voxborealis

I have two Pflueger President XT SP40X spinning reels. One is paired with a 7' MH Daiwa Procyon spinning rod, which I use for throwing heavier lures. The rod is rated for 1/4 oz to 1 oz, but I find that anything less than 1/2 oz is pretty tough to cast. This eliminates a lot of the baits in my tackle box. Originally, I was going to use the second reel as a spare, but I am now thinking of trying to match it to a medium rod that is better suited for throwing my lighter lures. Thing is, I worry that a 4000-size reel is going to be too heavy or bulky for a M rod. Any suggestions for pairing? Or should I simply get a proper medium combo. (As an aside, I also have a Pflueger President 25 combo with a 6'6" M rod, but the rod is super noodley and acts almost like a ML. I use that for pan fishing and throwing really, really light lures. So I am looking for something in between the MH and the smaller rod for 1/8 and 1/4 oz stuff, and more finesse than the heavy things I use on the MH rod.)

Phew, that's what I was thinking/hoping. I've spooled and respelled several times and this is about as good as it gets. It's tradeoffs. I like using braid though that means I need to pay more attention to line management and probably have to accept the periodic birds nest when the line digs into itself over time on the spool. Otherwise, I suppose two options are: put a lot more mono backing and a lot less braid on the spool (maybe run only 50 to 75 yards of braid as opposed to the entire 150 yards...after all, I am casting from shore not deep trolling). Or, just go back to mono. Anyway, thanks for all of the advice. It really sounds like a combination of line twist (me not managing this) and reeling in slack line from windy days/tossing soft stuff/throwing big casts with lots of arc/etc (also me not managing this). And shorter leaders with the micro guides is probably not a bad idea, either. Give me enough time, I'll get the line right. Now, if only I can manage to get some bites...

Washers? Not heard of this, will have to look. I unspooled all the remaining braid and dragged it through a field then respelled under pressure. Again it is not stacked quite right. It's not hour-glassed but somewhat the opposite: higher in the middle with "notches" at the top and bottom (see photos). This works fine for awhile but eventually some line will get caught up in the top or bottom and then it will start to dig into itself. I can also see some loose/crossed line even though I respelled under pretty good pressure. I love braid, but life was easier back in the mono days!

Yeah..went out today and looked closely at the spool--it is stacked funky. Must be built up over the last few weeks. I'll definitely have to respool, or at least let out a whole bunch and rewind under pressure.

Bingo! I’ve never had alike bite off my lure. It will happen someday, but I’m not going to gear up with wire leaders etc just for. 20# braid with lighter leader than I am using sounds good.

Thanks for the advice! I was trying to follow the manufacturer (Mepps) advice to tie direct, but to be honest I have never notice a performance difference for the lure with or without (I’m not skilled enough!). I had also thought of dropping leader seize to 10# or 12# but figured 15# was minimum to deal with most of the pike I run into to. Where I fish from shore it’s pretty much mixed bass and pike for the big fish. But the occasional bite off may be worth not having other hassles. I’ll definitely need to be more careful while I try to learn soft plastics. I find that unless I am using a big weight and casting a mile, the line on the spool eventually loosens and tangles when I try dragging or hopping a worm. I'm sure this is mostly my poor technique. To clarify, I always manually close the bail no exception, so I think the problem(s) are elsewhere...some other mistake I am making!

So, then it sounds like I should get rid of the Alberto knot (direct tie main line to leader) and go back to using a swivel to connect main to leader. aside from the line twist, is it a problem to hear the knot rattling through the guides? Are those guides simply too small for direct connection between main and leader?

I am have problems with wind knots and casting distance since, and wondering if my leader is making things worse. Here is my set up: Pflueger President XT SP40 spinning reel Daiwa Procyon 702MHFS 7’ spinning rod Sufix 832 20# braid 15# mono leader connected with Alberto knot I am fishing from shore not targeting any specific species, but with heavier tackle I catch some decent bass and pike. I tend to throw a lot of inline spinners (my confidence bait), but also heavy spoons if the pike bite it on, some spinner baits, and spin jigs. Occasional crank baits. Basically, I am not very skilled with finesse techniques—still learning after growing up deadsticking night crawlers—so I tend to fall back on cast and wind. I am trying to learn to use soft plastics (more below). I like to use a leader for three reasons. (1) I tend to switch lures frequently, and rather cut off leader than braid. (2) I use a weaker leader than main line for break offs, so I don’t have to cut a long chunk of braid when snagged. (3) I use 15# leader because it’s strong enough to handle most of the cover I’m fishing as well as the small to medium pike I get. I’ve yet to have a bite off. I started by using a barrel swivel to connect main line to leader, but recently I switched to using an Alberto knot. I have a second, much lighter rod that I use for panfish, with 10# braid connected to 6#or 8# mono with an Alberto knot, and it works like a dream. I can set up a 5 foot leader and tie and retie for days before needing a new leader. Set up works great for lost fishing, light jigs, small spinners, etc. So I began trying the same thing with my heavier rod. so here is the problem.the Daiwa rod has pretty tiny guides. The top three or four are only about 3mm wide with the ceramic inserts. Even though I am tying a really tight knot, I can still feel it banging through the guides and I am pretty certain it is cutting down my casting distance. I addition, I am getting lots of pretty bad wind knots, especially if I try to do anything other than throw my heaviest cat and retrieve lures. Just today I was trying to practice Texas rigging a worm with a 1/4 oz weight, about 10 casts in a wind knot blew the whole thing up. I am wondering if the small guides rattling the Alberto knot and slowing the cast is somehow contributing to the wind knots. I have been using braid for a couple of years now, and I am pretty certain it is spooled correctly. But I can't seem to be able to do anything "lighter" or more finesse on this rod without making the line looser on the spool, and now I am banging the leader off the guides. Any advice for this novice? Are the guides too small for tying a long leader, and is this contributing to the casting problems I am experiencing? I am really keen to learn to use soft plastics, especially as the summer approaches and the shoreline weeds up and call for more seedless presentation.

That'a funny...so true. Thanks for the advice. It can be pretty strict up here. Fortunately for me, I probably don't catch enough even on a good day to get in trouble! More seriously, I'll just swap up the bait and try tl be careful where I am casting.

OK, that is a weird thread title! As I have mentioned in a couple of threads last year, I have returned to fishing after a l-o-n-g time away from the sport. I mostly fist from the shore, targeting bass but really whatever bites. Pretty simple techniques: sometimes live bait (nightcrawler) but mostly inlines spinners and assorted lures. Last season, I landed some nice bass but also some really nice northern pike on spoons. I also landed a lot of blue gill and perch. So my question. In my jurisdiction, bass season does not start until late June, but I certainly want to throw some lines in the water before then, once the ice melts. My worry is that from short I will accidentally target spawning bass, which is entirely not my intention. What are some strategies to avoid bass in the early season, if fishing from shore? The walleye fishing is supposed to be good here, but I have never had luck. Really, I think my main "problem" is that I have never learned how to target different species effectively. Maybe this is a bizarre question. Any advice for this returning newbie is welcome.

Good thought about the spool size on the President 40. I took a look and it seems to line up well with the first guide, but I'll inspect more closely. I'm using Sufix 832, which (I read) is supposed to be good for casting distance. I have no idea, really, as I just switched to braid this year after a long time away from fishing. I will admit that getting used to braid has been challenging. On the one hand, it is so much more sensitive, and of course stronger by diameter. But it also just feels...thicker...than mono even though the diameter is the same (8 lb mono is about about the same as 20 lb Sufix 832). It's funny; I feel like I am learning to fish all over again. The good news is that this summer of experimentation has not been unproductive: I've managed to land a few good size bass, plus other species. Recent trip to the lake had bass and big blue gills pounding the inline spinners. Now, if I can only figure out soft plastics...

yeah, I meant to write 20# braid. The rod is "rated" (according to the label on the side) for 1/4 to 1 oz, and I do like to use lighter lures (like Mepps #3 spinners, which are 1/4) given the fish I target. But from the sounds of it, 1/4 oz really is on the far lower end and probably not practical to use with this rod. It certainly does cast farther with heavier lures, or if I am using a worm (or nightcrawler) with a heavier weight (3/8 or 1/2). It's such a great pairing otherwise, but maybe the solution is to find a medium that pairs with the reel or save up for a second pair next year (wife will love that!).In the meanwhile, I'll try upsizing my lures at least to 3/8. The 1/2 oz lures tend to be pretty chunky for the kind of bank fishing I'm doing. Thanks for the advice!

I posted once before on these forums, as I have recently returned to the sport. Got lots of great advice on braided line. So here's another newbie question. Background: in the (distant) past, I fished exclusively with medium-light rods, smaller spinning reels, and light tackle, and was able to get big casts from shore by really loading the rod and whipping it. Since I've started fishing again after a long layoff, I have upgraded my equipment and gone heavier at the advice of the local fishing dude. I have a Pflueger President XT SP40 spinning reel (which is fantastic) paired with a Daiwa 702MHFS 7' spinning rod. Reel is loaded with 2- lb braid, spooled properly. The rod and reel are perfectly balanced, feel great, and I have managed to pull a couple of decent small months out of rocks and heavier cover with them. I am using some heavier lures than I used to, matching the wight to the rod recs (1/4 to 1 oz). I'm throwing mostly old school spinners, which seem to be working well. However, I simply cannot get the distance on casts that I used to, especially if I am using the smaller size lures (1-4 or 1-3 oz). Obviously the NHFS is just not as "whippy" as ML rods, and the rod does not really load. I was expecting the braid to "make up" for rod, but it's not happening. I've tried all different techniques to get more distance: snapping the cast, slowing the cast and using a big arc, longer or shorter line hanging at the start of the cast, etc. Every once and a while the line shoots out like rocket, but mostly not. Otherwise, the only way to get distance is to load up the weight, which is not always ideal. I don't think the line is digging into itself on the spool. I'm starting to think that this is simply the product of the rod. If so will make shore fishing pretty difficult especially as summer wears on and the fish retreat further from the bank. I guess my question is, then, am I missing something? Is there a different technique I should be using with a MH rod to get some more distance on the cases? Given that I am generally targeting smaller fish (my biggest bass this summer was about 2 lbs), should I go even lighter with the line, like maybe 12 lb braid on top of cheap backing line? Any advice from the seasoned vets will be appreciated!

OK, great, very helpful. So it sounds like 30# at most, probably a bit lighter. I tend to be good at fishing, not so good at catcher. Maybe my luck will change! Thanks all.

So I have recently gotten back into fishing after many years away. In the past, I always used pretty light tackle: medium light rod, small spinning reel, 6 or maybe 8 lb test, etc. I targeted small bass and pretty much any thing else that would bite in the local pond. Now that I have picked up the tackle box again, I have upgraded my equipment a bit and moved to heavier tackle: 7 ft medium heavy/fast rod, Pflueger President XT 35 spinning reel. The rod is rated for 8-17 lb test mono, and the reel holds 185 yards 8lb mono. I am fishing intentionally in heavier cover that I used to. Mostly from the shore. For this and other reasons, I am thinking about making the switch to braid. My question is really very simple, and maybe answered elsewhere. What test weight of braid should I use? I mean, on the one hand, I could go with 8 or 10 lb, which would be lighter than my monofilament and so case farther for the same strength. Or I could with the same diameter as the mono, which would be (from what I read online) as much as 30 lb test. That gets me more strength for the same diameter, but does this negate the casting advantages? Also, given the relatively small fish I tend to land from shore, 30 lb seems like overkill. Or should look for something in between (like 15 or 20 lb braid), which will be stronger than the mono but also thinner? I guess braid is a whole new world for me!