Best Casting Braid ??

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AA-ron
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Best Casting Braid ??

Post by AA-ron »

I am looking for some advise on some fishing line.
I know that a lot of people like power pro, & I have never used it.
I currenly have some braid on (i don't remember what it is) and it does not cast worth a crap. It has a tendency to roll on top of itself on the spool, thus causing it to cast pourly. I am looking for something that can hold up to the shell that it rubs against when speck & flounder fishing, but I want to be able to cast the dang stuff too.

All comments welcome :)
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WATER HOG
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Post by WATER HOG »

what type of reel & what size line will it take , make sure the line fits the reel , also I beleave on braided line , it might make a difference on the way you spool it onto your reel ?, I tried the braided line I went back to the mono big game , there was a really good post sometime back on this subject .. not sure where & when it was . maby someone with more smarts will be of more help ! :D
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Post by AA-ron »

Just a standard ABU 5600C type reel
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pitontheprowl
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Post by pitontheprowl »

Ron,
The Power-Pro will probably be your best bet, just don't forget to:
1-use a mono backing
2-spool it on pretty tight.

I use Fireline but I don't fish in the salt.
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Post by Fla-Fish »

WATER HOG wrote:maby someone with more smarts will be of more help ! :D


And he admits it :roll: :lol: :roll:

Sorry CNR (could not resist) :D :D
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Post by AA-ron »

is it backing like on a flyrod? (ie, the Braid is tied to the mono) or.... :?:
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pitontheprowl
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Post by pitontheprowl »

Yes, usually you will put down mono just to cover the spool. I use the same mono as braid line diameter. I try to use a different color mono than my braid that way I can "see" when I am getting low. :wink:
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Post by CavassoCruiser »

Like Pit said, it has to be quite tight on the spool. The other concern is that V-type reels REALLY prefer mono...however, you don't have this problem. Try keeping it tight...good luck!
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Post by AA-ron »

Thanks, that is clear as mud :)

But really, thanks for the comments
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Post by pitontheprowl »

On that Abu, your line is probably getting loose. I knkow it is hard to do an a "barrel" reel, but try palming your reel and pinching the line between your thumb and first finger as you reel in. This does two things, it keeps the line tight on the spool and you will also be suprised by how much more you feel in your fingers. :wink:
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Post by Electric Water Boy »

If you're using it in a yak be careful that it doesn't cut into the yak.
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Post by AA-ron »

I think I am just going to stick with mono (I think) heck I don't know anymore. I know the mono I had on the otherday rubbing againist the shell, was just eating it up
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Post by TL »

I found that braided was more a pain in the butt than it was worth. I use Ande and check it after each outting. I put new line on as needed.
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Post by EZ-E »

i have been using the same power pro for over a year on the same reels. if you fish as much as me i used to change my mono out about every 3 trips. that is less than once a month i was buying a spool of big game for my reels. even though pp is more expensive you dont have to change it out as often. i think the 12 lb power pro is better for a bait casting reel because it is a little thicker & easier to work with than the 8lb stuff. i have been using the 8 lb & just started using the 12lb. pp is better than mono IMO because it cast a little farther than mono. no line memory & the most important its more abrassion resistant. when spooling it leave some of your old mono line for backing & spool tight. i use the phone book method. place your line in the middle of the phone book & place some weights on top. i use a 5 lb flat weight on top the book. the one thing you have to do is after every few trips strech it out a little more than you can cast & reel it back up tight. as long as it is spooled tight & when casting into the wind you set your spool tighter you should have no problems. i know some guys use a flouro leader but i tie direct to my lures. i think a flouro leader is good if you are fishing clear water.

hope this helps 8)
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Post by shawn »

dunno why you guys change line so often i use the same line for about a year or so before i change it out and just cut any rough feeling line off when i get to it

oh and i've never lost a fish from line breakage lost them for alot of other reasons but never from that
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Post by greyloon »

I change mono line about every two months. A lot depends on how often you fish. If you fish three or more days a week as I do, you will tend to cut off quite a bit of frayed line. I mostly bait fish and drift on bottom a lot, so my line gets abraded quickly, though I use a 30 lb leader. As I cut off damaged line, I find the reel doesn't cast as well as it did when nearly full. So, at some point, I change my line out. Also, with mono, after a while, it stiffens up and doesn't cast as well. I use both spinning and baitcasting reels and find that I must reline my spinning reels more often.
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Post by Tree »

Four reasons why I use Braided:

1. Strength
2. No Memory
3. Greater Line Capacity
4. Line last a lot longer then mono
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Coastal has some good info on Braided

Post by JimD »

I use biggame on the Colorado at the farm and braided 20 powerpro but I am going to try 30 pp for the fall.

There are several things you must do. Put some mono backining on your line. I usually take a roll and put enough mono on that I can split the braided and put 1/2 of the roll on both Shimanos filling the spool up to where it should go. Heck I am cheap. I used to use pline but got tired of the 12 lb holding the loop memory after about 1 or 2 trips.

Another trick is when the braided is getting worn to swap lines. That is you have another reel and just get rid of a few feet on the worn end of the braided and retie to another reel and run the line on backwards. This will give you twice the use from the same braided since the end on the reel is just like new. Just make sure your mono is still good.

Anyway Coastal recomended a uni to uni know to the mono then use a phone book to run the braided thru so you can put the ine on your reel as tight as it needs to go.

Coastal used to recomend using a leader with a uni to uni about the same length as you rod. This way you have enough leader for one or two trips.
Be sure iti s a good one I have lost several baits before daylight not checking my knots well enough. Be sure the uni to uni is a good one by using the one that is recomended on the packaging.


Again he said to run the line thru a phone book and put as much pressure while winding the pp on as you can. Helps.

OVERRUNS: The old "do not spit into the wind" is good for braided too. Be sure you have the bait drag set just right other wise if you throw into the wind you will see a professional overrun you will not believe. :oops: :oops:

Carrying someround toothpicks work well for removing these or mono overruns.

I have also run some 20pp on my one spinning reel and it works well there too. Some people say itis better there than a casting reel.
Last edited by JimD on Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:23 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Post by Clip »

JimD has it right.

I think a lot of the problems with lines like PowerPro is that it is usually too small a diameter to work well. I've tried 10, 15, 20 and 30 lb test PowerPro. The 10 and 15 are too small and it is actuall very hard to cast far. The line digs into the spool. 20 works pretty well and I can cast a long ways, sometimes. 30 lb test is by far the easies to use. I have used PowerPro on Curado's, Daiwa Advantage Super Tuned TD-A153SHTL, and my Abu C4 6501. My Abu has 30#. My other reels are using 20# except for 1 Daiwa which has 30. On the Daiwa's with 20# I sometimes have to pinch the line betweeen my fingers while reeling in to pack it tighter. I almost never have to do this with the 30#. The line lasts forever, otherwise I'd change all my reels to 30#. The Abu would probably work better at 40# or 50#. I think the levelwind just spaces the line out too far in the smaller diameters. It's funny having 30# test on my reel and setting the drag LESS than I do with 10# mono. I have some spinning reels that have had PowerPro on them for over 7 years.
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Post by Vlaude »

Just my 2 cents, but one of the best casting braids out there is Fireline, that said it is not the strongest. If you are using a spinning rig, in my opinion it is hands down Fireline. I haven't used anything in a braid that casts aw easily as the Fireline. In a baitcast reel there are a number of good options, I like the Power-pro but the Spiderwire Stealth is a pretty good line as well. It won't dig into itself as much as the original Spiderwire (in the red boxes). Again they aren't as strong as the Original Spiderwire but that shouldn't be an issue. If I were you I would go with the lightest braid possible as well. A lot of time people will go overboard with the test. Just like with mono the smaller lines in a comparable product with cast better. I said 2 cents but I think it ended up more like 2 1/2 cents...
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Post by greyloon »

Now I'm confused, two posts back to back seemingly saying the opposite about line diameter.
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Post by Vlaude »

Typically a lighter line (smaller diameter) in the same or comparable line will give an angler better casting distance. Heavier line typically creates more friction leaving the spool, passing threw the guides as well as threw the air. Usually the heavier line is not as limber or flexible.

Also when looking at lines the exterior of the line is important. Some braids are not as smooth as other or mono. That is why I like Fireline, some braids are coated with teflon or other coatings that make them very smooth.

The line cutting into itself is usually caused by one or two factors. One is some braids are not round, but more flat. According to my friend who is a rep says the flatter lines tend to dig in to themselves more. Second, it is really important keep higher tension on braided lines when you are spooling them up, helps to keep the line from digging in...

But line isn't the only thing when it comes to distance - rod, bait weight/shape, and the reel all play a part. I guess as Clip has said the levelwind moving too fast might be a problem. The times I do bank fish for hybrids/striper I us an ABU D series reel or RECORD with a light braid and a 8' steelhead rod... Works well for trout and reds too... Just my 3 cents now, :roll:
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Post by greyloon »

As I look at braided and even Fireline, the boxes state the weight of the line, then state the diameter is a certain equivalent in monofilament. I assume what you are saying is if your reel casts well with 12 lb mono, then go with the braid line weight of similar diameter, even though the test weight will be significantly higher.
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Post by Vlaude »

Yeah thats what I look at GreyLoon, or at least for me. You are right, the diameter is important. Some braids are smaller some are not. Most of the super braids are pretty good. But then again not sure there is one line that does everything well... But thats just my opinion...
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mono with a braid shock leader

Post by fearnofish »

i use big game 10 -14 lb with a 35lb braided shock leader works wonders for me
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