In a thread titled "stren braid" Mikecc brings up a good point, that not all spinning reels are good for braided line. My question is, what reels do you feel are braid friendly?
I am looking for a spinning reel to put on a 9', 1-3oz for throwing plugs from beach and ditch.

VS 200.

How about some that still allow me to save for my kids college fund. :D

I'm thinking about trying braid on the nautil 7500 that I got this year. Any Others?

roller line bearing helps when useing braid on a spinning reel.

Shimano Stradics

how do you know which reel is friendly with braid?

I will second MikeCC's opinion of the Stradics. Contrary to what I hear many people speak of how they are not too good or friendly in the salt, I have to disagree strongly. I bought one last year out of frustartion of dealing with my Penn 6500's constantly breaking down all the time, so I bought a Stradic 8000 on a whim without researching them, which is highly uncharacterisitc of myself. I used it from July to November last year and have absolutely no complaints of the reel. I use 20# and 30# Fireline and never once had line issues. Not sure if it is mono friendly as I haven't fished from the beach with mono line in years. The drag is real smooth and the reel handled and balanced very well on my 10' St. Croix.
I beat the ever livin' bag out of this reel (even frequent dunkings) night in and night out, without ever rinsing it off. The only things I had to deal with was taking the little cover off the reel handle KNOB and greasing inside it every once in a while. Also, every single night before I hit the beach, I took the drag nut off the top and wiped all salt reside out of the top of the spool. That was it. It is only a little bit more money than a Penn 6500 (its comparable sized reel) yet was lighter and functioned a heck of a lot smoother, nice big KONB handle, and it came with a spare spool.

Shimano Spheros is a sleeper. I've still yet to understand WHY people don't buy this reel more often. ;) I use 50 lb PP on my 8000 and it works great. Too bad it doesn't come with an extra aluminum spool.


Newer style Shimano baitrunner 'B' series works also. I use the 3500 and 4500 with Whiplash (no longer made) and Fireline.

Regardless of what you use - remember NOT to try to reel when the fish is pulling line. ;)

Has anyone tried braid on an older Penn 650SS?

Chris

is right I have one too and I love them.

I have a 5000 on a 9 foot custom wrapped lami.

I used it all this year and it has never failed still feels like I just bought, I love the handle on them.

I have the Stella 5000 and the 2500 and they both have braid on them . I love Shimano reels and never had a problem with briaded lines.

My buddy has the Tica Taraus 4000 and loves it too

we use 30lb power pro and Fireline on the lil one

Braid is a great line. mono will cast better, The trick about using a full 300yds of briad and when it gets worn out makes a lot of sense. I uasually use dacron as a backer but might use this idea instead. Dont forget the best mono line is cheaper than the cheapest braid. Braid and mono both are great lines. bothhave different specs. I would not use expensive braid in the canal nor would i use cheap mono over the rocks. Just my 2 cents worth. :rolleyes:

shimano stradics :D
penn 704 :D
penn 710 :D
fin nor ahab :(
fin nor es series :D

chris

Stardics are awesome.. I wore out 2 Nautils in a month... switched over to stradics and I can't break the damn thing. I fished 3-5 times a week last year for the whole season.. dunked it, dropped it, even fell on it once... still kickin' and I have no complaints.

Fishin - Here's a little trick for you. When you braid starts to wear out.. Flip it over. Reel it onto a spare spool... cut it at the backing... reel it onto another spool and reel it back onto your reel. Obviously you have to do this before the line is unsalvagable but it makes the line last twice as long. Also.. I haven't found mono that casts anywhere close to as well as braid... what mono do you use? Although... I'd never go back to mono.

-DAve

I love my Stradic...same reasons as above I'm going to be buying another...very braid friendly

I have been using a Daiwa ss2600 on a 9ft rod for quite a few years now and am very happy with it. It is light, handles braid well has a good drag and is low maintenance.
The reel has been dunked and dropped in the sand more times than I care to talk about. All I do is rinse it off with a hose after I get home and then in the winter give it a good cleaning.

Canalman- I did a test a couple of weeks ago using braid (Magibraid) and (Ande) mono both 18lb test. Using the same reel and rod using the same weight and casting techinque the mono went at least 25-35 yds. That 100 feet makes a big diffence. I used both my spinning outfit and conventional outfit. I did this experpent because I couldnt believe it either but i read it in a book and wanted to prove the author wrong. ( I didnt). :laughs I think it has to do with the slipperness (?) of the mono line. You idea of how you use the braid makes a lot of sense. I will try it this season. I was thinking of using Dacron as a backer for the braid is this a good idea or not. That darn book says to do it ;) The book is called the ultimate guide to surfcasting by ron arra and curt garfield
have a good nite

Wow.. I would never have guessed that... 25-35 YARDS not feet? That's a lot. As for dacron... I really don't know I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination :read:. I know a guy who uses electricians tape instead of mono. I use mono but only like 15 yards. It's funny... when I switched to braid I couldn't believe how much further I was casting. But the added sensitivity alone enough to make me a beliver. Have you caught a fish on mono after using braid? I hooked up on mono after a year of using braid I didn't even think I had a fish on! I might have to spool up an extra spool and test your theory, but in the end I think I'm a braid guy.

-DAve

Stradic great reel :btu:

I own 7 stradics and they are by far the best reels for the $ I have found. they take a beating and a dunking.

FYI, they also come with a washer kit that lets you change the wind on prophile to be even more braid friendly.

I have also doine the mono vs braid on the same reels and find the braid to far outcast the mono, but it does take a bit of time/experience to be able to load a rod without fear while using the braid.

nautil 6500 yella... likes power pro.

By the way I use both braid and mono. Braid I think is a much better line if I were to choose one over the other for many reasons. But mono has its good points and when I am fishing a place where I might get cut off I will use the cheap mono. My brother in law always fishes with mono while he uses my reels.:laughs: When the fish are out just a little bit further I use mono. Good luck fishin everyone.

never a problem put 30lb braid can use it as anchor line stuff just dont break!

I use a rhino baitrunner spinner with 40# power pro for pluggin, I have never had a serious problem, once in a while you get a knot in the line when using very light lures, but you can pick up the reel at wal mart for less than 40 bucks, and it really is as tough as a rhino, ive caught many keepers on it and the drag is always smooth and the reel is extremely sturdy.

hey everyone...nuther question for you....what is your take on running braid line on baitcasters, and what line is the best??? nite nite!

Same as the Stratic. Never had a problem with 20# and 30# Fireline on a Shimano 4500 B Baitrunner. Use it for eels and plugs off the beach and all kinds of live baits on the boat.