[Furball]

Ryan White of Hatteras Jack is a good power caster and he has been using braid on his conventionals. You might want to contact him for advice.

 

[Raymo]

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

not always necessary if spooled correctly and you dont get spooled when casting or fighting a fish...usually if you are spooled you are done anyway, so could be a non issue.

also spool it under tension to keep it from being loose and digging into itself under pressure.

spooling without enough tension and causing the line to dig into itself is a huge issue with braided line...take your time to do it right if you do it

 

[AbuMike]

"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."



I think you missed the meaning of this post.....Re read and I think it may be clear what he is saying....

 

[SNDFLEE]

Espresso said it best in my opinion, well written Espresso!

 

[BLACK ADDER]

Reply

Have spooled my Abu 8600 with 65 braided and doing quite well...so far. Of course, I am an old timer that used to fish with DACRON and LINEN line on my heavers...so braided don't scare me much! My experience has been to carry a mono fiilled backup real , in case of "The Big One".
I have been using 65 braided as SHOCK LINE for several years,. with 17 lb test Red Devil by High Seas as main line. Have never broken the shock line, nor popped her at the knot, and I cast ALOT..drum in the spring /fall, sharks in the summer, and blue catfish in the winter. I like the feel, the smooth delivery of the line through the guides, and the strength when I get "THE ONE" up close to the beach. Try THAT one sometime!

 

[Hudak]

If I use braid, generally it is of the same # test as the mono top shot I use. Generally, I will use braid to increase the capacity of the reel. I have however, filled some of my reels up full of braid from time to time. If I would have been running 18lb test, I will load 20lb test braid on it. When comparing # test to # test, I have noticed an increase in distance. I have not replaced 18lb mono with 30-60 lb test braid and tried to compare distances.

 

[smacks fanatic]

Everybody,
just my @cents, but braid is not the best power throwing line, or casting line. This is coming from fishing standards, not casting tournaments. braided line tends to pull the sinker from the gbottom of the ocean(i have no idea why). Also, even with magged reels, braid just has a tendency to birds nest even with the strongest of magged reels. and my last reason would be, its a very limp line, causing it to spin around very rapidly, getting hung on guides and other tackle in the way of the cast.

 

[Hudak]

Braid is not allowed on the casting field, in tourneys at least. Generally, the best use I have found for braid in the surf is as a backing to add some yardage to my spool. Spool up 300yds of 20lb test and finish it off with 18lb mono. On most 20 size reels and up, you won't cast the mono off, and you will still have the capacity just in case. I have only needed to get into the braid once, on a nice cobia. That was on a saltist 30h. It was nice to know it was there when I needed it.

 

[RuddeDogg]

I use 17lb suffix tri under 50lb power pro on my 525 and have NO issues at all with blow ups or bird's nests.

 

[dsurf]

Often it comes down to ensuring the braid diameter is sufficient to keep from digging into the spool......and that may be 50lb braid or larger, maybe some 40lb. I have not found any 30lb braid that does not dig into the spool. Hence often you're getting to the same diameter size as 17lb mono or larger.......don't see any likelihood of gaining any distance with that scenario......then if distance is negated, what benefits are you deriving from braid? Some say stronger line.......not sufficient benefit for me. Hence, I always go back to a high quality mono.

 

[CJS]

I thought the reason for using light line when distance casting had more to due with the dynamics of spool spin than resistance on guides. Lighter line means more line on the reel so the spool rotations are more efficient. At the start of the cast when the spool diameter is greater more line is pulled off the spool with each rotation, thinner line means the diameter of the spool decreases more slowly and distance is gained because each rotation of the spool is more efficient with thinner line. Similar concept to how drag pressure changes as you gain or lose line.

I use braid on conventionals with levelwinds but I am not distance casting with them. Makes me cringe to think what would happen if I wrapped a guide throwing 8 oz and a spot head with 50 pound braid.

Not an expert just a thought.

 

[Ichabod]

Here's why I use braid: Like to be prepared for the bigger fish that would normally break me off. I guess the problem arises from casting off half or more of your spool capacity and then having a decent fish spool you on the initial run. I have used 50#, 65#, 80# and 100#. All have worked very similar. The only thing about the 50# is if you bird's nest it really good the line will tend to cut/fray itself. For this reason I tend to shy away from the 50# braid. Have tried most all brands and PowerPro works best for me. Tried the Sufix 832 and didn't notice much difference than regular braid. I do think that Momoi braid is excellent but it tends to be a little bit fatter and thus cuts down on reel capacity. Please note that I fish with the Penn TRQ100 reels (made in USA) that are capable of greater than twenty pounds of drag and as a result I can utilize the increased strength of the braid. I have read that you cannot hold more than 10# drag on a surf rod without being drug into the ocean. I have found this not to be the case. Last week on a 10' rod I had to crank the drag all the way down to keep from getting spooled. It was rough but you can hold on and manage. I have not noticed a difference in castability but I wasn't looking for greater distance just greater ability to fight fish. It works for me but I have always been called weird.

 

[moose22dog]

i have been useing 50lb braid on my avet mxl mc since this spring and have notice better distance than with mono, however i'm no expert by any means when it comes to conventional reels. hence the magiac cast..lol. also on a side note have yet to NOT be able to pick a birdsnest out with the braid, also i'm useing about 10yds of 50 mono for a shock leader. hope this helps. tight lines moose

 

[RocknReds]

I use Sufix 30lb braid on my Akios levelwind and Sufix Tritanium 14lb on my Akios non levelwind and believe it or not - They both are casting 5oz to the same spot out on the sand bar for pups. I had some backlash problems at first with the shock knot on the levelwind until I started using no shock leader ( the braid test breaks at 47lb). Both reels are on 10'6" Breakaway Omega rods.

 

[solid7]

I use Sufix 30lb braid on my Akios levelwind and Sufix Tritanium 14lb on my Akios non levelwind and believe it or not - They both are casting 5oz to the same spot out on the sand bar for pups.

There is nothing at all hard to believe about that.

It's simple physics. The force you exert has to be sufficient to overcome the loaded mass of the spool. It doesn't matter what kind of line you are using, if the spool mass is roughly the same. Once you get the weight in the air, it can only travel as freely as the spool can spin. Obviously, you can overspool either braid or mono, which means that the spool is actively ejecting line. (reducing the force that impedes the free travel of the weight through the air)

Given the relatively short distance of the flight, and seeing that the spool and weight velocity should be relatively even, (the failure to equalize the 2 = backlash) it is clear that the weight does all of the work. Any variables which would hamper the travel of the weight would be very insignificant. At least that's my opinion. My spool - whether loaded with braid or mono - is usually still spinning, and needs to be slowed down by the time the weight hits the water. Neither braid nor mono falls out of the sky before the weight does, so I'm fairly sure they don't have a net effect on the casting distance.

Now, if you were talking drag at the spool (overlapping line causing friction) or through the eyes, that might be a different story. I would still argue that given the relatively short flight path, those negated distances would be negligible...

 

[RWalleySA]

mono cheap. braid expensive

 

[solid7]

mono cheap. braid expensive

Braid = high capacity on compact reels

It's a value decision.

 

[Dyhard]

Give me braid, less friction from air or water.
I have used; nylon braid, dacron braid and mono, today's braid is the ticket.
I've been casting since 1948.

 

[capefox]

This is an old thread but it pops up in Google prominently so it's worth doing a retrospective.

• In the world of 2021, braid is commonly used on conventionals and even more so on spinners.
• Manufacturers capitalized on braid by creating small-framed surfcasting conventionals with beefier drags and magnetic/centrifugal braking. Consider the Penn Fathom II 15 Casting Special, Akios 666 CTM, and the Avet SX Gen 2 MC. These mighty little reels are handily taking over the work formerly performed by much bigger conventional reels loaded with heavy 30-40 lb. mono.
• Braid prices have moved closer to the cost of mono though it's still substantially more. However, braid can last many years whereas mono is usually ready for the recycling bin in a year or two. Using 100-200 yards of topshot mono over a large amount of braid backing is a common compromise - esp. where abrasion resistance is needed.
• Braid must be tightly wound onto the spool to prevent digging in and overruns.
• As long as the preceding item is taken care of, overruns are usually easily unpicked and even less serious than mono.
• Distance? I get greater casting distance with 40 lb. braid than with 40 lb. mono. on a conventional. It's lighter and has less diameter, i.e. friction and air resistance.

 

[pcbtightlines]

Try 17/20lb mono on a conventional with a shock leader.