[jplikewoah]

I am thinking about changing out the mono line to braid on my penn squall conventional reel. Will I gain a noticeable amount of distance for doing this? I know it's a night and day difference for the spinners since braid lines are thinner/lighter hence they cast further, but how about for conventionals? Since I have to somewhat match the diameter of 17lb-20lb mono line, I am thinking of 65lb braid line.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[csurp]

just a beginner here, but have both the squall 15 and 525 mag. When I first got the 525, my first inclination, like you, was to go to braid....man what a mistake. Blow ups are going to happen. When they happen with mono (I use 15 lb Big Game for Pompano), they can be bad...but when they happen with braid...forget about and break out another $20.

 

[dudeondacouch]

Yeah, braid doesn't really lend itself well to conventionals and power casting.

 

[fish bucket]

if you are going to use state of the art reels why not use state of the art line?
with magged reels your birds nesting should be very limited
my conventionals are loaded with braid and i power cast with few blow ups.
when they do occcur they are no harder to untangle then mono.

 

[solid7]

Yeah, braid doesn't really lend itself well to conventionals and power casting.

Respectfully disagree on this one. They do power cast quite well. HOWEVER, they are MUCH less forgiving when you overspool mid-cast. Sometimes you can save a "flyer" if you catch it early with mono. Braid, however, has no stretch, and will snap like a twig.

when they do occcur they are no harder to untangle then mono.

Agreed. In fact, it's usually (in my experience) easier to pull nests out of braid - I would much rather pull nests out of braid than mono. Unless there are knots. Then forget it.

 

[Jersey Hunter]

Braid works best for me, but would like to hear from one of the pros to see what they can get more distance with.

 

[dudeondacouch]

To clarify, I didn't mean that you can't get good distance with braid. I meant that it's much easier to throw a big nest, and once you do, your only choice is scissors.

 

[jplikewoah]

Thank you everyone for your input, I appreciate it. I am aware that once you blow up bad enough with braid, you will need to cut them up and re-spool. I will be extra careful and try to minimize this.

However, I just wanted to know from braid users that if using braid on conventional reels= more distance?

 

[dudeondacouch]

Also, don't think it's been said yet, make sure and spool the line over some form of backing (mono or tape) to keep it from slipping around the spool, and also spool it under tension to keep it from being loose and digging into itself under pressure.

 

[solid7]

To clarify, I didn't mean that you can't get good distance with braid. I meant that it's much easier to throw a big nest, and once you do, your only choice is scissors.

I know that you didn't mean anything about distance - my biggest problem with braid is that the line is VERY light weight, and it tends to loop over the end of the rod after a cast. You REALLY have to watch that...

However, I just wanted to know from braid users that if using braid on conventional reels= more distance?

I suppose that is a function of your line diameter and weight. Figuring most people around here use 17-20 lb test, a good braid replacement is 30 lb. It is usually about 8lb line diameter equivalent. And it has enough strands to start to stand up to abuse. (any lighter, and you are too thin, and asking for trouble, in my opinion) I think you will find that 30 lb braid throws VERY well, but I've never cast it side by side with 20 lb. mono. I know it doesn't cast much (if any) farther than the 12-15 lb. mono that I use, but your results may vary. I fish some places and time with braid, and some with mono, but no quantitative tests. Seeing that I fish the same haunts repeatedly, and have seen huge gains by virtue of casting technique alone, I can't say for sure which is better for casting - but what I can say is that if I don't notice significant differences at my frequently fished spots between the 2 lines, then a significant difference *probably* doesn't exist.

But what the hell do I know...

 

[kingman23]

I switched one of my conventionals over from 20 lb mono to 65 lb braid and there isnt much of a difference in the distance really. So, the answer to your question about the distance is no, the braid doesnt give you more distance than mono (at least in my case) but I do get more line on the reel and I have a much stronger line.
:fishing:

 

[SALTSHAKER]

Spooled my mag elite with 40lb power pro and have had no problem, or course I am not power casting. Shortly will spool the akios ctm 656 (one of them) with the same 40lb power pro, leave one spooled with the mono for casting etc.... salt

 

[tjbjornsen]

I'm betting that I am going to get into a lot of trouble here, but sometimes the beginner guy notices stuff that the real deal guys pass over.
But is not the real reason that braid affords more distance on spinning reels is because it is limper and more supple, while also being thinner in diameter, (releative to pound test) thereby leaving the fixed spool with less resistance?
I don't see how those characteristics are transfered to how line leaves a conventional reel, since it is coming off in a straight line.
I guess that its limpness might allow it to come off the spool easier, but by how much?
There are other obvious reasons to use braid on a conventional, (line capacity/sensitivity/durability to light and heat, etc...) but it seems to me that casting distance wold not be one of them.
Then again,
I've never tried braid on one of mine.
Gimme a minute to get my helmet, and the pros can start swinging...

 

[nickvaughn]

personally i love casting 50pound power pro on my avets.....but when you get a back lash wich all of us do sometimes..i always end up having to cut the knot out and i dontknow about any one else but i cant afford to buy power pro evry time i go fishing..

 

[wskitchen]

No braid for me! I put a $17.00 spool of sufix tritanium on and get to pick my nests out with ease. With a 50# shock you can power cast all day and have no line troubles. I like it anyway.

 

[fish bucket]

if you change from 17-20# mono to 30# braid you will get more distance just through the factor of the line being so much thinner.
braid has so many other attributes that i would use it even if the distance was the same.

in a side note;all you guys getting so many backlashes should try magged reels.
i get very few nests and even fewer that i can't get out.
it's real easy to static mag a reel.

 

[solid7]

in a side note;all you guys getting so many backlashes should try magged reels.
i get very few nests and even fewer that i can't get out.
it's real easy to static mag a reel.

You don't need magged reels. I used both, and have no trouble. If it comes down to the braking, and you can't keep backlash away, you are running too close to the edge. (trying to get that extra bit of performance) That's true whether you are magged or not.

But I do agree, that the nests aren't as bad with braid. On the other hand, if you are in a full power cast, and you have a blow up, it really doesn't matter if it's braid, mono, or anything else. I haven't seen too many full power casts which result in backlash that can be recovered. So if you have a problem with spending $$$, might want to stick with pure mono, and invest the extra in spare spools. (I have 3 spools for each of my conventional reels)

 

[Jersey Hunter]

I think the difference in the weight of the lines has something to do with your distance. Why else would the guys in casting contest use such a light line. Your sinker has to pull the line even after it leaves the rod and reel. Pretty sure 30lb braid weighs less than 20lb mono so it may have an advantage in distance. So the advantage should go to braid. Still like to hear from the pros.

 

[solid7]

I think the difference in the weight of the lines has something to do with your distance. Why else would the guys in casting contest use such a light line. Your sinker has to pull the line even after it leaves the rod and reel. Pretty sure 30lb braid weighs less than 20lb mono so it may have an advantage in distance. So the advantage should go to braid. Still like to hear from the pros.

Seems to me that the only mass that matters is the spool, itself. Seeing that the weight can't travel any faster than the spool can spin. (at least not while it is still attached) So, even if the line in the air is lighter, the load on the spool which must be overcome is the same, and the weight of the braided line must be comparable. Ok, so it's thinner, but you have roughly the same amount of mass (in line) on the spool - maybe even more when you figure that braid lays tighter on the spool.

I am no authority, but this is my untested hypothesis.

 

[Espresso]

I'm by no means a distance caster but from my person experience, unless you're already able to maximize your casting distance with mono, there's no need to use braid on a conventional for purely distance (if it's sensitivity of braid or capacity, that's a different subject). Practice makes makes distance. On the other hand, if you've reached your peak in terms of distance, switching to a braid with a lesser diameter might improve your distance. The problem then becomes convenience over the marginal distance you gain. Say you're able to gain 20 yard but sometimes have blow ups using braid. Is it worth the inconvenience when the fishing is heating up?

On a spinning setup, using limp braid allows the line to collect and get under control through the guides much faster. In addition, you can use a smaller diameter line thus improving overall distance. On a conventional, the line comes off in a straight line. Using a stiffer mono makes sense. You want the line to spring off the spool as it's rotating. Less resistance of the weight having to pull line off the spool. Even if you have mags, if it's setup to fast, you'll have a blow up. Also less packing of the line since braid can dig into itself. If you're using a conventional with braid and your cast isn't smooth, your potential for a blow greatly increases if your line comes off "bumpy" and goes through a series of small running guides. I've used a conventional with levelwind and have used 15# mono and 40# braid which is equivalent to 12# diameter mono.. At times I swear the braid cast a good 20+ yards further but blow ups do occur. Some were minor and I was able to untangle but after a while, I decided to switch back to mono for the convenience. Another option for using mono is using a smaller diameter line. If you change your line each season and are fishing a beach without a lot of structure, 15/17# mono can still land big fish if your drag is setup correctly. It will also give you a slight advantage distance wise compared to 20#.