3 Things You Must Know Before Selecting Braided Fishing Line
- By: Peter Deeks
- on May 23, 2022
Don’t all braided fishing lines work well with all spinning reels?
Not exactly.
Check this out!!
Things You Must Know Before Selecting Braided Fishing Line [VIDEO]
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It is absolutely critical to keep these things in mind when selecting a braided line for your spinning reel.
The first is castability and how far you need to cast.
The second is taking into account structure and if there are any sharp objects around the areas you mainly like to fish.
The last thing to keep in mind is the size of the fish you are targeting.
Although, the size of the fish can be ignored in some cases because braided line is very strong and can vary depending on specific cases.
My Plan Of Attack
No matter the fishing scenario or target species, I only always carry 4 fishing rod outfits with me at a given time.
Whether I am targeting 100-lb tarpon or tiny trout, these are the four rod/reel combinations I take with me.
Inshore Fishing Scenarios
To start, I use a small, lightweight setup for fun inshore settings.
On this outfit, I prefer a 2500-size reel paired with 15-lb braided line.
I prefer 15-lb braid because I’ve found that 10-lb braid does not cast that much further and it gives you no room for error.
You risk losing a big fish if 10-lb braid slightly frays or comes into contact with sharp, foreign objects.
Although 10-lb braid does allow you to cast slightly farther and with more accuracy, it is not that important in the long run.
Also, 10-lb test is just light line in general that won’t be able to stack up against larger predatory fish.
15-lb braid is slightly heavier than 10-lb but it is much stronger.
Additionally, 15-lb braid will last longer than 10-lb braid will.
Need A Super Far Cast
If I need to cast very far and I’m live bait fishing on the open flats without any structure, I’m going to use a larger spinning reel with a lighter braided line.
I prefer a 4000-size spinning reel paired with 15-lb braided line.
The combination of a large diameter spool on the reel and light 15-lb braided line cuts back on friction allowing you to launch your bait out.
You could even jump up to 20-lb line with minimal difference.
Just keep in mind that you do not want to fish with this outfit around heavy or intrusive structure.
All Day, Every Day Setup
My go-to, every day setup consists of a 3500-size spinning reel with 50-lb braided line.
This obviously cuts back on your casting distance and inhibits you from being able to launch baits out very far.
Instead, this setup allows you to fish heavy structure and have just as much fun as you would on lighter tackle.
You don’t want to have to use a giant 6000-size spinning reel around big rocks and structure.
The solution to this is using a smaller reel with a heavier braided line.
Keep in mind not to lock down on the drag too much because smaller reels are not specifically designed for heavy line.
If you plan on fishing close to mangroves or docks for big snook or redfish, this is an ideal setup.
I would recommend using anywhere between 30 and 50-lb braided line on a 3500-size spinning reel.
Big Inshore Setup
For targeting big snook around docks and giant inshore tarpon, I prefer to use a heavier outfit.
On this outfit, I pair a 5500-size spinning reel with 65-lb braided line.
As with the outfit mentioned above, this reel is not designed for heavier line so you should not lock down on the drag.
This outfit gives you enough strength and power to reel big fish in while also giving you the line capacity you need for the long runs.
When you are using heavy line on smaller reels, you can’t aim to use these setups on fish that will dump out 200-300 yards of line.
You want to really only use setups with heavy line on smaller reels in situations around heavy structure where you are just pulling the fish right out and to the boat.
Try to think of the scenarios you commonly find yourself in and how you can maximize your gear to assist you in your objectives.
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I use 40 lb braid on a 7000 reel for big inshore fishing and always works out
I’m looking into buying a general purpose reel. Going after trout, mangrove snapper, redfish, snook, sheepshead, and other small to medium inshore species. Would a penn slammer 2500 or 3500 be a better option?
I have a Penn fierce 3 with a 4000 reel. I keep 20lb braid on it all the time and use 15lb leader. Never had any problem with it yet. Is this the wrong setup?
Hey Anthony,
That is a great set up for long casts and fishing in areas with little to no structure. 👍
I’ve just been using 30lb braid for everything. No wind knots, and if the drag is set correctly, no break offs. I use a mono leader of around 2 foot, attached to a swivel. It prevents line twist, and because I can tie a trilene knot on the mono and the braid to the swivel, the knot strength is the strongest possible. I use it on 2500 series reels, to 8000 series. The size of the reel determines my leader line strength, but it’s usually 40lb. So instead of having to purchase 10 different types of line, I can purchase just a couple in very large rolls and save money.
With 6’ of leader, do you cast with the 6’ of leader out, or do you just reel the leader into the guides and not worry about knot wear? And what knot do you use, fg, uni to uni or something else?
Hey Ted,
I use an FG knot if I’m tying lighter braid to heavier fluorocarbon and if the diameters are similar in size I will tie a blood knot. Both will cast out of the guides really well.
What long cast reel are you using and are there other specific long cast reels you would consider?
Hey Art,
I really like using the Penn Slammer reels…but any reel will work as long as the spool is wide…the wider the spool the longer the cast. For inshore fish, a 3500-4500 will work great with lighter braid (15-20lb braid) and for larger fish I will use a 6500-8500 size reels (50-65lb braid).
thanks for the perspective on different line weights. How many times something larger than imagined hit the gig and headed for deeper unknowns that we couldn’t turn. That’s still what I’m trying to figure out. Does this happen to other not so professional fishermen too?
Hey Jan,
I like to prepare for the big fish even when I’m expecting small fish…. if fishing from a kayak or a boat, any of these combos will allow you to catch just about anything that swims inshore. If a mega tarpon or snook…etc head out…all you need to do is follow them for a little.
If fishing from shore, I go a little overkill and use heavier set ups that hold at least 300 yards of line if there’s potential for the giant snook or jack…etc.
Thanks,
-Peter
Good info. Like the others have asked, info on rod choice and leader choice with each setup would be super helpful.
Hey Mark,
Here is my rod choices:
The Battalion rods I pair the reels up are as follows:
2500 reel – 7′ fast action, 6-15lb braid 1/16-5/8oz lure
4500 reel (long cast) – 7’6” fast action, 10-30lb braid 1/4-1oz lure
3500 reel (with heavy braid) – 7’6” fast action, 8-20lb braid 1/8-3/4oz lure
5500 reel – 7’6” fast action, 15-40lb braid, 1/2-11/2oz lure
Here is my leader choices:
For the ultralight set up (2500reel) I go 6′ of 20lb fluero (10-15 if water is very clear) and add a 12” piece of 50lb fluero at the end if snook or tarpon are in the area.
For the long cast I will usually go around 6′ of 20lb fluero and then add 12” of 50’lb fluero if big snook or 40’lb if smaller snook and tarpon are in the area.
The heavy structure rod I will go 6′ of 30lb if fishing for smaller fish and 6′ of 60 fluorocarbon if fishing for big snook and or reds.
With the bigger rod, the leader changes based on target fish….but a good rule is 8′ of 40lb fluorocarbon line, and then add the bite leader for the type of fish…bigger tarpon 20” of 60 fluero or 80 mono, kingfish single strand wire, big redfish 15” of 50lb fluero or mono, snook 12-14” of 60 lb fluero.
Please let me know if you have any other questions!
-Peter
Thank You!
Great setups. I recently added a 3000 with 5lb braid. It really helps making huge casts to spooky Reds in super shallow clear water. I wouldn’t use it for Snook near mangroves but it seems like it can cast a spoon 100 yards. PB so far is a 31″ Red.
Hey Lyle,
Nice! Ultralight line does have niche benefits for sure and can be fun for shallow water reds! That’s a good red on 5lb test!
On the average, long term use mixed with different species of fish can cause heartache if using really light line..that’s why I use these set ups.
Tight lines my friend!
-Peter
Thanks for the info. Curious to know how much drag you prefer for each size reel?
He Jeffrey,
I like to match the drag to the scenario ….
If fishing structure with heavy line, I will max the drag to the highest recommended drag setting for the reel not the line.
If fishing lighter line on the reels I will set it to the line and not the reel….Open water big fish I will set a lighter drag than if I’m fishing deeper water.
It really comes down to feel and each spot and situation is different…change the drag amount frequently and keep it on your mind throughout the day.
Thanks,
-Peter