I run a swivel between braid and mono leader. My opinion is a swivel is a must on spinning gear. If using conventional I forgo the swivel and tie direct. I only use a shocker if using heavy stuff on a conventional. The knot of choice for me is a uni to uni. a drop of zap a gap on the braid side helps a lot too.
On the backing; it depends on what reel I am putting braid on. A VS 250 will hold probably 100 bux worth of braid so mono backing out to the holes in spool is a must. but if using a daiwa emblem pro or similar reel I only put enough mono on spool to to cover the arbor.
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