Casting braid

[Blacklab]

Just wondering what y’all thoughts are on a casting braid. I’ve been a mono guy for a day or two. Now I’m trying braid 30 pound PowerPro.  just wondering what your thoughts are on it baitcaster.

[jackelope]

Tagging along here too. I'm late to the game also, but wondering the downsides to braid. I've heard lots of good. Not sure about the bad. Switched over a couple reels to braid and I'm looking to update a couple more rods and reels.

[duckmen1]

Make sure initial spooling you put a small amount of backing on of mono. Maybe 10 or 15 yards. Just enough to cover base of spool. This elliminates the chance of the whole spool of line rotating on spool. Aslo make sure you initially crank in on very tight on initial spooling. This prevents line from burying into itself. After that depending on methods using you can add about a 10 to 12 foot bumper of florocarbon leader to bait/lure if in clear water conditions. But as far as casting goes on baitcaster it works great. Hope those few tips help. Depending on what you are targeting there may be a few more tips depending on conditions and species.

A few benefits are more direct feel to a bite due to less stretch. Less chance of abrasion. Stonger pound test with thinner diameter line. For bass fishing it tends to cut through weeds better. For salmon and steelhead float fishing braid tends to be best as braid floats compared to mono or floro causing less drag on float and easier to mend.

The one downside is if you do tangle and it knots up you are screwed easier than mono or floro. Avoid tangles the best you can and you are good to go.

Also mono has a lot of memory at times. Braid doesn't have that type of issue.

[birdshooter1189]

I like using braid for popping frogs for bass.  It is much more sensitive and allows more subtle twitches, and quicker hook sets. I often use 10lb powerpro braid on a spinning rod/reel for fishing senko worms for bass.

I don't use any backing, on the spool, but I agree on making sure you get the initial wraps tight. I usually tie a loop in the end of my line and then create a choker-loop and wrap that around the spool. Do a pull test to see if it binds down on the spool or if it slips. If it slips, flip the choker-loop around to the other direction on the spool and it should grip.

As braid wears out, it sometimes gets small fray/chaff on it. This causes the line to stick to itself a little bit on the spool and it doesn't cast as nicely, expecially with lighter lures. 

I used the "floss" style braid once by spiderwire. Never again. That stuff was terrible.  Stick with the actual braid.

I've been happy with powerpro braid.

[jackelope]

I bought a reel at Sportco and had them fill it with braid. The guy asked me if I wanted mono as backing and I said no...mostly because he just told me it would save a little $ on the cost of braid to fill the spool. I said no because I want less knots...now I'm wondering if I should have for the reasons mentioned above. Too late now

[mcrawfordaf]

Big braid fan. I run it on my casters and spinners. Like others have mentioned the knots in braid are damn near impossible to get out. If you're fishing anywhere with sharp rock it can fray/cut kind of easily depending on the type of fishing and bait you're using. But I love it. Also have to have scissors or knife on you. Cant bite through braid 

[WSU]

I use it a lot.  What are you planning to use it for?

[Blacklab]

Thanks guys. I use braid tuff line for my salmon rods trolling.  The reels I’ll be casting with is okuma low pro citrix 273 a. They cast really well with mono. I’m assuming it’s just gonna be better with braid, I hope.  Anything from Trout To panfish and bass maybe even walleye

[h2ofowlr]

I have Power Pro on most of my casting rods.  As mentioned spool it correctly and make sure you adjust the drag for the braid.  Backlashes can be difficult to correct unless you have a keen eye and patience.  Braid can also bury itself in the braid easiliy and if you snag up, I wrap around a stick or around my reel base or you will break off guides.

I use it as you don't have any stretch and with my G-Loomis rods I can feel the bite very well and I land most of the strikes or take downs.

[WSU]

Should be fine for that.  The biggest downside I've found for that light of line is that it is so limp you can end up wrapping the rod tip more often. 

Also, if you are using downriggers, it is nice to put a top shot of mono on both for holding in the downrigger clip and for the stretch of mono.  I've toyed with going back to mono on my downrigger rods.  I think the stretch can be really helpful for not losing fish.

[jackelope]

Possibly dumb braid question alert.

Do you tie it straight to your baits or lures? Or are you running a leader of mono or flouro? If you're running a leader section, are you using a swivel or something or a blood knot or something like that?

[birdshooter1189]

I run braid all the way to the lure. No mono leader.

[7mmfan]

Possibly dumb braid question alert.

Do you tie it straight to your baits or lures? Or are you running a leader of mono or flouro? If you're running a leader section, are you using a swivel or something or a blood knot or something like that?

It depends. I use Power Pro on my steelhead rods and plug rods. I run direct to it on my plugs. On my spinning rods, if I'm fishing a spoon/spinner/whatever, I usually run a shot of mono or fluoro. If I can I just use a swivel but if I want a longer leader I splice mono to it with an FG knot. very easy, very strong, goes through guides very well.

Like WSU noted, it's limp and it can tend to wrap around your rod tip more frequently. I've busted the tips off a couple rods by not noticing this and setting hooks. To combat this, I stepped up in weight and the slightly stiffer line wrapped WAY less. I was originally using 20#, then 30#, and ultimately settled on 45#.

The mono on the spool is a good way to keep it from slipping as well as bulk the spool up so you don't take 400 yards of skinny braid on. You can also wrap a couple wraps of masking tape around the spool to give the braid something to dig into.

Avoid knots like basic clinch knots, I've seen them pull out more than once. I use Uni-Knot and Palomar almost exclusively.

[wadu1]

As @7mmfan said "Avoid knots like basic clinch knots, I've seen them pull out more than once. I use Uni-Knot and Palomar almost exclusively". I always use a backing for braided lines I also use Dacron backing on my salt reels using mono.

[Blacklab]

I use the polymer knot a lot. Now I’m trying to learn braid the floral carbon or mono. I just can’t get my fingers to work