The braided line dilemma

[PressuredFishing]

Many of you might have noticed this, but with braided line, I often find that if I have my drag set to 4 or 5lbs on 6lb braid, it digs in, if I have 20lb braid on a spinning reel, after 8lbs of drag it starts to dig in, even on 65lb braid, if I just hooked into a 4lb bass, half a tree, and some grass my line digs in , so I end up fishing the same drag settings as the mono diameter equivalent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am generally not worried about this, but expecially with spinning, I start to panic if you are fishing a thin 10lb braid, set your drag too tight, and your line snaps because the fish cannot actually pull line due to it dug into itself and snaps the line.

 

Even nylon does this too if you really try to squeeze every lb of strength it offers out of it.

 

I've tried winding it on super tight but maybe more people have this issue, would love to hear your experiences.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Big Hands]

The only reels I have that experiences line dig are my two Curado BFS reels with 15 lb braid. I finally had enough and swapped over to 6 lb monofilament and we will see how that goes. I fished 6 lb mono for many, many years on casting gear and never had a problem, so I don't anticipate one now.

 

I have 10 lb braid (to 7 lb leader) on all five of my most used spinning reels. No line dig. 

[padlin]

I fish braid all the time on spinning reels, from 6 to 20 lb, don’t know what we’re doing differently other then you set your drag higher then I do, but I never get the line digging in and can’t remember having the line break other then bite offs or from doing something stupid like casting with the bail closed.

 

I go for about 25%ish of rated line strength when pre setting the drag.

[Susky River Rat]

It sounds like you are not getting the braid tight enough on the spool when you spool it. You could also be reeling over a loop in your line a not noticing.

 

The only braid I ever had any issue with was power pro(wind knots). Sufix, cortland, spiderwire I never had a single issue with. 

 

I did have a similar issue when I started trolling for musky. Get a snag clicker singing then snap and the braid dug in. It was because I did not get the 300yds on the spool tight.

[GRiver]

I had braid on my one of my rigs once, a Baitcaster, braid dug in so bad it would backlash. I let out the line behind the boat and respooled it so to speak, still the same thing.  Same line was on an another reels, no problems. I finally put mono back on it and haven’t had an issue. I’m not a fan of braid, it’s a personal thing…. Can’t stand the noise.  I’ve changed everything back to mono, but two rigs. My pitching rig and my dock rig.

[Woody B]

What brand are you using.  I had dig in problems with every brand I tried until a friend suggested Sufix 832.    I still hate braid....only use it for Alabama Rigs.  This is with casting reels.  

[Jar11591]

I use a minimum of 30lb braid on baitcasters to help prevent digging, and I don’t mess with braid on spinning gear at all. 

[MickD]

Digging in is less or not a problem with premium braids which are rounder than some old braids.  I use 21 pound test Hitena Pure Line and have no problems.  Recently landed a shark of about 50 pounds, had the drag set very tightly on  a Stradic 4000, and afterwards it cast 1/8 oz jigs just fine with no digging in experienced.

 

Previoulsy mentioned Suffix 832 doesn't dig in either based on my experience.

[A-Jay]

My casting gear is mostly all FC line.

Exceptions are super heavy cover rigs (frogs, flipping plastics) where my drag doesn't come into play.

Spinning is 100 % light braid.

8, 10, 15 & at least one with 20 lb.

I fish with a relatively light drag, which I set by 'feel'

so I can not say what the exact lbs of drag pressure actually is. 

But I'm 'testing it' all the time.

Meaning I pull out a little line before, after and even during a fish fight.

More to make sure the drag is not hanging up than if the braid is digging it.

(If you've watched any of my video I'm almost certain you've seen me do it at least once)

This is habit at this point and comes from back in the day when 'drag systems'

were not what they are now. I can't remember when I lost a fish because my line dug in

or my drag fail to work on spinning gear with braid mainline.

But I'll still keep checking it 50 times a day, because that's what I do. 

Bottom line, no braid dilemma for me. 

btw - I love a good singing drag . . . . 

https://youtu.be/3OXnPQs0bqQ?t=79

A-Jay

 

[OkobojiEagle]

learn to back reel...

[flyfisher]

Braid is not tight enough when spooled.  Pretty easy fix, when filling the reel make it tighter and after a cast make sure you pick up the slack before you start reeling.  

 

[Way north bass guy]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

My casting gear is mostly all FC line.

Exceptions are super heavy cover rigs (frogs, flipping plastics) where my drag doesn't come into play.

Spinning is 100 % light braid.

8, 10, 15 & at least one with 20 lb.

I fish with a relatively light drag, which I set by 'feel'

so I can not say what the exact lbs of drag pressure actually is. 

But I'm 'testing it' all the time.

Meaning I pull out a little line before, after and even during a fish fight.

More to make sure the drag is not hanging up than if the braid is digging it.

(If you've watched any of my video I'm almost certain you've seen me do it at least once)

This is habit at this point and comes from back in the day when 'drag systems'

were not what they are now. I can't remember when I lost a fish because my line dug in

or my drag fail to work on spinning gear with braid mainline.

But I'll still keep checking it 50 times a day, because that's what I do. 

Bottom line, no braid dilemma for me. 

btw - I love a good singing drag . . . . 

https://youtu.be/3OXnPQs0bqQ?t=79

A-Jay

 

I’m with @A-Jay on this as well. I’ve never set a drag to a specific number, always go by feel. I’ve never once had braid or any other line type dig in, and that’s all the way from light spinning gear to my muskie stuff.

I think a lot of people crank their drag down way too much because “ they saw …. do it on YouTube”. Sometimes I think people read too much online about numbers, specific settings etc. that you “have to use to be successful”, and don’t just try stuff out on their own sometimes. I see it all the time on here, guys want to know the exact weight/length/pound test etc for a very specific size/colour,scent type presentation etc. and can’t just try stuff out on their own. That’s part of the fun of fishing, figure it out some things without knowing every minute detail from somebody else. 

[TomG73]

I use braid for backing on spinning gear because flourocarbon is expensive. Not to a short leader though, I spool the last 50 - 60 Yards with fluorocarbon, the braid is just backing. I replace the fluorocarbon when the braid begins to come through on a cast. Same with bait casters. 

[bulldog1935]

It's all about matching spools to line diameter. 

First off, get the pounds out of your head (except for leader test and rod rating relative to drag set).  While we're at it, if you're fishing 4-lb test, 

Your Drag Set Should Be ONE (1) lb.  

If you want higher drag set, use bigger line.  Is this thing on?  

And guys "setting" drag by feel aren't setting drag.  

This fishes great with PE#0.8 (slightly smaller diameter than 832 6-lb braid).  

 

No line dig issues.  Note however, Jun Sonada recommends PE#1 as the smallest braid to use on a LW that doesn't have increased LW pitch for the smaller threadline braids (e.g., Silver Wolf, Daiwa Air), and his recommendation is all about line dig.  

 

This wouldn't know what line dig is on 832 6-lb braid, though now, it's gone to YGK PE#0.6, and still no line dig.  

 

Credit has to be given to Shimano worm-drive line management.  Stradic is the entry-level reel that can lay threadline braid this well.  

 

If you want to get really fancy (small frame only), MTCW all-metal drag cap lets you add finger drag by pressing on the front with your index finger.  

 

 

[ska4fun]

I fish with 0.08mm/lb braided and never experienced it. Actually never saw line digging into baitcasters.

[PressuredFishing]

7 hours ago, Woody B said:

What brand are you using.  I had dig in problems with every brand I tried until a friend suggested Sufix 832.    I still hate braid....only use it for Alabama Rigs.  This is with casting reels

Original pp and other 4 strand carriers

3 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Your Drag Set Should Be ONE (1) lb.  

Yeah I think that is just the way, I was squeezing as much strength out of my braid as I could. I should probably just treat it similarly to its nylon counterpart for diameter, if I want to set my Drag to 10lbs I will just have to buy a braid with heavier diameter similar to true certified igfa  10lb mono

8 hours ago, padlin said:

go for about 25%ish of rated line strength when pre setting the drag

Yeah, that is most likely the best bet, I like braid for its suppleness but If I want to use 12lbs of Drag strength I will just have to use a mono diameter of 12lbs in braid instead of using 12lb braid if that makes sense, which would be 40 or 50lb braid I think.

[WRB]

This is where the rods suggested line strength comes into play. Never set your drag more then 1/3 the max rods mono line # test.

Fresh Spinning rods rarely recommend mono more then 15#,  1/3rd of 15 = 5#. Most fresh water 2500-3000 size spinning reels can’t efficiently cast mono-FC line over .010D or 10# test. 1/3rd I’d 10# = 3 # of drag.

Tom

PS, spinning reel use your index on the spool to increase drag.

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Used to the OG Fireline dig into the spool on my Penn SS reels.  3 things have changed that. 

1) I use reels with far better line management. 

2) OG Fireline was flat which caused it to dig.  The introduction of the 1st gen PP, which was much rounder, really helped.

3) My dad didnt fish, so being 10 years old I had to learn how to manage line through trial and error.  

I suspect your issue to be a combination of several factors. 

First off, your drag doesn't need to be that tight.  I get by with 5lbs going for much bigger fish on surfcasting gear.  You should be able to get by with 2-3lb in the vast majority of situations.  

If there any gaps in the top or bottom of the spool, its not a digging issue its a line stacking issue that you need to attempt to remedy with spacers.

If you really are winding it on tight enough and you still have digging issues, then it could be a line recovery issue.  You want to avoid recovering slack line at all costs.  Just lifting the rod tip or pinching the line between your fingers to add tension should make a big difference.  

I dont know what line you are using, but you could try a different brand.  If you are currently using a light wispy line like Jbraid go to 832.  If youre using a wiry braid, try something a little more limp.

 

 

[dodgeguy]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. NEVER USE BRAID UNDER 50 LB. TEST ON A BAITCASTER !!!! I'm a big 832 fan but I might try Vicious No Fade Braid this year.

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

I've said it before and I'll say it again. NEVER USE BRAID UNDER 50 LB. TEST ON A BAITCASTER !!!!

(shrugs) Never had an issue using 40# 832 on my Patriarch...different experiences maybe.

[suzuki2903]

Braid issues are typically operator error , to tight of a drag, line not spooled tight , like lb to low etc and I use 30lb j braid or sufix 832 on  all my baitcasters  without any issues ever! So 30lb and up is a must .  

[garroyo130]

Never a problem with 30lb braid. Are you guys freeing even big snags with the reel or something?? ... any legit snag that I get is getting freed by pulling the line by hand with a finger saver, not by locking the drag pointing the reel at the snag and backing up. 

[Cbump]

Been fishing Florida saltwater with 10-20lb Braid long before ever getting into bass fishing. Way stronger fish than a black bass ever dreamed of being. 
NEVER had my line snap because of this. 

[MickD]

On 2/4/2023 at 7:56 AM, OkobojiEagle said:

learn to back reel..

I assure  you, this is not a realistic option for bonefish.   Been there, done that.  Didn't work out well.

[Darth-Baiter]

I have never had braid dig into a spinning spool.  casting, yes.  I go with 50lb+.  no more issues.