Getting ready for 2017

Last year broke several rods and reels. I take at least one person with me if not a couple each trip. I will be using 6lb, 15lb, and 40lb fluoro for my leaders. Just seeing where I can improve in the year to come.

My setup now:


Cobia, King, Bull Reds
2-8' Ugly Stik Catfish MH SR with Penn Fierce II 6000 15lb Mono
1-7' Ugly Stik GX-2 M SR with Penn Battle II 5000 20lb Braid


Flounder, Reds
1-6.6' Ugly Stik GX-2 M SR with Penn Fierce II 5000 20lb Braid
1-6.6' Ugly Stik GX-2 M SR with Penn Fierce II 4000 20lb Braid


Spanish
3-7' Abu Garcia Veritas 2.0 M SR with Penn Battle II 3000 20lb Braid


Pompano, Ground Mullet, Speck
2-6.6' Berkley Amp ML SR with Penn Battle II 2000 6lb Fluoro


Backup, Bait Sabiki and Ribbon
1-6.6' Ugly Stik GX-2 M CR with Penn Pursuit II 5000 15lb Mono
1-6.6' Ugly Stik GX-2 M CR with Penn Pursuit II 4000 10lb Mono

Does anybody seem to have problems with wind knots when using braid on certain brands of reels ? I have 2 Stradics and have never had one on either of these reels braid is 2-3 years old and green in color . I put 30 lb. braid on a Battle 4000 I got last spring at a pawn shop in Bham. and it has had so many that now it needs new line it is black . Both were spooled at J & M .

I've had some problems with a couple of different reels. It seemed that flipping the bail manually and making a habit of pulling on the line each time to make sure no loops are left has helped. The habit is so deeply ingrained now that I even do it when I'm fishing mono. I've fished braid on a Battle 2000 with few problems for the amount of casting I've done with it. I had the worst luck, ironically, with the reel I have that is supposedly set up for braid....a Shimano Sahara 4000....I just spooled it up with a different brand of braid to see if that perhaps will help.

We get a couple wind knots a trip (week) but nothing like your talking about. Usually small knots, get them out with a pick.