Multiplier help - SHOCKLEADER OR BRAID please help!

Hi

Can anyone give me some advice on multiplier reels, i have a shakespeare president reel its about 6-7 years old i guess, and ive only used it off a boat maybe half dozen times. Anyway im getting more into sea fishing, and i want to know if i can use this reel from the shore??

Also it has a level wind feature, and i dont know if i can get much distance with this, ive seen reports of reels in sea angler etc, and some have level wind and others dont so im not sure.

Also some people are using shockleader and others are using braid on there multipliers.
If i use shockleader will the knot that joins the shockleader to my line damage the level wind, or even cause crack-offs etc?

Or maybe im better just sticking to braid all the way down to my terminal tackle???

Alot of questions i know but any advice would be off great help!

Thanks alot guys

Keith

i know nothing about presidents, if you could tell me what line capacity it has for 15lb line it will give me a rough idea of its size.
first of all never use braid without a shockleader as braid cant absorb any of the reel's initial surge as the rod compresses during a decent cast, it will most probably end up a 'birdie'(tangled mess).
also i would take off the levelwind as it does interfere with the reel during casting in terms of distance, as long as your knot is small there should be no problem with the knot getting trapped., ive casted many a time with a levelwind without any crack offs.

Yep Eric is right I have an Abu 6500 sports Mag loaded with braid with a 20ft 50lb shockleader I have never had a problem with it.It is important you attach a leader as there is zero stretch in braid so if you get a bite and strike without a leader You'll probably pull the head off the fish !!!

Oh and one more thing...make sure you use the allbright knot to attach the leader to the braid

Hi Eric

Thanks for your advice, im away from home at the mo so i cant check my reel, but im pretty sure it holds 320yards of 15lb line.. or similiar to that, its not a huge reel or anything like that.. i should be home next week so can check then for sure..

Thanks for your advice about shock leader i have a spool of 40lb stuff at home which ive never used, so i will hoke it out!

Regarding braid any ideas which one i should buy for shore fishing?

Usually when im fishing fixed spool reals i use 15-20lb mono and cast out leads about 4 oz's but i reacon if i had the multiplier with a strong braid i could get some really good distance, and maybe try beach fishing for the first time. Thanks again for your help. Let me know what you think of the line capacity on my shakespeare president.

Keith

sounds like a good mixed/clean ground reel then, should be up to the job

Thanks paul

There was question about knots in this months sea angler pg 40
It mentions boat anglers using the Albright knot so i will definately check it out.

Good news.. saves me buying a new reel...i will get it filled up with braid then when i get home. Any ideas about which braid to use from shore anyone?

as regards to which braid to use, i find that berkley's spiderwire is the way to go, anti tangle personified.
doing a little more research ive found that most casters say braid does not cast well on a multipliers as the line digs in to the spool slowing down the reel's revs, their advice was to stick to fix spools for braid, ive never used braid on a multy so i dont know

Retire your shakey president, or keep it for the boat.

Buy yourself a penn 525 supermag or a Daiwa 7HT and load it with 15lb mono if you're goiing to get into beachangling.

They're quality reels that'll see you through years of service.

Good news.. saves me buying a new reel...i will get it filled up with braid then when i get home. Any ideas about which braid to use from shore anyone?

stick to mono for beach fishing. seriously. if you get a birdy(which you will) that will be 40 quids worth of braid down the drain. also if you get a birdy and your finger gets caught in a loop of line in can be very painful indeed.

the Shakespeare is really too big for beach fishing and i would buy a new reel like a daiwa 7ht. these are excellent little reels and you can get them quite cheap now.

I know this will sound un conventional and un orthodox....

If u want to really using braid.....go look for the really round profile braid....most of the one u will find here is make from 4 strand....that will make the profile flat=easily dig on the spool.Thats why mono not easily dig on spool...because they have round profile. 6 strand or 8 strand will make a good round profile braid.

For me...i dont find braid birdie is lot more worst than mono...i found it is the other way around.....

Its more easier casting multi using braid with one condition....when it wet....so make sure to wet them on easy cast before u really cast them....(i some times just pour a mineral water on them before casting)

Use ur thumb on entire cast....theres no 'just let the brake do it for u' on the entire cast with braid....u dont want to get a fluff on braid when the spool still spinning fast and the fluff cought ur thumb....(specially when the bottom layer of line wch is still dry and easily got fluff)

No jerky/whippy on ur cast....this apply on using multi....but with mono and its stretch.....u sometimes get lucky....with braid....no sorry for u...u will get a city of birdie with it doing it...

All that i stated above is not mean that anybody can use them straight away.....get some braid tomorow and headed to the beach....its just to state that its still possible to use braid....i used them....i learn hard way to use them....and after 11 years....i never look back for mono....i still used them mono....but most of the time i will use braid....but if u re a beginner starting using multi...stay with mono for sometimes.....when the time arrive that u re really confident on the cast and everything with ur set up and decided to use braid....then go on.....

The first time i use them braid on my first multi...11 years ago...the set up that i use for everything....with the old generation line...terrible line....on that time most people agree that braid not make for multi...not even for light short distance multi spinner....there is a saying....use them 1 day ,u like em....use em for a week,u hate em......use em for a month,u'll love em braid....

Braid....no stretch=sensitive.....fine and strong.....line surface will easily catch debris and sand(will cut ur guide if its not SIC)....low abrasion resistant

Mono....stretchy=forgiving.....big dia....line surface clean dont catch debris and sand....hi abrasion resistant...


Always use leader(mono,fluoro) with braid....
For small multi spinning....u dont need the leader to be wrap on the spool.....a short length will do.So most of the time the connecting knot will be just in front of ur level wind....for this application the level wind reel is necessary...

For beach and distance...u need ur leader to be wrapped a few times on spool....a level wind will be a trouble for this application....go for any non level wind reel.

If you're using braid on a distance casting multi, I'd go for 60lb powerpro.
I use 30lb on a spinning multiplier. I've only birdied properly the once where I had to cut out of it and got away with it, I dunno if it'd be as much fun having to cut off 100m of it.
If you're going on a long session make sure to bring a spare spool loaded with mono, just in case.
It'll take a while to get used to, you need to be really smooth with the casting, and as Joe says wet the line before you cast at all.
I'd often dunk my whole reel in freshwater before using it.
Give it a shot, but have mags up high and keep your thumb tight to the spool, if it get's away from you you're in expensive trouble.

ok thanks...all sounds good... will stick to mono and shockleader for now until i master casting with the multiplier at distance and feel confident enough to really lash it out with heavy leads with out crack offs or bird nests. Tight lines!