30 lb braid for jigs?

[Les Young]

To light or would you’re it on a spinning reel for shakey heads etc? Thanks

[Alumicraft145]

30 # great for jigs!! No problem. People get caught up with 50# braid for jigs. I never should have left 30 # years ago. It may dig in spool a bit more... I use 20# a lot now.

[WVBullet]

Personally, I like 50# best for jignpigs cause I get deep into the brush and occasional snags occur. I like the 50# to pull out. I use 30 for spinning reels.

[Alumicraft145]

Here in N.Y. A whole bunch of guys use spinning gear with 30# braid for jigging and frogs. Mainly weeds here in N.Y. Though. I use 20# A lot now, getting away from the 50# stuff. But I don't do tournaments anymore. If I did, the 50 would be used. For brush, My favorite line was 16# sugoi floro.

[Les Young]

I've got 65lb. diawa j braid on a bait caster now & with a half ounce jig it falls to slow for me. I'm sitting in around 50 FOW on deep bluffs & with it catching so much water it's falling slower & swinging to far out making it hard to fish right. Will i see enough of a difference to be worth replacing the 65 on the bait caster with 30? Thanks guys

[LennyB]

I like #30 for my spinning rods. No probems. I aslo use a fluro leader in 10 and sometimes 15 pound test when I think I need it. (Mainly if I'm fishing somewhere I know is real snaggy and I will have to break a stuck lure off from time to time). I've also used 20# braid on my spinning rods but to simplify things I went back to the 30# since that is what I use on my casting rods. Also, it seams to be more durable than the 20# with no fishing issues.

[DrewFlu33]

Keep in mind that lb test ratings for braid don't mean a whole lot as they vary so wildly for a given diameter which makes them really tough to compare across brands. That said, I throw 30 lb J-braid on several casting setups without issue so I definitely don't think it's too light for a spinning setup. Most often I tack a 16 lb Sniper leader on it, and use it both for moving baits like chatterbaits, swim jigs, and smallish swimbaits (like Dark Sleepers), as well as bottom contact like Texas rigs and jigs up to 1/2 oz; I don't think anyone would bat an eye at spooling up 16 lb on a baitcaster (though that is heavy for most spinning setups!). When snagged up I've broken off several times and never broke the braid or the connection knot, always the knot at the lure.

I used to throw 50 lb on most casting rods to the same leader as it was much closer in diameter to the line I'd be throwing on a baitcaster if spooled up with straight mono or fluoro, but I've found that the 30 lb braid casts further, catches less wind, sinks more consistently, and is plenty strong. The only thing that may be worth watching is that the lighter stuff will fray easier, so is something you may need to pay a little more attention to. Hell, Seth Feider throws 30 lb Sufix 832 on his frogs. While Sufix lines do tend to be a little thicker than others and while there's no way I'd have the balls to do that, if it can stand up to frogging, it can stand up to whatever you want to do with it.

You can absolutely throw it on a spinning reel too. I've done that plenty in the past. It's close in diameter to the size mono or fluoro you'd be spooling up, and is a fine choice if you need more power or abrasion resistance over the lighter stuff people usually throw. It's going to be more manageable as well just due to its thicker diameter.

[Les Young]

Thanks guys. I’m using a leader on the bait caster anyway so I think I’ll try it. For the spinning outfit I think I’ll step down a little since I’ll be throwing ned rigs on it too. Unless of course you think it would work well for that using a 1/5 ounce head. Any suggestions? Thanks

[DrewFlu33]

In general I think that size braid is overkill on a spinning rod for the same reason that the heavier braid isn't as nice on a casting rod. Breaking strength of braid is usually at least twice what it's rated for anyhow, so it's not like going lighter will leave you short on strength. The lighter stuff will cast better, play nicer in the wind and/or current, and will sink straight down better. You do need to watch wind knots a little more as the lighter stuff is a little tougher to manage at times, but not a big deal. Flipping the bail manually and making sure to have some tension on the line when reeling usually prevents any of that. Additionally, filling the spool not quite as full as you would normally is really helpful for preventing wind knots.

I usually throw braid around 0.15 mm in diameter on spinning rods basically across the board which is usually around 10 lb rated. This includes quite a lot of duty with a 16 lb leader skipping docks with a wacky worm. It's a little unwieldy as 16 lb is big line for spinning setup as I suggested above and the diameter difference is pretty substantial between that thin braid and much thicker leader, but it allows me to get those fish out from under docks with a lot more confidence and the leader will still break before the braid does.

Again definitely not saying the 30 lb won't work, but I've been happier with the performance of my spinning setups after dropping down to what amounts to a much smaller size.

[Les Young]

I ordered some 15lb. Diawa j braid

[Bassjam2000]

I've got 65lb. diawa j braid on a bait caster now & with a half ounce jig it falls to slow for me. I'm sitting in around 50 FOW on deep bluffs & with it catching so much water it's falling slower & swinging to far out making it hard to fish right. Will i see enough of a difference to be worth replacing the 65 on the bait caster with 30? Thanks guys

Yes you will see a very noticeable difference going to 30 from 65. It’s the equivalent of going from 17lb diameter to 10lb diameter.

[Les Young]

Yes you will see a very noticeable difference going to 30 from 65. It’s the equivalent of going from 17lb diameter to 10lb diameter.

Thanks.

[SPOONMINNOW]

Like 10# test braid