need some help/tips for fishing braid

[Joshwado 11]

Hey Guys,I went down to tackleworld last friday to get some lures, but ended up walking out with a empty wallet and a shimano t-curve, not exactly sure what reel but its a shimano 2500 somthing a rather.The bloked spooled it with 10pound Rovex braid and away i went, as soon as i got back to clare i hit up the lake and it felt great for about 5 casts then i had massive wind knots. the reel isnt over spooked and the braid is tight. ive been out 3 times now and within 10 casts im getting wind knots. im sure its something im doing wrong.I had never fished with braid so any advice or tips would be great.Cheers Josh

[nickmav 0]

hi mate,if the braid is tight and the spool not over full then i reckon your line is twisting while you fish then as you cast it twists up on itself and then you are fudged.are you using a good quality swivel thats not too big for your 10 lb line?thats one thing to try.also the design of your bail arm roller might be shite and that twists the line as you wind it on?thats all i can suggest,start with the swivel and see how you go.

[Joshwado 11]

ok this may sound stupid but do u mean swivel between the braid and leader or the leader and lure?

[afishyfish 4]

I havent used light braid a lot myself, but Im told its more prone to wind knots, presumably simply because its so fine If nickmav is right, maybe try checking the line roller is turning freely. It might be worth a call to the tackleworld you bought it from too;

[projoe 261]

respool with 5lb POWER PRO.much better braid, dont worry about swivels tie your leader 6-8 lb with a 5 turn surgeons knot should all work alot better.

[urhookedfish 12]

respool with 5lb POWER PRO.much better braid' date=' dont worry about swivels tie your leader 6-8 lb with a 5 turn surgeons knot should all work alot better. [/quote']Projoe is on the money with this one. 10lb is too heavy for most freshwater lurecasting unless your chasing big Yellows or cod.You only need 4 or 6lb braid.The surgeons knot will reduce the size of the knot on your leader and stop it from catching on the eyes of your rod as you cast, allowing the lure to gain more momentum meaning more distance and less wind knots.

[Ranger 48]

Forget the idea of a swivel if you are lure fishing. The leader is tied directly to the braid, while the leader and knot passes through the eyelets of the rod.The guys in the tacklestore know their stuff, so you can guarantee that it's a braid friendly reel and that it was also spooled tightly.The problem with fishing soft plastics and light lures is that after a few casts, and the subsequent retrieval of very light lures, the braid does start to loosen on the spool, and this is when the knots start appearing.It's important that every few minutes you retrieve the lure with the line held tightly between your fingers while winding, and this will retension the line on the spool.When fishing with any light braid, the occasional knot is inevitable. It's the skill of unpicking which needs to be developed.I wouldn't go any lighter than 6lb when starting out with braid, as the lighter you go the more problems you will have encountering knots. I dont consider 10lb to be too heavy, but I wouldnt go any heavier either.

[Joshwado 11]

thanks everyone,Ill give it a go im just using blood knots for the braid to leader but im really :c at knots.The bloke that served me recommended 10 pound over 6 or 8 as i had never fished braid.ohh well ill just keep trying and i have a spare spool of mono so if i do get to anoyed ill just swap my spool.Thanks again.

[TT 2]

What Projoe, UHF and Ranger have said are all on the money!It will be something that is hard to get used too but don't worry. Wind Knots happen to the best of us!! Keep Casting and running your Braids don't get discouraged! I have had some terible wind knots but when you get a good fish kicking on Light Braid it makes it all worth it. Now after a few hard years, lots of Research and Casting can I call myself an Average Light Line Braid User! In the mean time have a look at these Links for some good Light Line leader (Braid to Leader) Connection Knots5 Turns Surgeons (Two Parts.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEeAoKvoKoc&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLD799662364993AFFhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Wtb7X5V6s&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLFC91CBA003CC926ESlim Beauty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi4BE-vNqPEDouble Uni.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WigqdKpE7MTT

[Ranger 48]

im just using blood knots for the braid to leader but im really :c at knots.The bloke that served me recommended 10 pound over 6 or 8 as i had never fished braid.

That leader knot is really important. Two of my favourites are the double uni and the albrights. Albrights is very easy to tie, is also a very small knot and is good for joining lines of differing thicknesses. It may pay you to practice up on this as one of your first knots if you intend to stick with braid.Click here to view knot: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-tie-albright-fishing-knot-250565/Listen to the guy in the tacklestore, coz he's on the money. Many of us here tend to forget after awhile that others may be just starting out, and when you get into the really light braids (ie: 4lb or even 6lb) your current problems would only be compounded.Persevere and just like everyone else you will come to love braid, and you'll only use mono or flouro for special applications as required.

[nickmav 0]

yeah mate, didnt know you were lure fishing. no swivel then. i use a double uni knot for braid to mono and its great, easy to tie too.

[snake 1]

i also check my braid has not looped across the top of the spool after EVERY SINGLE CAST which is a major cause of wind knots, after each cast be sure to give the line a slight tug to keep tension on the spool after the bail arm has been engaged and before retrieving your lure to keep the line tight against the spool as this is when the line lacks the tension and a loop can occur laying on top of the spool instead of around the spool, plenty of time on the water will soon have you fishing braid relativly hassle free cheers snakep.s. try power pro next time, seems to out perform most other braids i have used before

[Joshwado 11]

Hey every1 just want to say a bit thankyou for all the tips and info,has been a few weeks now and i havnt had any wind knots in the last 5 times ive gone out for a fish.Also i have landed 2 nice silvers and 3 30+cm reddies on braid and now know why you guys like it.thanks again Josh.

[gonefishing^ 0]

nice work!