PowerPro braid - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

nightfighter · 05-20-2003, 08:45 PM

Cast with 30# Power Pro for firs time tonight and wow! it does cast nicely!

My question is this; any hints on protecting the fingers before i get nice and cast calloused? A couple times I felt like I was close to getting sliced through the skin, mostly with the heavier plugs. Of course I need to get the cobwebs out and get my timing down a little more precisely. Felt rusty.

Thanks guys

Ross

Larry Storch · 05-20-2003, 09:35 PM

I hate to let this out... but the truth is I really like manicotti

BigBo · 05-20-2003, 09:49 PM

Huh?

blackeye · 05-20-2003, 09:56 PM

love the stuff, no problems with the fingers. workin hands

bloocrab · 05-21-2003, 12:33 AM

Ross...some guys use a glove...some guys use taped up fingers, I think they even make a guide/gadget to hold the line for some reels ... but I think once you get your "timing down a little more precisely"...you be just fine. It does cast like a dream though..be careful of windknots too...and DON'T overfill the spool...and some guys jig or plug in a way that the PowerPro doesn't retreive back on the spool properly, it goes on too loose and can put you in a bind in no time...you want to make sure your not one of those guys.

Good Luck.....and whip it...whip it good...

mikecc · 05-21-2003, 05:23 AM

Quote:

I think they even make a guide/gadget to hold the line for some reels

called the Breakaway canon lots of guys on the canal use them

ragfly · 05-21-2003, 06:16 AM

No problems with a spinning reel. By the way the power pro will limber up was you use it a few times. Pretty stiff out of the box.

SeaWolf · 05-21-2003, 07:25 AM

you can get a glove to wear over your hand as suggested. also, there is a leather finger you can purchase that works well. relatively cheap. the saltwater edge has some in stock when i was there this weekend. cheap too.

179 · 05-21-2003, 07:48 AM

My opinion of PowerPro isn't real good. Other than being able to cast a bit further, maybe 10-15' than my mono setup, I have had nothing but problems with this line. As stated above do not overfill the reel, if you are having a shop load it up specifically tell them not to. I had several monster knots develop while casting into the wind. Other problems I find is the line frays very easy, much faster than mono. It's not a good match for a rocky area.

Others in here may dissagree, but I can tell you that nothing is more frustrating that untangling or cutting knots out of fishing line while others around you are landing fish.

The only time I see this line as being a real benefit would be the fall when often fish may be just out of the range of a mono line cast.....

Steve K · 05-21-2003, 08:09 AM

I love PP. I have been using 30 and 50# for a year now and I have no complaints. I have not had one wind knot. I fished into 30 knot winds on the Block last year with no problem. With a spinning reel definitely close the bail manually and pull out a little line to make sure that there are no loops formed after casting. I do agree that it is not the best around rocky areas because it will fray when rubbed upon rocks but if you can avoid the rocks, it works well. I cannot believe how much further I cast with it compared to mono.

fishweewee · 05-21-2003, 08:48 AM

PP is okay on spinners. I like Fireline better.

As people mentioned, don't overfill spool and leave line loosely packed on spool - you'll have a situation where all the line on the outermost portion of the spool will come off at once and you'll get a horrible birdsnest.

If you use PP 30 lb., don't try to leader up a fish with your hands, it will cut you. Use a net or a gaff (if you plan on keeping the fish) or gloves.

Periodically cut back a few feet of the end of the PP so you avoid breakoffs.

Periodically WET PACK the line back on the spool (regardless of whether spinning or conventional), if you haven't already done so in the beginning.

30 # PP and direct tie to fluoro leaders don't mix (I use a modified Albright). Fluoro is brittle to start with and my experience is that 30 # PP will either cut through fluoro or the fluoro will snap itself. Use a swivel to connect PP with a longer than usual length of leader.

-WW

Stroth · 05-21-2003, 08:55 AM

all in all I love this line, but it does take some time to get used to.

I've had a couple wind-knots/breakoffs, but I tied power pro to fluro, not what wee wee said.

one thing to keep in mind is that as advertised there is absolutely no stretch with this line. I don't think my break-offs where wind-knots. I think they were casts when I had too much fling/snap in my cast and not enough length of line between the lure and the rod-tip

power pro is great for jigging. you feel every bump/tap/hit. i haven't plugged with it enough to comment.

careful it will cut your hands :-)

Mike P · 05-21-2003, 12:47 PM

I've had more unexplained breaks, and more tangles, with Power Pro than with all the other superbraids I've used combined.

3 years of Whiplash---one break due to me not noticing a fray piece of line jigging the Canal. Not a single tangle.

3+ years of Fireline----no breaks, no tangles.

3 years+ of Spectron---not a single break or tangle, even with full-blown "professional overruns" while casting 5 oz jigs at the Ditch. Every "professional overrun" picked out clean.

2 years of Rip Cord Si---no breaks, however, several tangles. The stuff is flat, and more prone to tangling for that reason.

3 days of PP---3 breaks on two diferent spools of 50#. Spooled 30# on a Daiwa 2600 reel and had a monster tangle on second cast, throwing a 1 oz Deadly #^&#^&#^&#^& on a light spinner, with a tailwind, at MV.

Don't tell me about learning curves either

I got that lecture last Sat night from a Power Pro fan/user on a jetty, and within 5 minutes of delivering it, he was sitting in the cab of his truck untangling a mess of knotted line while I kept on catching with 30# Fireline

Steve K · 05-21-2003, 01:07 PM

I wonder why some people have great experiences with one brand of braid and others do not? I guess everyone should try one until he or she finds one that works best. I for example, had the worst experience with whiplash on my mag elite. When I switched to PP, no more mysterious break offs and any backlashes that I got, I could pick out. To each his own.

Marc Z · 05-21-2003, 02:02 PM

Same here as Mike P; mysterious break offs with the PP.
I'm a Fireline guy.
MZ

Krispy · 05-21-2003, 02:20 PM

I like PP, but the minimum lb Ill use is 50lb. I find the 30 wraps alot on tips and isnt thick/stiff enough with wind in my face. I use 30 Fireline and like it also.
My first expereince with braid was using Whiplach a few years ago and it was horrible. Constant birds nests wraps and tangles. Then I started using Spectron with no problem but it picks up lots of water and feels annoying to me. I think I like the thicker and stiffer braids.
I would never go back to mono

nightfighter · 05-24-2003, 10:17 AM

Bump

Casting PP30# for 4 hours this AM without a hitch. Then I got a wrap or loop from underneath and game over, and not the way I intended. So I now am about to attempt to unravel this mess, or shorten up the spool.... Might consider going to 50# to alleviate this problem.

Couple more schoolies from shore in NE blow. Lotta weed around up here.

I am also signed up witha girl from DMF for a program where I record the length of ten fish per month and remove at least six scales from spine between dorsal fins for her to study the striped bass demographics. Pretty neat to be a part of a study to help the stock. If interested, PM me or I will post her info.

Ross