Is 10LB Braided line to light?

[LittleWorm]

Last year I switched from just mono to Braided line to a fluro leader. I put on 10LB Power Pro braid with a 12BL fluoro leader and found such a HUGE difference from the mono I use to use ( will never go back to mono!), I t was so much more sensitive and I could fell things way better. Now I only got out a few time last year ( 3-4 ) due to some medical problems and I never really caught anything to big. This year I hope to get out way more then last year and now I am worried that the braid may be to light. I fish Walleye, Pike, and Bass.

I found this https://www.amazon.ca/Reaction-Tackle-Green-100LB-150yds/dp/B01JVKUO8W/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1524201547&sr=8-7&keywords=braided%2Bfishing%2Bline&dpID=51dV90GPsnL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1&psc=1 

on Amazon and I also checked other sights and it seems to have really good reviews and for $25 for 500 yards seems like a really good deal. Should I stay at the 10LB braid or go up to the 20LB test. They are the same prices so it only comes down to what the better set up is.

[AKRISONER]

ive tried other braids and I just keep going back to power pro...and now there is a whole pile of counterfeit braid on the market.

Just like everything else in fishing, it just keeps getting more expensive. If you get a chance to go to the United States, keep an eye out, last time I was down I was able to get spools of power pro for 14 dollars a spool.

One thing is that Braid is by far the most cost efficient line. Mono and Fluro both get memory in them, so ya some people will run them for years and say "i never have a problem" but they arent fooling anyone...lets get serious if you are fishing plastic line, you best be changing it every season at a minimum. The stuff breaks down too. Braid on the other hand...really it doesnt go bad...it does wear out after a lot of use. It definitely doesnt have any memory though. So spool up your power pro, if you are only getting out a few times a year, it will last you a hell of a long time.

[KawarthaAngler]

I've talked to people about braid line as well.  More about LB weight and when to use, not use ... etc.  I even talked briefly to Florida's Scott Martin about it at this years Fishing show in T.O.

It really comes down to personal preference.  And those that have more experience have stronger opinions about it.  What I learned from experience and talking to hard core (and professional) anglers is when using a baitcaster reel, heavier braid is better because the line thickness matters to reducing backlash, line getting jammed tight on the reel and casting distance.  So the general rule is at least 30lb line on a baitcaster with > 50lb being commonly used for these reasons.   For a spinning reel, lower weight line is OK and again, just personal preference.  Myself, I prefer to use 20 - 30lb braid on my spinning reels because I prefer the feel of the 6 - 8lb (mono diameter) line.  I find anything less than 20lb to be too thin (my preference).

When it comes to brand names of line ... I've been very happy with Sufix 832 and Power Pro braid.  I recently got some SpiderWire at a really good price at the Bowmanville fishing show so this year my two heavy baitcaster rods that I use for punching thick junk and the lillypads ... they will have 65lb SpiderWire.  I have found Power Pro and Sufix 832 to be quite pricey, where SpiderWire is more reasonable and I believe to still be very good.

Because braid is expensive, I use basic Trilene mono as a backing on the spool.  If you aren't familiar with this ... I apply 6lb mono to the first 1/2 of the spool, then I double uni-knot my braid to that and finish off the spool with the braid.  So I get 2 reels spooled from 1 spool of braid.  Since I fish in water that is typically 2 - 30 feet deep ... I don't need the entire spool loaded with expensive line.

And last ... one piece of advice I was given ... take it with a grain of salt ... was if you go with too thin braid, when you tie it to a mono or fluoro leader the very thin braid (less than 20lb braid) can actually cut through the mono/fluoro leader because it is too thin ... making a vulnerable/weak spot being your braid-to-leader knot.  Personally I think the knot is more important than this theory of braid being too thin.

Edited April 20, 2018 by TheKawarthaAngler

[kickingfrog]

I spend less on line now than ever before and I have more reels than before. The higher initial cost of braid is off-set when you get way more seasons from the line…. and then you pull it off the reel and turn it around and get a few more seasons from it. Really, The only reason I get rid of braid is because I've re-tied so many times the line is too short on the spool.

[bassnass]

I've never had a fish break 10lb braid.  I've had it cut/break on cover (docks n rocks).  Keep your eye on it - if it starts to look fuzzy (think frayed rope on a smaller scale) - cut that section out, retie, carry on.

You won't need more than 15# test braid on a spinning outfit, and I'd never load a spinning reel with anything more than 20lb (I'm assuming you're talking about a spinning outfit), but I wouldn't throw out the 10 until it was done.

[AKRISONER]

I will also add...spiderwire is the only braid that I have ever used that has worn to complete failure (separating into thin strands and fraying)...it also left a terrible coating of melted plastic all over my reels. Just not a fan of the stuff at all, I cannot believe that it is now more expensive than power pro...back in the day spider wire was "crap braid" and powerpro was the good stuff...then all of a sudden people started going off about how great spiderwire is and now its the most expensive braid of the three suffix pp and spider wire...go figure.

Edited April 20, 2018 by AKRISONER

[porkpie]

I've been using powerpro for years.  I use 20lb on spinning, and 30lb on casting reels. I do use some nanofil on a couple of spinning reels, but I find it does degrade faster than power pro. Some of my trolling rigs use 50lb.  I have at least one casting reel with braid approaching the ten year mark.  I just spool it on the opposite way every year, and I use fluorocarbon leaders.  Every so often I have to cut a couple of feet off and I have just added a bit more mono backer to the spool if needed.  About the only time I've replaced a spool is if I've had the occasional disastrous birds nest.  But most of them come out ok with some patience.   I only have a couple of reels with mono these days, not counting downrigger or float gear.  Mono is still king there as far as I'm concerned.

[captpierre]

Landed many incidental good muskies with 10 lb Nanofil fishing for eyes. 

But if braid gets nicked by teeth, sharp rocks or zebra muscles it fails easily. Always use a fluorocarbon leader. 3-6 ft. To protect against nicks. A wire leader in addition for pike or musky. 

[BassMan11]

10lb on a spinning reel can be used for a lot of different applications. Cheap mono backing on 1/4 to 1/2 of the spool and quality braid like Power Pro tipped with a floro leader will last you a long time. I use this setup on almost all of my rods.

Edited April 20, 2018 by BassMan11

[LeXXington]

15-20Lb for spinning reel.  I like the thin stuff for light jigging.   Little heavier for casting .

Fluorocarbon  for last 4+ feet.

Salmon - Mono

Dipsey - 50lb braid

Power Pro and Sufix 832 are my Go To..  I wait till I see a good sale and purchase a spool and have one on hand.

 

 

 

[grimsbylander]

I don't see where you mention spinning or baitcasting? I'll assume spinning and you're using one set up. I'd go a little heavier than 10lb, not because 10lb won't probably work, but because you can. The 15 or 20lb will performance good on the spool and most importantly, you can use the flouro leader to adjust to your fishing conditions, not the braid. ie 20lb braid and a 20lb leader is a good strong option in cover whereas the 20lb with a 6lb leader is a good clear water bass option for example. I'd just go longer on the leader length in clear water. 

[boombap]

Nothing but power pro for me.. have spent too much money testing other brands and always came back to power pro. I like 10-20# on a spinning real, nothing less than 30# on a baitcaster and go up to 50# depending on application. I've had braid on some spools for almost 5 years and it still looks new. Power pro super slick 50# is pretty good too.

A half decent angler can land a big fish on 10# no problem.

Edited April 20, 2018 by boombap

[singingdog]

Don't choose braid by the breaking strength, choose it by the diameter. 10 lb PPro is about the same diameter as 4 lb mono. If you are then tieing on 10-12 lb leaders, the diameter difference can be an issue for knot strength. 

[singingdog]

Thanks for the correction darkwater. Many of the problems that folks have with braid - wind knots, wrapping guides, hard to tie knots - is due to the very small diameter. 

[SirCranksalot]

Thx for that-----that's prob part of my prob. Apart from the tangles I love the braid! I'll watch the sales too! 

[OhioFisherman]

23 hours ago, captpierre said:

Landed many incidental good muskies with 10 lb Nanofil fishing for eyes. 

But if braid gets nicked by teeth, sharp rocks or zebra muscles it fails easily. Always use a fluorocarbon leader. 3-6 ft. To protect against nicks. A wire leader in addition for pike or musky. 

As someone that used mono for most of my fishing I can tell you that it would fail too from that, I checked my line often so it wasn't a problem for me and most of the time I was using 17 - 20 # test.

I used to get a 2400 yard spool of 17 - 20 # test Stren for around 40 bucks, so it was cheap to to re-spool.

[msp]

On April 20, 2018 at 2:16 PM, boombap said:

Nothing but power pro for me.. have spent too much money testing other brands and always came back to power pro. I like 10-20# on a spinning real, nothing less than 30# on a baitcaster and go up to 50# depending on application. I've had braid on some spools for almost 5 years and it still looks new. Power pro super slick 50# is pretty good too.

A half decent angler can land a big fish on 10# no problem.

Nailed it right there.  Go with 20 pound power pro on spinning gear. 30-50 on bait casters. I have tried them all just to keep coming back to power pro

[Lape0019]

I’ve only ever thrown 20lb test on spinning gear because it flat out works. I suppose I could step down to 15 but haven’t see. A need. 

 

I use 30-65lb on my baitcasters and find 30 still digs in. I may just swap out to 40 this year on those few reels I had 30 on. 

 

6( is for my frogging reel. 

[singingdog]

I have experimented a fair bit with very thin braid and nanofil. I really thought it would help on back lakes, where being able to throw light lures as far as possible matters. 10 lb braid helps, the right rod helps waaaay more.

[Snidley]

I'm told by very good anglers that the main reason for going with light to extremely light braid (10lb down to 5lb) is stealth. Braid makes noise, in the water and going through your guides. The super light braid is a lot less noisey and therefore in high pressure,or with super negative fish it can make a big difference. It's similar to using fluro leaders or thin diameter leader. Some anglers believe, some think it's hokum.

[SirCranksalot]

47 minutes ago, Snidley said:

Some anglers believe, some think it's hokum.

Imagine that!!

[captpierre]

7 hours ago, Snidley said:

I'm told by very good anglers that the main reason for going with light to extremely light braid (10lb down to 5lb) is stealth. Braid makes noise, in the water and going through your guides. The super light braid is a lot less noisey and therefore in high pressure,or with super negative fish it can make a big difference. It's similar to using fluro leaders or thin diameter leader. Some anglers believe, some think it's hokum.

This is interesting. 

Ive often wondered if the noise/vibration the braids make going  thru the rod guides impacts fish. Makes sense 

Edited April 23, 2018 by captpierre

[grimsbylander]

I'm going to guess it bothers them no more than a vibrating bait, a noisy topwater, an electric motor, a gas powered trolling motor or the seadoo flying by just as you set the hook. Hokum sounds about right to me.

[OhioFisherman]

21 minutes ago, grimsbylander said:

I'm going to guess it bothers them no more than a vibrating bait, a noisy topwater, an electric motor, a gas powered trolling motor or the seadoo flying by just as you set the hook. Hokum sounds about right to me.

Ya, why use rattles, beads, tungsten weights and things to make noise?

[dave524]

Downrigging for salmonoides  was always best when you had you speed set to the correct hum of the rigger cables.