straight fluoro OR braid/fc leader: distance? manageable?

[hoaglandt616]

Hey all, new member.  Everytime I google search a bass fishing topic, I see very informative threads pop up on this forum.  Figured I would join finally.

 

So I just got done upgrading all my baitcasters and spinning reels.  Got the Daiwa Tatulas SV103TW baitcasters (and a 200HL Tatula for swimbaits) and I have some ballistic 2500D-xh on the way for spinning gear.

 

I have always just been a straight mono guy and one baitcaster with some heavy braid for jig fishing.  I am now upgrading to some fc.

I bought some Seaguar InvizX 10lb and 8lb and also some suffix 832 10lb braid.  i always use the KVD line conditioner

 

Here is what I have:

Baitcaster:

i spooled straight 10lb invizx on my crank/jerkbait rod (with some mono backing of course), I am going to try this

i do have two more baitcasters that I think I will do the same as above for texas rig/plastics rod on one for sure, mono backing with 10lb invizx.

 

Spinning:

Here I cannot decide if to do some mono backing to suffix 10lb braid to 8lb invizx or just some mono backing straight to 8lb invizx

 

I have seen a lot of posts about with invizx you can just put it right on the spool and use some line conditioner.

Do you gain distance with the braid?

 

[Steveo-1969]

Welcome to BR! Never say never, but I’m going to say it anyway. I will NEVER spool my spinning rods with anything EXCEPT braid. It’s extremely manageable because line twist doesn’t affect it. I can’t tell you if casting distance is better or worse than with Invizx but when  I used 10# Sufix 832 I could cast far enough. If you want more distance switch to a thinner braid.

 

With that said lots of people spool their spinning rods with 8# Invizx and say it’s very manageable. 

[WRB]

My thoughts on FC is based on 25+ years of on the water use.

1. FC has lower knot strength compared to equal diameter mono line.

2. Braid with leader requires 2 knots. 1 FC knot is 100% less likely to fail then 2 FC knots.

3. Compare FC, Mono and Copolymer line by diameter. Labeled line test strength varies greatly between mfr’s.

4. Spinning reel sizes 1000 to 3000 stay .010D or less. Bait casting reel size 100 to 400 stay .010D or more.

5. Use line conditioner on FC main line.

KVD or Tangle Free are good , avoid Reel Magic.

Tom

[bulldog1935]

I fished nothing but Seaguar fluoro until reel technology and braid quality caught up to each other - over the past 4 years, I've got to braid + leader almost exclusively (I have mono spools that back up several reels).

 

The answer with spinning reel is braid-specific shallow spools manage fine braid better than deep mono spool.  In JDM, SLP Works offers them for Daiwa reels - part of the trick is identifying your USM Daiwa reel in JDM names. 

What happens with deep spool and stacking line is stacking too deep and finishing too small creates hourglass line lay, and increases wind knots. 

The baitcast answer is don't mess with fine braid until backlash is a distant memory.  Keeping mass and intertia down so spool brakes are more effective is the biggest gain.  Even with a deep spool you can make it work, creating an arbor by filling 2/3 with 20-lb mono, then you can top as light as 20-lb Sufux 832.  Micro spool bearings are the biggest step, and even improve deep spools. 

The next level in fine braid is shallow braid-specific spools, which will let you go down to 0.17-mm dia braid without line dig problems.  There may be good aftermarket BFS spools made for your reels, such as Ray's Studio honeycomb SV spools. 

[casts_by_fly]

- always cheap line for backing unless you have a shallow spool like the Lews SLP baitcaster or others like the pornography that @bulldog1935 constantly posts.  I use about 12 lb mono since I have a bunch of spools of stuff I don't use for anything else.

- I prefer straight braid where I can get away with it.  That includes my frog rod, my heavy pitching stick, and my crankbait rod (braid is awesome for lipless crankbaits)

- My spinning rods are all braid to leader (fluoro in my case)

- If I really need to, I'll put a leader on my baitcasters with braid.  This is usually the case of the rod doing double duty when I'm not carrying the 'right' rod for it.  Examples include topwaters on my crankbait rod, small swimbaits on a jighead on the same rod, or jerkbaits on that rod.  I don't think I've ever put a leader on my heavier baitcaster.  And for the three exceptions noted, I'd have rather had a different rod (spinning with leader for the swimbaits, a straight mono or fluoro line for the other two).  If I think I need non-braid for my heavy baitcasters I will have a different rod in hand and know that going into the day (like pitching a lot of trees/wood).

[FrnkNsteen]

I am apparently an exception from the norm. I don't like braid on my spinning reels, or fluoro (fc) either for that matter. Most of my spinning rods have 8-10lb mono on them. I just feel I have better slack line sensitivity with mono or fc than with braid, and since I dont like fc on spinning reels,... it's all mono for me.

 

Now, my wife struggles with feeling light bites at times, so I do run hi-vis braid on her reels so she can see her line move better.

 

For baitcasters, I tend to run mono or fc depending on lure choice. I run braid on a few reaction bait setups like chatterbaits, swim jigs, frogs, etc, but the rest are various size mono or fc. Topwater, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and anything shallow get 12-17lb mono. Bottom contacting or cranks/jerkbaits get fc. Lipless may get either braid or Big Game mono depending on where I am fishing it.

[Fishin' Fool]

100% braid to fluorocarbon leader but with a backing line as mentioned before the braid. I run 12 pound Sunline SX1 to 7 pound Sunline Sniper and that works well for me albeit sometimes if I don't trim the excess of my line to line knot it can hang up on the top rod eyelet.

[Columbia Craw]

Welcome!  I was a braid snot for a long time but, braid technology has com so far that you can’t deny it’s benefits.  All of my spinning combos run braid to leader.  Knots have not been an issue when properly tied and braid reduces line twist dramatically.  Braid has it’s place on bait casters but the applications are fewer for me.  Enjoy the ride!

[PressuredFishing]

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

braid-specific shallow spools manage fine braid better than deep mono spool

Tried to dm u but didn't work, don't want to hijack the forum but are there such things as graphite or carbon spools over aluminum? I would assume there would be challenges with breaking and durability but was just curious if anything like this is on the market for super light spools.

[hoaglandt616]

Thanks all for the info. 
 

assuming you all are using the FG knot for braid to fc?  How long of a leader? Length of the rod?

[WRB]

If you can tie the FG knot under fishing conditions use it.

You know entered the FC Zone of knots, more knots then anyone can list because none result in 100% knot strength.

The Alberto knot is recommended by Seaguar.

Most braid to leader users have 7’ leaders, I use 20’ for 1 application; weightless Senko’s as a strike indicator.

Tom

[hoaglandt616]

25 minutes ago, WRB said:

If you can tie the FG knot under fishing conditions use it.

You know entered the FC Zone of knots, more knots then anyone can list because none result in 100% knot strength.

The Alberto knot is recommended by Seaguar.

Most braid to leader users have 7’ leaders, I use 20’ for 1 application; weightless Senko’s as a strike indicator.

Tom

Thank you. So basically the idea is for the joining knot to not enter the spool. 
 

[WRB]

9 minutes ago, hoaglandt616 said:

Thank you. So basically the idea is for the joining knot to not enter the spool. 
 

I believe the knot should be on the spool when the bass is close to be landed. This eliminates braid to leader knot failure.

Tom

[Revival]

6 hours ago, hoaglandt616 said:

Thanks all for the info. 
 

assuming you all are using the FG knot for braid to fc?  How long of a leader? Length of the rod?

I tie FG (with Rizzuto finish) at home but Alberto on the water.  A lot of people use the Alberto, Uni knot etc.  I like the FG because it’s extremely thin yet extremely strong.

 

My leaders are always the length of the rod.  If you do it that way, your leader knot will never enter your reel.  I do the same with my baitcasters.

 

For all of my spinning combos, I am running Sufix 832 10lb to 8 lb in Yo Zuri Hybrid or Sunline Sniper.

 

Congrats on all of your new upgrades.  It’s obvious that you do your homework.

[ATA]

5 hours ago, Revival said:

I tie FG (with Rizzuto finish) at home but Alberto on the water.

Bro same here I do exactly same. ✌️

[Jig Man]

I used to do the braid to fluorocarbon leader.  I tried lots of connecting knots.  I learned to hate it so I quit and went to straight fluorocarbon for some setups, straight braid for others, and Yozuri hybrid for Neds.  That has simplified my life.

[hoaglandt616]

6 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

I used to do the braid to fluorocarbon leader.  I tried lots of connecting knots.  I learned to hate it so I quit and went to straight fluorocarbon for some setups, straight braid for others, and Yozuri hybrid for Neds.  That has simplified my life.

how does the straight flurocarbon work for you?  and which one are you using?

[Jig Man]

1 hour ago, hoaglandt616 said:

how does the straight flurocarbon work for you?  and which one are you using?

It works great.  I have it in 10, 12, 15 and 20 # test.  I have it on at least 10 setups.  I’ve used several but now I have Seaguar red because I got a deal on a bunch so I bought the guy out.  I find it to be as good as most that I have tried.

[bulldog1935]

Since we made it around to knots, I use improved Allbright knot - I've been rolling these for fly fishing 40 years now, and they shoot through my snake guides. 

2' leader is enough to give you some measure of shock resistance, but always a good idea to keep your leader knot out of your b/c line guide. 

The guide below is the smallest k-frame on a rod that finishes with microguides.  No problem sending this knot through any guides. 

 

Double-uni knot is best for joining lines of the same diameter.  Any single-bend knot, the smaller line will cut through the larger. 

[hoaglandt616]

Got to throw the new Daiwa baitcasters and spinning reels today. 
 

Fluoro on baitcasters worked awesome. 
 

fluoro on spinning reels worked well. I actually had more issues with the spinning reel that I put straight braid on. It kept getting tangled/knotted up.