Spinning Reel Line

[Sore Thumbs]

The braid and flouro combo has three advantages in my opinion. Most importantly the sensitivity is better. Secondly the braid lasts for a very long time. Lastly it will save you money. A spool of flouro will last you a long time when you are using 6-8 ft at a time.

[Ham]

I was in the process of switching to mostly braid with whatever leader (fluro , co-poly, mono) when Larry Richards introduced me to Nanofil. Nanofil has the braid advantages of increased sensitivity and abrasion resistance, but throws a ton better. Nanofil seems to out throw mono. I freaking love Nanofil. I'm not sure what I'll do with the braid I have now.

The Nanofil will have a much smaller diameter than mono per break strength. The 6 lb is about 2 lb mono diameter.

Nanofil isn't perfect, but it's the best I've found. Braid is thinner per pound test than Nanofil.

I want my leader to be just as long as it can be without being on the spinning reel. I'll tie a new piece on with an alberto knoT when I get down to about 18 inches of leader.

I'm still playing around with different leader materials. I have not convinced myself that fluro offers any real advantages as the leader. I know the advantages of fluro as a main line over mono, but there really isn't enough difference between the two to matter in the 6 foot or so of leader material. I have a little of both InVizx and Berkley 100% Fluro in 10 pound that I will use up, but unless something changes, I wouldn't ever buy fluro to be my leader material. I'm using P Line or Mono in 6 lb and 8 lb for leader of that pound test.

BPS Excel is a pretty acceptable mono. Catch it at a good price during the Spring Classic. I've only used 4,6,8, and 10 lb BUT they all worked just fine.

I do think mono still has a place or two (topwater baits, crank baits, grubs, etc). I use either P-Line CX Premium or Silver Thread AN-40.

[Quillback]

I'm going to have to try some Nanofil based on all the positive stuff about it I've read here.

[Bigmo]

Does anyone else have a occasional problem with wind knots when throwing with braid? There's nothing worse than a braid wind knot. It's sometimes easier to cut the line than try to undo it. I've tried several types of braid but now i'm willing to use nanofil if it cuts down on wind knots. I know don't throw into the wind.

[Ham]

I think that you're better off putting a little less line than normal on your spinning reel when you are using braid. This helps reduce the number of times loose line would go flying off the reel and knotting itself. That is what happened to me. I don't remember wind knots per se. I also had to learn to NOT continue to reel after I set the hook. When I would be trying to wind up slack when the loose line flew back at me on a missed hookset, the line would often tie a knot on the rod tip or around another guide which sucked with my old eyes.

The decreased amount of lne on the reel is likely part of what had me throwing a lot harder and coming up a lot shorter than I wanted on many casts.

To be fair, if you take your time, you can usually get a braid floobey out. Work it down to just a little bit and slowly pull the remaining twist knot out. Sometimes this failed and the braid would break at which point you can tie a uni to uni and join it back together.

I also eventually realised IF the braid ever wound on the skirted base of the spool rather than the proper area of the spool, you're going to throw a floobey almost every time. When you see the line in the wrong place, pull the line off by hand and wind it back on the spool correctly BEFORE you make you next cast. Much better outcomes.

Nanofil throws almost no floobeys or at least in my experience it almost never does BUT when it does, be very careful to work it loose. It is not slick enough to just pull thru. it will break, but then just join the two lines with an alberto or uni to uni and keep on fishing.

[Jacob W]

+1 on the nanofil, its some awesome stuff.

[Old plug]

I have never used a leader and not sure I need it anyway. To me it looks like your just creating another weak spot on the line. I have used 10 lb braid on crappie outfits because it makes it easier easier to pull jigs loose from brush, but I tie it directly. That brings up a good question. We know how sensitive a bass is to sound and lives in a world filled world filled with sound like yours. At least it was 60 yrs ago when I left it. But the basses sound is not really what you think of as sound its vibration. So the question is what do you believe the bass does. Does he see your line or does he feel it anyway. If he does does it really matter. Does his brain tell him the line is attached to a fisherman who is trying to catch him. I believe the bass feel vibrations from the line and it is of no concern to him. He is concentrating on the lure. Plus he is not smart enough to relate the line to danger. I wonder a lot about this.

[MOPanfisher]

^{I use braid, mostly Berkley Fireline, although I do have Nanofil on one of my crappie reels and absolutely love it. I also tie directly with no leader.}

[RSBreth]

NanoFil is the stuff when it come to casting distance - I've been using 6 and 8 for finesse stuff on the big lakes and really really like it. Nothing like being able to toss a 1/16 jighead and 4" grub 60 yards AND still be able to get a hookset on a bass at that distance. Amazing stuff but if you do the leader thing (I do) you have to really know how to tie a good knot because the stuff is so slick.

I've been doubling the NanoFil with a 5 turn spider hitch, and have been trying out the Yucatan knot to join the leader - works good but you have to practice.

http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/yucatan-knot/

With 6-pound Nano I had a 3X Orvis Mirage leader (listed as 9.2 pound test) and snagged pretty deep in some chunk rocks off a point at Beaver last year - i pulled and pulled and broke the leader at the knot on the jighead, not the line/leader knot. So retying is the same as just using whatever line without a leader - of course, after tying the leader on.

[Ham]

i WANT a leader for a varity of reasons

1) I want a weak spot that will break WHEN I need it to break. My uni to uni or Alberto knots are not failing on me, but if I need to make a dead pull to break off a lure I can not reach, I can do so.

2) It is a lot more economical to use a leader to re-tie or change lures than it is to use braid or nanofil for these knots. Once a day maybe twice at worse, I'll use a foot of Nanofil or so putting on a new section of leader.

3) I'm more comfortable tying with mono than I am braid. I want a loop knot for all my jigs. I've got a good quick to tie and all day strong loop knot that works with mono.

4) Some fish are line shy and some are not. This runs more by species than by individual fish, but one less thing to worry about.

Braid and Nanofil are a lot more expensive out the gate, but you can make them a lot more cost effective if you use them wisely. I've had good ideas shared with me from several different sources and I've kinda of mixed and matched those ideas.

You need to get multiple reel fills from the 150 yard spool. There is minimal benefit from having your entire reel full with braid or nanofil IF you're fishing freshwater. I know there might be a couple exceptions to this, but for the HUGE majority of us, 50 yards or of the braid or nanofil is all you'll need. This should last you quite a while. I've been fishing one of my setups with Nanofil from last August and it's still in great shape. Here's what I do with Nanofil, fill your reel to whereever you normally consider full with mono. This is going to be your backing. set your rod in place with the bail open and hand walk the line 50-75 yards out. Put the line down and walk back to your rod. cut the mono at the rod tip. discard of this extra line properly. Then tie on your Nanoil with an alberto or a unit to uni to the mono at te rod tip. walk the spool of nano back out to the 50-75 yard spot you were at earlier. Cut the Nanofil at the spool. walk back to your reel and wind the Nanofil up on your reel. You're good to go witht he nanofil being at a proper level and a sufficient and efficent amount used.

I do the same procedure with braid, but I usually don't have the finished level be as full of line on a braid reel vs a nanofil reel.