Is 30Lb Braid Overkill

[1099gl]

I just bought 30 pound test yellow power pro for my spinning rod. I was told by one of my buddies that it was overkill and that most people have 15 pound braid does it matter that much?

[ABW]

You won't be able to spool up as much 30 lb braid on as you can 15 lb.

[Penguino]

On spinning reels I would stay with 20lb braid.. but 30lb braid should work. Keep in mind that you might lose some casting distance.

[Darren.]

Personally, yes, for bass fishing. But that's me.

 

I choose 10lb Power Pro and it has hauled in 

waterlogged tree branches several inches in

diameter.

 

That said, if I bought some, I'd use it. I'm not 

deriding your purchase, it is just that I have 

decided that for my needs, 10 is sufficient, and 

15 would be heavy.

 

I use 20 on bait casting reels... 

[mprestonSEK]

30lb on a spinning reel is not ideal for me. 10 or 15lb is what I prefer to use. The size of your reel will play a big role in the castability of 30lb braid. If your reel is 2500 or larger than you should be okay.  

[Felix77]

FWIW - The max I will put on my spinning is 15lb.

[Mike2841]

If you already spooled it up it doesn't matter that much, as long as you have enough lime on there you'll be fine. Personally I use 15-20lb on my spinning reels and that puts enough on there to last 2-3 years.

[A-Jay]

10 - 20 lb braid is what's on the spinning reels for most of my bass fishing.

 

The 30 lb goes on casting reels.

 

A-Jay

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Id take advantage of the thinness/strength of braid on a spinning reel. Meaning I go to 8-10# braid. A person would use just 8# mono fluoro on a spinning reel yet 8# braid most likely will be stronger. I dont even use high pound braid on baitcasters all but one has 10-15-20# braid. 

So to me yes 30# is overkill by about 20#

[Wayne P.]

I use superlines by their diameters, not by their breaking strength. Been using superlines since the Stren Kevlar and first edition Spiderwire.

 

At a minimum I use 20# rated for clear water/open water and small bass, several have 30# rated and most have 40# rated. The largest diameter is 8# mono equivelent diameter. Smaller stuff has very little shock strength.

 

For baitcasting small stuff like topwater and Traps, I use 30# and most of my others have 50# and higher rated strengths. The 50# is 10# mono equivelant diameter.

[ColdSVT]

10 - 20 lb braid is what's on the spinning reels for most of my bass fishing.

The 30 lb goes on casting reels.

A-Jay

Yessir!

[Kevin22]

10# for dropshot. 15-20 for weightless baits and shakey heads.

30# on casters.

[flyfisher]

i used 8lb diameter PP for a few seasons and only recently changed to 6lb diameter more to just try it out.  The one advantage to the slightly heavier is that it won't take as much to fill your spool which potentially could get you more respools.  As far as catching goes, i haven't noticed any difference.

[gulfcaptain]

I wouldn't get much on the spinning reels I use if I put 30lb braid on them....maybe 60 yards if I was lucky, but more line 40 maybe.  Fish most of mine with 10lb, 20 would be the most and on a bigger spinning outfit.  But like most 30 goes on my baitcasters.    But try it out and if you like it fish with it.  These are just our opinions.

[kikstand454]

Seems to me that 30# power pro says its 8# mono diameter.

Does your reel have sufficient space for your needs at 8# diameter?

I'm sure it does. Fish on, my friend !

[FishTank]

Depending on the size of spinning reel, I would say it would be overkill for the average size bass reel.  I prefer 15-20lb braid when I use it on a spinning reel.  I like 30-50 lb for casting reels.

[RoLo]

For the past several years, 30-lb braid has been the workhorse on both my casting gear and spinning gear.

 

IMO, it's better to compare fishing line based on line diameter instead of breaking test.   Let me explain:

The diameter of 20-lb braid is 0.009" (9/1000"), and the diameter of 30-lb braid is 0.011".

The difference between 20 and 30-lb braid is 0.002", half the mean diameter of a human hair. 

But here's the upshot. The diameter of 30-lb Seaguar Smackdown braid is 0.009" (9/1000"),

which is the same diameter as 20-lb braid marketed by Power Pro, Sufix, etc. (Checkout the specs) 

 

Roger

[ihfarmboy-1066]

To me 30lb braid on a bass fishing spinning outfit is overkill I say this because I'm a big salt water Fisher and I use it on my surf reels and on my off shore tuna reels I use 30-100lb braid. But I just got into bass fishing late last year so I really can't say to much as on bass fishing with it but I do use 30lb braid on my baitcasting outfits and on my spinning outfit I use 8lb braid

[zeth]

It'll work but you may run into line management issues such as wind knots with heavier braid. Also reduced casting distance. I have nothing above 10lb braid on my spinning reels and I always use a leader.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't think 30# is overkill for bass spinning gear, but it isn't to my liking.  Braid has no memory so line management isn't an issue, nor would line capacity be a problem.  I wouldn't worry too much about a loss in distance, most of my bass casts are probably no more than 15 yds or so.  If you use a leader, which I always do, the strength of 30# braid is negated because you most likely be using a much lighter leader.  A stronger line with a thinner diameter IMO is only an advantage if line capacity is needed, which really isn't a requirement for bass fishing.

[Capt.Bob]

10 - 20 lb braid is what's on the spinning reels for most of my bass fishing.

 

The 30 lb goes on casting reels.

 

A-Jay

X2 thats the way I do it, and always use leaders, mono or fluoro, tied 6' or longer and never use a heavier leader than the rod is rated for,,,,,, but spinning 15 or 20 lbs. would give better everything, casting distance, feel, bait action, what I really like about using no heavier line than necessary is how much deeper and faster your whole rig operates with less weight when rigging, like drop shots, light jig's, Carolina and Texas rigs and the sorts.

[jtesch]

Remember 30# Power pro has a true break point more like 40# so yeah might be a little heavy, I run 20# Samurai and that's about perfect

[RoLo]

It'll work but you may run into line management issues such as wind knots with heavier braid. Also reduced casting distance. I have nothing above 10lb braid on my spinning reels and I always use a leader.

 

On the contrary, the lighter the braided line, the limper and more susceptible it becomes

to both 'wind knots' and 'line burrowing'. I've used 20-lb braid for years before moving up to 30-lb braid.

Moving from 20 to 30 virtually eliminated wind knots and as far as "line burrowing" is concerned,

I'd forget it even exists if I didn't hear it mentioned.

 

Roger

[Arv]

I bought a used spinning reel that had 30# Suffix on it if I remember correctly. I still have the same reel and never changed the line. My other reels have gotten 10-20# braid, but the 30# never proved to be an issue so its still on there.

[MickD]

It's not about how much line you can put onto a reel.  If you have enough to make the casts you want, you're OK.  When has a bass taken you into the backing?  Or more than a few yards on a run?

 

The advantage of lower pound test braid (or any other line) is in how they cast and how manageable they are on the reel.  While 30 Power Pro can be cast pretty well on  a spinning outfit, 10 or 15 will be significantly better.  

 

It is up to you whether you want to leave it on and deal with some sacrifice, or replace it with lower test line and get the advantages of it.  30 works great on baitcasting outfits.  Don't just scrap it; you will find a good use for it someday-it lasts forever in dark storage.