found it adequate. Never broke off on a hookset and fish some very heavy, dense vegetation and haven't yet had a situation that tells me I need stronger line.

[dodgeguy]

^{i use 10 lb sufix 832 on spinning and have never had it fail.iuse 50lb sufix 832 on casting reels and have no problem with distance.}

Edited September 27, 2012 by dodgeguy

[deep]

I agree with LMG. On another note, braid has lower "shock" strength compared to mono etc. A lot of braids on the market have a "break-in" period too.

[LWD]

Hi thanks for your respones. Let me share some background info. I'm using a casting setup currently 50# braid installed. I'm throwing weightless 12" worms, and 1.5 KVD crankbaits. Structure consists of medium timber, pads, and hydrilla. So from what I gather I should purchase a 10# braid that actually breaks at 20#, since 20# is what I want. I'm worried about it digging in too much though. 15# sounds like a agreeable number but thats for a spinning setup. Why is a spinning reel different than a casting reel when it comes to braid?

[SirSnookalot]

I use 15# braid on spinning equipment and have always found it adequate. Never broke off on a hookset and fish some very heavy, dense vegetation and haven't yet had a situation that tells me I need stronger line.

Couldn't agree more with this post and others Marty has posted.

I've been giving this digging in issue some thought lately, from what I see the only difference between b/c and spinning is how the spools sit on the reels. The potential is there for line to dig in on spinning when something substantial is pulling out drag, it's happened many times to me. One cast after that fish has been landed and the line is setting on the spool as it should be, to me it's a 1 cast inconvenience. I do understand the desire to use heavier line if one adheres to the philosophy of "yank and crank", a fishing style I don't care to associate myself with.

[LgMouthGambler]

The wag the line gets wrapped on the spool is different, and casters have an obviously smaller spool. For what you are describing, 50# braid is not the proper line. Braid that heavy is for fishing frogs, jigs, and swimbaits, etc, that are going to be fished in heavy cover. You might be better off with a line like YoZuri, maybe in the 12-15# range. I have no fear fishing that line in moderatly heavy cover, that stuff is strong.