GoneFishingLTN Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 On spinning reels/Anyone make the switch and enjoy it more? Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 I've gone braid to leader on all my spinning rigs....almost eliminates line twist issues and I seem to get longer casts. 8 Quote
DaubsNU1 Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 Just like @MN Fisher, I have gone braid to leader on all my spinning rigs. It was really a game-changer! Improved casting distance, better feel, better hooksets, and I'm even using my spinning gear for techniques normally reserved for casting gear. About the only downside is the time it takes to tie the Alberto knot...but I'm getting better. 4 Quote
Crow Horse Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 This past season I went to braid with a long mono leader (20'-30') using the FG knot. I strongly believe that this was a game changer for me. I fish barbless and I've lost far fewer fish with the long mono leader. Thanks A-Jay ! 2 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 Been a braid to leader basshead with spinning gear for a while now. I did 'try' to use FC on a spinning reel once. Once. If you Look up 'Crash & Burn', you'll no doubt see my picture holding that reel and the twisted mess of line that was supposed to be on the spool. So, back to braid I went and have never looked back. As noted in previous replies here, there are very few down sides to it. Some point to the connection knot, but I've been having success with a uni-to uni knot for a very long time. I can tie it confidently & effectively morning, noon and night, rain or shine, hot, cold & windy. May have even done it a few times under water. A generous leader length is the secret sauce. YMMV A-Jay 6 Quote
Super User GreenPig Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 I've been a braid to leader user for years. Like A- Jay, I had a fresh spool of FC dump itself on the deck for the last time. Only changing the leader before every trip is easy and allows you to use different pound test Mono or FC. 2 Quote
Junger Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 20lb bright braid to a fluoro (usually 12lb) leader for my worming/senko spinning rods. I tie a 20 wrap FG at home with a 3-4' leader. I check the leader for nicks/fraying especially when I'm fishing structure and re-tie accordingly. That leader length usually lasts me 2-3 trips. I like it because it gets a better vertical fall, and love seeing that slack line start going left or right. Quote
Super User casts_by_fly Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 I primarily fish braid to a long fluoro leader (ala A-Jay style) but I also fish straight mono at times. For lots of things braid to leader is better. The sensitivity is a big one of course. Hook setting at distance also. Then again, if you're making longer casts with lighter wire hooks then hook setting isn't as big an issue as you think. Sensitivity also depends on what you're throwing. If you're fishing FFS and watching them eat it then you don't need the sensitivity. Dragging a ned and it helps, then again Ned Kahde fishes 5 lb fluoro exclusively so there's that. Since I'm usually carrying one spinning rod, it's braid to leader but if I carry more it might be straight line. Quote
Steveo-1969 Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 There’s an old adage “Never say never” but… I will NEVER use a spinning rod with anything except braid to leader. Braid for reasons already given, leader mainly for ease of breaking off. I’ve been using uni-to-uni for years and can correctly tie on a new leader in under 2 minutes even while standing waist deep in the middle of a river. 2 Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 Once again, I’ll be the “odd man out” and I’ll say I’ve never felt the “advantages” or that it’s a “game changer”. I fish straight mono on my spinning rods and I’m totally happy with the performance, casting distance, sensitivity, Yada, Yada, Yada….😂 it’s not that I haven’t tried it, I have, but maybe I’m just to “old school” or “set in my ways”. I watched my fishing partner struggle on our last outing with his braid to leader tying itself in to hangman’s nooses on every other cast. Picking wind knots out of mono is a lot easier than braid, that I do know. I watched him struggle with learning how to tie the proper knot to bind the braid to leader but he seems to have that figured out now. So while I may be in the new world minority, I at least get the trophy for the most air quotes in a post. 😂🤣 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 Braid to leader is the only way to do it for spinning gear for me (unless trout/panfishing). Ive went back and forth for years, i stopped using it on my main rods because anytime i break off on a kayak or fishing on the river theres not enough time to pull out fresh line and retie a leader. Well i decided im going back to braid to leader, even with it being a nuisance it just casts farther, and being able to see the line on top of the water is a confidence boost. And in the river being able to see the line while fishing ned rigs is a life saving tool for smallies. 2 Quote
Skunkmaster-k Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 I can’t stand the noise braid makes. It’s like nails on a chalkboard. The wind knots suck too. Tying extra knots wastes time when the bite is hot. Having an extra weak spot in the line doesn’t make me more confident. These are a few of the reasons I prefer straight mono. 2 Quote
Crow Horse Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 15 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said: I can’t stand the noise braid makes. It’s like nails on a chalkboard. The wind knots suck too. Tying extra knots wastes time when the bite is hot. Having an extra weak spot in the line doesn’t make me more confident. These are a few of the reasons I prefer straight mono. I understand having a "confidence" setup, but using a high quality braid (pick your poison) and a good well tied braid to leader knot (pick your poison) eliminates the issues you mentioned and provides some benefits. Why would you need to retie when the bite is hot? (just asking with all due respect) Part of my SOP before a trip is to change out my long mono leader with fresh mono and make the connection to braid via the FG knot. No failures there and haven't had to retie it while on the water. Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted November 12, 2024 Global Moderator Posted November 12, 2024 No braid on spinning for me 2 Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 @Crow Horse there are some drawbacks to braid. Line digging and even though it’s resistant to twist, the lighter braids will severely knot up when casting after a while. Quote
Crow Horse Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 1 hour ago, TOXIC said: @Crow Horse there are some drawbacks to braid. Line digging and even though it’s resistant to twist, the lighter braids will severely knot up when casting after a while. I'm not sure what line digging is (into the spool?). My experience is limited to 10# braid (832, 131) and I guess I've been fortunate (or lucky) not having any wind knots. It might be pure luck or something I'm doing that is actually right.😁 Quote
Super User MN Fisher Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 7 minutes ago, Crow Horse said: I'm not sure what line digging is (into the spool?). Ya - it's when one 'loop' of the line gets buried under loops that should come the spool after it...during a cast it can put the brake on full and cause backlash. I'm also using 10#832 as well as 8#832....haven't had a wind-knot yet. Quote
LCG Posted November 12, 2024 Posted November 12, 2024 Braid to leader always on spinning. 10lb 832 hi-viz with Alberto knot to 6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid. Last wind knot was about 3 years ago and it was random. Always stop the line with my finger and close the bail by hand. In the wind, I try to cast low to the water as well. Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 Little clarity on my part. First, line digging is when you get a fish of good size and your drag is working. The tension on the spool with braid has a habit of pulling the line under looser loops. As has been said, you’ll find out on your next cast as the line can’t flow off the spool being buried from the tension after fighting a fish. It’s pretty common with braid. It can also happen with mono but not nearly as bad. Happens to me a lot on St Clair with hard fighting smallmouth when I’m using straight braid. I always make a light cast after battling a smallmouth with braid. As for the wind knots, it’s really not a product of wind or line twist. It’s when the braid leaves the spool. If you watch, all line come off a spinning spool in loops and is tamed by the line guides. Braid is so limp that it can actually tie itself into knots as it comes off the spool. It will also tie itself around the last guide on the tip. I’m in no way against braid and I do use it in some applications but not with a leader and normally 35lb straight braid. 1 Quote
Super User ww2farmer Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 I have been a braid to leader guy for probably 20 years. Longer than it's been popular that's for sure. Once every few years I get curious to see if I'm missing anything with straight flouro or mono...and that experiment usually lasts 2 outings on a combo or two and then promptly back to braid/leader. Quote
Super User WRB Posted November 12, 2024 Super User Posted November 12, 2024 It comes down to your perspective how line comes off of a spinning reel spool. Looking at slow motion the line comes off in coils like a stretched spring not loops. Loop would be a twisted coil and wouldn’t go through a guide. Braid shouldn’t dig down into a spinning reel spool if the overlay pitch is wide enough. Bait casters need a faster level wind worm gear to overlay small diameter braid or it will dig down into itself. Every spinning reel wraps line onto a fixed spool by the rotating bail and if the end of the line can’t rotate with each wrap a twist is created. Braid also gets twisted going onto the spinning reel spool. Braid being yarn doesn’t show up twisted until it’s twisted tight enough to create looped knots we call wind knots that nothing related to wind. We can agree to disagree but nylon mono has higher knot strength then same dia FC line. Why use a header line with lower knot strength? Tom 2 Quote
GetFishorDieTryin Posted November 13, 2024 Posted November 13, 2024 I definitely prefer PE to leader. A quality braid will last a couple hard seasons of heavy use, cheaper in the long run vs FC I like the increased sensitivity No memory Much stronger and thinner than mono/FC Since there is virtually no memory with PE, you can get away with lighter rods/reels vs mono/FC Quote
GRiver Posted November 13, 2024 Posted November 13, 2024 17 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said: I can’t stand the noise braid makes. It’s like nails on a chalkboard I understand where you’re coming from. I use all mono on all but two rigs, my dock and slop. The noise is too much. 1 Quote
Rucksack Posted November 13, 2024 Posted November 13, 2024 I swore I'd be a mono only guy. It's what I grew up fishing. I thought things like fluorocarbon were just too fancy for me. This year is my first year back after a LONG break of only fishing inconsistently. I had never even heard of braid before, and leader was just something you tied to a Carolina rig to me, but decided to give it a try after seeing some Youtube types use it. I love it and use braid to a leader exclusively now. Great to be able to choose different weights, types (mono or fc), and lengths of leader depending on conditions. Great to be able to easily break off. Love the sensitivity. Love not needing to do a massive hook set. Love not having to worry about line jumping off the reel. I will say I was intimidated by the connection knots. Started using the Alberto, but found that I couldn't consistently tie that, and now exclusively use double uni. Settling on a connection knot you can do well seems to be really the biggest complication I foresee for folks. 1 Quote
warefisher Posted November 13, 2024 Posted November 13, 2024 2 hours ago, Rucksack said: I will say I was intimidated by the connection knots. Started using the Alberto, but found that I couldn't consistently tie that, and now exclusively use double uni. Settling on a connection knot you can do well seems to be really the biggest complication I foresee for folks. I didn’t mean to but I got older! I’ve found this device very handy in tying a nice Alberto Knot. It’s lightweight, not large, and will easily travel in the tackle bag. https://albertoknot.com/product/uncle-jim-tool/ 1 Quote
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