Braid on Side Cast?

[Beejay]

Hey all,

I just bought a new Alvey Side cast reel, its just a medium size one for estuary fishing, was going to use it for snapper fishing. I bought some 30lb braided line (got it cheap from Aldi) was thinking about loading up the side cast with that but not sure if im better of with mono on the side cast cos ive never used braid before?

Ive used side cast reels before so thats not a problem, was just wondering if anyone knows which is better to put on the side cast- Braid or Mono?

Cheers Beejay

[shortie]

using braid on an alvey isnt a problem.

ALWAYS use a swivel with an alvey,They do put twist in your line.

The only problem i can forsee is the type of Braid you purchased.

Not all Braids are created equal. Dont let a cheap quality braid put you off using it.

Some cheap ones perform ok others dont.

Richard.

[Beejay]

thanks for that Richard, I got 200 meters of 30lb Crane catch from Aldi, it was only 20 bucks and because ive never used it before and its only a trial i thought this would be good enough first off.

it says on the box its made from high impact PE Dyneema material, durable and abrasion resistant with 4 times the strength of Nylon fishing line, so I guess its worth a try.

Thanks for the confidence booster and I will load up the side cast with it when I get home from work.

Now I have to work out what knots to use with the braid, will have a look when I get home...cheers Beejay

[ellicat]

I put braid on an Alvey once. I took it off soon after.

Mono is better on an Alvey.

Braid will whip and cut your forearm/wrist/hand/thumb (depending on reel size) as it flicks off the large spool.

[tangles]

I use 50lb braid on my alvey blackfish reel because it floats, which is desirable in a luderick line. I don't have any trouble with line twist. Most of the twist gets pushed lown the line on retrieve, putting most of the twist in the last of the line just above the float. I hold the rod tip high for a few seconds after each retrieve and allow the twist to spin itself out.

Why 50lb for luderick?? Because the thinner stuff is a real finger burner on retrieve.

Braid casts fruther than mono off an alvey, so I once had the bright idea to topshot my 7 inch tailor reel with 50lb spiderwire for a trip to the beach. What a disaster!!

Because the line floats, it tended to stay in the whitewash of the surf and it was difficult to keep the pilly out there. After a few casts I stripped it off and used the mono backing for the rest of the trip.

Thin braid on and alvey for snapper sounds like a recipe for cut fingers, but since you've already bought it, give it a try.....

[Dazzamcgee]

Yeah mono is the better line for a side caster....

If u go the braid just remember to tape up the end of your trigger finger...

[Scope]

I own 4 alveys and all have mono on them. Had a bloke that tried to put braid on his surf alvey once. Didn't like it too much, by the end of the weekend he had bandaids on 4 fingers. I always thought you were supposed to feed the line on to your alvey with your finger when you're winding in....?

[tomca]

save the braid for a spin or overhead reel. You will not like braid on your alvey. It hurts I have 2 alveys. One 500bc loaded with 6lb mono and the other, a 600b, with 20lb mono. I found when I tried braid on the larger reel, as the braid comes off the spool it takes little bits of skin off the fingers holding the rod, until it starts taking little bits of flesh.

[Beejay]

thanks guys, took all the info in, im about to put 17lb mono on the Alvey and I will put the braid on one of my baitrunners. Gonna try the river in the morning...cheers Beejay