What size and brand of braid? Hi all. I am thinking of setting up a reel with braid. I primarily trout fish but occasionally target stripers. Mostly bank fish. I am currently using 4...

IROLL Loc: San Martin Ca.

Hi all. I am thinking of setting up a reel with braid. I primarily trout fish but occasionally target stripers. Mostly bank fish. I am currently using 4 pound mono. What would you suggest for braid. I am concerned about the braid digging in on the spool so I was wondering if 8 or 10 pound braid was ok. What brand would you recommend also. Thanks in advance.Bob

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

IROLL wrote:

Hi all. I am thinking of setting up a reel with braid. I primarily trout fish but occasionally target stripers. Mostly bank fish. I am currently using 4 pound mono. What would you suggest for braid. I am concerned about the braid digging in on the spool so I was wondering if 8 or 10 pound braid was ok. What brand would you recommend also. Thanks in advance.Bob

Hey Bob. You could use the same rod for both fish, BUT I wouldn't recommend it. Stripers are a lot more fish that your average trout rod should handle. We use pretty heavy freshwater rods, like more for catfish, or light saltwater rods. We use 30# braid on a 3,4 or 5000 reel. The larger reels are a little better because they hold more line and you never know when you might need it. Specially if you hook a good sized fish OR a good sized Bat Ray.
Either one of those hooked on a trout rod and you have bout a 0% chance of landing it or for you to get your lure back.

IROLL Loc: San Martin Ca.

Thanks Saw. So if I were to target trout what size and brand would you recommend. I have been looking at Suffix 832 in an 8 or 10 pound test.

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

IROLL wrote:

Thanks Saw. So if I were to target trout what size and brand would you recommend. I have been looking at Suffix 832 in an 8 or 10 pound test.

If I was just planning on fishin for trout I would even go down to 6# test. No more than 8# for sure. Also, good quality mono would work for trout.
However, if you're fishin for stripers, I wouldn't go less than 30# braid.

IROLL Loc: San Martin Ca.

Ok, thanks Steve.

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

IROLL wrote:

Ok, thanks Steve.

No problem brother, good luck. Let me know how you do and what you went with.

DWeber

For the money I like powerpro. Never had an issue. Smooth casting. I would definitely use a fluorocarbon leader especially for trout. Add a layer of electrical tape to your spool before you add the braid. It will keep it from slipping and no worries about digging into your spool.

IROLL Loc: San Martin Ca.

DWeber wrote:

For the money I like powerpro. Never had an issue. Smooth casting. I would definitely use a fluorocarbon leader especially for trout. Add a layer of electrical tape to your spool before you add the braid. It will keep it from slipping and no worries about digging into your spool.

Thanks for the reply. Yea a leader is a must when trout fishing. I will definitely check out power pro
Thanks,
Bob

Brownsville Tony Loc: Brownsville - Laguna Madre

One of the biggest advantages of braid is its small diameter. You can put braid on your reel that is twice as strong as your monofil and not increase the line size, plus you get all the other benefits of less stretch, more abrasion resistant and the other stuff. If you use a braid that will hold a 15 lb striper, it will still be small enough for trout fishing. The rub comes in when you add on the leader, and you should always use a leader with braid because it is a dense material and more visible to fish than either mono or fluorocarbon. Braid will cut through mono or f/c when stressed just like a wire cuts through cheese. That's why I usually join the two lines with a small swivel. There is no perfect answer to all fishing conditions, which is why most of the folks on here would be living large if we could cut that one entry out of our budget called "fishin stuff".

IROLL Loc: San Martin Ca.

Thanks for the advice Tony.

DanK58 Loc: Englewood Florida

I agree with Dweber, 30# Power Pro braid with a 3 foot Fluorocarbon leader.

saw1 Loc: nor cal Windsor

Zao wrote:

I agree with Dweber, 30# Power Pro braid with a 3 foot Fluorocarbon leader.

Yep, that's a good combo for sure.