baitcaster and braided line

[tugboat]

Fished with a spinning reel all my life , thought I would give a baitcaster a try this year.

Been practicing in the backyard with monofilament tied on. Would like to put braid on,but how do you tie it to the spool correct and how do you set the drag right without wrecking everthing? What type of brand do you use ?  Thanks.    

[crankybaits]

to be honest, braid is great on spinning reels.  But it really sucks on baitcasters.

[Signguy]

All I run on all my rods is 30lb power pro and on my flippin stick I use 50ilb. Some reels

have line holder holes in them . what I do is put a small piece of black tape on the spool first before

I spool it up. Another trick for power pro I waste 1 spool every 2 years , by throwing one spool away

then back spooling all my other reels to the next leaving having to buy 1 reel of line every year not 12.

Murray Signguy

[bassin5]

I would agree power pro is a good braided line. I have only been using it for about 4 months and I have been pleased.

[stratosdriver]

I usually use at least 14 lb iron silk on my baitcasters but i do have one with 30lb power pro and i just use the piece of tape that holds the line on the spool it comes on to keep it from spinning on the reel.Then i just replace the first 50yds usually 3 times a year.

[Wayne P.]

I've been using super braids since they were first introduced. I always use mono backing to about mid depth of the spool and then fill up with the braid (about 50-75 yards) on spinning gear and baitcasting gear. I can get three reels spooled with one braid purchase and the braid will last for several years. I reverse the braid when it looses it's color or starts looking frizzy. Also after I have retied enough to see the joining knot on a long cast, I just replace the rest with enough to fill the spool again. I don't particularly like Power Pro, it has too rough a texture for my taste.

[tugboat]

So you put the black tape on first then tie  or tie then black tape or either way works.

Do you set your drag on low setting?

[Guest whittler]

I do not tie braid or mono to the spool. Take a piece of double stick carpet tape that will wrap aronnd the spool and wind the line on over it. If you get a fish large enough to spool all your line the kind of knot used or any other method of attachment won't make any difference.

[Hawgin]

If you already have mono on the spool, there is no reason to waste it.  Peel off enough of the mono so that there is about 40-50 yards still on the spool.  Tie the braid directly to the mono and fishing filling your spool with braid.

[Guest avid]

You should ALWAYS use mono backing when tying braid to a baitcaster.  

Braid is excellent on baitcasters, but do not use lighter (I never use less than 50#) line.

The thin diameter and lack of stretch will cause the line to dig into the spool, especially after fighting a heavy fish, or a hard hook set. Your next cast will backlash.

Larger diameter line will negate this.

avid

PS>  Learn to tie a variety of knots.  The tounament mentality of doing everything as quickly as possible, has taken some of the skill and unique pleasure out of fishing.  Regardless of what many will tell you, fishing is not just about catching fish.  If you feel that it is, then a poor catch day is a "lousy" day.  Whereas if you look at fishing as more than merely catching fish, you can have a low catch rate and still have a great day.

Think about it.

Knot tying is rapidly becoming one of the lost arts, so toss the tape, the snaps, the swivels, the split rings etc. and learn how to tie the palomer, the trilene, the rapala or perfection loop, the uni to uni, blood knot, albright, and a few others and you will see just how rewarding this sport can be even when not catching fish.  If you really want to impress your friends, learn to tie the bimini twist.  They will think you are some kind fishing God.  

[Guest avid]

Power pro is my favorite braid.

You can set the drag tighter with braid because of the higher break strength, but don't overdo it.  No sense in ruining a perfectly good drag by overtightning it.  

Use a palomer knot for most applications

I use the rapala knot for all jerkbaits and topwaters.

I often use a mono leader.  I tie a blood knot.  If properly tied it won't slip.  A teeny dab of super glue will add confidence if needed.  

[shimanogloomis man]

like said before use about 30 yrds of mono backing and use 50 pound braid, tho power pro is good sufix is even better iv tried both and sufix is the way to go  ;D

[FishTank]

I have someone I trust fill my reels now and he puts about 20-25% mono backing. He also under spools the reel just a little. I have been using 50lb PowerPro. I would not recommend anything lighter. I have also tried Sufix in 20lb on a spinning reel and 50lb on a baitcaster and a spinning reel. I love the 20lb but did not care for the 50lb, go figure.

[Garnet]

Just got back from our sportaman show and explained this 2 doz. times today.

If you are starting new with any reel buy dirt cheap mono of the same Dia. fill spool full even fish for a day some are happier with a little less.

For normal picthing casting take off 33 pulls and a pull being 3ft. thats 100ft 35 would be 110.

Fill with Power Pro and any other line you like. This maintains your full spool capcity so you get the full gear ratio from your reel.

Garnet

[tugboat]

Thanks for ALL the tips, looks like I will head back to the store for heavier line then what I bought did buy power pro tho.

[bocabasser]

i totally and respectfully disagree with avid. there is no need to use mono backing when spooling a baitcaster with power pro. like some of the others have suggested, double sided tape works, and i use electrical tape when spooling mine. i have 8 of my baitcasters spooled with pp and 5 spinning rods spooled with it. the only reason a couple of my reels have p-line flouro, is when i fish a clear water lake, and here in florida, that is rare.

[Banor]

to be honest, braid is great on spinning reels. But it really sucks on baitcasters.

Huh?  :-/

B

[Banor]

i totally and respectfully disagree with avid. there is no need to use mono backing when spooling a baitcaster with power pro. like some of the others have suggested, double sided tape works, and i use electrical tape when spooling mine. i have 8 of my baitcasters spooled with pp and 5 spinning rods spooled with it. the only reason a couple of my reels have p-line flouro, is when i fish a clear water lake, and here in florida, that is rare.

Some people cant afford alot of gear and others can afford it but like to be cost effective.  Why spool up 150 yards of expensive braid when you can spool up 50 to 75 yards of braid on top of a really cheap mono backing?

I fit in the 2nd category.  I could afford to spool up 100% braid but choose not to.  I'll save the money and buy more lures.

B

[Banor]

I do not tie braid or mono to the spool. Take a piece of double stick carpet tape that will wrap aronnd the spool and wind the line on over it. If you get a fish large enough to spool all your line the kind of knot used or any other method of attachment won't make any difference.

This may be true for other sport fish but is a non issue in bass fishing, atleast for me.  I dont use braid in long cast scenerios.  I use braid for my up close and personal slop/stump/heavy cover situations.  If I'm cast long distance it's because I'm in clear open water and I'm not going to be using braid, I'll be using fluoro or mono in a thin, less visible diameter.  Even if I was, I am doing something wrong if I'm letting a bass spool me.  Then again, I'm not catching double digits on a regular basis up here in Michigan.

But that's just me - opinions vary,

B

[Garnet]

On your regular casting bass/walleye it's just a waste of money to spool all braid. A 150 yard should do 3 reels and have 3 turn arounds thats 6 fills.

There are specail applications like dipsy diver for salmon and walleye were you are going down 70-80 ft and back 200ft. Downriggers is another.

In our northern speckle trout lakes long line trolling is popular 2-300 ft back trolling dead slow with tiny flat fish.

I'm not a salt water guy but I'v seen the show lots of application there.

The manufactures will love you.

Garnet

[senile1]

bshaner stated:

I dont use braid in long cast scenerios.  I use braid for my up close and personal slop/stump/heavy cover situations.  If I'm cast long distance it's because I'm in clear open water and I'm not going to be using braid, I'll be using fluoro or mono in a thin, less visible diameter.  Even if I was, I am doing something wrong if I'm letting a bass spool me.  Then again, I'm not catching double digits on a regular basis up here in Michigan.

While this is mostly true, I've found that long casts also may be needed when the fish are in shallow stained water with moderate brush.  By moderate, I mean there are plenty of gaps for the fish to get a good look at you.  Under these circumstances I use braid and long casts.  

I also use mono backing but I only spool on enough to cover the spool with a couple of layers.  This leaves me more braid for longer casts and I can also clip my line off more times when it is frayed or when I need to retie a knot, before I have to respool.  

[sal669]

I always use about 50 yards of Power Pro on my reels for bass fishing. Bass will not make long runs, it will burry in weeds or snags/ wood. I have never had a bass take more than 10 yards of line off the spool.

I use 30lb on the baitcasters and 10 lb on the spinning reels.Most of the time I will use a 3-6 ft mono or fluoro leader on the spinning combo.

I spool cheap mono all the way to about 3/16 to1/4 inch off the spool lip (it depends on spool size), than fill it up with braid .

I will buy some 50lb braid this year and try it out  , see if it works better than the 30lb.

On the reels I'm using for carp or walleye fishing it's a totally different story...

[New 2 Bass]

I'd add, keep the spooled line tight.  Once you get it all spooled up and go out casting, it's going to get mushy on you.  Every now and again, let the line out and respool it tight.  Takes a minute and the line won't dig in as much.

[lubina]

Avid has said it all.

I prefer Sufix 50 in my baitcasters, a fellow in this site named Dodgeguy talked me into a try and since then no more PowerPro for me. Always backing with mono and almost alway ( I don't like it with Frogs ) a leader, mono or fluoro. I tie my leaders with uni-uni + superglue, it works for me

[Banor]

bshaner stated:

I dont use braid in long cast scenerios. I use braid for my up close and personal slop/stump/heavy cover situations. If I'm cast long distance it's because I'm in clear open water and I'm not going to be using braid, I'll be using fluoro or mono in a thin, less visible diameter. Even if I was, I am doing something wrong if I'm letting a bass spool me. Then again, I'm not catching double digits on a regular basis up here in Michigan.

While this is mostly true, I've found that long casts also may be needed when the fish are in shallow stained water with moderate brush. By moderate, I mean there are plenty of gaps for the fish to get a good look at you. Under these circumstances I use braid and long casts.

I also use mono backing but I only spool on enough to cover the spool with a couple of layers. This leaves me more braid for longer casts and I can also clip my line off more times when it is frayed or when I need to retie a knot, before I have to respool.

I'm with ya Senile and it makes sense.  I'm curious though, you consider a long cast in that situation 50+ yards?  I wouldnt be able to hit anything accurately at 50 yards.  In the situation you described I'd just back off far enough to accurately pitch and would be using braid as you suggested.  No way I am throwing anything thin diameter at wood and heavy cover.  

B