Problems with braided line!

Hey guys I was out practicing with my baitcaster yesterday and last year I used some mono line on it and it casted fine. This winter I put some braided line on it and was casting and it seems like it doesn’t cast nearly as far and then when the plug lands the line seems like it is very stiff and has tons of memory. Is this something I am going to run into with braided line or is it possibly twisted. I am using 30lb fireline. Otherwise do you have any other suggestions for line. I have a pinnacle tetra baitcaster and will be using it for topwater in the lily pads and stuff.

1st problem, you used Fireline. Second problem, the line has probably never been wet. Third problem, it most likely is not spooled tight enough. I would recommend going to Power Pro, if you don’t feel like swapping it out, first time you go out this year troll the line out almost to the splice behind the boat, with no lure on. This should “break” the line in good and proper.

Do you have a mono backing tied to the spool then to the superline? Probably about 10 feet of mono will do..

i use stealth 30#.anything lighter then 30# dont seem to cast good for me.Try either the stealth or power pro. I think you will like it better then fireline

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1st problem, you used Fireline. Second problem, the line has probably never been wet. Third problem, it most likely is not spooled tight enough. I would recommend going to Power Pro, if you don’t feel like swapping it out, first time you go out this year troll the line out almost to the splice behind the boat, with no lure on. This should “break” the line in good and proper.

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I couldn’t have said it better myself… I commonly use 50-80lb PowerPro and can cast it a mile..Blue tought me a secret or 2…I’m still trying to catch him though…it’s tough to cast 100yds out

lol, i was a big fan of power pro, but as of last summer i started using stren superbraid (i still hate all the other strens) and really liked that. i got 50lb test on my jig rod the rest im testing that new suffix on. i really like it so far

I’ve always been a fan of PowerPro line (obviously). I have ran into problems with it when the line isn’t distributed evenly across the spool. I ran the line out to the splice and haven’t had problems since.

No I don’t have any mono on the spool. Do I have to put mono on first or not. Should I take the Fire Line off because it seems to be that everyone says it sucks or should I wait till I get it wet and can straighten it out. Just curious but what makes Power pro so much better than all the other braided lines and should I use the 50 lb line instead of 30lb or so.

You should put the mono on first. I have about 15 yards of mono spliced with the PowerPro line. I have found the Power Pro to cast much better and it’s more durable than Fireline. It’s basically up to you which pound test to use. It all depends on what kind of fishing that you’re doing. Slop uses the 50lb test because it holds up better in the slop/thick weeds. I primarily stick with 30lb test line and have never had any problems.

I also have been pretty favorably impressed with Stren Braid. I’ll take Pro over Fireline every time too!

I’ll have to part company. I love Fireline and been using it trouble free for years. I’d suggest moving to lighter line. I use 14lb on just about everything and never have had a break off problem. It is surly stronger that 14lbs, I’m not sure how they rate it but compared to 14lbs mono it is 2x as strong or more. I only g0 to 30lb or heavier on a flipping stick where I’m not casting. 30 is much stiffer than 14lbs as I’m sure you know.

Thanks for the input guys. So do you cast with braided line or do most of you just use it for flipping. I like to throw some topwaters way up into the junk if I can’t get back in there with my boat and I like to be able to just horse them out of there istead of spending 20 minutes trying to get the boat back in there. Is power pro a good casting line or should I just get a stronger mono line.

I use Power Pro primarily for throwing rats in the slop. Power Pro has very good castibility, I feel.

i use it for slop and i also have it on my spinnerbait rod

50lb. test for bass fishing? Isn’t that a bit overkill? I rarely use over 20lb. for working thick cover, 10lb. or less for just normal shore coverage. Between Power Pro and Fireline, both have some characteristics above the other. On the heavier line, I agree with the P-Pro voters. On lighter lines and spinning rods, the NEW Fireline is better for me.

Hey Slop, if you’re going to use muskie gear for bass fishing, why not just go for the gusto? (poke, poke! )

Use the fireline for a day or two and it will get broken-in and be just fine.

John

Another vote for powerpro here- although i havent tried some of the newer braids from other companies. I find it casts great and use it for spinnerbaits, scum frogs, flipping and in the muddy southern pools you can use it for anything. I spool about 1/3 of my spool with mono then add the powerpro over the top-its so thin that you still can get 100 yards on 2/3 of the spool and never see the splice unless you cut lots of line off. If you dont put any mono on be careful- your first hookset could be as if you have no drag on- i did this the first time and had my drag tightened all the way but everytime i set it gave- couldnt figure it out until i read the directions.

well I mostly use open face spinning rods for my bass fishing, hoping to upgrade to a bait caster. the line i use is spiderwire stealth 10/30 line. I fish alot of heavy cover and not a lot of open fishing. some of the lighter cover that I do fish, I find that this line works alright. I am hoping to find out what line works well with bait casters.

shane

Kid..

I honestly thought the same thing..It wasn’t til I met JC that I started really getting into heavy line. Granted, 50+ test seems like a lot, but when you’re fishing heavy slop like I do, the heavy line REALLY cuts through the weeds. Pulling a bass out w/50-80lb test is a lot easier than 20-30. It really is night and day. Let’s get to gether and I’ll show you how much a difference it is

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Kid..

I honestly thought the same thing..It wasn’t til I met JC that I started really getting into heavy line. Granted, 50+ test seems like a lot, but when you’re fishing heavy slop like I do, the heavy line REALLY cuts through the weeds. Pulling a bass out w/50-80lb test is a lot easier than 20-30. It really is night and day. Let’s get to gether and I’ll show you how much a difference it is

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Are you asking me out on a date? I’ll fish with ya but I ain’t pickin’ out any curtains!

Just kiddin’ bud! I get to hecklin’ and just can’t quit sometimes……. which makes me glad you got a cool head on ya! BTW, that jonny is still the bomb! I hope I have ‘er till I die!

After June 4, my schedule should open up some. Care to pick a time and place for say……… a Saturday or Sunday, backwater slop kinda venture? Send me a PM with what you might have in mind.

Go Powerpro! My casts were much longer as a beginner, and I had near 0 problems w/ backlashes. I’d avoid fireline at all costs on a baitcaster. Just my opinion.

Fire Line is ok but I dont use any over 20lbs. That 30 lb fireline is way to stiff for me. Kinda like rope. I do like Power Pro better but still rarely use anything over 20. Last weekend I was using 20 lb P.P to throw jerk baits on a spinning rig. I love this rig in the windy spring time,I dont spend any time working on backlashes and you can really cast a big pointer a long ways. Bass were hammering them on the pause after 5-10 seconds. But I do have one reel with 65 lb PP for especially nasty stuff.

Great post & great questions. Is the only reason to use a mono line as backing to a braided line to save money ? Or is like a fly rod where every link in the chain contributes to the overall “castability” ?
Thanks,
Quimbus

If you don’t use a mono backing, the line will slip on the spool because it can’t be spooled as tight. Not that I know from experience or anything

i have never started with mono as a backing. Do alot of guys do that?

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If you don’t use a mono backing, the line will slip on the spool because it can’t be spooled as tight. Not that I know from experience or anything

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If this is about spooling/line tension, something’s wrong in the technique you’re using. More……….

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i have never started with mono as a backing. Do alot of guys do that?

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Tie the loop and put a small thread of tape over it. Within 2-3 rounds you’ll have enough tension that no matter how hard you tug, you’ll spin your spool before you spin your knot. Once you’ve started, every rotation adds pressure to the “anchor” and that line isn’t gonna go anywhere. I’ve done no less than 25 reels this way, both spinning and baitcasting, and have never had any line slip at all.

Most superlines come with that little sticky square to hold the end on the roll. I cut that to the width of the spooling cavity and put it to use. One less knot to tie. One less line to work with. All the performance I’ve ever expected. Simple physics.

If my fishing end of the line starts looking worn, I pull it off and rewind starting with the used portion first. Fresh line!

hey kid,

i never thought about just using a small piece of tape to anchor the line to the spool. Thats a good tip and will be an easy way to fix the problem i had with the line slipping without having to completely cut the line off the spool and then tying on a mono backing. Thanks for the tip

David

1. putting a short mono backer is common. I think it was recommended by some of the superline companies. There just isn’t as much friction between the spectra line and the spool as there was with mono. It would suck to have it slip. It would really suck.

2. I think it is power pro that recommends you using the same size line as you would with mono, so if you used 10# mono, use 10# sized spectra, and yeah that is 40 or 50# or something. Reducing line size screws with the way a reel casts. Other problems kick in too. Follow their recommendation and I think you will be treated well.