Advice with braid

[TASPL-Designs]

Hey everyone, I bought my current fishing rods when I was in myrtle beach fishing in the ocean. They are a little overkill in size as most have told me but the smaller one I've been using here seems to suit me nicely (Offshore Angler Frigate spinning combo, FG6000 reel).

I had it loaded with 17lb mono and have been having issues fishing with light tackle (rubber worm and texas rig mainly) It seems the line is to heavy or has too much resistance to keep the line even remotely close to tight when using a texas rig (wind keeps it curved heavily and even pulls in the worm on its own a bit)

I have recently bought some braid, Power Pro 15lb, I have never fished with braid before.

Is there anything I need to know about fishing with braid?

Is there specific knots used for braid?

I haven't loaded it onto my reel yet, is there anything I need to know? (other than a small strip of electrical tape goes on first)

Any tips or anything would be greatly appreciated. Planning on hitting a spot I found on my gps this saturday with the wife to try and catch hopefully a few fish for some fresh dinner.

Thanks in advance.

[MuskieBait]

Knot: Palomar, improve clinch or uni...all great. You do have to make sure the knot is tied properly (neat wraps, no crossing of loops and wraps) since the line is so limp and easy to mess up the knot. Just take your time tying knots.

Spooling: Aside from electrical tape, make sure you spool it on with the drag set tight. You want to pack the braid on as tightly as possible. If it is loose, the line will dig in when it is under pressure while you fight a fish. It will also lead to trouble when you cast.

Casting: Braid is so supple that it can tend to fall off the spool on the cast, even if you don't overspool the line. At the end of each cast, do not crank the handle to close the bail. Do it manually by hand. Otherwise, it is easy for the loose slack line to fold, loop and knot. It will create horrible wind knot on your next cast.

Your reel is basically a re-branded Penn Battle...which I have and love. The rod and reel sounds a bit heavy still, so even with the braid you may still experience issue casting light lures such as a texas-rigged rubber worm. But 15lb braid is much better than 17lb mono and it should help a bit.

[TASPL-Designs]

Thanks for the info, I have only been using the Uni Knot since I have restarted fishing, I'm glad that's on your list of knots to use.

I have always closed the reel by hand, but still a noteworthy tip.

Oh, I bought a Berkley Spooling setup, tried to use it once and it was an epic fail, seems to only spool one half of the reel in a cone pattern, Ended up unspooling it and cranking it all in by hand. Is there any tips or tricks on how to keep the line really tight for spooling braid?

I never really had an issue casting the lures despite the mono, mepps black fury #3's and texas rigs were still going probably 50-60 ft. was still getting it where I wanted, the problem was after I got it there, I couldn't do anything with it. Couldn't feel anything as the line was so slack, and once you tried to make it tightish it would just keep coming in instead of getting tight.

I really appreciate the help and I will update this after the weekend to let you know the difference I found.

I will most likely just be targeting bass, There is a lot of species around, but last time I was there all I saw pulled in was bass and sunfish, Would be nice to catch some other fish too, but who knows.

I realize the rod/reel is likely to heavy, its been working okay so far, I'm hoping the catches increase by ditching the mono. I will be buying a lighter setup over the winter/spring, just not really an option right now.

I have bought 4 rod/reels this year already. I have 2 of these spinner combos (one was for the wife in the states, but its too heavy for her to be casting and using a lot up here, she was okay on the piers, shes much smaller than me). My surf shark rod which I believe is far too big for almost everything up here, And I just got her a 7 foot Shakespeare Agility, A lot smaller and lighter so she can maybe enjoy fishing a bit more up here.

So over the winter/spring I will likely be making another post looking for recommendations for a more suitable setup for me here. But in the mean time, I'll have to make due with this.

[MuskieBait]

To keep line tight, it's best to have someone there to help you. I usually put a pen through the spool, then put pressure on the sides of the spool to keep it tight.

When I spool line by myself, I actually clasp the two ends of the pen with my big toes...one on each side...and use the side of my toes to apply pressure. It takes a bit of practice to get it right...and you need some dexterous toes

[zippyFX]

I find that if I grasp the rod and line between the first eye and the reel and adjust the tension by loosening or tightening my grip I can spool the rod well. Too much tension and the line favors the back of the reel and too little tension and you get loose line.

[OldTimer]

Mount the reel on the lower section of your rod. Drop spool of new line in an empty box or waste paper basket that's sitting on the floor next to a taller table.

Run line through the guide on the lower section and attach to reel’s spool.

Between the rod and the box - lay the line through the center pages of a telephone book that's sitting on the table slightly overhanging the edge. Close book.

Add weight (more books, or a bag of rice) on book to adjust tension......... usually doesn’t take a lot.

Reel.

edit: works with mono too..................

[TASPL-Designs]

Thanks everyone, Glad I found this forum, so far a lot of great tips. I'm learning and re-learning a lot. I'm going to spool the line tonight and then hit the water Saturday morning. Hopefully catch some fish and post up some pics and stuff.

[OldTimer]

(09-29-2015 05:49 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  When I spool line by myself, I actually clasp the two ends of the pen with my big toes...one on each side...and use the side of my toes to apply pressure. It takes a bit of practice to get it right...and you need some dexterous toes

Can ya knit and tie a clinch knot with'em too?.................smile

[Galhug]

Do you use this method for your spinning reels? I have been told that the line should spool off the top to put the same shape as the spool onto the reel.

[MRQturbo]

(09-30-2015 03:47 PM)Galhug Wrote:  Do you use this method for your spinning reels? I have been told that the line should spool off the top to put the same shape as the spool onto the reel.

braid has no line memory so it shouldn't matter what way it comes off the spool onto your reel..just make sure you have tension on the line so it packs evenly and tight....if you are using flouro or mono you'll have to pay attention...