James River Rookie!!!

[Samuel Watkins]

I personally have one rod strung with 30 lb braid and another strung with 80 lb braid. Never had a break in either. You do have to monitor your rod when using braid as some braided lines can score rod guides, which will lead to breakage. Some braids incorporate Teflon in the line to alleviate this problem. If I remember correctly ,using a rod that has guides with ceramic inserts will also prevent this from happening.

I do, however, constantly monitor the line and snip off a few feet and retie hooks,swivels,leaders and rigs as soon as any evidence of abrasion is present. This should be done regardless of the type of line used. It's also a good idea to go ahead and remove a couple of feet of line at the end of every fishing trip to account for any line abrasion which isn't easily seen or apparent. Good luck.

[Mike H]

I have about half of my reels spooled with Magibraid 130 lb. braid, which is about indestructible. The rest are 50lb. Big Game. I use the palomar knot for everything and it really takes something to break even mono. I use sinker slides and river sinkers, because I'm always paranoid about a bur rubbing my line with a pass through sinker. When using mono I take off about 20 ft. every trip in case it got skinned up.

[Cat Repo Man]

thanks everyone. I'm going to practice tying palomar knots tomorrow and use it on everything.

Mike- i was getting a little paranoid too that maybe i was getting nicked by a snag inside the slip weights. that may be the case. ill invest in a couple plastic sliders....

[Cat Repo Man]

i know u snell all your circle hooks chuck and you said your hookup ratio increased dramatically, is this the best knot for hooks?

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[Cat Repo Man]

sam, which brand of braid do u use? does it damage your guide eyes?

[Samuel Watkins]

I use the Spiderwire with Teflon. Haven't had a problem with it yet.

[Mike H]

I know a lot of guys like the snell knots, but tie a hook each way and put the hook over one of your rod holders and pull, when I tested it, I couldn't see any major difference in the line of pull even with an upturned eye, and I am so much more comfortable with the palomar that I just stick with it.

One other thing, I don't know how short you trim your tag ends on your knots, but don't be afraid to leave them at least 3/8", if you trim it really short it will pull.

[Cat Repo Man]

mike, how often do you come down to fish the james?

[Cat Repo Man]

I use the Spiderwire with Teflon. Haven't had a problem with it yet.

I'm going to try some out on one of my rods this weekend. I just went to bass pro today and picked up 2 more 7'6" cat maxx rod/reel combos and need to spool them up. ill put spider wire on one to see how it performs.

[Mike H]

We used to come to the James 8 or 10 times a year, but the last year or so the Potomac has gotten so hot that we've just been going there since it's only about half as far for us.