Spinning Reels & Gear !

[ckim85]

Alright...finally took my new braid spooled baitcaster out.
I can definitely feel the benefit of it. For example, i can feel every little tug and bump with it! Though I didn't catch anything, when I would set the hook, you can really feel the power of the braid.

Ok heres the downside that there has to be a solution to.
I'm currnetly using 30lb braid and line digging seems to be a common problem. Every few casts, I would cast out and the lure would just stop mid air due to line dig. It would also cause backlash.

What are some ways to avoid this?

Also, i'm assuming it is normal for braid line to produce that "scratching" noise against my baitcaster? I coulnd't tell exactly if it was my reel that needs some oiling/cleaning or if it was the braidline rubbing up.

[bpm2000]

scratchin is probably more the line going through the guides

[fishaholictaz]

scratchin is probably more the line going through the guides

Braid will kill guides faster then anything....

[islandbass]

Alright...finally took my new braid spooled baitcaster out.
I can definitely feel the benefit of it. For example, i can feel every little tug and bump with it! Though I didn't catch anything, when I would set the hook, you can really feel the power of the braid.

Ok heres the downside that there has to be a solution to.
I'm currnetly using 30lb braid and line digging seems to be a common problem. Every few casts, I would cast out and the lure would just stop mid air due to line dig. It would also cause backlash.

What are some ways to avoid this?

Also, i'm assuming it is normal for braid line to produce that "scratching" noise against my baitcaster? I coulnd't tell exactly if it was my reel that needs some oiling/cleaning or if it was the braidline rubbing up.

That is the line dig I was telling you about in an earlier post. It will happen usually when:

1) Freeing a Snag - In which you use the rod and reel to free the snagged lure. The force exerted when freeing the lure makes the line on the top of the spool "dig" into the line underneath it.

Solutions:
a) take the rod and reel out of the lure freeing equation. give yourself enough line to work with so that you can free the lure without using the rod and reel. Be careful. Braid can cut through skin as easily as a kife through butter.

2) Pulling line off with a tightly set drag - Not much more to say.
Soultion:
a) If you need to pull line off of the spool do so while the while is still in free spool mode. Have your retrieving thumb feather the spool as you pull line off so that you don't make a bird's nest, then engage the spool after you pull off the amount of line you wish.
b) Use a looser drag setting.

Stopping in mid air deal

This usually happens when part of the line has already dug into the spool before the cast. When you make the cast, if the lure isn't heavier enough and/or combined with a light cast, there will not be enough momentum to "break through" the line dig. This tends to be more of a issue the lighter the lure. Heavier lures can usually bust through the line dig such that you probably won't even notice.

The best way to stopped the mid-ar deal is the prevent the line from digging in in the first place. Train yourself to have your thumb stop the spool dead cold when you sense it. These incidents usually won't lead to nasty bird's nest so much as them being a pain in the phanny if they occur frequently.

The noise you hear is a normal trait for braid. That sound used to irritate me to no end until I started catching fish. That same noise turned into music. Other than being noisy, there is no real problem.

As a rule of thumb, the thinner the diameter of the braid, the more of an issue the line dig is likely to be. 30# is about as low as I would go. When I keep in mind the things I list, I will need encounter on smidgeon of line dig, even with 30# braid. This is why people prefer braid in the higher tests. The thicker diameter of the stronger braids make line dig less of an issue. I also think that the line dig thing seems to be more frequent with new braid because of that waxy coat it has. Then, as the line loses its color, and it will, for me line dig seems to be nearly non existent.

[ckim85]

ah thanks for the tips.
I think i'll get used to it over time but the feel of it is definitely different from mono.