Why is it always 30lb braid?

[bacardipr05]

Just curious as to why 30lb braid seems to be the most popular on here. Every time I see a reel for sale on the B/S/T or a post about a newly purchased reel 30lb braid is almost always recommended. Why not 40lb or 50lb or 20lb ?

[Ditch Jigger]

Never figured that out.

 

The difference in casting distance you get with 30 as opposed to 50 pound braid is minimal, especially with plugs, bucktails, or jigheads/plastic.

 

The difference in strength is substantial.

 

That being said--there are some 30# braids---like Cortland Master Braid, Spiderwire Stealth and Fireline--that are as thick and as strong as other brands of 50.

[c4charlie]

I started with Suffix 50 and I liked it a lot. Never a birds nest or anything like that. Then I picked up 30lb Power Pro thinking that it would give me some extra distance which it did but I had birds nest problems. Didn't give it too much of a chance though, maybe it needed to break in a bit more. I decided to give the 50lb powerpro a try and it works like a charm for me. No problems at all out of the box. I think the thicker line is a bit easier to work with and if you accidently grab it with a fish on, there is less of a chance of slicing your hands as opposed to the 30lb. That's my opinion so far. The extra distance doesn't matter too much to me.

[Metallica]

I reccomend 65lb suffix. with braid it is not the test its the diameter of the line that counts. plus the thicker the line is the rounder it tends to be and that amounts to better castability.

 

Just my 2 cents jon

[patno6]

personally, i always use 50 lb. its stronger, and i think it resists wind knots better.

[John M]

I like 30 on my spinners. On small rods i love rip cord si 15#.On conventionals 50 or 65 is fine. Just what I prefer no real reason.

[Striped Bass]

On my regular rigs I use 50lb on spinning, 65lb on conventional, on my short light tackle 7' to 8' rods I use 20lb.

[Gmofftarki]

I go with 40#. Always seemed like a happy medium, since 50# always felt like something for boat-fishing deep.

[bacardipr05]

I go with 40#. Always seemed like a happy medium, since 50# always felt like something for boat-fishing deep.

 

 

I have been using 40lb myself this year is the first that i have giving braid an honest try.

[Ratty]

50 # PP , all I use....

[bunkerchunker]

30# Stren-microfuse

[Sea Flat]

I used Power Pro 50# this year and it was very strong, but I did get more knots than I used to get with Fireline. I did get a bit better distance with the PP though. Going to have to go back to Fireline next year to make sure.

[jbt114]

I've been using 40 lb. Suffix and so far, so good.

 

Chris

[rocket500]

I've had great luck with both 20 and 30lb Fireline on surf rods. 20 is my preference, it seems to be much stronger than 20lb test mono and is thin enough to allow you to spool up a lot more than 30lb yet is still easy to handle.

 

I have had good luck with 50lb PowerPro on my Shimano reels, but performance on my VS has been mediocre. Not awful but in contrast with the experience I've had with Fireline there was a clear difference. More wind knots, digging in and snapped off plugs with the PowerPro. I think the spool design of the Shimanos allows them to manage braid better, which gives you more room for user error. Most of my problems stem from working light plugs, or plugs that are retreived under light or inconsistent tension on the line.

[hnguyen]

30lbs make my bad when big one hooked (king fish here in tx)...

50lbs or more is no fun