quick braid question

[kllrbee]

Hey all,

Sorry, I know I could have searched for this, but Im in kind of a hurry. 

Got my first BC a few weeks ago and put 14lb mono on it cuz I figured I would go thru it pretty quick practicing casts.  Now that Im feeling more comfortable, Id like to go to braid.  Few questions.

1.  Should I go 30lb?  Mostly for spinnerbaits and jigs in the weeds and lily pads.

2.  Do I spool it on just the same as mono?

3.  What kind of differences should I see b/w braid and mono? 

Thanks

[Wayne P.]

Use at least 50# superline. It has a diameter equivalent to 10# mono. It will handle better than the lighter test lines.

It doesn't matter how you spool in on.

Remove about 1/2 of the mono you have now and add the superline on top of it. You use less superline and you need the grip of the mono on the spool arbor.

The immediate thing you will notice is that you will feel the vibration better of the lures you use.

Back off on your drag some and don't use a "cross their eyes" hookset, just a quick wrist hookset is all that is needed. The very low stretch will give you better hookups especially with the large diameter wire hooks on those baits.

[BASSclary]

1. On baitcasting 40# line is the MINIMUM without digging in noticeably. I reccomend 50# 8-)

2.If you buy PowerPro , which I personally recommend, it will come with some arbor tape to put on the spool, so yes literally the same mas mono if you want the whole spool to be braid.

3.Mono has stretch, braid doesn't. It will be noticeably more sensitive than mono and you will really feel those spinner blades thumping. And you will feel it alot better when a fish picks up your jig. Basically instead of feeling "Oh i hit a tree, oh i hit a weed bed", you will feel "Oh I just hopped over 3 twigs, Oh I just went through a couple blades of grass and over some gravel".

IMO difference is HUGE 8-)

Also if you buy PowerPro its cheaper at Wal-mart. 150 yds of your choice for like 12$ while BPS and other major stores sell 100 yds for like $15. 8-)

[Hooligan]

I'm fishing 30lb Masterbraid on two jig rods and have had zero problems with it digging. 

I'll never buy another brand of braid after fishing Masterbraid.  It lays flatter on the spool without the stacking and shifting.  I like it a lot better than Samurai, it's quiet going through Recoil guides, and it doesn't sling water nearly as bad.  (Plus, the dye, at this point, seems relatively stable.  No pink hands and cork like Samurai.)

[bilgerat]

My favorite and a rebate to boot:http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat600395_TGP&id=0036973120807a&navCount=2&podId=0036973&parentId=cat600395&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=QL&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat600395&hasJS=true

You don't have to get it from Cabela's, the rebate form gets downloaded from the Sufix site.

[kllrbee]

Use at least 50# superline. It has a diameter equivalent to 10# mono. It will handle better than the lighter test lines.

It doesn't matter how you spool in on.

Remove about 1/2 of the mono you have now and add the superline on top of it. You use less superline and you need the grip of the mono on the spool arbor.

The immediate thing you will notice is that you will feel the vibration better of the lures you use.

Back off on your drag some and don't use a "cross their eyes" hookset, just a quick wrist hookset is all that is needed. The very low stretch will give you better hookups especially with the large diameter wire hooks on those baits.

Alright, I will go with 50#. 

So.....with the mono on right now, I can just go make a long cast and maybe add another 10 yds, cut from there and tie on the braid?  with what....blood knot?  I had no idea that I could tie together different lines on a spool.  I dont know why, but I just figured that the whole spool had to be one continuous line with no knots or it would weaken it somehow.   :-[

I hear about needing "backing" with braid.  Is that why you say to leave on some of the mono?  (Besides, not having to use as much expensive braid)

Also what is meant by digging in and laying down?  I hear people say they have problems like that with braid.

Thanks for the edumacation.   ;D

[hookingem]

I fish 30 pound braid on my jig rod with no problems what so ever! I have even spooled 50 pound once but overall i like the 30 pound braid better. I have never had problems with it. IMO 30 pound is fine and even better!  8-)

[BASSclary]

Use at least 50# superline. It has a diameter equivalent to 10# mono. It will handle better than the lighter test lines.

It doesn't matter how you spool in on.

Remove about 1/2 of the mono you have now and add the superline on top of it. You use less superline and you need the grip of the mono on the spool arbor.

The immediate thing you will notice is that you will feel the vibration better of the lures you use.

Back off on your drag some and don't use a "cross their eyes" hookset, just a quick wrist hookset is all that is needed. The very low stretch will give you better hookups especially with the large diameter wire hooks on those baits.

Alright, I will go with 50#.

So.....with the mono on right now, I can just go make a long cast and maybe add another 10 yds, cut from there and tie on the braid? with what....blood knot? I had no idea that I could tie together different lines on a spool. I dont know why, but I just figured that the whole spool had to be one continuous line with no knots or it would weaken it somehow. :-[

I hear about needing "backing" with braid. Is that why you say to leave on some of the mono? (Besides, not having to use as much expensive braid)

Also what is meant by digging in and laying down? I hear people say they have problems like that with braid.

Thanks for the edumacation. ;D

Basically digging in with braid is when you set the hook or something like that, because of its thin diameter it will dig in to the spool, thus be under other line, and when you cast you will backlash terribly. However once you go above 40# braid you will have no digging in problem.

[Hammer 4]

Re: braid digging in, really depends on the brand..I also would go 50 or more..cost isn't that much more, and the heavier can double as a flipping rig..

[rubba bubba]

I can just go make a long cast and maybe add another 10 yds, cut from there and tie on the braid? with what....blood knot?

Alberto knot is what you want to use.

I wouldn't get overly concerned about the digging as I think it's overblown here.  I use 30lbs Suffix and Fireline on many of my reels and I don't remember the last time I've had a digging issue.

[Archaeo72]

I use Sufix 50lb. braid and overall liked it's performance. Braid digging in is no real reason to avoid it as long as you pay attention to how the line lays on the spool.

Two things to note, IMO, are the hooks you use and hook sets if you use a leader. First, you can really use any hooks you want, but I perfer to use superline hooks. In my experience "regular" gauge hooks can bend on hook sets even on the smallest dinks. Also if you happen to set the hook into a stump etc., the thin wire hooks can really bend. Of course this can be managed somewhat by having your drag set accordingly, but can still happen.

Second, if your using a leader, also IMO, you need to make sure you get most (if not all) of the slack out of the line before you set the hook. Since braid has no strech like mono if you set the hook with to much slack in the line you will snap the leader on even the smallest fish.

These are no reasons not to use braid, just things to watch out for... I like braid for the most part and will continue to use it.

Oh yah sorry for the long post but... If you are using braid to avoid losing snagged lures (I know you said weeds and lily pads but...) there are two more things to consider. A lot of the time you either get your lure back with a bent hook or you get your lure back with the snagged piece of structure. Once you remove that structure it's extremely hard to put it back where it was especially; if fishing from shore.

Just my 2 cents... Use braid, you'll probably like it!!!

[21farms]

just a few more things others have not mentioned yet.

1. braid is great fishing in lily pads, weeds and timber. however, braid does not stand up to sharp rocks well and gets sliced easily. in those situations, you should tie on a fluorocarbon leader.

2. because braid is so limp, it can have a tendency to wrap around your rod guides. when that happens, take the time to carefully undo the tangle, otherwise you could end up tearing your guide(s) out.

3. regarding line digging, there are lots of causes. as hammer said, braid digging does have a lot to do with brand; the rounder the braid, the less digging you'll experience. but, i've found that the reel also has something to do with it as well...reels that have a wider spool and that lay the line down at broader angles will experience less line digging.

i use 10, 15, 30, 50, 65, and 80 lb. braid and my overall favorite is 50. when spooling braid, make sure you do it under a lot of tension so that the line is tight (this will help prevent digging from even occurring in the first place). after bringing in a big or hard-fighting fish, strip out some line by hand to make sure there are no areas the line has dug in...if you don't and part way through the cast, the line gets caught onto itself, the momentum of the lure can snap the line while the lure continues sailing away. it's a sickening feeling watching a new $16 luckycraft going bye-bye.

[KC Bass Fanatic]

Use at least 50# superline. It has a diameter equivalent to 10# mono. It will handle better than the lighter test lines.

It doesn't matter how you spool in on.

Remove about 1/2 of the mono you have now and add the superline on top of it. You use less superline and you need the grip of the mono on the spool arbor.

The immediate thing you will notice is that you will feel the vibration better of the lures you use.

Back off on your drag some and don't use a "cross their eyes" hookset, just a quick wrist hookset is all that is needed. The very low stretch will give you better hookups especially with the large diameter wire hooks on those baits.

Alright, I will go with 50#.

So.....with the mono on right now, I can just go make a long cast and maybe add another 10 yds, cut from there and tie on the braid? with what....blood knot? I had no idea that I could tie together different lines on a spool. I dont know why, but I just figured that the whole spool had to be one continuous line with no knots or it would weaken it somehow. :-[

I hear about needing "backing" with braid. Is that why you say to leave on some of the mono? (Besides, not having to use as much expensive braid)

Also what is meant by digging in and laying down? I hear people say they have problems like that with braid.

Thanks for the edumacation. ;D

Basically digging in with braid is when you set the hook or something like that, because of its thin diameter it will dig in to the spool, thus be under other line, and when you cast you will backlash terribly. However once you go above 40# braid you will have no digging in problem.

I use 50lb PowerPro and it still occasionally digs in on me.

[kllrbee]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies.   

Went with the 50# PP.

First impression is that it feels SOOO much different than mono.  Much noisier going thru the rod guides too.  Wonder if its gonna eat up the recoil guides that are on the BPS JM Elite. 

Only cast about 5 times before I had a wicked backlash so cant say anything about how it is casting wise.  Weird that I backlashed, I havent done that since the first day I picked up the BC. 

Ive heard the birds nest is easier to pick out with braid so Ill get on that now.

Of course, I didnt catch any fish with it, so I also cant comment on the strength.

Thanks for the help guys.

[Under the Radar]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies.

Went with the 50# PP.

Ive heard the birds nest is easier to pick out with braid so Ill get on that now.

Thanks for the help guys.

Try keeping a crochet needle on hand. I've found them useful on more than one occasion.

Nick

[BASSclary]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies.

Went with the 50# PP.

First impression is that it feels SOOO much different than mono. Much noisier going thru the rod guides too. Wonder if its gonna eat up the recoil guides that are on the BPS JM Elite.

Only cast about 5 times before I had a wicked backlash so cant say anything about how it is casting wise. Weird that I backlashed, I havent done that since the first day I picked up the BC.

Ive heard the birds nest is easier to pick out with braid so Ill get on that now.

Of course, I didnt catch any fish with it, so I also cant comment on the strength.

Thanks for the help guys.

I think REC recoil claims braided line actually polishes the guides over time. And braid isn't really about brute strength, its about being super sensitive with a super small diameter for its strength. But don't get me wrong, it always puts a smile on my face when if i snag I pull up a whole log  ;D 8-)

[dodgeguy]

ditch the powepro and get fireline braid.i use it on my jm elite recoils with no problem.

[BASSclary]

ditch the powepro and get fireline braid.i use it on my jm elite recoils with no problem.

Coming from a man who drives a Dodge instead of a Ford F-150  ;D

To each his own!

[dodgeguy]

ford = found on road dead.

[BASSclary]

Dodge = Drips Oil & Drops Grease Everywhere  hehe ;D ;D

[Hammer 4]

Get some Samuri..

As for trucks....Duramax baby..I pull fords, and dodges sideways..