[Derek Malpass]

Hey all,

got a new reel for christmas and need to line it up, its a penn 230 gto, i kept hearing braid was the way to go so i set out to go get some and found that in order to fill the reel with braid its gonna get pricey, but i heard of backing the reel with about 2/3 of its capacity with mono and filling the rest with braid, my question is:

1. Is this a good idea and/or the norm?
2. how do i go about attatching the braid to the mono, some sort of knot or a small barrel swivel?

thanks for any help!

 

[sandeel]

Braid/Mono

You must put something underneath the braid....mono is a good base....... I use a double clinch not.... I make a loop with the braid and tie on the mono with a clinch not... then I turn it around and tie the braid to the mono with a modified clinch not.... almost a blood not but I tie both sides separately.... the mono breaks before the braid... 14 lb braid with 20 lb leader.... This will also work to tie the base "coat" of mono to the top "coat' of braid...... The knot is very small and will not break.... I have landed 40 inch fish on this rig.....

Cheers,

 

[South Paw]

If you don't use backing, braid will not grip the spool on the reel and can actually spin right off. Been there done that...

Good Fishin

 

[Frank Jennings]

If you use straight braid, wrap the reel one time around with duck tape, the braid will grip it and not slip. I do this with my open faces and boat rods.

 

[Derek Malpass]

thanks for all the replies, im gonna go line up the reel now!

 

[tonydivefish]

try an albright to attach braid to mono.

 

[Getaway]

I go along with Tony on this

 

[Mike Avery]

I tend to disagree that it's a "must" to have mono first then braid. How many times have you really been spooled and gotten to the end of your line anyways. And if it's a big fish you have not been able to turn, you're probably done when you reach the end of your line anyways whether it's braid or mono. If you're spooling smaller test braid, like less than 20 lbs or so, you may need some backing as a full pack of small diameter braid tends to bind on itself as it get packed. But I tend to use 30 lbs or better and don't have a problem with binding. The other problem you have if your backing is mono is it must be changed more often than your top shot of braid which can be a pain to unspool your braid onto something else temporarily while you replace your mono backing.

I like to pack as much braid as a can on my reels. Sometimes fighting a bigger fish you need as much line capacity as possible and mostly braid will give you that. Yes it's more initial outlay of expenses but the braid will outlast mono by years as long as there are no nicks or abrasions in the braid. I like to top shot my braid with a shot of mono or flourocarbon to give essentially a longer leader as rocks or structure (like piling) can easily put a nick in the braid. Then if you see a nick in your mono/flouro top shot, just trim it back.

For joining braid to mono, I've been using this sebile knot. Kind of a pain to tie and not one done quickly on a boat. But this knot once done correctly will not fail at the knot, your line will break before this knot gives.

http://videos.sportfishermen.com/embedPlayer.php?vid=9d068c869fd3e03fc606ec297

 

[Jim Hodge]

Braid to Mono knot

The best knot to use the Uni to Uni knot for connecting braid to mono:

PowerPro - Catch The Power!

 

[jhmorgan]

The best knot to use the Uni to Uni knot for connecting braid to mono

:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Mike Avery]

While the uni to uni is a great knot and easy to tie, I would not lable it the best. Draw your own conclusions.

Sport Fishing - Braid Knots (50-Pound Test)

 

[jhmorgan]

The reason that I like the uni-uni so much is the complete package. Easy to tie when on the water regardless of conditions, easy to yell directions to someone next to you if they have never tied it, and it almost never fails me.

.02

 

[jcarroll]

Bimini to Bimini loop to loop. You should only have to tie it once. The big thing with the backing is that you can just put a top shot of braid on (i.e. 200 yds.) or what have you. We do this simply because the braid is subject to being weakened by knicks and cuts in the line. This way after a tough day, you are replacing 10 bucks worth of braid, and the mono backing stays on.. including the bimini . so there

 

[Mackey]

I back my reels with a 80lb dacron line (not that mono is not just fine) and use a uni knot to connect the braid to the dacron. Whichever backnig you use, put it on tight else the braid will cut into it.

 

[Derek Malpass]

i ended up doing a uni to uni and pulled on it quite hard and it stayed, i was attatching 80lb mono to 80lb braid. although next time i may have to try the albright method, that looks mighty strong. thanks again for all the input!

 

[nathan_h_britt]

I have to agree with the Double Uni Knot, I use 20lb Fluorocarbon under 50lb braid(fresh and saltwater) and yet to lose a fish(not counting the blues), but as was stated earlier be careful because I have had the braid cut into it’s self and it’s a pain in the a$$ to even try to clean up a rats nest of braid