# Reel: How many yards?



## Kellercl (Jan 28, 2010)

How many yards to people usually throw on a spinning reel for dock/pier fishing? What is better more yards + lighter test or less yards + heavier test? My max drag is 15 lb, I can put on 200 yards of 10 lb braid or 110 yards of 20 lb braid. Thanks in advance. For me it seems, on paper, that 100 yards is quite a bit of line.


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## rocket (Dec 1, 2008)

Kellercl said:


> How many yards to people usually throw on a spinning reel for dock/pier fishing? What is better more yards + lighter test or less yards + heavier test? My max drag is 15 lb, I can put on 200 yards of 10 lb braid or 110 yards of 20 lb braid. Thanks in advance. For me it seems, on paper, that 100 yards is quite a bit of line.


If there is a chance you will hook something that requires 20 lb braid then 100 yds probably isn't enough. If you cast any distance at all, that's not gonna leave much line to play with once you hook up. This sounds like a small reel that is more suited to the 10 lb line and the targeting of smaller fish. What kind is it? If you want to targer larger fish you should consider a larger reel.


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## Espresso (Mar 18, 2005)

It depends on what you're fishing for. Is this saltwater or freshwater fishing? If it's SW and you're targeting fish over 3#, I think 10# braid is a bit on the low end. For SW, the lowest I'd go is 20# braid. For FW, you can go as low as you want since rarely do you cast close to 50 yds if that. If you're fishing FW with a lot of vegetation, you can opt for thicker line. Again, for SW, I think distance is key if you're shorebound but 20# braid a 3oz sinker or lure can go a long ways on a 9ft+ rod.


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## Kellercl (Jan 28, 2010)

The reel is a small Sustain. My thought was if I go with line lb higher than the max drag then I can crank down without having to worry. It will be saltwater fishing. Casting is probably 20 to 50 feet. Not far. I also have larger reels too.


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

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## rocket (Dec 1, 2008)

Kellercl said:


> The reel is a small Sustain. My thought was if I go with line lb higher than the max drag then I can crank down without having to worry. It will be saltwater fishing. Casting is probably 20 to 50 feet. Not far. I also have larger reels too.


Maybe you could compromise and go for a 12 - 14 lb braid. You'd be surprised how hard that is to break with a bow in the rod, even with your drag tightened down. If a 3lb fish is challenging 10lb braid something is wrong. You aren't targeting large fish with this setup, or at least you shouldn't be. So 99% of the time you should be just fine with the lighter braid. If you ever have a need to cast further such as tossing a plug, the lighter line will cast better especially on this size reel. 20 lb just seems like overkill to me.


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## Kellercl (Jan 28, 2010)

rocket said:


> Maybe you could compromise and go for a 12 - 14 lb braid. You'd be surprised how hard that is to break with a bow in the rod, even with your drag tightened down. If a 3lb fish is challenging 10lb braid something is wrong. You aren't targeting large fish with this setup, or at least you shouldn't be. So 99% of the time you should be just fine with the lighter braid. If you ever have a need to cast further such as tossing a plug, the lighter line will cast better especially on this size reel. 20 lb just seems like overkill to me.


Fair point. I am leaning towards 15 lb Powerpro


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## Surfmantom (Jun 6, 2012)

I would go with 15lb power pro.


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## dchfm123 (Jun 11, 2011)

I would stay away from basic power pro. The super slick is great but basic is garbage. It breaks a lot and has terrible knot strength. As for the reel I would go with the 20 pound test line. You can catch some big fish on 20 and when fishing in the ocean you never know what your going to hook into so having the extra line capacity will be nice. You would be surprised what will bite a small piece of shrimp or cut mullet. It will also cast better if you are casting gotchas or flutter jugs for Spanish and blues. Go with pp super slick or sufix 832. They are both a few dollars more big are well worth it.


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## Eattheflounder (Apr 24, 2011)

One other thing to consider;20# braid with the drag locked down, you are right the line probably won't break, what will break? The rod? Or will the reel break. Braid with light tackle offers some advantages but can also cause other problems. My first experience with light braid on a light rig ended with a broken rod on the hook set. I learned pretty quickly after that. It helps to know where you are fishing and what you might catch in that location. If something is going to break, I want it to be my line. I will fish very light gear in the salt, but I will hook into (dare I say it?) A fish that is "too big enough".

ETF


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## CoolDude (Sep 28, 2010)

Sounds like you don't cast lures that often so I would go with 14lb test max. Anything less won't hold up to a big fish... anything more?....I don't think your gear is built for it. Putting 20 plus pound test on a light rod could get the rod beat up at best ;-) I have a light reel...I use 12lb to cast for schooling blues using a 9 foot ultralight rod and a mitchell 300. I would trust it with 3-5lb fish. Anything larger than that would be a challenge for that reel. Like, I would dread hooking into a 10-15lb bluefish with that rig. My chances of landing it would decrease significantly.


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