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8 lb braid thoughts and opinons

4.9K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Johnny2020  
#1 ·
Okay, I thought I was ordering 80 colored braid for my snapper rig. Well we I FINALLY got it in it was 8 lb. colored braid and 550 Meters worth. It was only $20, because I bought it off a company called Lightinthebox.
I am not going to mess with sending it back, but here is what I was thinking.
Back in the day, I had a buddy who waded with 8 lb. mono on spinning rig. I throw and egg beater for live bait and popping. You think that 8 lb. braid is too light? And if not, is colored going to make a difference? I would not think it would be if I tie on the cork or a leader.
Someone told be 8 lb. braid is actually a bit stronger than 8 lb. mono.

anyways, thoughts would be appreciated.


I just goggled it and a real quick look, some anglers are saying they do not go less that 20 on spinning rigs. 8 braid digs too much into the reel.
 
#3 ·
It depends on your spinning reel size. I throw a 10/100/1000 series spinning reel designed for throwing thinner diameter line and I throw 10 lbs braid. Should be ok in the next class up, but anything larger will have a harder time handling that thin of line. Can't use alameda style corks on that thin of line. I use 12 lbs fluorocarbon leader utilizing the FG knot.
 
#6 ·
I used to fish 8# mono a lot. I caught a lot of big fish on it - you just have to be patient and let the equipment do its job. But the problems come when the line ages, and/or you get a few nicks. I've settled in on 10# - I tried 12# and just couldn't live with what it did to my casting and action.

But 8# braid? That stuff is going to fee like thread, literally. That alone is going to take some getting used to, as far as feel. I've also had some problems with certain brands of braid getting frizzy in the last few feet. I'm sure it's probably the same places mono would be showing nicks. Whether it's mono or braid, 8# is 8#. If you lose any strength from it, you're going to be breaking off some better fish. And like Neumie said, those big heavy corks aren't going to be good for that.

All that said, I couldn't resist the chance to give it a try.
 
#7 ·
I see no reason not to use 8#. I use 10# braid with a 14# mono leader as my Redfish rig. I do agree the 1000 size spinning reel is ideal. You can also put it on your bait caster. You may want to put some mono backing on first to help fill the spool. I use the Shimano curado 70 and it holds about 150 ' of 10# suffix.
The main thing you need to do is set your drag appropritly. I always set mine light to avoid break off during hook set and then add drag while fighting the fish.
The only drawback that I found using lite braid is if you over fill your spool you will get wind knots.
Have fun and good fishing.
 
#9 ·
Florida guys use 10lb quite regularly, but as small as some of the 20s are I see no reason to go down that low around here. Maybe on an open grass flat but not fishing around docks, rocks, and oysters. It's plenty strong .. until it gets nicked and the smaller the diameter the braid the less reserve you have of other good fibers if the 8 gets nicked. With 20, 30 etc etc. you can still get a nick of some sort from shell and still have enough good fibers to land the fish.
 
#15 ·
I use 8# braid at times. I try to match the lure with it and don’t go very heavy. Try to cast smooth without whipping as I’ve snapped lures several times with aggressive casts. Use a light drag and be patient with anything you catch.

If you can say you caught a slot red or bigger on 8# that would be pretty cool!! Have fun with it!


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