Should I put braid or mono on my Baitcaster

[Coolangler101263]

I recived 2 Baitcasters  for christmas and they dont have line . 

[islandbass]

Are you already experienced with bc reels? If so, then put whatever line you want to put on to serve your specific needs.

 

If you are a beginner, then for the sake of learning, I would recommend 10-14# mono. This is easiest to learn on. Later, if you want to try braid, don’t use less than 30# braid if you want to minimize line dig. 

[TnRiver46]

Depends on where you are fishing. I like braid for fishing in vegetation and mono for most other things. Fluorocarbon will get diving lures down deeper 

[WRB]

Learn to cast with 12 lb Berkley Big Game, easy to manage and inexpensive good mono line.

Look at video’s to learn how to spool the line correctly and how to cast properly

Enjoy,

Tom 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Start off with mono, its easier to manage.  If you blow up a spool of mono its not a big deal but if you blow up a braid its a bad day.  I like 12lb Trilene Big Game mono, its dirt cheap and performs really well.

[NoShoes]

Echoing the other guys. Put 12 lb big game on it, perfect to learn with. 
 

Braid is awesome but a backlash can take a reel out of commission for the trip. 

[bulldog1935]

Just this year after playing with my Abu CTs and braid (modified shallow spools just for braid), decided to switch all my baitcasters to braid.  

The only backlash in 3 years on my Super Duty was where the line wrapped the rod and I didn't know it.  If you can't cast with that level of reliability, you don't want braid - yet.  I've even had fluoro cut itself from old backlash, but braid certainly will.  On the water, mono/fluoro backlash is much easier to recover.  

 

In making the swap on my deep spools, used 25-yd 25-lb Red fluoro tippet (0.47 mm) for backing, so that my working 20-lb braid (832, 0.23 mm) was under 200 yd.  The idea is keeping the mass of the line down to keep the spool inertia down.  

 

Seaguar Red Label fluoro is also on sale everywhere - they sell 200-yd reel charge spools in 12-lb.  

[jimmyjoe]

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

In making the swap on my deep spools, used 25-yd 25-lb Red fluoro tippet (0.47 mm) for backing, so that my working 20-lb braid (832, 0.23 mm) was under 200 yd.  The idea is keeping the mass of the line down to keep the spool inertia down.  

 

  

[bulldog1935]

It will form a nice spool arbor, though with plenty of air gap. 

Using a line capacity calculator, a Super Duty G spool holds 140 yd 12-lb mono, or 325 yd 20-lb braid.  The mass of mono/fluoro backed spool is definitely lower, because there's more air in the backing space.  

 

the density of fluoro is a bit more than monofilament nylon, which is just barely over that of water - I'll be back when I have braid density - it's not something they want to publish...

Regardless, the finer diameter braid packs more efficiently on the spool, so the mass/spool-depth of braid is greater.  

 

... found it - braid density is 1.8 times water density, while mono density is 1.15

 

I'm finding a range on fluoro density, anywhere from 1.4 to 1.7, but I'll add I'm very happy with my spooling result, and especially with my deep-spool casting result.  

 

Here's the spool calculator for stacking different lines

[jimmyjoe]

  Have a nice day.    jj

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

   Please explain; I'm interested.

   I had thought that any monofilament filler line, whether fluorocarbon or nylon, will, under constant use, compress into a tight, stable mass on the spool. And I had thought that the weight of this mass will eventually work out to be about the same, no matter which line.

   Or are the weights of nylon and fluorocarbon significantly different?  Is there something here that I'm missing?       jj     

 

40 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I'm confused.

   I thought that nylon was lighter than fluoro, but softer. So when used as backing, the lighter nylon will "squish" more than the "harder" fluorocarbon, resulting in, as I had said, about the same weight or rotating mass.

   So this situation changes when the fluoro is much larger diameter? It retains the "air gap" under pressure? I suppose it might do this because of the very hard nature of fluoro leader material. But what about Maxima Chameleon leader material? It's notoriously hard, and I would think that its density is less than fluoro. It would result in an even lighter rotating mass, would it not?

 

 

Fluoro is denser than nylon, and as such, will weigh more than an equivalent length and diameter segment of nylon. There is no “squishy mass.” If you use the same diameter nylon and fluoro, and fill the spool to the same level, then you will end up with a heavier spool (fluoro) compared to the nylon spool.

 

Using fluoro as backing will keep the predominant weight/mass closer to the spool axis, which will decrease spool rotational inertia some (compared to all fluoro), but using mono would reduce startup and rotational inertia even more, and you could go further and reduce it even more again by going straight braid. Just depends on what you are trying to achieve.

[DitchPanda]

Alot of good highly detailed info and explanation in the last few posts. If your asking about it I'm assuming you have little to no experience with bait casters...if you do I mean no offense by the assumption. So coming from the standpoint of offering advice to a novice baitcaster I'm in the camp of using something like big game mono. Its cheap, reliable and readily available. Lets face it with a baitcaster there is a learning curve..that means backlashes and lots of damaged ruined line that needs replaced. Braid and fluoro are expensive and you can waste $20+ in a short time if you don't know what your doing. A spool of 12lb big game is like $7 for 1175 yards...that's alot of practice and respooling for very little money. Once you become proficient with the money you can move onto a nicer line. Btw there is nothing wrong with big game...lots of skilled guys on these forums use it. I'm no expert at this but I've got 25 years of baitcaster experience...I started with cheap mono.

[ThatZX14Fella]

Braid is easier to cast, but more expensive and more difficult to get a backlash out of. If you're not hurting for money, go for braid. If you cringe at $20 for 200 yards of line, get Berkley Big Game.

[Boomstick]

If this is your first time with a baitcaster, go get some 12 or 15lb Berkley Big Game and learn with that. It's decent, cheap, easier to pick out birds nests than braid and cheaper if you have to replace it.

 

Once you get better at casting you can look at switching to braid or fluorocarbon - or even stick with mono.

[GTN-NY]

8 hours ago, Coolangler101263 said:

I recived 2 Baitcasters  for christmas and they dont have line . 

Wait a minute......

You got 2 baitcasters for Christmas!?!

You lucky dog you!

Go with the big game. You can afford to learn with that line

[FishTank]

12lb Big Game or 12lb Trilene XL.  Big Game is cheaper and tougher but not as soft and as easy to cast as XL.  Both are great lines and would be great to learn with.  

[sdsc357]

I agree with all the fellas suggesting big game in 12lb. Once you are proficient, then go braid.

[Maggiesmaster]

I’ve got yellow braid with a mono leader on two worm rods and mono on my spinnerbait, crankbait & surface rigs. Just starting off, like the others said, I’d start with about 12-14 lb. mono, for the reasons they stated.  Might decide to stick with mono.—I’ve caught a lot of bass with it over the years.

[Sphynx]

Yeah, definitely mono if this is your first rodeo with a baitcaster, you'll probably end up cutting the line out a few times as you get to grips with it, once you learn how to pick out backlashes and stop blowing up reels bad enough to cut off the whole spool of line you can transition to braid...if/when you make that transition is something you can debate as long as you feel like discussing it, and somebody still won't agree, but depending on what you end up using the reel for will determine whether or not you should throw braid on it in the end or not. 

[PhishLI]

20 hours ago, Coolangler101263 said:

I recived 2 Baitcasters  for christmas and they dont have line . 

If you're like most people here you're just a fully grown big kid and you probably won't wait until the warm weather to try these reels out for the first time. Since you live in a cold weather state, and it's that time of the year, you'll probably be making your first casts in very cold weather. Cheap mono will cause you more problems than it's worth in this scenario. Call it nylon, copolymer, or whatever, it's plastic, and plastic hardens in the cold and will want to spring off the spool. That's not something you want to deal with when you're learning and might lead you to the wrong conclusions, skew your learning curve, or even make you quit for the wrong reason.

 

Buy some cheap 40 lb braid from amazon in a 600 yard roll. Start casting gently for a while. No power casts, seriously. Forget about distance until you're coordinated. I learned using 20 lb braid without a mentor and never had one fatal backlash. I backlashed, but they were all salvageable. Those wouldn't have been with mono in cold weather, period.

 

The last two guys I taught to use a BC both admitted they were either "terrified" or "scared to death" of them beforehand. I started them both on braid.  After a 1 hour hands on tutorial they've both been mostly independent since, with one benefiting from a bit of polishing occasionally. Neither has had a fatal backlash while casting that caused them to scrap a spool of line. 

 

I recommend that you practice pitching immediately. You'll see and hear people incorrectly calling a flip a pitch. I'm not talking about flipping. Anyway, it's my opinion that pitching practice will accelerate your thumb coordination which will help your casting greatly. It'll also shorten your learning curve when/if you learn to skip.

[king fisher]

You have two reels.  Put 12 pound big game on one, 40 pound braid on the other.  Practice and fish with both.  You may end up preferring one over the other, but probably will use each one for a specific technique.

[Koz]

I must be one of the few people in the world that finds braid easier to cast than mono on a baitcaster. I tried mono once and spent more time picking out backlashes than actually fishing. I finally cut it all out and spooled up braid right there on the bank.

[bulldog1935]

comprehension, maybe.  

I'd say most everyone who fishes braid finds it easier to cast and cast farther, fish with less effort.    

but anyone who backlashes braid finds it more difficult to deal with.  

 

When I loan a spinning reel, it's most always fluoro, and they most always get the fluoro under the spool - imagine with braid.  

[MGF]

I too would recommend mono for learning to cast but I go heavier...17 or even 20 pound line. The large diameter makes it easier to get overruns out. Also, peel off a reasonable casts worth or a little more and put a piece of electrical tape on the spool. wind the rest of the line right over it.

 

Now the bird's nest won't go any deeper than the tape so, if needed, you can cut that part off and keep practicing.

 

Practice in the yard. Make sure you have the right amount of weight to cast. Too light or two heavy of a lure for the rod just makes everything harder.

 

I also recommend using a real jig and trailer to practice (as apposed to some sort of casting plug). The weight and wind resistance will be right and you'd be surprised how well you can drag it through the lawn without getting hung up. It's also a lot easier to see when it's in the air which is a big help.

 

And then, depending on where and how you're fishing, you might just be pleasantly surprised at how much actual fishing you can do with that same practice line.

 

I've been using a baitcaster my entire life and I still practice this way. I don't know if I need to but it doesn't hurt and I enjoy it especially when it's too cold and frozen to use real water. Lots of casting and pitching targets in the yard and if you can slide a jig across the lawn you won't have any trouble sliding it under docks or overhanging trees.

[Ben77]

I'm new to baitcasters as well and I spooled my lew's tp with some 14-lb trilene xl and so far I love it!