Braid

[spog777 1]

Well ive done it-ive bought some braid. I bet all you braid specialists are hitting your foreheads and thinking oh no another beginner with dreams of grandeur and full fish bucket :whistle: Youre also thinking what brand, weight etc. With shallow pockets i forked out for 300m of Sea Lion 10lb (dia 0.07) - probably not one of the better professional ones but a blokes gotta start somewhere :c So this month i'm having a go with it down yorke's way and will let everyone know how it did/didnt go :dry: Now all i have to do is get the bloody stuff onto my reel (yep i'll use mono filler) as tight as possible-interesting to see how i go as help is non existant :ohmy: but perseverence is one of my few attributes-or was that pig-headedness?? As i said earlier this month ive never caught a bloody thing on squidgies etc so this is my next step as im determined to make a go of this fishing genre.

[TT 2]

Good Luck in Yorkes Spog777!! I must say I was a bit wary at the start like you when it came to fishing braid. But let me say I will never go back to mono!! I love they way theres no stretch, casts like a bullet and for strentgh to diameter is just amazing. It is that bit more expensive but when it comes down to it, I don't mind spending the money!!!

[Woody 0]

I too have gone the way of the braid and so far I'm loving it (although maybe being a born-again virgin to the sport it was a simple transition )A handy tip I found is to:1. Wind the spool on the same way it comes off. Don't 'line-up' the spool with the rod when winding on, keep it almost 'side-ways' if you wish so as it rolls off in one direction, it ends up on your spool in the same.2. Use a wet sponge. Not sure how good or not this is, learnt this from an old man who's a keen fisherman i know who told me this trick. Running the line through the wet sponge means it goes on moist (moist, not drenched!) and therefore will go on tighter.Not sure how 'biblical' they are but they work for me :cheer:

[Rollas 2]

Fix the spool to something like a desk or table. I have a bolt with a washer on both ends and a spring and wing nut so I can put the bolt through the table, through the spool then put the washer/spring on with the wing nut to keep the tension.If you cant do something similar drop the spool into a bucket of fresh water then try wrapping the line around a rag a couple of times and winding with that pressure. Be careful because it will slice and cut through the rag and any fingers in it.

[MarsOne 137]

take it to the shop you bought it from and get them to spool it up with a line machine.... You'll never get it on as tight as them

[afishyfish 4]

2. Use a wet sponge. Not sure how good or not this is' date=' learnt this from an old man who's a keen fisherman i know who told me this trick. Running the line through the wet sponge means it goes on moist (moist, not drenched!) and therefore will go on tighter.[/quote']It works well.It stops heat build up on the line, but you need to apply some pressure to the sponge to help lay the line on the spool reasonably firmlyDont forget if the lines on the spool too loosely and you hook something decent, the braid can dig into itself and break easily

[spog777 1]

thanks for all the help and encouragement-great appreciated

[statesquider 0]

You'll love the change mate I've converted all of my reels to braid and don't know why i didn't do it sooner! Bloody awesome stuff even if you use the cheap braid (have now changed all mine to decent braid now as I've found it's even better again)

[breambo25 1]

I find it helpful to pour a bit of freshwater on the reel of braid after the first cast of the day. It enables the line to leave the spool with less friction which results in even longer casts.