Power Pro is TERRIBLE! 2024

Ok, so I have a Quantum Surge Baitcaster (It's basically the same thing as a burst but is coated with salt water anti-erosion stuff).  Its one of the burner 7:1 reels and it has been making me mad as heck for the last few months.  I cleaned the heck out of it, oiled everything, but could not get it to run smooth.  I usually use braid, and on this one I had 50# Power Pro for use in heavy cover and grass.  Anyways, I was out yesterday and lost a couple of really nice fish (one was a 24+ inch Chain Pickerel noted for being about twice the size of my Minn Kota lower unit) because I just couldn't get a good hook set due to friction.  I thought the friction was in the reel and was ready to trash the darn thing when I, for some reason, had pulled the line from by the reel in.  at that moment I felt the exact amount of friction I thought the reel was giving me.  I immediately ran my fingers up the line and felt how rough the Power Pro was.  I have Spider Wire on my other rod and felt that too.  The Power Pro felt like a band saw, whereas the spider wire is smooth and silky.  That's when I went back to the marina to see if they had any spider wire.  They didn't (only carried Power Pro Braid) so I bought some Trilene 100% Fluoro.  As soon as I had the line changed and the Quantum back in the water it ran smooth as silk, like my older Quantum.  Who would have thought line would make a difference.  Another bass landed with the Fluoro and I could tell that the friction really kicked my butt.  So, in short, if you're gonna buy braid Spider wire is the way to go.

That's a new one....friction.  Where?

In the eyes of the rod apparently.  Here's a weird note though.  The rod is a Berkley Lighting Rod made specifically for superlines.  It's fine with the spiderwire.

Great. Another braid thread. In before the lock.

Once the Spiderwire gives you "friction" whatever that means, switch it Suffix and you'll be fine.  Please try to describe what you're talking about, is the line digging in and causing resistance or is it a lack of friction and is slipping?

I had a problem with braid slipping on the spool.  I was not using backing and I did not have a piece of tape on the first wrap of braid on the spool. You would think that with hundreds

of wraps on the spool that would be enough friction to allow a good hookset.  Nope. The whole wad slipped and turned on the spool.

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Ok, so I have a Quantum Surge Baitcaster (It's basically the same thing as a burst but is coated with salt water anti-erosion stuff). Its one of the burner 7:1 reels and it has been making me mad as heck for the last few months. I cleaned the heck out of it, oiled everything, but could not get it to run smooth. I usually use braid, and on this one I had 50# Power Pro for use in heavy cover and grass. Anyways, I was out yesterday and lost a couple of really nice fish (one was a 24+ inch Chain Pickerel noted for being about twice the size of my Minn Kota lower unit) because I just couldn't get a good hook set due to friction. I thought the friction was in the reel and was ready to trash the darn thing when I, for some reason, had pulled the line from by the reel in. at that moment I felt the exact amount of friction I thought the reel was giving me. I immediately ran my fingers up the line and felt how rough the Power Pro was. I have Spider Wire on my other rod and felt that too. The Power Pro felt like a band saw, whereas the spider wire is smooth and silky. That's when I went back to the marina to see if they had any spider wire. They didn't (only carried Power Pro Braid) so I bought some Trilene 100% Fluoro. As soon as I had the line changed and the Quantum back in the water it ran smooth as silk, like my older Quantum. Who would have thought line would make a difference. Another bass landed with the Fluoro and I could tell that the friction really kicked my butt. So, in short, if you're gonna buy braid Spider wire is the way to go.

Friction ~ Really ? I've been a faithful Power Pro user since it came out in 1997 I think. This is the first and only time I have ever heard of this strange friction phenomenon.

Sounds bad.

A-Jay

Friction - A force that resists the relative motion or tendency to such motion of two bodies or substances in contact.

Friction also means: Fr = [ch956]N

"like a bandsaw"  basically it was some serious work with the highspeed reel just to keep a constant pace with the spinner.  Much the same as if you were to drive down the road with your e-brake partially on.  Therefore making it difficult to quickly take up slack and ultimately allowing said lost fish to move faster towards me than I was reeling in, which in turn disallowed me to keep the line taught and subsequently ended in thrown hooks.  It's a different situation than you probably have been in.  "Friction" is a B*&^ my friend BigRick.  The lack thereof would be described as slipping not a friction problem.

Complaining about the ultra sensitivity of Power Pro because it was acting like, well, Power Pro? :

Couldn't get a good hook set because of the friction?

I am cornfused.

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Ok, so I have a Quantum Surge Baitcaster (It's basically the same thing as a burst but is coated with salt water anti-erosion stuff). Its one of the burner 7:1 reels and it has been making me mad as heck for the last few months. I cleaned the heck out of it, oiled everything, but could not get it to run smooth. I usually use braid, and on this one I had 50# Power Pro for use in heavy cover and grass. Anyways, I was out yesterday and lost a couple of really nice fish (one was a 24+ inch Chain Pickerel noted for being about twice the size of my Minn Kota lower unit) because I just couldn't get a good hook set due to friction. I thought the friction was in the reel and was ready to trash the darn thing when I, for some reason, had pulled the line from by the reel in. at that moment I felt the exact amount of friction I thought the reel was giving me. I immediately ran my fingers up the line and felt how rough the Power Pro was. I have Spider Wire on my other rod and felt that too. The Power Pro felt like a band saw, whereas the spider wire is smooth and silky. That's when I went back to the marina to see if they had any spider wire. They didn't (only carried Power Pro Braid) so I bought some Trilene 100% Fluoro. As soon as I had the line changed and the Quantum back in the water it ran smooth as silk, like my older Quantum. Who would have thought line would make a difference. Another bass landed with the Fluoro and I could tell that the friction really kicked my butt. So, in short, if you're gonna buy braid Spider wire is the way to go.

Friction ~ Really ? I've been a faithful Power Pro user since it came out in 1997 I think. This is the first and only time I have ever heard of this strange friction phenomenon.

Sounds bad.

A-Jay

Never heard of it either so that's why I posted this.

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Complaining about the ultra sensitivity of Power Pro because it was acting like, well, Power Pro? :

Couldn't get a good hook set because of the friction?

I am cornfused.

Been using braid since 1999, I think I know what I am doing with the ultra sensitivity. Now Power Pro is new to me and its the roughest braid I've ever touched. I've used Stren, Berkley, Spiderwire, Suffix, etc... without said issue. Like I also said, I initially thought it was the reel. It could have been bad line because I spooled it in November, but I have only used it for this last month since the water became water again.

I agree with suicidenemesis. I don't use that rough line either and I have been using superlines since the introduction of the Kelvar (pre-Spiderwire).

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I agree with suicidenemesis. I don't use that rough line either and I have been using superlines since the introduction of the Kelvar (pre-Spiderwire).

Thanks Wayne.  Some people just know too much I guess, huh?

once, i was fishing with this guy that was fishing with braid and he was having the worst time of it. he was swearing at his line and cursing the day he bought braid. i finally had him hand his rod and reel to me and, sure enough, it acted funny with me too...sorta like the way you're describing. upon closer inspection, i discovered that when he was threading the line through the guides, he missed one of the eyes and, instead, ran the line under the eye through the guideframe. after fixing that, everything was fine. is there a possibility that's what happened with you? i've used many different brands of braid and don't see how what you described could be the fault of the line.

Snoopy, I think you pegged it!  Friction happens when the line is not running true or is hung up or is catching on something.  Check all the guides plus the flow of the line from the reel to the top guide.

Are you sure your spool wasn't slipping because it was not attached to backing, or taped securely to reel spool? Although power pro isn't my favorite braid, many guys use it with no problems. If it frays excessively a bad guide may be to blame or if it was breaking easily same thing. But reeling in and not taking in enough line sounds like line slipping on the spool which would usually be caused by a drag too loose or braid slipping around the spool. Since you didn't have the problem with the Flourocarbon it's not a faulty reel. Flouro and mono don't slip like braid. Also line test and diameter come into play...if line test or diameter of braid is too small for a particular reel that can cause some difficulty casting, digging into spool and wind knots. Those are the only things I can think of that might cause what you described.

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Are you sure your spool wasn't slipping because it was not attached to backing, or taped securely to reel spool? Although power pro isn't my favorite braid, many guys use it with no problems. If it frays excessively a bad guide may be to blame or if it was breaking easily same thing. But reeling in and not taking in enough line sounds like line slipping on the spool which would usually be caused by a drag too loose or braid slipping around the spool. Since you didn't have the problem with the Flourocarbon it's not a faulty reel. Flouro and mono don't slip like braid. Also line test and diameter come into play...if line test or diameter of braid is too small for a particular reel that can cause some difficulty casting, digging into spool and wind knots. Those are the only things I can think of that might cause what you described.

That was what I was thinking. If anything braid will help to make a better hookset.

I know what friction is, but how exactly did it kick your butt? Also, any possible or visible signs of friction I would imagine would most likely come from the guides and the braid starts to sing during a fight. I am asking to get to bottom of your issue because it has definitely piqued my curiosity. However I'm having a hard time visualizing this friction and can't seem to get out of my head the braid slipping around the spool.

I take it that the rough feel is probably your fingers feeling the individual strands wrapped about each other. You got point there, but it hasn't been a show stopper for me personally.

Based on your experience in using braid, I would assume that  you employed either a bit of mono backing or something else to prevent the braid from slipping around the spool so I'll rule that out. Your mystery is definitely afoot!

S-T-R-A-N-G-E.

sure the line wasnt wrapped on something? like around the rod in between guides? if not, you got BIG TIME FLUKE power pro.

Should have used the new Fireline Braid.....................no probs

I have some 50 pound Tuf Line because I'm too cheap for anything else, but I have always heard good things about Power Pro. I use 10 pound on a little 2' rod I have that I bought in Myrtle Beach...works like a charm.

I just started using power pro.  I've been a firm believer in mono for many years.  There are three reasons I decided to try something new.  1-people raving about the "new" styles of braid.  2- I was sick of my spinning reels getting twisted line from my occasional river fishing.  I don't use my baitcasters when I'm river fishing so that wasn't an issue.  3- the excellent strength to line dia. that braid offers.  So far I've only expirienced one thing that I don't care for.  The noise it makes going through the guides.  Also, a person needs to be aware of the lack of stretch.  If your not used to it you can really "over set" the hook.  Otherwise,  I would have to say it impresses me.  More sensitivity, great strength,  less backlashes with my bait casters, less birds nests,  and lastly no twisted line.  So far so good.  Only time will tell if it completely convinces me.  Everyone has their preferences and opinions, techniques etc....  and thats the way it should be!!

I know what you mean about the friction with power pro.

Since I started using it a few years ago I've grown my biceps into 20" Pythons just from cranking with that stuff all season.

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once, i was fishing with this guy that was fishing with braid and he was having the worst time of it. he was swearing at his line and cursing the day he bought braid. i finally had him hand his rod and reel to me and, sure enough, it acted funny with me too...sorta like the way you're describing. upon closer inspection, i discovered that when he was threading the line through the guides, he missed one of the eyes and, instead, ran the line under the eye through the guideframe. after fixing that, everything was fine. is there a possibility that's what happened with you? i've used many different brands of braid and don't see how what you described could be the fault of the line.

Good thinking.  I've done that, and I was thoroughly confused for a few casts.

PowerPro does create some extra friction for a few hours until you break it in.  It's a little rough straight off the spool, but a terrific line overall.

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once, i was fishing with this guy that was fishing with braid and he was having the worst time of it. he was swearing at his line and cursing the day he bought braid. i finally had him hand his rod and reel to me and, sure enough, it acted funny with me too...sorta like the way you're describing. upon closer inspection, i discovered that when he was threading the line through the guides, he missed one of the eyes and, instead, ran the line under the eye through the guideframe. after fixing that, everything was fine. is there a possibility that's what happened with you? i've used many different brands of braid and don't see how what you described could be the fault of the line.

Good thinking. I've done that, and I was thoroughly confused for a few casts.

PowerPro does create some extra friction for a few hours until you break it in. It's a little rough straight off the spool, but a terrific line overall.

This is to both snoopy and beaver islander - That may have been the issue, though I don't think so.  I have been using that same rod/reel/braid set up for all season up until now.  I have caught many fish on that and have had issues with that particular reel having a worn drag disc that I had to replace (other times with the same reel and smaller fish I had the opposite issues, the drag was too loose and I had to use my thumb to gain line on the fish, but after replacing the drag I have not had that issue again and no it wasn;t the line slipping on the spool.  I tie the braid with a polomar knot threaded into the holes on the spool, not around the spool like most people do).  Again today the reel worked fine with the flouro on it.  Maybe this is a one time fluke.  My tournament partner uses powerpro with no issues whatsoever.  So who knows?  I am fairly sure this was not user error in this case though.

suicidenemesis,

Did you check your guide's inserts to make sure you did not have a chip or cut in them. I had a Dobyn's rod that was brand new and it had a nick on my tip guide's insert and if my thin diameter superline, can't remember if it was Samurai or Suffix, kept getting stuck and feeling hard to retrieve and upon closer inspection it was the guide insert, replace it and problem went away.  If the nick is small enough for superline to cut into you may have had the same effect as snoopy described without missing the guide.

Use the cotton swap test on each guide insert and see if any cotton sticks.

No chance that when your line gets wet it swells enough to contact part of the reel frame somewhere? Reel line guide plugged/cracked?

There is no way the "friction" of Power Pro passing thru the guides caused you to lose fish. If your reel can't overcome that little bit of resistance, you'll never be able to pull a fish out of the weeds.

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once, i was fishing with this guy that was fishing with braid and he was having the worst time of it. he was swearing at his line and cursing the day he bought braid. i finally had him hand his rod and reel to me and, sure enough, it acted funny with me too...sorta like the way you're describing. upon closer inspection, i discovered that when he was threading the line through the guides, he missed one of the eyes and, instead, ran the line under the eye through the guideframe. after fixing that, everything was fine. is there a possibility that's what happened with you? i've used many different brands of braid and don't see how what you described could be the fault of the line.

Good thinking. I've done that, and I was thoroughly confused for a few casts.

PowerPro does create some extra friction for a few hours until you break it in. It's a little rough straight off the spool, but a terrific line overall.

This is to both snoopy and beaver islander - That may have been the issue, though I don't think so. I have been using that same rod/reel/braid set up for all season up until now. I have caught many fish on that and have had issues with that particular reel having a worn drag disc that I had to replace (other times with the same reel and smaller fish I had the opposite issues, the drag was too loose and I had to use my thumb to gain line on the fish, but after replacing the drag I have not had that issue again and no it wasn;t the line slipping on the spool.  I tie the braid with a polomar knot threaded into the holes on the spool, not around the spool like most people do). Again today the reel worked fine with the flouro on it. Maybe this is a one time fluke. My tournament partner uses powerpro with no issues whatsoever. So who knows? I am fairly sure this was not user error in this case though.

maybe this was your issue.

it doesnt matter what knot you tie braid to a spool with... it will slip into itself... digging in... and then when you cast or reel, the line is coming out from under itself.

you have to either use. backing (mono) or make a really good long cast and set a peice electical tape across the spool and reel it in to stop this issue.

i use power pro all the time and the only problem i ever had with it was it digging in and then when i went for a long cast... it would catch in the reel... and snap and send my bait three miles across the lake. since i learned that digging in solution i have never had a single problem with it at all.  i trust it and like above all other braids ive used.

Spool was over filled.

Operater error!!!!!! Friction now that is funny. Posts like this really make me laugh. I lost a fish because of friction. Bwhahahhahahahhahahah !!!!!!!!! 8-)

Nope, I tie my braid to the spool by threading the line through the holes, and have not experienced any friction, slippage or any thing else..

Of course, I'm not using PP...

Maybe the problem is that it is power pro.  If you must use braid at least sufix and daiwa have more carriers and represent a more recent generation of technology.  Better yet....buck the trend and use mono, your reel will appreciate it in the future.

Did you put it on the reel with as much tension as possible? When spooling with braid, you want it TIGHT.

I'm really not sure what you're eluding to, because line friction is a fact of life

and cannot be isolated to the line, as your guide rings may be equally involved.

I used PowerPro for a couple years and loved everything about braided line (not powerpro per se).

Unfortunately, I got unlucky and purchased a bad batch of PowerPro. My wife and I both

experienced serial line-failure without provocation. Previous to my own experience,

I always thought of a "bad batch" as a scapegoat or a figment of the imagination.

Kudos to PowerPro though, because by their own admission the company acknowledged

that they had problems with certain bulk spools. PowerPro offered me a free bulk spool

but I refused their offer. Instead I switched to Berkley Fireline braid, and now inexplicable breakage

is a thing of the past. All that said, PowerPro is not at all terrible.

Roger

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Ok, so I have a Quantum Surge Baitcaster

Found the culprit...

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suicidenemesis,

Did you check your guide's inserts to make sure you did not have a chip or cut in them. I had a Dobyn's rod that was brand new and it had a nick on my tip guide's insert and if my thin diameter superline, can't remember if it was Samurai or Suffix, kept getting stuck and feeling hard to retrieve and upon closer inspection it was the guide insert, replace it and problem went away. If the nick is small enough for superline to cut into you may have had the same effect as snoopy described without missing the guide.

Use the cotton swap test on each guide insert and see if any cotton sticks.

Interesting thought, but that's not the case.  Since that particular rod is made for superline I switched my reels around.  I put the one with the flouro on another rod and the one with the spiderwire on that rod.  Since then I have put at least 10 fish in the boat with that rod with no issues. 

To all you 'smart' people, like flip from San Fran.  Eat me.  Just because this ain't happened to you does not mean that was not the case.  I'm not worried about losing practice day fish, nor am I making excuses.  I'm actually happy it happened then and not on the tournement day.  I just thought this was an interesting thing and if anyone else had experienced it.  Guess what, using braid brought in half my fish for my last four tournements.  I'm pretty sure I know how to use it.

*shrug*  to each their own. i have tried several braids... and among those that i have tried.. i have chosen power pro for both fresh and saltwater. i have had no problems and continue to have no problems.

but then.. i like quantums too... so wth do i know right?

I love power pro and have never had a problem with it. For that reason i will not change. I get all rapala lures (rapala, terminator, suffix, storm, vmc and more) at pro staff pricing  and i like power pro so much that i pay retail for it instead of buying suffix braid at cost. Its streghths  far out weight its weaknesses for me. Hopefully you find one that suits your needs and likes.

That said  next time you have had problems with a product try asking a question about it and not saying that it is simply TERRIBLE. You will see that you will have better and more intelligent answers with a question that is well stated and asked than with a statement insulting a product that is used and loved by many people.

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I love power pro and have never had a problem with it. For that reason i will not change. I get all rapala lures (rapala, terminator, suffix, storm, vmc and more) at pro staff pricing and i like power pro so much that i pay retail for it instead of buying suffix braid at cost. Its streghths far out weight its weaknesses for me. Hopefully you find one that suits your needs and likes.

That said next time you have had problems with a product try asking a question about it and not saying that it is simply TERRIBLE. You will see that you will have better and more intelligent answers with a question that is well stated and asked than with a statement insulting a product that is used and loved by many people.

Well stated.

Just a thought, but have you tried switching back to PP on that same rod to see if it can be repeated?  Would be interesting to see.  The answer might give some direction.

PP is not my favorite braid, but I do still use it.  It is good line which has stood the test of time, so something unusual was happening.

Any money that line was slipping on the spool. I tie a "polomar" to the slots in the spool of my high speed Revo and it has slipped before as well. Take it all off and see, it's not like it has memory and will knot up.

And take some advice from people who actually know something about the line and common sense before you go complaining, ranting, and debunking their ideas. 95% of the time it is operator error.

I have the same rod, the berkley shock with 65lb power pro on it.  There is a slight resistance with mine as opposed to the co-polymer i had on it before, but it has never been bad enough to cause me any problems.  Also it tends to become less noticeable after a few casts and the line gets wet.

Power pro is the greatest braid ever made IMO. It is durable and casts wonderfully, hardly ever snarling. It loses some of the roughness with time and handles even better. Fireline and the older spiderwire sucked compared to it.

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Any money that line was slipping on the spool. I tie a "polomar" to the slots in the spool of my high speed Revo and it has slipped before as well. Take it all off and see, it's not like it has memory and will knot up.

And take some advice from people who actually know something about the line and common sense before you go complaining, ranting, and debunking their ideas. 95% of the time it is operator error.

Normally I would, but what a lot of people seem to not realize is that most of the things people are saying is stuff I checked out on the water, therefore already debunking a lot of what is said.  One thing is that people need to not be offended when a brand they like gives someone a bad experience and that someone says something.  I personally like quantums, whith that being said, I know a lot of people have had really bad experiences with them, therefore I don't get angry and abbrasive when people say bad things about them.  In all reality anyways we are all on this site to learn from each others' experiences, so why don't people keep some tact in their responses instead of starting something by posting things to make others look like idiots?

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Just a thought, but have you tried switching back to PP on that same rod to see if it can be repeated? Would be interesting to see. The answer might give some direction.

PP is not my favorite braid, but I do still use it. It is good line which has stood the test of time, so something unusual was happening.

That is a good idea, but the fact of the matter is that would cost a bit of money in line experimentation, and that's something I fiscally can't do.

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