Changing out to new braid

[Jo5hC]

I've had a vanford c3000hg and anarchy 702 2-4Kg as my light tackle setup for pretty much my entire lure fishing journey, and still have the same cheapo braid (jbraid x8) that I had from the beginning (about 5 years ago). If I remember correctly it is 150m of pe1 which I have recently realised is probably too thick for the fishing that I do. I use this setup for pretty much all light tackle applications (squidding, sps, hardbodies, sometimes bait) but my most used application would be soft plastics probably about 70% of my use of that setup.

I fish from 2-7g lures but may go up to 10g if I end up getting a new rod in the foreseeable future. I am thinking about getting pe0.8 braid maybe Jbraid expo or something along that price point. I am thinking to get new braid as I realise how much of an effect braid has on the casting distance, and while my casting distance is far from perfect I suspect that braid will still make a difference. 

I am probably rambling on too much now, but the main question is 150 or 300m of braid? The specs of the reel are a bit confusing as it supposedly holds 200yd of 10lb powerpro braid but also 400m of pe1, so I suspect that it should be able to hold 300m of pe0.8 if I choose. I know most of my bread and butter target species probably won't need the 300m of braid, but I may also use this setup for smaller pelagics (tailor salmon), soapie/school jew in the river and snapper and maybe the extra braid is a bit more security as I have more line to play with. So I was wondering the benefits/disadvantages of getting 300m of pe0.8 compared to 150m of pe0.8 considering what I will be using it for as I have seen mixed responses on this topic online.

Sorry for the ton of context but much appreciated to anyone who can help me out with this question!

-Josh

[bluefin]

You may not find much difference between pe1 and pe0.8 in casting.  I have been using Jbraid Grand for a couple of years,I have not had any problem with it !  I find 150 meters plenty in the river. Off the beach I use 300.   I just ordered a spool of Sunline Siglon ADV 8x   in 0.08 = 10 lb.  Gets a good review and is actually thinner than the 0.08 J braid.  Yes I get caught up in the thickness thing too!  I use mono backing line to bring the braid up to the correct fill mark on my reels ! Takes a bit to get right the first time !

 

https://linelaboratory.com/braid-summary/   They have videos too ! 

Edited November 27 by bluefin

[DerekD]

Hi @Jo5hC,

I used to take the time to really get the backing right and then select a packet of braid of 150m such as Berkley X5 in 4lb to set up my light reels. It meant that when it was time to change out I just stripped the remaining braid and then bought the same packet again. For probably the last of the three or so light reels (1000 and 2500) I've taken advantage of the fact that the price of bulk spools of braid have dropped so much. I walked into my local tackle shop and I've asked for skinny multi-coloured braid and ended up with Siglon on each. The overall length falls somewhere between the 150 and 300 you are talking about and only costs me $35 to $40 from memory.

In the end, for me, the line is a consumable. I don't get many wind knots so don't lose a lot of line and can fish it for several seasons. If I get that fish of a lifetime I have the confidence to know I have a bit of extra line up my sleeve even if I genuinely don't think I'll ever need it. I also don't have to worry about the joiner knot and larger diameter backing passing through the guides on the way out. It takes the guesswork or trial and error out of getting the backing line just perfect so the braid finishes 1m below the inside lip of the spool.

In short, consider getting line off a bulk spool (or the 300m spool you mentioned) as it is inexpensive enough these days and it saves you time stuffing around just trying to get the backing just right.

Regards,

Derek

Edited November 27 by DerekD

[DerekD]

Hi again @Jo5hC,

If you go braid all the way with the bulk spool or the 300m packet of braid just make sure that you lock it into the reel spool with 1m of mono or tape to make sure it doesn't slip at some stage.

D.

Edited November 27 by DerekD

[lhan]

Shimano's 3000 can hold 400m of PE1 so PE1 is not too thick for the reel's designed purpose.

Braid manufacturers have some serious inconsistency issue on line diameters/strength. First, test strength of braid on the package could be break strength of knot/line. Second, measured diameter isn't always the corresponding gouw because they pressed measured to state its diameter and laser measured its gouw or whatever (yes Berkley braid is a good example). Third, even JDM manufactures generally underestimated their line diameters by 30-50%. The higher end brands are better than cheaper ones while this doesn't mean they're better, you pay for the accuracy and QA. So if your reel is stated to hold 400m of PE1, maybe it can only hold 300m of kairiki/jbraid and 350m of varivas PE1.

People always say lb tes strength is generally Gouw x 10 but this is ONLY for JDM lines. They stick to gouw because it's easier to choose line for reels and not too bad to estimate the strength. On the other hand, the U.S. market's test strength is based on knot strength. So taking 10lb power pro as an example, its break strength is well above 10lb and its thickness is a lot more than PE1. So if you want a thin braid for better casting, double check it's actually thin instead of judging based its test strength.

As Dereck said bulk spool is very cost effective per meter and lasts a long time. Personally I now prefer 100-150m on shallow spool/backings if fish PE0.4-0.6 as the targeted fish in this class won't be able to take 100m lines and shallow spool saved the extra 150m sitting there doing nothing for years. What happened if I hooked a king fish? They generally will reef me within 50m even I'm on PE1.5 so I don't worry much about it. The only drawback is if I lost 50m of lines I have to replace the whole spool. if you're on 200m+, just add some backings will do.

Hope this helps.

[JonD]

I've got a Vanford 3000 with Shimano grappler braid. I don't remember what strength but I always buy 300m spools minimum, though Im pretty certain its 16lb and vary thin. Grappler braid breaks close to the stated rating so seems thinner than most brands with the same rating, however many other brands are often much heavier true breaking strains. Daiwa braids also seem to have more accurate strength and diameter ratings so seem thinner also.

I would rather have more light line than less heavy line when it comes to getting control of any bigger fish, so I fish lighter class than most people even targeting bigger species. Very few people will ever fish drag settings these lines can handle so going heavier is just overkill.

If I load a reel and the line looks a bit on the low side, I will wind it back onto the spool using a. rechargeable drill and a bolt with a rubber stopper at the one end. I thin put how ever much mono backing I need on the reel first, then put the braid back on.

Years ago it was always advised to use max drag settings of 1/3 the breaking strain, which would still give over 5lb of reel breaking but I will go way past that and fish up around 10lb without issue on these light lines when I need to and have yet to have braid break. 

My Vanford 3000 had no issues on my last NT trip handling northern bluefin (long tail tuna) and lures down to 5g. I also landed some pretty decent reef species up there too. As for salmon and tailor locally, again no problem on those smaller species and light lures up to 35g. I strong winds I will up my lure weight with that outfit to 40g. With a 35-40g metal and very little wind or offshore wind I cast around 100m using that reel and line, so 150m wouldn't leave much if I hooked something decent.  

I also like really sufix braids which I have on most of my reels but this can be a touch more expensive.

[devoker]

8 hours ago, DerekD said:

Hi @Jo5hC,

The overall length falls somewhere between the 150 and 300 you are talking about and only costs me $35 to $40 from memory.

It was $0.22 or $0.24 (can't remember exactly) /1 m when I got mine spooled a few weeks ago for Siglon. Kairiki was also the same.

[Jo5hC]

Thanks guys for the help! I have decided that I will probably get a 300m spool of jbraid expedition as it’s on sale, but not sure whether to get  pe 0.8 vs 0.6. I checked online and my current braid is 0.15mm diameter and the 0.8 is 0.10mm diameter. Being 2/3rds as thick I would think there would be a noticeable difference in casting distance, but not entirely sure as @bluefin said.

The other option is to get pe 0.6 which has a diameter of 0.06mm which should definitely be a noticeable increase the casting distance, the only drawback being that I need to put more backing on the reel compared to the 0.8 as it is a deep spool (compact body). I’m not too worried about the strength difference as it’s only 2lb advertised difference from 10 down to 8 which is still plenty for what it is mostly going to be used for. 
 

Thoughts? 

[Hill373737]

8 hours ago, Jo5hC said:

Thanks guys for the help! I have decided that I will probably get a 300m spool of jbraid expedition as it’s on sale, but not sure whether to get  pe 0.8 vs 0.6.

Have you used the jbraid expedition previously - I'm  not a fan.

I spooled a little baitcaster with 15lb and found it was too thin and under tension when retrieving buried back into the line on the spool, baitcasters definitely get tricky as you go down in line diameter but I have previously used J8 Grand at 15lb without issues..

I moved it across to a Stradic and whilst it casts great, I've found the smooth coating they use on it tends to rough up and become fluffy.

I definitely prefer the J8 Grand which has been my go to braid for years on baitcasters and spin reels across a wide range of breaking strains - its a lot more robust and user friendly.

[Jo5hC]

8 hours ago, Hill373737 said:

Have you used the jbraid expedition previously - I'm  not a fan.

I spooled a little baitcaster with 15lb and found it was too thin and under tension when retrieving buried back into the line on the spool, baitcasters definitely get tricky as you go down in line diameter but I have previously used J8 Grand at 15lb without issues..

I moved it across to a Stradic and whilst it casts great, I've found the smooth coating they use on it tends to rough up and become fluffy.

I definitely prefer the J8 Grand which has been my go to braid for years on baitcasters and spin reels across a wide range of breaking strains - its a lot more robust and user friendly.

I haven’t had any problems with the fluffing as of yet but I have had one FG knots coming a bit lose and having to retie but not sure if thats because of my knot tying as all the other FG’s were fine. This was also using 30lb fluoro which is a bit tougher to get the knot to cinch down.

[savit]

On 11/28/2024 at 10:21 PM, Jo5hC said:

Thanks guys for the help! I have decided that I will probably get a 300m spool of jbraid expedition as it’s on sale, but not sure whether to get  pe 0.8 vs 0.6. I checked online and my current braid is 0.15mm diameter and the 0.8 is 0.10mm diameter. Being 2/3rds as thick I would think there would be a noticeable difference in casting distance, but not entirely sure as @bluefin said.

The other option is to get pe 0.6 which has a diameter of 0.06mm which should definitely be a noticeable increase the casting distance, the only drawback being that I need to put more backing on the reel compared to the 0.8 as it is a deep spool (compact body). I’m not too worried about the strength difference as it’s only 2lb advertised difference from 10 down to 8 which is still plenty for what it is mostly going to be used for. 
 

Thoughts? 

Dont overthink. According to braid lab test results several years ago - most of the stated mm braid diameter were lies. Nobody wants to loose a fish on a "4 lb" braid due to 4lb breaking strain.

[DerekD]

Hi @Jo5hC,

Have you considered getting a 2500 reel and then keeping the 3000 with slightly heavier braid? With Black Friday there have been some good specials out there.

Regards,

Derek

[Jo5hC]

On 11/30/2024 at 9:52 AM, DerekD said:

Hi @Jo5hC,

Have you considered getting a 2500 reel and then keeping the 3000 with slightly heavier braid? With Black Friday there have been some good specials out there.

Regards,

Derek

It is currently out of my budget to get a new reel, as I would also have to get a new rod for it otherwise just have one reel sitting around. However, it has occurred to me that the vanford is a c3000, which should mean it has a 2500 body with a deeper spool, meaning that I could just get a 2500 spool and spool it up with the 300m of 0.6 for example and have two interchangeable spools. I'm pretty sure this is the case, but can anyone confirm that the spools are interchangeable?