newbie question on braid

[Peter Loveday]

I'm just getting into GT popping and about to get a new outfit.
I've noticed that a lot of you guys fish braid test much higher than the reel drag ratings?
80lb on stella 18000 with 55lb drag seems too much to me.

Why is this, especially when a lower test will help you cast further

I'm thinking of putting 65lb tuf-line or power pro or JB on stella 10000 
seem right?
cheers

[Mark Harris]

Hi Peter

Several reasons I would put forward:

1. You have to consider the rating the of rod you are using.  If you rod is rated PE8, it will fish best with that diameter of line. Most GT rods are rated between PE6 and PE10 (call it 60 lbs and 100 lbs if you have to, although that is kind of meaningless these days - it's the line diameter that is important) with the average rod probably being optimum PE8.

2. The ability to muscle in a fish. Typically GT anglers have most success by getting the fish in quickly. That's also much better for the fish.  While a 30 kg GT might not break 50lb line in the water, it is a lot easier to put pressure on the fish with 80lb line.

3. A little bit of extra abrasion resistance.

4. Shock load.  A well-loaded cast of an average GT lure (say 150 grams) puts a huge shock load on the braid. You do not want line explosions before your lure even hits the water.

On your suggested set up of 65 lb (call it PE6) braid on a Stella 10000 - I would totally agree with that and you should match it with one of the lighter PE6-8 GT rods. You can't get enough PE8 on a 10000 size spool, so you would be fishing at the lighter end of a typical GT set up.  That's why many GT anglers choose to fit a Stella 10000 with an after-market spool (size 12000 to 16000) which will hold 200-250 metres of PE8 braid, and keep the factory 10000 spool for PE6 fishing.

Finally, I would personally counsel against using PowerPro anywhere in the 60 to 80lbs range. Infamously bad at absorbing shock load and prone to explosions.  JB and TufLine XP are quite excellent though.

I hope all that makes some sort of sense.

[Andrew Susani]

Mark has covered most of it, but I will add a few comments of my own based on trial and error during a lot of GT trips in local waters.

I use a Saltiga S-Extreme 4500, initially with an FCL Labo 81MH, but after nearly busting my back a few times on big fish with this rod, I bought a Carpenter BLC83/40 - a huge improvement as far as fighting fish goes.  A lot of people will think this rod is too light for big GTs but this prompts the first question:

How big are the GTs that you are regularly likely to encounter?

I only say this because it is a waste of time running heavy gear all the time if you rarely need it, because it will wear you out and you will not enjoy using it.  Like using a 30lb outfit for fishing for bream, just because a jewie might jump on.    I am happy to be undergunned on the rare occasion, because for the other 99% of the time, using a lighter outfit is enjoyable and not tiring.

I initially chose Jigman 65lb which was great for casting distance but I got a lot of wind knots.  I tried reducing the amount of line on my spool, didn't help much.  I put some 100lb Torx (old spool a mate gave me a few years back) on a Saltiga Surf as an experiment and while I had no wind knots, the distance was reduced by about 20-30%.  It was a good exercise though because although the reels are completely different, it did feel like the heavier and stiffer line was easier to manage while casting.

So I wanted to get 80lb tuffline but could only buy 65lb locally, so I tried that.  Initially I did get quite a few wind knots but after reducing my line capacity a little bit on the spool, AND reducing the length of my 130lb mono leader to a 2m length, I rarely, if ever, get wind knots now.   

If I was setting up from scratch though, I probably would go 80lb tuffline or a good quality braid like Varivas, with the 2m leader and slightly underfilled spool.

[Mark Harris]

Wind knots are a huge subject   . It seems to me that so much can effect the prevalence of these annoying things:

- Wind!  I get most when casting into the wind, especially with lighter lines. Can drive me nuts when land-based.
- The way the line lays on the spool.  Some reels definitely produce more than others, sometimes to a horrifying extent. 
Mentioning no names - oh, go on then -  it's another reason not to buy an Okuma Salina  .
- Length of your leader.  Some guys even go as far as having all the leader outside the tip guide.
- Casting technique - a sharp, snappy cast seems to produce way less wind knots than a lazier, more floaty casting style.

Mark has covered most of it, but I will add a few comments of my own based on trial and error during a lot of GT trips in local waters.

I use a Saltiga S-Extreme 4500, initially with an FCL Labo 81MH, but after nearly busting my back a few times on big fish with this rod, I bought a Carpenter BLC83/40 - a huge improvement as far as fighting fish goes.  A lot of people will think this rod is too light for big GTs but this prompts the first question:

How big are the GTs that you are regularly likely to encounter?

I only say this because it is a waste of time running heavy gear all the time if you rarely need it, because it will wear you out and you will not enjoy using it.  Like using a 30lb outfit for fishing for bream, just because a jewie might jump on.    I am happy to be undergunned on the rare occasion, because for the other 99% of the time, using a lighter outfit is enjoyable and not tiring.

I initially chose Jigman 65lb which was great for casting distance but I got a lot of wind knots.  I tried reducing the amount of line on my spool, didn't help much.  I put some 100lb Torx (old spool a mate gave me a few years back) on a Saltiga Surf as an experiment and while I had no wind knots, the distance was reduced by about 20-30%.  It was a good exercise though because although the reels are completely different, it did feel like the heavier and stiffer line was easier to manage while casting.

So I wanted to get 80lb tuffline but could only buy 65lb locally, so I tried that.  Initially I did get quite a few wind knots but after reducing my line capacity a little bit on the spool, AND reducing the length of my 130lb mono leader to a 2m length, I rarely, if ever, get wind knots now.   

If I was setting up from scratch though, I probably would go 80lb tuffline or a good quality braid like Varivas, with the 2m leader and slightly underfilled spool.

[Peter Loveday]

Thanks Mark that answers my Q perfectly

Cheers andrew, My mates have been fishin gts for a few years and mostly catch 20-30kg GTs. amazingly my first ever big GT was 35kg which was one of the biggest they'd caught on that boat.  I was thinking a slightly lighter outfit would be the way to go. Anyway, the need for heavier gear is great excuse to buy some more kit
not looking forward to those wind knots. thanks for the tips