I fish a lot, conservative estimate is 50 times a yr. Normally use a braided 20 lb test with fluorocarbon leader. Friday at Chocolate bay, I pulled out the popping cork and my braided line broke about 6" above the cork, a fast hard hit either by a bull red or a gar. Good news is the fish got off the hook and I was able to retrieve my cork and hook.



I was told to change lines out every 6 months but would appreciate some second opinions.

Usually every 6-8 months depending on break offs

I always change my braid or mono once a year

You probably just had a bad spot. I try to check for damaged braid on a regular basis. Cut back anything that looks fuzzy or frayed. Respool when the reel starts to get low. Might be a few trips. Might be 20 years depending on the rig. Braid doesn't really go bad.

I leave braid on longer. 2 years no problem. And when I do put fresh I just replace the top 100 yards

I had a rod that had been sitting a while where I broke off 3 in a row and just peeled off 10 yards or so and cut it and didn't break anymore. I'd go that route first but usually every couple years I'll replace or after a few breaks.

Baitcaster: the braid ages and gets soggy on the spool and doesn't unwind like it should before I have any breaking issues. Definitely get a couple of birthdays out of it before that happens.

Spin: I cut enough wind knots that the braid stays freshy fresh. The only time I had breaking issues was due to a small nick in the spool edge caused by it falling on the jetties. I had to file the rim smooth because it kept fraying the line during casts. Might as well check your guides as well. And store hooks on a hook keeper or the guide arms instead of through the guide itself.

May depend on brand, my spiderwire expands enough with use that the spool gets overfull and I have to cut several yards off. Wind up doing that every couple of months and then replace the braid at around 6 to 8 months.

When I plan to use mono, I put half the spool in braid. That braid never sees the water (unless you get a drag stripping donkey.) Then you can replace the mono half as needed and the braid half stays...

On my braid reels I keep a mono or fluoro leader always. I tie about 4ft to 5ft eader at a time. Then I cut that back as the line gets nicked. Saves on the braid.

As mentioned before some of my braid been on there forever.....some 30 yrs....

Sounds like it just needs to be repacked. Find an open field, tie it to something solid, and walk it off. Then reel it back on with a good bend in the rod and at least 4-5 lbs of pressure.

CS78 said:

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Sounds like it just needs to be repacked. Find an open field, tie it to something solid, and walk it off. Then reel it back on with a good bend in the rod and at least 4-5 lbs of pressure.

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The braid actually expands in diameter with use and color changes from a dark green to a light green and the texture gets softer. Gets "fuzzy" as was alluded to in an earlier post. May need to change brands.

I've had some of mine on for years and fish often, but I also rotate about 8 reels depending on situation. I'll cast out and inspect line and trim as needed and change when it gets low. Just tried a new braid this weekend and really liked the color. Good visibility for me and perfect color match to the Upper Laguna. Will definitely get some reels spooled up with this next time I need to change out

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Buddha_Enlightened_X8_Braided_Line_Olive_Green_328yds/descpage-BBESD.html

Years ago, I switched to some of the fancy Japanese braids that were softer and supposed to be better for casting. Lately, I've just gone back to basic 4 strand power pro. Seems slightly more abrasion resistant and definitely last a little better.

rab79 said:

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CS78 said:

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Sounds like it just needs to be repacked. Find an open field, tie it to something solid, and walk it off. Then reel it back on with a good bend in the rod and at least 4-5 lbs of pressure.

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The braid actually expands in diameter with use and color changes from a dark green to a light green and the texture gets softer. Gets "fuzzy" as was alluded to in an earlier post. May need to change brands.

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