Matching braided lines to rods and reels.

[Growbug]

Met a 'craggy old fisherman' (his words not mine) at the river today, and he let me try out his rig with braided line.
WOW... i almost doubled my casting distance, and i could feel EVERYTHING through the line. He was using a tapered steelhead fly leader (10lb rating) with both ends cut down by 2ft to bring the leader to 5ft length. Then a number 5 Blue Fox on the end.

Ho hum.. off to Bi Mart
Now i am back home and looking at putting my new purchase on a rig.

Hmm.
OK.. I selected a reel (one I usually load 6-8lb mono on), followed the instructions from the nice lady at Bi-Mart and put a couple of dozen yards of Dacron fly line backing on first to cushion the spool. then loaded the line on. After that, attached it to the back of my car and played out the whole reel before rewinding it under a little pressure.
(she said that this would stop the braided line digging into itself when i fish)

Did i do things correctly?

Also.. Looking at my rods.. The new line is Power Pro 15lb which has a 4lb equiv diam. Should I put this on a rod rated for sub 10lb line, or should i put it on a rod with rating 10-18????

Finally.. Should i do the same leader idea and use a tapered leader or straight mono? I understand that a braided leader is a bad idea. Are there any problems that arise from having a leader with greater diameter than the main line (i want to use 8lb mono leader)??

Sorry about all the questions, I am newish to fishing and i thought that there are people on this board who know a lot more than I do!

Rob

 

[GDBrown]

Braid & leader

Braid & leader

Finally.. Should i do the same leader idea and use a tapered leader or straight mono? I understand that a braided leader is a bad idea. Are there any problems that arise from having a leader with greater diameter than the main line (i want to use 8lb mono leader)??Rob

I use braided line also and put my 15lb line on a rod ment for 15lb line. I'm throwing the same weight either way. I never try to tie braided line directly to mono leader, put a swivel in between. If you haven't noticed it is difficult to get a knot to hold with the braid unless you use the recomended knots. Learn them well so you can tie them quickly while on the water.

Hope this helps,

GD

 

[The Nothing]

You should be fine. A little over powered, but you can use your drag to keep the line from overpowering and breaking your rod. Chances are the rod will be able to take it. I'm pretty bad about overpowering myself, and everything has held up well so far.

I don't bother with a backing either. Never did. Yes, braid is expensive and you can get a TON of line on the reel, but I'd rather spend the money and have more line on the spool than not.

I submerge my new spools of braided line in very lightly soaped water overnight. While the line is still wet, I tie it on to the spool, and lay couple wraps of electrical tape on top. With a lot of tension on the line, I spool it up. This seems to get the best lay on the spool. Fresh braid can be kinda stiff and cause casing problems on a spinning reel before it gets broken in.

 

[Growbug]

By overpowered.. do you mean a heavier line than the rod is meant for?
Like a 15lb line on a 4-10lb rod?
Makes sense, I think I choose the rod which matches just over halfway between the two.
15lb test.. 4lb diam... = 10-12lb rod weight

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

You can even use the tape that comes on some spools to hold the line on. It is the width of a lot of spools and gives enough tape for the braid to dig in so it does not slip.