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Braided line sludge

Posted: August 13th, 2019, 8:16 pm
by BloodyChamp
How do you prevent this, or what I’m sure everybody has experienced whether they call it this or not? I don’t think there’s a word for it but it’s when braided line on a baitcaster sticks to the reel like sludge in an engine, in some cases after it was as loose as a goose :smt012 :smt012 :smt012 Dang reel will lock right up like an engine too and there you are with a whole spook of jammed line. It happened to me today after I lost a bucketmouth Bass which bit very far from the boat flatsfishing style. I got him all the way to the boat so all of that right reeling obviously did it but I hope it doesn’t happen again. Is it my reel? I have 2 Rhino Baitcasters that I recently found unused. These obviously aren’t gold plated Shimanos but they are solid reels.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 13th, 2019, 11:09 pm
by silverking
Not sure what you mean by sludge or know what brand of braid you're using.

Spectra-fiber is white, so to add color tints, the manufacturers will coat the line with wax to get the colors to stick. You might be getting some wax residue.

As far as backlashes and jams, adjusting the brakes is critical, especially when changing rigs. I also spool line on to my reels by winding the line through a wet rag with a lot of pressure. This really packs the line tight on to the spool and helps prevent backlashes.

Hope this helps.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 13th, 2019, 11:14 pm
by BloodyChamp
Ooooooooooouuuuuuuuuch lol I thought everybody would atleast give me credit enough to know how to throw and adjust a baitcaster :lol: :lol: :lol: The wax thing makes sense, especially for me since I don’t strictly bass fish like many people. My baitcaster often sits for long times in heat.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 14th, 2019, 8:16 am
by silverking
No slight intended, BC. Just remember from previous posts you're a spincast reel fan, so thought I'd mention the fine-tuning.

Believe I only have one reel loaded with monofilament anymore that was set up for the Keys. All my others are filled with braid and I go lighter than many--8 and 10-pound test, even on my bait casters. I also keep all my tackle in my air conditioned office.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 14th, 2019, 9:07 am
by doomtrpr_z71
Is it spiderwire by any chance? I have had some that would flatten out under pressure and stick to the next layer of line under it when it was past its prime.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 14th, 2019, 11:22 am
by Steve Stinson
I think what you are talking about is not sludge at all, but perhaps the line digging into the spool after pressure is applied via hanging a bass or getting loose from a snag.

On a baitcaster, the level wind does not move back and forth enough to make a good criss-cross pattern as the line come onto the spool. The only two solutions I know to correct this are 1) go up on line size until you get a big enough diameter line to prevent the dig - in. 2) Throw a half-cast after each fish battle or snag, then pull line off of your reel until you get past the point of the dig-in.

This problem has become worse over the years due to the higher speed retrieve ratios on the reels and the smaller diameter of the newer braided lines. Normally I have to get up to about 50 lb test or better on a baitcaster to prevent this issue.

Hope this helps. - Steve Stinson

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 14th, 2019, 11:05 pm
by BloodyChamp
I’m pretty sure it was Spiderwire. I’m a baitcaster man when bass fishing and flats fishing, and spincast when bream or speck fishing. I like the idea of getting fatter line even though this needle thin line we have now was what technology strived for. It’s TO thin now!

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 14th, 2019, 11:41 pm
by doomtrpr_z71
I fish 20 or 30 lb braid on my baitcasters, the original spiderwire was worse about digging in, the blue camo doesn't seem to do it, but I normally fish daiwa jbraid and I don't have issues with it or suffix 832, I find suffix to be over priced.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 15th, 2019, 7:51 am
by dombern34
your line is "slipping" on your spool. bait caster have what most would call a "sticky drag" so it tends to dig down when the drag isn't set right. I would unspool it and put some backing (mono, roughly 20 yards, just enough to cover the spool) and respool your braid. also using a small poundage braid will do that as well.

Re: Braided line sludge

Posted: August 15th, 2019, 10:25 am
by silverking
Jeez, I must be doing something wrong, then. I wrap some Teflon pipe thread tape around the spool of my Shimano Chronarch, tie 10-pound Power Pro Super 8 Slick braid on using a uni knot and spool the entire reel by the wet rag pressure method with no backing, braid only.

No line digging into the wraps and the rare times I get a backlash is when I don't readjust the brake after changing lures or try to cast directly into a 20-knot head wind. Which is seldom since I'm throwing the same topwater plug the majority of the time. :wink:

To each his own.