Just bought a new baitcaster reel so I could work on my top-water skills. I was wondering if I should use braid or mono to spool it? (I am used to spinning reels with braid.)

Braid will work fine . . . but . . . a couple of things to consider.

Top water: It is not advisable to use braid for top water fishing as there is no stretch in the line. You will miss fish and have a hard time getting a good consistent "cadence".

Baitcaster and braid: as a general rule with inshore fishing you want to use braid for durability and casting distance. This "most of the time" means light line weight. With a baitcaster you will have to relinquish that rule to get performance. Use 40-50lb. braid. I use power pro but any will do. The reason is that braid will "dig" into the spooled line during hook set and fight. This is not good. The larger line diameter helps this, also it just plain cast better with the heavier line.

I have a Revo Inshore with 50lb. braid and I love it. It cast great and is ultra sensitive.

I hope that helps . . . many more will chime in I'm sure.

Fish-On!

You can use braid...BUT...if you get a good backlash you better just start cutting, unless you have a picking needle and about an hour. If this is your first time throwing a baitcaster, I would not suggest braid. I've fished a baitcaster for years & still dont use braid. Just my $0.02. You can fish topwater with a spinning combo just fine.

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"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"I don't carry a gun to look for or start a fight...I carry a gun to end a fight I never wanted to be in."

I would use MONO for topwater...

Reason: Braid sinks thus pulling the bait down..
MONO floats so it gives you more action for top water, andit also has the benefir of stretchingwhich makes it more forgivingto quick surges and shocks..

Just my2 cents

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Malibu Stealth 14 (Lime Green)
Native 14.5 (Mango)

For topwater use I use mono on my bait cast reels. Depending on the reel 12 to 16lb Momoi Hi Catch which works quite well. I leader with an 18 to 24 inch section of 20lb Momoi tied in with a 4 turn surgeons knot. Braid is fine but will many times result in missed fish since the angler yanks the plug away before the fish has a solid grip on it. Also if you backlash braid ( it will happen ) the result many times is the loss of an entire spool. Just ths morning I hit the water with an Emmrod casting rig, Shimano Curado, 12lb Momoi, and a Super Spook Jr. Made for one heck of nice morning.


http://www.jeffstacklebox.com

Mono, definitely. 4 reasons:
1. Mono does not dog into itself on the spool, which will eventually result in backlashes from even the most seasoned caster.
2. Mono does not soak up water like braid does after the lining has worn through, making it heavier and weaker.
3. Braid is too stiff, it doesn't "curve" after you pop the lure, which leads to too much movement of the lure, which causes you to miss fish.
4. Mono is a heck of a lot easier to tie over and over as you change out your topwater lures in order to dial in on what the fish are hitting.

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Machinist by day, fisherman by, well, day...

Heritage Kayaks Redfish 14 (Baby Puke Green)

i just started using braid on mine about 2 months ago. i use 30lb power pro. i will never go back to mono. if your drag is really smooth you dont have to worry about your line sinking in, but thats not the case with some lower end reels.

Thanks for the imput. I have a feeling I am going to try both. But based on the replies I am going to try the mono first.

lost about 50 yards of braid today on my baitcaster.which is about half the spool.
the brake doesnt work on it which makes using it even harder. ill prolly put a new one on that pole to make sure i actually like a caster more than a spinner before i buy a pole for it too.

Ill be switching to mono on the caster for sure.

I have always used braid on my baitcasters, but coming from a bass background I just have alot of time using it. It is just what you like and are used to using. You just have to learn how to thumb the spoil while casting to prevent backlash. I even have no problems skipping my lures back under docks its all about practice and knowing when to thumb the spoil at the right time. So try them both its all up to what you prefer. Good fishing!!

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2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 135 (Mango)
Future Beach Angler 160 DLX (Sand)
14ft Coleman Scanoe.

when i first used it.it had 6lb test on there. much to small for my liking and hard to get out a backlash. so i put 12lb equivalent sized braid and the feel was much better with a heavier lure. i went to throw a light swim bait and it kept backlashing. i have gotten pretty good at thumb braking considering i learned it with no brake at all.

i got a real bad backlash and just started pulling my line till i got it it got into a tangled mess on the ground and thats where i lost all my line. mono is cheap and i dont feel bad loosing 3 bucks worth instead of 10 on a backlash. ill prolly pick up a new caster combo and leave the one i have for heavy lures.

i have been using braid on my baitcasters for about 8 years now and have no problems. Every once in a while i'll get an overrun ( backlash) and i swear it pulls out better than mono once you figure out how to do it. I throw 1/4 oz lures and topwater all day and could never go back to spinning reels. Everyone i fish with that uses spinning reels get all kinds of wind knots and other issues and i just keep on fishing. I use Abu Garcia 5500 baitcasters which i keep in great condition and i've upgraded them with better bearings.

I have been using 20 lb braid on my baitcasters since about 2006. I have never had any problems. It also works just fine for topwater. I have a baitcaster with a 6.5:1 gearratio the backlashes can be horrific but they will come out. I know i have had a few and may take a little bit to work out but Cutting the backlash out should be your very last option since braid is pretty expensive. Also when you put the braid on make sure its tight this makes it so the line can't barry past the line that doesn't normally get cast out. However I have never had this problem with braid.

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YAK 904

I use braid about 90% of the time. I dress the first 10-20' of my braid with fly line dressing (Chapstick works in a pinch) to keep it floating especially when fishing topwaters. Properly spooled, braid darn seldom cuts down in on a baitcaster. If you will use Spiderwire Fusion, you will absolutely love it--spinning or casting.

I generally use 20# braid but have one Ambassadeur Record 60 with 40. I jumped 3 Tarpon with the 40# this afternoon and would definitely have jumped more with the 20 because I can cast further.

Definitely spool with mono for learning. 12-20# works for me.

The only time I get a backlash is when I hook something behind me. Of course, I've been fishing baitcasters for more than 60 years.

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Capt. Ken

I use light spinner combos for most arties, but if you look at my posts you see I use braid on my BC's. 20# suffix stretch braid works well for me. If your new to BC's, you will more than likely over-run it until you learn to thum break it, so go cheap until you figure it out.
BTW, the suffix I use is $20.00 per spool, but works great and lasts a long time.

I love the sound of braid in the wind, C.