07-08-2001, 12:18 AM
Well I load up a Penn baitcaster with 30# Fireline but I've got an 8' mono leader also 30# (I figure the knot will be the weakspot that fails before I lose a lot of braid...the stuff is considerably more expensive than mono) that serves as a bit of a shock absorber and lets me handle that instead of the braid when I bring a striper boatside. The braid can slice your fingers like a cheese cutter goes through cheddar (might not be a bad replacement idea to use it if the wire breaks on your cheese cutter). I have 150 yards of Fireline and another 100+ of heavy mono backing (again, because of cost). Stripers don't make runs too much longer than 150...they usually like to slug it out & take you down to the rocks. The braid has excellent abrasion resistance. Do NOT use it against the spool without a few layers of mono, though...it's like teflon and will spin the entire spoolful unless you have that underlayer of something else to grip the spool...that starts spinning and you'll see a backlash like nothing you've ever seen before...not to mention it does make it a wee bit hard to bring your fish in when the line is in that kind of "freespool".<br><br>Jerry Vovcsko<br>Moderator: Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island Forums