Gear

[lowprofile]

if your rod has stainless steel guides then i'd fill it half way with 65lb braid and then put 100-150yards of 30lb mono top shot. that way your not wasting a bunch of mono each time you respool, just change the top shot. if you have hardloys or harder inserts you can run straight braid. fill the spool 1/4 full of 30-40lb mono then attach the braid. you can fill it up to only 3/4 full then add 10ft of mono or floro topshot/ leader. some attach the lines and some use swivels. only filling 3/4 saves on cost of braid and gives you more initial drag. braid is thin, you don't lose much of the spool when 150ft is taken.

i forgot the name of the knot i use but its like an albright. soak both ends in water for 20 seconds. make loop in mono, pass braid through, wrap 5 times up, then 5 times down and pull tight, then reel the knot to the spool, set the drag tight and pull the mono (saves your hands) and it will cinche down tight. tie an over hand knot on the tag end real close to the knot just in case it slips then cut the tags short. i've tested this knot connecting 50lb braid to 20lb mono, 50lb braid to 30lb mono, 65 to 40 and its always tested at 95-100%. set the drag at 1/3 the breaking strength and you'll never have to worry. and if your still skeptical, go try to put 25-30lb of pressure on a rod from a yak... you cant. it wont break.