by Greg Stover
When super braid lines first arrived at the local tackle store I bought a spool of 40 pound test and loaded it on an old Penn Squidder. When I got to the fishing grounds I couldn’t set the drag. No matter how much I cranked down the drag knob I couldn’t get the drag to tighten up. I eventually figured out the spool was locked down and the entire mass of line was slipping on the spool.
I learned lesson number one; super braid is slick stuff. It doesn’t grip like monofilament. If you tie braid to a spool arbor the same way you do with monofilament it can slip. Some reel manufacturers like Penn and Pflueger now incorporate rubber, gasket like features into their spool arbors that allow braid to grip. This is typically one of the main features manufacturers tout when they claim their reel has a braid ready spool.
There are a few ways to secure braid to the arbor of a non-braid ready spool. Some folks put a layer of electrical tape on the spool arbor to provide a tacky surface for the braid to grip. You can also tie the braid directly to the spool and put a layer of tape over the knot. A third option is to tie a short length of monofilament, say a few feet, to the spool and then tie the braid to the monofilament.
Back to my story of the old Penn Squidder, I stripped off all the braid and re-spooled using the third option. Again I had problems with the drag. Line pulled off against the drag would catch and bind and jerk. It was so bad I had no confidence in using the reel on a decent fish. I learned lesson number two; braid is thin stuff that can dig into itself on the spool. Braid has to be wound on tight. I typically wear a heavy leather work glove and run the line through my fingers to provide tension as I spool. Don’t try this with a bare hand because braid can cut your fingers.
It also helps to cross wrap the line so that each layer of line crosses the previous layer at an angle. Most modern spinning and baitcasting reels do this automatically. Many older reels don’t cross wrap the line. Therefore some older reels don’t perform well with braid. If you like to use older reels you may have to resolve yourself to the fact that your older reels may not perform well with braid.
I stripped off the braid from the Squidder for a second time and re-spooled it, this time under tension. I’m happy to say this setup worked beautifully. If you are filling a reel spool 100% with braid remember to secure the braid to the spool in a way that won’t slip and wind the braid onto the reel under tension. Following this advice should help you avoid hassles and provide a setup that will perform well on the water.