Braid or mono for surface iron reel?

[Pjstevko]

I've been doing more fishing out of San Diego and wanna try my hand at throwing surface irons with a conventional reel. I usually use a spinner to throw snipers, poppers and surface irons but I wanna embrace the SoCal tradition but don't know what to spool the reel with? I can't cast a conventional further then 20' and I'm worried if I spool the reel with braid I'll birdnest the crap out of it.

Straight mono?
Braid to 75 yard mono topshot?
Braid to 3' leader?

Pj

 

[cozenone]

This is a question that is dependent on the application, And it comes down to knowing what to do on in any situation, I'm fortunate enough to have at least two set ups loaded most all the time, and a popper set up. Conditions change from day to day....Gear up for it if you want to play

 

[bajachild]

I hate braid. I have a trinidad 20 and a saltiga 35. 300y of 50 braid as a backer and about 80y of mono. 40lb.

 

[ChoeMan]

straight mono

 

[SD2600]

Braid to 150’ of mono…

 

[joshc1024]

Depends what you’re throwing at.
For yellowtail I like mono
For bluefin I like straight braid to a short piece of fluoro

 

[Noms]

Some deckhands in San Diego definitely told me I should know better than using heavy braid to short fluorocarbon. Then again I've seen other deckhands fish the same configuration. Comes down to how you fish I guess.

 

[swami 805]

Braid backing to 100yds of mono. I like 30 or 40 lb depending on what we’re fishing for

 

[plj46]

Straight mono.

 

[Cubeye]

I've been doing more fishing out of San Diego and wanna try my hand at throwing surface irons with a conventional reel. I usually use a spinner to throw snipers, poppers and surface irons but I wanna embrace the SoCal tradition but don't know what to spool the reel with? I can't cast a conventional further then 20' and I'm worried if I spool the reel with braid I'll birdnest the crap out of it.

Straight mono?
Braid to 75 yard mono topshot?
Braid to 3' leader?

Pj

You are correct. You will birdnest the crap out of it. The suggestions above are correct. Braid backing with mono top shot longer than you can cast.

But I've seen some people use straight braid successfully with 80# solid.

 

[AWilliams]

I use braid under a 80 yd topshot. Straight braid to a 3' topshot can be done but you will need to be a Jedi Master. Too many times I've seen guys at the bow struggle all day to throw straight braid without line driving it only 30' in front of them, along with a nice birdnest. It's usually with a stiff graphite rod.

 

[Troy]

I have set ups with straight braid to 3-5' of flouro but can't understand why anyone would want this on a set up specifically intended to throw jigs or poppers. 100 yards of mono is so much easier to deal with an you can back that with a ton of braid if you're worried about line capacity if you hook a big blue fin.

 

[surfgoose]

Besides being way easier to cast with, a nice long topshot of mono of at least 25# strength is a lot cheaper to replace than going all braid. You put several hundred yards of braid as a base, a nice strong connection to the mono topshot (and there are a dozen that all work very well, I'm partial to a version of the modified Albright but have fun learning what works best for yourself) and you are good to go. You can cast fifty or sixty yards cleanly, the knot never goes through the guides on a cast, and at the end of the trip (or during, if you get seriously cut off) you can easily replace the scuffed mono.

Just like with braid brands, not all mono casts the same. And of the same brand, different strengths feel differently. If you want to get confident about casting surface lures with a conventional reel you are in for a nice long expensive obsession that rivals your neighbors' passion for golf.

 

[Pjstevko]

This reel will be for surface irons only

 

[hucklongfin]

With a conventional, going with 80-100 yds of mono over spectra would be the way to go, especially if you’re just starting to throw surface irons.

 

[SD2600]

40lb izor xxx.. if your targeting bigger bluefin tie a small piece of 80 fluro seagur knot

 

[Baller]

If you are new to surface iron fishing start with mono, whether full spool or braid to 100 yds of mono. There is a learning curve and mono is cheap so it will be less expensive when you screw up (And you will..).

After a season or two of fishing this way you could then be in a position to try all braid.

Braid likes to be PULLED of the spool while mono likes to free flow off the spool. Two different thumb pressures.

 

[Buttchaser]

I like saving money, so braid to about 75-100yds of mono.

 

[pukahd]

I use 15-20’ of mono to braid and can get a lot of distance with this combo. Pena knot but if I could ever master the FG it would be better.

I’m throwing the shorty top shots on a UC MCR950, 10e, US90 and US100 Monsters.

 

[jrodda]

I did the mono-braid backing for a long time but recently switched to (and prefer) 15-30' topshot to braid. At least enough topshot to have some wraps on the spool during the tension of the cast, I don't like stressing the knot. I also like a parabolic rod like the RCE Mega which does play into how much stretch there is (enough for a reaction bite with trebles).

 

[jiggermyster]

Braid... with enough mono on top so no braid comes off the spool on your longest cast.

 

[Pjstevko]

So my reel got spooled with 50# braid and 30' of 40# mono......

I've been practicing my casting and am getting about 120-150' casts fairly consistently with minimal backlashes so I think I'll stick with this spooling for now

 

[hucklongfin]

With baitcasters, I go with a 3’ leader and the rest braid so the knot doesn’t go through the guides. With conventionals, many go with a long top shot so the knot doesn’t go through the guides on the cast. With 30’ of mono the knot will always go through the guides!

 

[jigstickjeff]

Braid backing to about 100yds of mono.
Straight 40#mono is also good.

 

[Pjstevko]

The reel is an old gold Trinidad 16..... if I put 100yr topshot of 40# mono will that leave me enough braid backing?