braid for irons?

[-scallywag-]

I've read alot about fishing spectra on the iron (mostly for plugs) and have tried it out a couple times on a few jig sticks/reels, and the three biggest draw backs for me are,
A) guiding the line back on the reel with my thumb, and getting picked up on the retreive (ouch!!!)

B) as Jim pointed out, The line is easily damaged by backlash, exc.. and the damage is hard to see, and since i suck and 99% of my backlashes happen with boiling fish around, cutting line and re-tieing kinda takes me out of the game.

C) You just cant put as much pressure on 50lb spectra as you can 40lb mono, and since on the yak you are almost always near lobster bouys, anchor lines, structure, kelp ,exc... it really helps to be able to lock the drag down without worrying too much about straitening hooks or popping the line...although as Jim pointed out, drag settings and rod action make a huge difference when fishing spectra. Once the fish is on, mono is much more forgiving.

In LJ from the Yak I use #65 spectra + 40/30 or 20flouro leader for all my bait poles, my yoyo and jig sticks are 40lb mono.

BUT....Almost all those issues are not a problem if you go to a spinning reel, and as kooky and far fetched as it sounds I think Jim is right on about the spinners and spectra being superior, but I don't see them becoming popular with the avarage "SoCal" fisherman because it's just not "cool".

- Lifted Diesel 4x4's with huge shiney rims/tires that never see dirt or a trailer = COOL

- Out casting/catching the deadheads on the bow using a coffie grinder & spectra = NOT COOL