REELS, RODS, AND BRAID

[fcap60]

Eddie:

Why not just stick with the Ande Backcountry if you had no problems with it ?

I use both braid and mono depending on my set up, but in many cases I still prefer mono for a bunch of reasons. It depends on you style and type of fishing and your set up. At the end of the day, you should probably go with what works best for you with the least amount of problems.

I should probably add, that fireline is my personal choice of braid / super lines

[1dozenraw]

Originally Posted by 1dozenraw

1. Must close bail by hand... not by cranking
2. Must not overfill spool
3. I'd stick with original fused Fireline (20 or 30lb) and stay away from Power Pro, etc. It's stiffer, thicker and behaves a little better / more like mono
4. If you fish pencils a lot, it takes some extra care to have the line go on the spool with some tension so there are no really loose winds that might cause a wind knot.

Originally Posted by 1dozenraw

5. Glance at the top of the spool frequently to make sure there is no loop over the top of the spool.

There's a guy who fishes at the end of the B-way, uses Rangers only and uses a 650SS. He wears a glove on his right hand and retrieves his plug while keeping the line running through his thumb and 1st finger. I think the reel is loaded with Power Pro. Not sure his technique is necessary, but that all he does, watched him for a few years and he does not get knots.

I should add that after a very short time of practicing all these little does and don'ts, they become automatic and require no thought or effort. It's simply second nature... no big deal.

[bloocrab]

Although I do agree that Fireline is a more forgiving product, I still find that PowerPro outperforms it.

Fireline has more of a "break-in" period where-as PowerPro is ready to go after getting it wet a couple of times...Fireline remains stiff for a couple of outings

Fireline also gets that frayed-furry appearance as it ages which may also affect it's ability to get you the most distance (every bit of resistance matters, especially with the lighter lures). That furriness must also affect it's strength, it imagine it must be broken strands???

Call me crazy, but I also found that it lit up the bioluminescence more than PowerPro did ...that being said, it's more probable that there just happened to be more light-brite in the water on that night.

PowerPro required more of a learning curve for me than did Fireline, again..Fireline is/was more forgiving to windknots/birdnests.

In the beginning, PowerPro had MANY issues with "phantom breaks". I did some investigating and found that some spools had what appeared to be compressed or pinched spots (best way I can describe it). I believe these were the causes of my "phantom breaks". I did not have any cracked or fractured guides and I had it happen with brand new spoolings of line. I haven't seen this issue in quite a few years now, so I believe the problems been corrected.

Just my 2cents of experience...