I've officially had my fill........

[66KingFisher]

of twistin up mono on my spinning reel that is.....Dang i'm sick of that....I got to go fishin yesterday afternoon for the second time this year and caught my first bass of the season....a nice little 2lb'r on a topwater plug....but it wasn't long before I found myself with loopin,twistin line and a big ol birds nest....once again,Arrrrrrg....so i'm done with mono....i'm switchin to braid.

Guess i'll try the Power pro since i've see it suggested alot....that or maybe Suffix.....either one ought to work better then mono from what I hear.....My only question would be what size braid should I use.....I normally used 10-12 mono on that setup and occasionally spooled it up with 8lb.....should I use the same diameter in braid or go with something thinner?

[Stinkies Daddy]

ok ok ok, i gottra ask a stupid ? are you sure your putting the line on correctly? and if you are heres a lil trick that i use on my reels that have a spool the size of a 50 cent piece, get yourself a heavy book and run the line thru the book as it comes off the factory spool. works for me and my reels are tiny

[66KingFisher]

I don't use your book technique, but I do keep some tension on the line when spooling.....and I try to make sure the line winds onto the reel in the same direction it comes off the spool so as not to reverse spool it......Maybe its the reel.....I dunno.

[Stinkies Daddy]

another ? when you flip the bail does line pop off the spool? if it does then its over filled. give the book method a try it may solve your prob by taling a lot of the twist out before hand.

[66KingFisher]

Nope...never had that issue.

[BassinID]

I believe Kevin has a short video on spooling spinning reels, are you making sure that the line curls off the spool in the same direction that it spools onto the reel? if not the video explains how very well.

[66KingFisher]

Originally Posted by BassinID

I believe Kevin has a short video on spooling spinning reels, are you making sure that the line curls off the spool in the same direction that it spools onto the reel? if not the video explains how very well.

Yes, i've watched Kevins video and found that I was already spooling the same way as what he showed.....made me feel good I was doin sumthin right....hehehe.

[Fishing Fanatic]

I finally gave up using mono on my spinning reels because of the same things you are having trouble with. I went with 20lb suffix braid. Solved my problem.

[66KingFisher]

Originally Posted by Fishing Fanatic

I finally gave up using mono on my spinning reels because of the same things you are having trouble with. I went with 20lb suffix braid. Solved my problem.

I've heard this before....thats why i'm gonna switch.

[MississippiBoy]

Braid will probably solve your problem, but that's expensive...are you closing the bail with your hand, or are you reeling to let it flip closed? Reeling twists the line a turn or two each cast, which adds up quickly. If you're in a boat, trail most of the line behind you with no lure or weight on it for a minute or two at idle speed, reel it all the way in, then trail it again.
Also, what brand of line are you using? I've had good luck with Berkley Big Game in 12 lb, no issues with it yet. But I haven't tried anything lighter than that yet.

[BigBassin144]

66KF, if you have a boat, or can fish off one, try this. let all the line trail behind the boat at idle speed for a few minutes. Then, while keeping tension on the line, reel it back in. That should solve the problem when it happens.

Now, I also use a phone book when spooling up reels, no matter what kind. But once ina while, I just have aspool of mono that won't cooperate, no matter what way it's coming off the spool, or tension or whatever. Most of the time, this has happened to me is with Trilene, and occasionally with Stren. But I've never had it happen so far with Stren Super Knot or any Sufix mono I've used.

If you're gonna switch to braid, which I'm not trying to talk you out of, I'd go with Sufix Performance braid. It smother than powerpro by far. I use it in 10lb on my dropshot reel with no problems. Also, don't forget to put at least a bit of cheap mono backing on before the braid or it will slip.

BB

[Gearhed]

I am loving the 20lb power pro braid on my spinning set up. I have a medium weight setup and it just performs great. Great knots, good casting, no memory, and strength to land more fish. I am going to try Suffix next time I re-spool.

[66KingFisher]

I don't mind the extra expense even though i'm just a poor boy.....at the rate I change out mono because of line twist, i'll probably save money in the long run if braid lasts as long as i've heard.

I don't recall what I spooled on it last....it was either Berkley Big game 12lb or Trilene XL 12lb.....I'm thinkin it was the trilene as I tend to use the big game on my baitcaster most of the time, but i've been thinkin about puttin braid on it also.

I don't own a boat and only get to fish outta one periodicly.....I can tell you that the last thing I wanna do when i'm on the water is mess with my equipment....I just hate doin that when I should be fishin.....The guy I fish with is the worlds worst at that.....he waits till were in the spot he wants to fish before he drags out his noisy tacklebox and starts messin around in it.....15 minutes later he's ready to fish.....but the fish have all left that cove because of all the sound he's been makin....lol....I love the guy but that drives me nuts.....I keep tellin him to get his stuff ready before he leaves home like I do or do it before we back down the ramp.....Oh well....least he takes me fishin once in a while so I can't complain to much....lol

I seem to hear two schools of thought when it comes to brand of braid.....either Power Pro or Suffix....I'm sure either one will suit my needs for now....eventually i'll get around to tryin them both so I can decide what works for me.

[OrygunBasser]

12# Trilene of either big game or XL is marginal on spinning reels unless they are 4000 or bigger at least in my experience! You said you were useing a top water so you were not spooling the line in with much resistance each time! Same with worming, the line never gets spooled tight! The braid should solve the problem though!

[66KingFisher]

I don't know if my reel is considered a 4000 series or not.....its a BPS MegaTournament series model MT30FB....any idea?

[islandbass]

Originally Posted by 66KingFisher

I don't know if my reel is considered a 4000 series or not.....its a BPS MegaTournament series model MT30FB....any idea?

In Shimano terms, the reel you have is most likely a 3000 sized reel. I think the crux of your problem is not mono in an of itself, but the size of mono you are using.

As already mentioned, a 4000 sized spinning reel is more suited to line that size. As a rule of thumb, for "bass sized" spinning reels, choosing line greater than 10# test greatly increases the potential for trouble as you have described. You can bump down to 10# and that will likely reduce your troubles or use 20 or 30# braid.

20# braid has a diameter roughly equal to 6# mono and 30# braid, 8# mono. This should greatly increase your manageability. However, this will change things. Braid, unlike mono is opaque. If you are fishing ultra clear waters, it might affect your strikes and catches such that you might want to consider using a mono or fluro leader. Just consider it if and only if you start to note a reduction in strikes.

Also, a 30 sized reel is going to hold a ton of braid in 20 or 30# test. Matter of fact, you are probably going to be able to put the entire typical 150 yd spool of braid onto your spool and it won't even be close to filling it. Fill the first 50% of the reel with mono about the same diameter (my choice), then join it to your braid to fill up the rest of the spool. This will help to keep the spool at optimum capacity and maximize the use of all of your braid.

When your braid gets low, simply retie to the mono base. If you went 100% braid, that would:

1) Be quite expensive and you would still need to join the braid
2) The braid on the bottom half of the spool will never ever see battle nor the light of day and therefore never be used. And that is a waste of $$.

You might want to try Sufix Mono, siege or elite in 10# first and see if the 12# mono due to its size was your culprit. I think it was. If you can get away with it, 20 or 30# braid will probably serve you well.

[BigBassin144]

3000 size if it's like most reels on the market. The only one I know of that doesn't really go by the standard is Pflueger.

BB

[BigBassin144]

And line size is a big concern with spinning reels and may be another reason you're having problems. I rarely use more than 8lb test on a bass sized spinning reel 1500-3000. If I do use 10lb it'll be on a bigger reel.

BB

[Fishing Fanatic]

If you go with the 20lb Suffix you will be glad you did. Then all you'll have to worry about is fishing... not the slinky mono springing off your reel. Trust me.
By the way, I use the Big Game 15lb. on my baitcasters. Good for buzzbait fishin in the river.

[zooker]

kingfisher

one thing about braid wrap the spinning reel spool 3-4 times before you tie a knot in it.. braid will work loose and spin around the spool... i retighten my braid twice a year...

i use 10 pound braid on my shakey head


zooker

[Bassboss]

Yesterday I lost ALL my braid due to backlash.... in my 4 years (or something like that...) that's the first time thats ever happened to me!

Any way, are you sure your putting it on the right way? Watch Kevin's video on how to put it on the right way, I did it with my brothers reel and he never get line twists any more...... should I add that he's 8!

But braid id great on spinning reels! Get something like 20lb. But be warned, braid dose a number on your spinning rod more so than a baitcast rod!

[Jigger]

Get the Power Pro in the hi vis yellow so you can watch your line to detect strikes then get a permanent marker in army green color and paint a 6 ft or so leader with the marker so the fish can't see the hi vis yellow. I love braided line on a spinning reel for the very reasons you describe.

[ejvesper]

Mono is like what apple pie is to America on a spinning reel...it just kind of belongs....I've used the technique mentioned using the boat. it works well, also maybe consider using swivel instead of tying to the lure....we know you can spool a reel, maybe these two tips will help you with the twist....

[Stinkies Daddy]

Braid loses its color to fast for me

[bonsaibp]

Originally Posted by Stinkies Daddy

Braid loses its color to fast for me

I use a green or black sharpie to color the first 10' or so of line.
Also at the end of the season I spool my braid onto another reel so the used flattened part is on the bottom of the reel and the new used section is now on the top of the reel its like getting twice the line.