# braided line?



## Steve A W (Apr 3, 2017)

Is it possible to use braided line on closed face reels 
such as Zebco?
I recently started using braid on my baitcasters and spinning
reels and just wondered. 
Thanks

Steve A W


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## onthewater102 (Apr 3, 2017)

As a kid I tried it & the braid is so limp it would end up winding around the shaft of the winding plate forward of the spool & made a mess all the time. Those reels aren't good for much more than getting kids hooked on fishing. I've already got my 4yr old using spinning gear because the spincast reels aren't worth the hassle they cause with breaks while casting, twisted line & spool malfunctions.


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## Jim (Apr 3, 2017)

Good question! You have any braid laying around? I would try 60lb braid lol


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## lovedr79 (Apr 4, 2017)

Hmmm. I have some braid left over. Might try my daughters pink barbie rod. When I make it back from florida


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## Johnny (Apr 4, 2017)

Love - my wife and I were fishing at one of the FL State Parks last year
on a dock..... this family from Norway came out to let their kids fish a little
before going back home...... their little girl about 6 years old had a new pink
Barbie rod they bought at walmart . . . . the Dad fixed a lure on it that came
with the package just so she could play.
After talking with them a bit, I took off the artificial and put on a live minnow.
she put the rod tip between the board rails and within 3 minutes she hooked a big ole
crappie !!!! she was ecstatic to say the least. the fish have no idea what that
minnow is attached to - it can be a $300.00 professional outfit or a $20 Barbie rod.
LOL don't dismiss the pink girly rods LOL

Looking forward to your fishing report when you get back home

Tight Lines !!


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## Johnny (Apr 4, 2017)

Steve - I sent a note to Zebco yesterday with your question and just now got this reply:

From: Email Zebco <[email protected]> Today at 12:05 PM
To: Johnny,
*It is possible to use braided line on most spincast reels. However, we recommend 
using mono line in the appropriate pound test to get the maximum performance 
from these reels. Braided line is harsher than mono and wears out the mechanisms 
faster and may effect casting distances.*

Thank you for contacting us,

Zebco Service
6105 E. Apache
Tulsa, OK 74115
800-588-9030


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## Steve A W (Apr 4, 2017)

Thanks for the replies.
I remember how happy I was when I saved up and bought
my first spinning reel. No more Zebco's and their messed up
line! =D> 
I was just curious.
Thanks

Steve A W


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## onthewater102 (Apr 4, 2017)

I trash talk mine and yet 25 years later I still have it...tried to give it to my son, what was I thinking -- it didn't work well then & it sure as hell doesn't work well now! No amount of cleaning, greasing and new line can change what it is. Oh well...I didn't throw it out.


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## bassoreno (Aug 6, 2017)

My first year fishing here in Northern Wisconsin I had a Shakespeare spincast reel...That was 1958 and I can still remember the twisted and broken lines...To be fair it wasn't all the reel's fault...Since I already knew everything at the age of 10 I didn't bother trying to learn how to use it correctly...By the next summer I had a new Pflueger Akron Freespool bait caster and after a few million backlashes I learned I didn't actually know everything quite yet...Now I use Gladding and Cortland Dacron braided line (the old school stuff) on all my Ambassadeur casting reels and antiquey ones from Pflueger, Langley, Abu, Coxe, Bronson, Shakespeare, Heddon, etc... :mrgreen:


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## KMixson (Aug 7, 2017)

I tried some braid on a closed face reel I have. It kind of sorta worked. It would reel in if you kept tension on the line. Any slack in the line and it would unreel since it is much thinner than mono. The pin on the reel that engages the line does not actually touch the the wall of the outer shell. Being so thin the line would fit between the pin and the outer shell. After casting if you didn't have tension on the line you would be cranking the handle and the pin would not catch the line to reel it in. You could give the rod a quick jerk to catch the pin and then reel it in.


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## eshaw (Aug 10, 2017)

Zebco actually made a 808 model that came with braided line. It was supposedly "designed" for bow fishing. What a hunk of junk! I actually got so frustrated I pitched it in the drink.


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## SeaFaring (Sep 4, 2017)

I think the Zebco bullet is built for braid - but it's a premium piece and priced accordingly. 

I was looking at one for my wife who has been using Zebco 33's her whole life but needed something stouter for the Chesapeake. Then she asked to try my Revo baitcaster on a frog rod and was doing great even though the lure was at the lower limit for that rod and reel, so I'll pick her up a baitcaster. 

For what it's worth, I've had good experiences with spincast and underspin reels, and as long as the fish don't outclass the drags which are usually on the weak side. I've never used anything but 8-12 lb mono though. 


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