BRAID NIGHTMARE

[Big_Kev]

I got myself a 8500ss Penn and have it on a 7ft 8kg rod.
Just for throwing slugs at macks.
I have spooled it with half a spool of mono backing and 15kg braid 300mtrs. (first time braid user,always been price shy)
First cast nailed something big chopping the water that ended in the hooks streching from me overdoing the drag to turn it around, but that is a story for another day.
Problem I had was that I got birdsnests a few times in the line and had to cut off and retie to the leader. Ended up cutting away a fair bit of line.
In the end I gave up and tied the braid straight to the slug.
Birdsnests were after only five or so casts and it isn't much fun sitting there tieing knots when the water is crashing down both sides of the boat. (doesn't help with the concentration on the knot. son of a bxxxx)
Do you think I may have had a bit to much line on as I wound it on tight, or is this how braid performs.
I wont put up with it and go back to mono if it is.
Cheers Kev.

[mackmauler]

thought you might of been putting fireline on Kev? it goes well on the spinfishers, true braids dont go well on spinfishers, especially not spinfishers, some of the newer jap reels have a way of laying the line that makes it possible for a spin reel to fish it, i think you will have to get it onto the drum reels, no worries on them.

Rob

[TimNQ]

First time using braid is deffinetly a nightmare. But i will assure you when you get used to it, it is awsome. Easy to cast and light weight for distance. When you get a birds nest just try to not pull on it to hard till you get it to the boat and it should come out ok. Also when you do get it out, unlike mono it wont be prone to birds nests in the same spot. Filling your spool will help the casting if anything so i dont think there would be too much line. I just loosen the screw to give me free spool as loose as possible and then keep the usual pressure on the spool when casting. Casting with a slug with weight should be no prob as long as the rod has some bend in it. I find it alot harder to cast with braid when im using my heavey barra rod then when im using the exact same reel on my bump rod which has alot more action in the tip. Dont give up on braid, just give it a chance and you will get used to it. also dont have to worry about your line going springy on the spool when using it.
Hope this helps ya kev.

Tim

[basserman]

as tim sayed with braid it tend to get these knots in it from time to time best way to get it out is to tug gently on one of the ends and 9 times out of 10 just pulls straght out but don't tug to hard as it will cut into it self and just snap

[TimNQ]

is the reel over head or spin reel? ???

[clutter]

Tim, that model is a fairly sizeable egg beater.

Kev,

What type of braid are you using? Some are more suited to spinning reels than others. Fireline and bionic are good for spinning reels and overheads whereas from my experience anyway super braid tends to be best used on just overheads. It tends to have a furry finish and I think it tends to grab other coils as it comes off and hence the bird nests. Don't know what type you are using but it has happened to me that way. I have also found it pays to wind it on pretty tight when spooling up first time.

Cheers, Clutter

[Bad_Bubby]

I'd agree with mackmauler,

More likely than not the problem will be solved by switching to fused braid (fireline or fusion). Spinfisher spools aren't really designed for use with braid anyway. In my opinion HSS is best done with mono because due to the forces exterted by powerful slug casting gear it takes nothing for major problems to arise. I would also reconsider the advantages of spooling an 8500SS with braid as opposed to the mammoth cost of buyinng it. That reel can hold over 400m of 10kg mono no problem, there will be no fancy knots going through the guides 100m into the spool either.

[Jeremy]

I don't understand why people put 15 kg braid on a 8 kg rod. There is no way you will be able to fish this line to its potential. Why would you want 15 kg line for spining for macks anyway? Is it to do with the diameter of the line? I know I am biased coming from an ANSA perspective, but I have no idea why you and plenty of others do this.

I read in a fishing mag on the weekend of someone fishing 50 lb braid for barra with 3 kg of drag. Same thing. So what is the value of the other 30lb line strength (3kg drag on 10 kg line)?

Cheers,

Jeremy

[Barrymundi]

Hi Jeremy,

30lb on a 6 kg stick is easy, lower the rod tip and fish off the reel. Use the thumb for drag.

Fishing close quarters in the snags for Barra and jacks, 20 pound min, 30 pound is good.

ANSA - no braids from memory ? Has it changed ?

[aido]

i use heavier fishing line than what is really required for the same reason
i use 1/2 inch anchor rope rather than string. overkill.

[Brissyguy]

Hi Kev,

I have 30lb Braid on 2 x overheads (Shimano speedy and Abu 9)
I tried it on a good quality Diawa egg beater and didnt have many problems but I wasnt casting.

I only fished the bottom with them.
I loaned the spinning outfit to a visiting engineer (ginger beer) on a charter boat trip and that was the last of the braid on that real.
He thought he could cast all the way back to Sweden

Maybe some egg beaters are ok for braid, for me I will stick to mono and only use the braid on my overheads now.

Cheers,
Rich.

[basserman]

i agree with jeremy 20lb or even 16lb with pull most barra bass or bream from the darkest holes if locked up
20lb braid (fireline) breaks at over 30lb and i belive geff wilsons tested 30lb and had it pinging at a consten 50lb! now thats alot of pulling power
the problem alot of people have that i have notice is they still fish the same drag as they would mono but most cases if you lock braid up in the reel you'll snap and shatter everything else before pinging the braid (except if it is rubbing on something)
to me i like the fish to have some what of a chance to do me in except when in a comp (every fish counts then) butwhen ever fishing for fun i see it as my skills pited against the fishes i like to feel i need to work at getting the fish out and away from the snag and not just skull dragging it in with no chance of it getting a win up!

well theres my two cents worth and although i don't fish the heavy gear i know people that do and i respect that

[Jeremy]

><>,

you are correct. No braid in ANSA. All pretest mono lines. Actually there is now division 9 called breakaway trace where someone with braid or anchor ropes or whatever can tie 1 meter of pretest line into their rig and fish that line class. Helps people who might just be getting into ANSA.

Jeremy

[Jeremy]

><>,

if you want to use 30 lb braid, why it the point of using a 6 kg stick? Why not use a 15 or even a 24 kg stic? I just don't understand the point of using line on a rod that is too soft to fish it to its potential, even if layingt he rod flat will stop it breaking.

For the same rerason, I don't understand the point of some people running 50 lb braid on a baitcaster when the drag on these reels is not capable of applying 15 lb drag pressure.

Is this to do with abrasion resistance or something? Am I missing the point completely?

Jeremy

[lordy]

><>,

if you want to use 30 lb braid, why it the point of using a 6 kg stick? Why not use a 15 or even a 24 kg stic? I just don't understand the point of using line on a rod that is too soft to fish it to its potential, even if layingt he rod flat will stop it breaking.

For the same rerason, I don't understand the point of some people running 50 lb braid on a baitcaster when the drag on these reels is not capable of applying 15 lb drag pressure.

Is this to do with abrasion resistance or something? Am I missing the point completely?

Jeremy

I often use a line that is more powerful than the rod rating. You just have to be smart about it, set your drag on the soft side. The extra strength can be handy for pointing the rod and pulling hard ie if snagged (who invented trees I ask you!), or for abrasion resistance.