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Been kicking around the idea of switching to braided line on my bait caster. I have heard some people say to use a leader of monofil because if you get a snag with braided line you're pretty much going to have to cut the line if you cant get to there to unsnag it yourself.
To mean that seems like using a monofil is defeating the purpose of braided line. Am I wrong? Do any of you setup that way? What's been your experience?
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Welcome to the site Resistance. What you heard is correct, mono leader on braid is a very good idea plus having a mono backing is a good idea as well. It could depend on the type of fishing you do but that is how most people set up their braid.
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Most anglers use mono or similar leader with braided because they feel braided is so visible to the fish.
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All of my jigging rods (baitcasters and spinning) are now set up with braid. I've gradually switched over the years since this set-up works best with the type of fishing I do here and at Bear Lake, Willard Bay and Flaming Gorge. I use about a 3-5 foot piece of 100% flourocarbon leader. In between the braid and flourocarbon leader I use a small barrel swivel to keep any line twisting to a minimum.
By the way, I've used several different braided lines and my favorite, hands down, is the Spider Wire Stealth. I use the 30lb test braid (6-8 lb mono diameter). I use it for both trolling and jigging. From kokanee to walleye to cutthroat to lake trout to wipers. I can honestly say my hookup to landing fish ratio has increased since making the switch. Plus I know I can feel more fish with the braid compared to mono when jigging especially in deeper (50-120 feet) water.
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What size barrel swivel are you using that will fit through the eyelets on the rod?
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It doesn't fit through the eyelets of the rod. My barrel swivels are anywhere from about 6-12" from the tip of the rod. I hook my jig on the lure keeper just above the reel seat on the rod or on the first guide above the reel. My rods are about 6.5' long so I can still use a 4' leader and not have to reel it through the guides.
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I use braid almost exclusively. In most cases, I use a flourocarbon leader of anywhere between 2 and 8 feet. I usually have about 20 feet of mono "backing" on the reels. If I'm throwing topwater baits (which I haven't mastered yet), I switch to standard monofilament leader. Most of my reels have power-pro on them, with the exception of my UL rod which has 6 lb Fire Line.
There is almost no stretch to the braided lines, so it gives great sensitivity but it can also have issues with smaller hooks, especially small trebles like are on crankbaits. I have a relatively soft action baitcaster setup that I use for stuff like that.
The only real gotcha that I know of is that a bad backlash (a.k.a. "professional overrun") can take quite a while to untangle.
Matt
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