Spooling an islander with more braid for shorter topshot of mono

[doug78]

Just a question-why would you use 65lb braid-the purpose of braid is usually a thinner diameter to lessen line drag or blowback on a rigger. Most guys use 30 or 40 lb braid then a topshot of mono just to hang in the clip. I agree Dacron first as backing then braid and then a mono topshot- to each his own I guess-65 lb seems overkill on a salmon reel with all downside and little benefit IMHO

I ordered 40 or 50 lb power pro (nightshifts my brain is mush). It is still much smaller diameter than 25/30 lb test mono.
40lb power pro - .012"
50lb power pro- .014"
25lb ultragreen - .020"
30lb ultragreen - .022"

Seen complaints the the finer braids are hard on the hands.

I ordered 500 yards of 50lb power pro and need to pick up some dacron for backing when i get back in town. I may also just use the existing dacron or whatever backing is on the reel, just need to verify how much there is.

Then spool up two MR2s with dacron/braid/mono.
Also ordered 1500 yards of depth hunter...ouch. Will do my 2 jigging rods and Dads jigging rod. At least those reels have a 3:1 ratio, should make quick work of the 300ish yard they take.

Reel fill calculator if anyone is interested. I entered the the line I measured when I emptied my spool and it made sense.

Trolling Reel Line Calculator

The Reel Fill Calculator is a valuable tool for accurately filling your trolling reels. The calculator will assist you in accurately calculating the amount of backing to load on your reel along with your copper or leadcore line. The calculator was created in Excel. Please refer to the...

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[Rain City]

What knot are you guys using? I have been doing the FG however not something I find easy or quick to do.

I use an Albright. Or a modified one, I guess.

 

[Salmon Seeker]

Just a question-why would you use 65lb braid-the purpose of braid is usually a thinner diameter to lessen line drag or blowback on a rigger. Most guys use 30 or 40 lb braid then a topshot of mono just to hang in the clip. I agree Dacron first as backing then braid and then a mono topshot- to each his own I guess-65 lb seems overkill on a salmon reel with all downside and little benefit IMHO

The blowback is not the reason i like braid. I use it because it has no stretch so it lets you feel every headshake while fighting the fish. I use 50-65 LB braid as insurance. plus i would rather the leader or mono break if it needs to so i dont lose a bunch of mainline.

 

[RiverBoy]

What knot are you guys using? I have been doing the FG however not something I find easy or quick to do.

personally i use a double uni knot

 

[Mike_W]

I guess I am a bit confused why you would use braid as backing? Its thinner and more expensive then mono. I have only ever used mono. If you go to a shop or buy bulk spools you are not limited to the 300 yards spools commonly found at Cabelas and can fill your reel a bit fuller. If you still want to use a backing use dacron as mentioned or fly spool backing works.

 

[Corey_lax]

I guess I am a bit confused why you would use braid as backing? Its thinner and more expensive then mono. I have only ever used mono. If you go to a shop or buy bulk spools you are not limited to the 300 yards spools commonly found at Cabelas and can fill your reel a bit fuller. If you still want to use a backing use dacron as mentioned or fly spool backing works.

I use 30 pound green fly backing because it looks cool. Some reels are set up for braid and some are mono and I lean towards the mono reels.

 

[Mike_W]

I use 30 pound green fly backing because it looks cool. Some reels are set up for braid and some are mono and I lean towards the mono reels.

Oh that makes sense I was just curious why someone would use an expensive low diameter braid as backing instead of just using all mono.

 

[scott craven]

Oh that makes sense I was just curious why someone would use an expensive low diameter braid as backing instead of just using all mono.

As previously mentioned, mono stretches, braid gives a better direct connection to the fish.

 

[sly_karma]

I think people also refer to a "top shot" as the 40-70 feet at the end of your braid. So it goes dacron backing, braided fishing line and then mono top shot.

This is the setup you want. Takes a bit of fiddling to get it right; as others have said you want max fill on the spool to maintain line pickup speed, but not overfilled.

Easiest way is to do two reels in the same session. Load a spool of braid onto a reel first, then add as much dacron needed to get the fill correct. Take note of how much backing you used, then transfer it all across to the second reel, the dacron will be on the arbor. Then you can put the same quantity of backing onto the second reel directly and the braid after that. The 40-60 ft of mono goes afterward, it won't make any major difference on the fill level you already set.

 

[sly_karma]

The blowback is not the reason i like braid. I use it because it has no stretch so it lets you feel every headshake while fighting the fish. I use 50-65 LB braid as insurance. plus i would rather the leader or mono break if it needs to so i dont lose a bunch of mainline.

Stretch in mono is so substantial when fishing deep that it absorbs much of the rod tip action from a bite, and only bigger fish will pop the line out of the clip. If you're fishing down toward 200 ft and beyond, braid really comes into its own. Hits are much more visible at the rod tip, and it's easy to get the line out of the clip.

If you want really active fights, go braid all the way and drop the top shot. Will be trouble holding in a downrigger clip so you'll be mooching or jigging though.