Loading braid

lads - got a LRF starter kit which includes 100m of very thin braid for the main line (0.12mm). I've never used braid before, but from what I've read it is good to put a backing of mono to stop the line from slipping on the reel. My question is should the mono line for backing be the same diameter as the baid main line? Or should it be bigger or smaller, or does it even matter?

Also do you need a special scissors to cut braid? I read on somewhere that a nail clippers does the job

cheers

Don't know about the backing , sorry , but can say that nail clippers work provided that they are good and sharp with undamaged cutting edges . Old ones tend not to cut clean through , just fray it . Very frustrating !
Good luck .

I used to use a backing line but found that the knot joining the braid to the mono could snag on casting. A complete pain in the you know what and caused a few lost lures. I now use braid all the way through with a small reel which has a wide barrel. (If that's what you call it)

Its not likely that you'll empty 100m of braid doing LRF so whatever you back it with isnt really going to make that much difference in my opinion. Similar diameter line will do the trick or even insulating tape to decrease the spool depth will work too and might give you more even line lay than mono? I did get a good tip once to underfill the spool when using braid and I did find it cut down on windknots so you might find too much backing might cause you problems?

Definitely buy braid scizzors if you can. Nail clippers are great for mono but I find they lose their sharpness fairly quickly for braid. I use those blue handled mustad ones, never had any issue with them

K

For backing I use plumbers Teflon tape. It works well and doesn't stick to the spool. A couple turns around the spool is plenty, then I fill the reel with the lb braid I want to use.
Just wrap the tape around the entire spool then wrap the line around 3-5 times to make sure it doesn't slip and pull the line very tight so it digs into the tape to some degree.
I like between 200 and 300 yards of braid on all of my saltwater reels. I'm not a fan of these 100-150 yard spools, they cause a lot of trouble. If it's a big reel and I can do 300 yards and still have plenty of room only then I'll put mono under it and connect both lines with a small Yucatan knot or a simple to tie Uni-to-Uni Knot. You don't have to do that if the reel barely holds 200 yards, then obviously just give it a wrap of tape.

I am a piker but also do a spot of sea fishing from the shore over the summer. I recently got an abu multiplier for jerkbaiting for the Pike.

I have loaded the abu with braid. Does anyone know if braid gets damaged if using braid in saltwater and then using it in freshwater?