statesquider 0 Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 I'm looking at converting my Okuma Avenger ABF30 to braid (will upgrade the reel when money permits) and i'm not sure what to put on it..I currently run 8lb mono and it fits 260yards of it, the line is running low and I'd like to replace it soon. I use this reel more than any other and target carp in the torrens, squid, flathead, mullet, gar, bream, whiting, salmon trout and salmon etc. Now I find it to be great fun on big salmon but the line capacity isn't quite high enough so I'd like to increase it. I enjoy using a smaller reel and its less abuse on the wrists at the end of a day of casting :)So, I wouldn't mind peoples opinions on what braid to fill the spool with and what line strength. Any help will be much appreciated.Cheers Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coonta kinta 1 Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 statesquider wrote:Now I find it to be great fun on big salmon but the line capacity isn't quite high enough so I'd like to increase it.I read this line 3 times to make sure I wasnt missing something :dry: Why do u say that 260 yards isnt enough, should be enough line there to stop any salmon even from a beach :huh:Have stopped 2+kg salmon with far less line even on 1kg. I will conceed however that this was from a boat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kelvin 2,206 Posted September 7, 2009 Report Share Posted September 7, 2009 For the small species 260 yard of 8lb is heaps. I would just top shot 100m of 6lb braid on top and go from there.At the moment I prefer size 1000 reels for most of my light fishing and they would only fit 80 to 90 yard of 8lb mono.They balance much nicer with a light graphite rod and I can get a full 100m of 4lb or 6lb braid on the reel. This is more than enough for most species. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
statesquider 0 Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I find a lot of the line disappears when you cast off the beach and the biggest I've caught on it was just under 4kg and took most of the line, just want more line to play it safe.May end up just spooling with mono again and see how it goes Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest matty_G Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Mate ive got one of them reels and i use 15b braid on it with backing,that i use for chasin school mullies in the onk,also for salmon and im yet to run low when i get a fish on,i would recomend the same to you ss,theres a heap of line on the reel and its as thin as in diameter,hope this helps Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dutchxfisher 18 Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 hey statesquider, is it maybe that you haven't got the full 260yds of line spooled on at the moment?I have this same issue as you on my Shimano 2500 while running braid, but it's because I've lost a considerable amount of braid due to line twist and whatever else so I've prob only got around 80-100mtrs left on. I've gotta change soon, but I didn't struggle with this amount on a 3kg carp I caught the other day. But if you are running 260 yds of 8lb that should be plenty to stop even the big ass salmon and even snapper to around 5kg. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coonta kinta 1 Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Maybe you need to tighten the drag Be very surprised if your casting 100m or better & then to loose another 100m or better to a salmon Think either your fishing with too light a drag or the spool is not filled to capacity. If none of the above apply, check to see that your 8lb isnt more like 15 with a thickness to match. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kelvin 2,206 Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 A 4kg salmon on 8lb sounds like fun.For lure fishing off the beach I use size 4000 and size 5000 stradics. I've got about 200m of 12lb braid and about 50m of 20lb mono backing. I find this is light enough for me to still use the same outfits for gar and tommies off the jetty, but has enough strength to tackle a decent salmon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
statesquider 0 Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I reckon the spool must not have been full at the time, might just but some better line. Is currently spooled with okuma 8lb which i used to love but now hate with a passion. The line is totally useless! Stretches ridiculously and has the worst memory of a line i've ever seen :(Can anyone recommend a decent 8lb line that comes on a 300yd spool? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plankton 725 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 statesquider wrote:Can anyone recommend a decent 8lb line that comes on a 300yd spool?I feel it's hard to beat Maxima, great line, not overly expensive, and you can find it anywhere. I think the spools are 330 yards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
statesquider 0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Ah cool. I've used that line before its on one of my reels at the moment. I'd forgotten what it was called, cheers for that Quote Link to post Share on other sites
coonta kinta 1 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Yep I like the maximas & platypus lines, although I'm sure there are others, platil was one I heard people speak highly of also. Have a fondness for Maxima chamelion & fibreglow, but depends on what you want from it. Suppleness, abrassion resistance, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SuperThahn Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 defintly need to tighten your drag.It should be se at 1/3 of the breaking strain of your line.I just recently did a trip out to rocky and greenly island andwe were catching 4kg skipjack(striped tuna) on 1kg mono and only had 125yrds on there and only had one bust off and that was casting when a leader knot got caught on the guides. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rocknev 2 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 maybe try some snyder line... thats good stuff with not a lot or stretch in mono.dont know if they do a braid or not.i cant use braid from the rocks...the rocks just rips it to pieces. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
statesquider 0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 My drag was definitely tight enough, I always run it at 1/3 breaking strain, comparing how much line is on my reel now to what it would have been I'm guessing there couldn't have been more than 200yds on it. When you cast a 45gm pillie off a beach as far as it can be physically thrown and you get a big salmon it doesn't leave much. I rarely fish off boats as I'm prone to chundering haha so all my fishing is done on jetties, on beaches or off rocks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rocknev 2 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 statesquider wrote:My drag was definitely tight enough, I always run it at 1/3 breaking strain, comparing how much line is on my reel now to what it would have been I'm guessing there couldn't have been more than 200yds on it. When you cast a 45gm pillie off a beach as far as it can be physically thrown and you get a big salmon it doesn't leave much. I rarely fish off boats as I'm prone to chundering haha so all my fishing is done on jetties, on beaches or off rocks.ive done a bit of rock fishing.. where i go , snags are a given not an unlucky thing.ive tried heaps of different lines...some quality, some cheapy.the snyder line was pretty good, and the next time it gets a re-line, im putting more snyder on.the only reason it was taken off before was when i fixed a big chunk missing from the alvey.ive tried braid, not good for getting snagged in the rocks... in fact...its out and out crap,the rocks rip it to pieces but im sure its fine from beaches, boats or jetties.i use 25lb, also for the rocks.i used to use 20lb, but damn i lost some fish through snags... it just needed that little extra toughness that the 25 gives.i once went to a quality 30lb pretest... i wont mention the name, just to say for 50 bucks, it was a waste of money.i also had enough of it left to spool the abu7000, and it doesnt work on that either.i can give it a couple of pulls, and snap it by hand.so i put some scales on it, and gave it a slow tug... it got to just 15lb before letting go.the shop i bought it from is now closed, but they said its pretest, and gaurenteed to break before the lb rating...i was expecting a bit more than HALF of the rated capaicity.ive still got a 100mtrs or so left, and i only use it once a year now...to hang the christmas reeve on the front door. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
statesquider 0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Yeah i know what you mean, do need to correct though... the line i was using was not okuma but the yozuri hybrid one. Totally useless for spooling or for making up rigs, now that line is going to be used around the house for random things not worth the bother! I'm in the process of overhauling my gear and putting some real thought into what I actually need to use and what line is best and what combos i'd like to use from now on. The way I do everything now is all slapped together with minimal thought so I think I wil really benefit from a decent look at what I need. Should help me a bit more and make my gear more useful to me all a learning process but this site is helping me out a heap! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rangfish 1 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Well ive got a 2500 shimano and i spool that up with four pound Finns original PRT braid and the Daiwa 2000 is spooled up with four pound berkley fireline. I tend to use four pounds because it can handle big bream, golden perch, reddies and small mulloway. Now the leader i use is six pound sunline flurocarbon as the fish cannot see it. both lines have a high knot strength and can handle a big fish. the prices on the Finns is about $44 and the fireline is about $30 and the leader is about $24. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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