Line Question

[fishguy613]

Why do so many people use 10lb braided line...? I have always thought that if my rod is rated for 8-14 pound line the smallest dia braid i could use would be 30lb braid as it is equivalent to 8lb mono. Would 10lb braid be equivalent to like 2lb mono?

[Crestliner2008]

Yes. But I love 10# braid (PP being a favorite) for anything other than real heavy cover. This stuff is super strong and with a 12# - 14# fluoro leader (for abrasion resistance) it makes a formidable combination for a wide variety of fishing situations.

[RandySBreth]

Not very many of the big rod maker have caught up with superlines - so most of them still use the old mono ratings. Like Crestliner I use smaller superlines, including 8-pound test Nanofil (diameter like 1 or 2-pound test mono) on a rod rated for 6- to 10-pound test mono. It works just fine. The reality is you can use whatever you can make work, and throw the ratings out if it works for you.

[nwmike]

10 lbs braid cast extremely well because of its small diameter while still giving the user line strength. its great for drop shot and other finesse fishing.

[SirSnookalot]

Some of the butterfly jigging type rods are rated for braid and Shimano terez rods too, but these are saltwater rods.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I have one setup with 10# braid... and I love it for the line small diameter and is good for all kinds of  situations , where I  don't feel comfortable using a light fluro

[WRB]

Most bass anglers choose 10 lb braid for use on spinning outfits to help reduce line twist. My guess is these anglers believe smaller diameter braid that = 2 lb mono/FC line diameter gives them an advantage with strike ratio in clear water.

The problems with braid in general is poor abrasion resistance and knot strength if you believe the TT reports.

Splicing FC leaders to braid is the most popular choice, both lines have poor knot strength in the 70 to 75% range.

For line twist reduction you end up with a splice that reduces line strength, to over come this use stronger larger diameter line, if you have knot strength issues.

Tom

[Marty]

 

I have always thought that if my rod is rated for 8-14 pound line the smallest dia braid i could use would be 30lb braid as it is equivalent to 8lb mono.

 

I hardly qualify as a rod expert, but I think the rating is based on line strength, not diameter. As in go too strong and the line could break the rod and go too light and the line could break before loading the rod. When using braid heavier than the mono rating, the advice was always to ease off on the drag to compensate for the greater strength.

[fishguy613]

interesting... can anyone confirm?

[EvanT123]

Yes some braid is equivalent to 10lb mono

[Dwight Hottle]

I think Marty hit it on the nose . The line rating are based on rod power and action. The idea is not to over stress the rod with line stronger than shattered the blank can handle. When spyderwire first came out a lot of rods were blowing up on hook sets. I know I blew up two loomis imx rods early on. Rod company's tried to educate the consumer not to exceed the line rating to maintain the rod warranty.

[fishguy613]

yes i think marty was definitely correct in that regard

however the comment regarding line rating being based on strength and not diameter is not accurate,

[dodgeguy]

And then they massively improved the rods and they don't break as much as they did when braid first came out.

[dodgeguy]

yes i think marty was definitely correct in that regard

however the comment regarding line rating being based on strength and not diameter is not accurate,

marty is 100 % correct. that' s why they are rated in pound test which is a measurement of line strength. line diameter has nothing to do with it.

[fishguy613]

so using 50lb braid on a rod rated for 8-14lb line is a nono?

i use 50lb braid on the casters and 30lb on the spinning rod, for quite some time believing this is accurate

[Dwight Hottle]

You are not wrong per say but lucky. Eventually you could break a rod because of you mismatch. Line class rating are a general rule of thumb as are lure weights. The rod manufacture gives the ratings for a reason . Can you exceed the ratings? Yes. If you exceed them too often you are asking for trouble. A lot depends on your casting method and your hook set. I know some guys who have very violent hook sets to the point of causing bodily harm to their hands, wrist and shoulders.

[tomustang]

It'll help to adjust the drag accordingly

[Rudy1922]

So it's best to follow the rod's line weight. I do that with my spinning rods. They say 6-12 lbs so I only use 10 lbs braided line. I loosen the drag a lot so my line won't dig in and it's been working great. Now I'm moving into Bait casters and Shimano says to use Power Pro 30-60 lbs but the casting rod I'm getting says the rod's line weight is 10-20 lbs. Could I use 20lbs on the Bait caster and loosen the drag like I do on my spinning reels so it won't dig in? 

[fishguy613]

im quite confused and obviously have been misinformed

ive been using 30lb braid on the spinning rod and 50lb braid on my casters with literally no issue. no backlashes, no line digging in, etc

[Rudy1922]

I think i'm confused too! LOL I think I know why people use 30lbs braid on baitcasters. It's because you don't want the line to dig in, right? SO you use a thicker braid. So a pole that has a line weight of 10-20lbs will break before the 30lbs braid? So to stop that, you loosen your drag enough so it won't break you fishing rod. Right? 

[SirSnookalot]

im quite confused and obviously have been misinformed

ive been using 30lb braid on the spinning rod and 50lb braid on my casters with literally no issue. no backlashes, no line digging in, etc

Using those lines you shouldn't have a problem.

Biggest mystery to me is why anyone would use 30# braid on a bass sized spinning gear in the first place.

I use this basic formula for braid, rods rated up 12 get 10#, 8/17 get 15#, 10/20 get 20#, offshore 30 & 40 rods get 30#, I do have 1 set up on a 8' 10/20 rod with 30# braid, it's not a bass combo. Zero problems ever.

 

If a rod gets over stressed and breaks, 99% of the time I bet it's user error.

[new2BC4bass]

As already stated, line size is usually given for mono although some newer rods will also list superline range.  I see no reason why you can't use a 40# braid (or whatever) on a rod listed for 10#-17# (mono).  Use a bit of common sense.  Hook sets with braid needn't be hard enough to hit the guy sitting 8 feet behind you. 

 

You better not be too near my father when he set the hook, but he never knew of any other line than mono, and we used fiberglass rods back in those days.

 

Reel drag doesn't always need to be locked down.  Of course, if you have an older reel with 6-7 lbs. max drag when locked down, locking it down shouldn't affect the rod regardless of line rating.

 

My personal experience trying to break 8# through 12# mono has shown me that I would never exert enough pressure on a rod to break it with that line poundage much less with 40# braid.