So I was big on trying aND testing braid on my casting reels.  Decided other than frogging I did not care for it.  The good news is the alphas has exactly the same amount of line capacity as a 2000 daiwa spinning reel.  And better yet a zillion holds just the same amount as a daiwa 2500 spinning reel.  So now all my spinning reels sport braid and that's where it shines in my book.  Still run 50 on one reel for frogs and punching but I can't imagine that heavy on a spinning.  

Braid on casting reels has its ups and downs. The ups is it casts further, but the downside is it can birds nest more, and much worse and pulling them out can be a lot worse. There's been a couple times I hit a low hanging branch and had to cut the braid right out of my reel and respool, and that's no fun!

 

But I too tend to prefer running mono or fluorocarbon on my casting reels, except for the one I'm frogging on, as I often do cast around low hanging branches and usually fish with my kids so sometimes I get distracted and snag one. I currently fish my frogs on the same rod I use for heavier spinnerbaits, jigs and soft plastics (among other baits), so that has braid on it. One of these days I will add a proper heavy action rod for frogging and jigs in heavy cover, and that rod will get straight 15-20lb fluorocarbon.

 

The only reason I don't use braid on all of my spinning reels is simply to save money. There's less line twist and it just casts better. Over time, they will all get braid.

3 hours ago, Boomstick said:

Braid on casting reels has its ups and downs. The ups is it casts further, but the downside is it can birds nest more, and much worse and pulling them out can be a lot worse.

I've always personally felt backlashes with braid were much better. I've backlashed several times with fluorocarbon where the lined looped and kinked halfway down the spool, which then broke at that spot later in the day on a hookset. Braid can twist any way it wants and won't weaken at least in that way, so you can really dig at a backlash without fear of weakening the line unless you are using a metal pick or something. I've also backlashed so bad with mono/fluoro I just couldn't get it out and had to remove the spool and cut it off with a knife. The one really bad thing with braid backlashes is they can dig in on themselves which is a pain. 

3 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I've always personally felt backlashes with braid were much better. 

 

I worded that poorly. What I meant to say is that a backlash can be much more severe, which at times forced me to cut the line out and respool. I do find that braid when compared to mono is more prone to backlashing, because for the strength I'll be using for similar techniques, the braid is thinner.  Fluorocarbon is a whole different story, and is stiff so it can backlash more and certain fluorocarbon can be far worse than others.

You are correct on your comment regarding 50lb braid on a spinning reel.  50lb braid is usually the equivalent of 20lb line in diameter.

19 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

You are correct on your comment regarding 50lb braid on a spinning reel.  50lb braid is usually the equivalent of 20lb line in diameter.

50lb braid is usually the around the equivalent of 12 pound test