jezzap84 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Hey All, I finally have gotten my beach rod, a lovely present from my in laws. Keen to give it a go but have a few questions I thought I would ask you knowledgable people. What lb line should I be using for beach fishing? Should I go mono or braid? I have looked and seen the different setups to use, but get varying results on the strength and type of the line. Hopefully the weather holds out over the weekend so I can have my first crack at it. Cheers in advance all. Jezza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prawns Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I considered this question myself. Keep in mind Im a complete fishing newbie so YMMV and if Im wrong hopefully somebody jumps in and corrects me I considered braid on my surf rod,but then I read mono can be good for surf beaches as the waves hit the mono and it stretches and absorbs the impact making it more likely your bait is left where you cast it. Braid doesnt stretch, so everytime a wave hits the line the bait and sinker is more likely to be dragged a little. I run patonoster rigs with star sinkers on surf beaches usually so I wanted my bait to stay where I cast it as long as possible (hence I stayed with mono) But - When it comes time to set your hook or land a fish and for general "feedback" I guess braid would be more preferrable, but braid is also easier for the fish to see so perhaps its a trade off in a few areas and the answer may lie in how you want to fish personally and how big a fish your trying to target, and also what your rods rated for (perhaps check your guides on your rod are "braid safe" and also what rating line your rods supposed to have on it) Maybe that helps a little, I hope Im not giving a bum steer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linc Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Good advice Prawns. I personally prefer mono in the surf, but I use braid for everything else, as Prawns mentioned, it doesn't get carried by the waves so much, also if you're new to surf casting on your new rod it is liekly you'll do the odd wild cast which may end up tangled with someone elses line and mono is much easier to untangle As far as braid being seen, flurocarbon leader is the solution that, so thats not a problem, but still I prefer mono for the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quochuy Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Braid or mono is to your liking. On my spinning setup I use 10lb braid and heavier leader, on my Alvey I use 15lb mono (small diameter) with heavier leader. I don't mind my line being carried around, I can use a spider sinker if I want my bait in place. A braid line allows further cast and feel the fish better. But braid is not great with Alvey but the Alvey is already good for long cast anyway. Hut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 When choosing a line you need to know what the rod is rated at and the type of reel eg your not going to put 10lb line on a 10kg rod and a 14000 size reel. I generally prefer mono in the surf, but that's just a personal preference. Harry If it's to good to be true, it usually is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I sometimes run 100m of braid at the back of 200m of mono! If I hit the braid I know I'm onto a big fish! Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linc Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I sometimes run 100m of braid at the back of 200m of mono! If I hit the braid I know I'm onto a big fish! Cheers scratchie!!! Isn't that a bit reversed to standard practice Scratchie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LungFai Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Yeah, but it solves the wave stretch/moving bait etc problem and gives him more leeway if he hooks on a monster with the braid backing. Just think of it as braid with 200m mono leader Don't think his braid backing has seen daylight since he put it on there though Edited January 21, 2014 by LungFai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Isn't that a bit reversed to standard practice Scratchie? Sort of linc, but it allows you to get more line on your spool. I prefer fishing with mono on the beach. Lungfai, you are quiet cheeky and yes I've hit the braid twice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennoz Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 mono here too i started with braid and it was a nightmare. Birds nests, weed monsters - you'l see more of these beach fishing than anything else and you'l go crazy trying to untangle that mess. i cut out so many tangles that i just switched to mono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LungFai Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Lungfai, you are quiet cheeky and yes I've hit the braid twice! Yeah i get told that alot, keep forgetting to tone down my personality when on the net as reading text does not have the same desired effect when you speak the words. Was it a shark or Ray when your braid saw daylight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Mono for me too, I like 12lb Platypus Pret-test if I can afford it (the Alveys take a lot of line!). Doesn't need to be overly heavy off the beach as there is little in terms of snags apart from seaweed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Yeah i get told that alot, keep forgetting to tone down my personality when on the net as reading text does not have the same desired effect when you speak the words. Was it a shark or Ray when your braid saw daylight? All good! Believe it or not, one was a wobby about 30kg. Didn't notice the line slowly sneaking off while I was using another rod at night. And the second is out there swimming with an 8/0 hook and 60lb leader somewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 All good! Believe it or not, one was a wobby about 30kg. Didn't notice the line slowly sneaking off while I was using another rod at night. And the second is out there swimming with an 8/0 hook and 60lb leader somewhere! HAH! reading this makes me feel at home. I just respooled 300m of 30lb braid onto my main reel. I lost most of my braid to a horse of a fish a while back, and after the break I was left with less than 100m of 30lb brid ontop of 15lb mono. Since I have had to massive runs but had to break both of because if the 15lb gets out then it all gets lost. Now im respooled and ready, the next big thing aint getting away. To the OP, Advise, I like braid. It doesnt have stretch and is moved by the waves alittle, but monos diameter is huge by comparison and gets dragged like a sail anyway. However windknots are a B!@#H. But its great on the cast. I personally would say braid, but each to their own. As stated above look at your rod and its stats. Then you can choose a line weight and casting limit and such. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzap84 Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Thanks all, Mono seems to be the preferred choice. My rod is 6-10kg rating, with an 8000 reel attached to it. Combo package. My initial thoughts were 12lb Mono, with a heavier leader. Was thinking 14-16lb. Would that be on the money or am I way off? Hopefully heading out on Friday with a mate to give it a crack. If the above is correct I only need to buy the heavier leader line and I am all set. Cheers Jezza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LungFai Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Your get up is in da bag yo, you be busting dem stinky's in no time G dawg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Thanks all, Mono seems to be the preferred choice. My rod is 6-10kg rating, with an 8000 reel attached to it. Combo package. My initial thoughts were 12lb Mono, with a heavier leader. Was thinking 14-16lb. Would that be on the money or am I way off? Hopefully heading out on Friday with a mate to give it a crack. If the above is correct I only need to buy the heavier leader line and I am all set. Cheers Jezza I'd go a 15lb line... You'll be casting whole pilchards on ganged hooks plus other larger baits like squid strips Harry If it's to good to be true, it usually is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Ray Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 15lb is perfect for the beach, even if you hook a monster you can set your drag accordingly and there is generally no reef or rock to be busted on so you can let the fish take line Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 ^^Good plan till that ray keeps going and you run out of line. Hah, all good fun. 15lb is perfect. I run 30 and 20lb, but tend to run the drag lower to enjoy the fight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troutboy Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Hi Jezza, if you are using an alvey stick to low stretch mono of around 15lbs or so , but on anything else braibed line is the go. Contrary to what has been stated above braid will not be dragged around anywhere near as much as a mono line up to 5 times the diametre of the braid.There is usually little to no structure on a beach environment so heavy mono is not needed.I personally use a 6000 size shimano reel spooled up with 15lbs braid attached to a 2m flourocarbon leader around 20lbs and have never been undergunned even landing small sharks and rays.You can always drop down in leader size if you are chasing whiting or bream to something more appropriate around 10 to 15lbs. Braid will be easier to cast,cast further and be much more sensitive to the sometimes small bites you can miss if using mono. hope this helps cheers troutboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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