bay fishing braid question

[Lil Dougie]

If you like the fun of actually fighting a fish dont use 20 lbs test in the bay. 10-12 lbs test is all you should need.

[greenscales]

I haven't posted on the subject in a while, and it was always about larger tests of Spectra. I used to be the rep for the Southwest for one of the larger brands of quality Spectra. In freshwater and inshore saltwater Spectra in 30lb and below is intended to be fished more by diameter and not by strength. You are still fishing a 6-15lb. to 10-20lb. rods with freshwater reels. It is more about smaller diameter and lower stretch for sensitivity.

As for the comparison of Newport to San Diego, totally different fishing styles/depths. San Diego is deeper, has stronger currents, and more diverse species--making the case for Spectra. In my previous posts (years ago) about heavier test Spectra for Big Game, I discussed the issue of faster action rods possibly having issues with Spectra if not used correctly. For the lighter rods, don't worry about action, but set you drags appropriately - not to the line test but to the rods rating, no more than 1/3 of the rod's maxed out line test. If you go with too soft of a rod, then you defeat the purpose of the low stretch, thus loosing the increased sensitivity of the Spectra.

I often pay more attention to the breaking strength of the leader over the Spectra. Definitely use a leader, even just a few feet. If you use fluorocarbon, go with a good quality leader material, not from a 200yd. spool of fluoro line. Better abrasion resistance and can handle the shock better. If you go straight Spectra, then you will have a hard time busting off if you get you lure snagged, causing even greater problems. Likewise, don't buy cheap Spectra, the good stuff costs money to make but will last years. I don't mean to step on toes and just trying to provide some accurate information--hope this is helpful.

[dsafety]

Greenscales,

Since you seem to be the resident expert, let me ask you a couple questions.

First of all, without turning this in to a commercial, what brands of Spectra do you consider to be "quality" vs. the "cheap stuff"

Next, I have 60# Powerline on my bait rod and have had two issues in recent months. Last fall, I was hooked up to a decent YT and the line just snapped during one of the fish's runs. It was not a drag issue. My guess is that the line had a nick or some other kind of flaw. Is this common? If so, how do you check Spectra to make sure it is in good shape.

Similarly, I have noticed a little fraying on the line in some places. Is this normal? Should I cut off this part of the line. It has not been used that much.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Bob

[Jim Sammons LJKF]

I fish the deeper water in SD bay a lot and I can tell you that using braid is a huge advantage to feeling the somtimes subtle bites and every movement of your lure.It also helps you get a good hook set when you may have a lot of line out dealing with the current. I use a leader of 6lb-10lb mono usually about 15 feet. Low profile baitcasters, like a Curado or Core, are the best for this.

[-scallywag-]

I always use flouro leaders connected via barrel swivel when I use spectra.

Bob,
I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all the fish I've lost to nicked or frayed 65#+ spectra (i have no experience with the lighter stuff). I'm pretty sure the failure you had was from a small nick in the spectra. Where you using a egg sinker when you the YT? Spectra frays and nicks easily so you have to be diligent about checking your line. I usually cut off the first 10 ft of spectra and retie/inspect everything before each trip, and as a general rule I don't use spectra for a carolina rig (sliding egg sinker) unless i feel like checking/retying the line every couple minutes. I for the most part hate spectra, but I use it on my flyline bait rod in the summer and fishing the kelp in spring. I always use flouro leaders #20-40 connected via barrel swivels.

Does anyone have tips or tricks for using spectra with a sliding egg sinker, other than checking and retying all the time?

[greenscales]

For the lighter line tests, I have always liked Power Pro. They seem to have the best weave pattern. In heavier test both Power Pro and Izorline seemed to be pretty good. Now that Shimano has Power Pro, I would watch to see some innovations in both the line and tackle-rod, reels, etc.

Spectra doesn't really fray worse than most co-polymers, it cuts faster against hard/rough items because it is both thinner and when tight, is not going to flex around the object. Good fluorocarbon has better abrasion resistance than either (Seaguar seems to have the best options and is the inventor of fluoro). BUT WATCH YOUR GUIDES WITH SPECTRA. If you have SiC or other inserts in your guides, a small nick will shred the fluoro faster than anything else. I ruined a kayak trip to the East Cape when I lost 3 Dodos to Spectra getting shredded on guide. The problem wouldn't occur until their was line pulled out under pressure, so it wasn't noticed while reeling in or casting, it would just cause problems when a fish pulled under drag. If you see a consistent problem, run a Q-Tip around all of your guides and look for cotton fibers sticking. The quickly replace that guide.

[taggermike]

I didn't think I needed 20lb for fishing the south bay shallows but I use the same rods for deeper bay fishing as well as for calicos in the kelp. Plus I figured with the braid on there I could adjust the leader weight to match the conditions. I'll be back in the bay again on Friday to try things out. Mike