Thread: What is the best calibre.........braid

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Some reels don't like and are not made to handle braid. The difference is that a 'braid reel' will lay the line in much wider loops going up and down the spool far more than a mono reel. Those wide crossing loops stop the braid pulling down into its self and getting tangled up. If your reel will take braid but you are in doubt about brand buy some 'spiderwire' 15 lb or even 20lb and you wont go wrong.

Not anymore mate....they even make then with super slow oscillation now to increase casting distance specifically for braid.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Not anymore mate....they even make then with super slow oscillation now to increase casting distance specifically for braid.

What do you mean ' Not anymore mate' ??? I have two Stradics in different sizes and they are great with braid, however my older Abu's will jamb if the line is coming in with out enough tension as a fish races towards you then takes off. Older reels are not all OK with braid IMO

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

What do you mean ' Not anymore mate' ??? I have two Stradics in different sizes and they are great with braid, however my older Abu's will jamb if the line is coming in with out enough tension as a fish races towards you then takes off. Older reels are not all OK with braid IMO

The old thinking was reels needed to have lots of crisscross but now feels are made with basically flat layup on the spool.

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I brought a new rod / reel combo 4 weeks back for Trout and Salmon . For softbaiting mainly and throwing the odd lure.
I went for 6lb Diawa JX8 I think it's called. 8 strand in a dark green. It was around 30 bucks for 150 yrds.
Don't forget you don't spool your whole reel in braid but have mono as a backing . Reason for this is Braid directly onto the spool can in some case's slip so the mono goes down first .
Braid also breaks generally a lot higher than it's breaking strain on the packet, 3 x higher in most cases.
Ive done alot of softbaiting both salt and fresh water and it's the way to go as you feel every touch.
In the last 4 weeks Ive caught 18 Salmon at Lake Hawera , new rod / reel has paid for itself.

Ive been using fireline for many years, good braid in smaller sizes, usually get 12-14 for salmon, pike, saltwater, rods and run 8 lb for trout rods, had a good run with it, and it seams to get softer and limper over time, is better for casting.
Just ordered a Diawai BG 2500 on Boxing Day and trying diawia J braid, 8 lbs,
I second getting line spooled at a sports store off the bulk, I've got several, spools of shorts, that are useless for anything, other than practice knot tieing,

Think I've been through all the common brands:

Fireline Exceed - very thin, but i've had trouble with knots slipping

Powerpro - very reliable, a bit thicker than some of the more modern stuff though

J-Braid - everyone likes it, but it lost me my first marlin, so I will never touch the stuff again!

I've come down to Powerpro Superslick and Suffix 832 which are very similar lines. They do everything you could reasonable expect of them.