I’d been battling Southerndown’s long, wide beach for years. Some days I’d put out 140–150g leads and feel like I’d sent the bait into the sea, only to reel back line that had piled up in the spool or tangled at the swivel. Other days my casts would fly true but I’d snap off on hidden rocks or lose fish at the beach break when the braid suddenly bit into a tooth or jagged shell. The day I switched to 15lb braid with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader everything changed — my casts went further, my landing rate improved and I stopped loosing rigs on almost every other session.

Why I changed my setup

Southerndown is deceptive. From the car park it looks like a forgiving expanse of sand, but the shore is littered with weedy patches, sporadic reef and shell beds. Add often-blustery crosswinds and a knack for long runs from bass and cod, and you quickly learn that line choice matters. For a long time I trusted thin, high-test braid (20–30lb) because it “casts miles” and has zero stretch. But on this beach I was running into two problems:

  • Thin braid would cut on rough ground or teeth and snap under sudden shock.
  • With thin braid directly connected to the rig, bites at range would tangle or pull the knot into the spool during long runs.

    • After several lost fish and shredded leaders I decided to try a simpler approach: dial the mainline back to 15lb braid and pair it with a fairly stout 20lb fluorocarbon leader. The idea was to keep the casting advantages of braid but add abrasion resistance, invisibility in water and a little shock absorption via the fluoro leader.

    The physics that helped my casting

    This is often overlooked: casting performance isn’t just about line breaking strain — it’s about line diameter, wind resistance, spool filling and energy transfer from rod to plug or lead. Thicker braid does resist abrasion better, but it also changes how line lays on the spool and how it slices air during a cast. On my reels, swapping from a bulky 30lb braid to a more slender 15lb braid did a few helpful things:

  • Reduced wind drag in crosswind conditions — a thinner profile slices through gusts more cleanly.
  • Improved line lay on the spool, so the line feeds off smoothly and reduces backlashes or wraps.
  • Allowed me to spool more lines; I added an extra 50–60 metres of braid which keeps spool tensions lower and smoother when fish run.

    • Pairing that 15lb braid with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader meant the leader bore the brunt of abrasion and impact. Fluorocarbon has a higher density and greater resistance to abrasion than nylon or braid. It sinks faster too, which helps rigs sit how you want on the bottom during long-range beach casting.

    How I rigged it (knots, lengths and sinkers)

    My standard long-range beach rig for Southerndown now looks like this — kept deliberately simple and easy to tie on the bank:

    Mainline15lb PE braid (0.14–0.18mm, depending on reel)
    Connection knotFG knot or a strong Uni-to-Uni (double uni) — both are slim and pass guides smoothly
    Leader20lb fluorocarbon, 3–4 metres
    SwivelQuality coastal swivel, size 4–6 depending on trace setup
    Trace20–30lb mono or fluoro short trace (30–60cm) for abrasion and shock breaking at the hook
    HookSize 1–2/0 to 4/0 depending on target species (strong, short-shank hooks for bass/cod)
    Sinker120–160g long-distance bank leads, or an inline slider with a bead to prevent slip

    Notes on knots: if I’m using braid to fluoro, the FG knot gives the slimmest profile through the rings and is my preference for casting far. If you don’t feel confident tying the FG on the beach, a double uni between braid and fluoro works well — just make sure both halves are snug and trimmed tidy. If you’re using a swivel, use a good knot (Palomar or improved clinch) to tie the trace to the swivel and a secure attach for the leader to swivel.

    Casting technique and reel setup

    Changing the lines helped, but technique still matters. For long-range casts I do the following:

  • Set spool tension and clicker so the spool spins freely but won’t overrun on a strong strike.
  • Use a smooth, powerful double-haul if conditions allow — that adds speed to the cast and counts more than brute force.
  • Keep the rod tip just above horizontal at release; too low and you lose distance, too high and you sacrifice control in the wind.
  • Let the line settle on the water before retrieving — this reduces wind-knot risk and ensures rigs are tracking true.

    • On the reel I back off drag to a level where the spool can give on a big hit without creating loose coil slack. I also keep a short backing of mono under the braid on the spool (a few metres) if I’m worried about braid slipping on certain older reel spools — but most modern reels grab braid reliably.

    Why 20lb fluoro and not heavier or lighter?

    Why not 30lb leader? Why not 12lb? Here's how I judged it:

  • 20lb fluoro gives a good balance between abrasion resistance and invisibility. It’s tough enough for toeing reef and shells but still supple enough to cast smoothly.
  • Going heavier (30lb) increased stiffness, which altered how rigs presented on the bottom and sometimes caused more bird’s-nest tangles at the swivel during casting.
  • Lighter leaders (12–15lb) improved stealth but cost me break-offs on shell beds and when fish nosed into the reef.

    • 20lb fluoro acts as a sacrificial, abrasion-resistant buffer at those long ranges. When a bass charges into a mussel bed or a dogfish snaps at your trace, that leader is much more likely to survive than thin braid alone.

    Real results from the bank

    What changed practically? On Southerndown I started to notice:

  • Longer, more consistent casts — I gained meters without changing rods or sinker weights simply because the line ran smoother and cut the wind better.
  • Fewer snags lost — the fluoro leader took the hits against rock and shell, and when I did bury a rig it was often the leader that frayed, not my braid.
  • Better hookholds — the slightly more elastic behaviour of the fluoro under shock meant hooks set more cleanly instead of jerking free when a fish hit at range.
  • Fewer tangles — the slimmer braid/FG knot profile passed through guides cleaner, and the leader kept the swivel and hook away from the spool during runs.

    • Once, during a windy evening tide, I hooked a hefty bass that screamed off 30 metres and down the beach. The drag sang, the rod doubled and for the first time in a long battle I didn’t fear the braid digging into a rock. The 20lb fluoro held and eventually the fish tired; I landed her without losing a single link in the system.

    Practical tips before you try it

  • Practice your knots at home — the FG knot takes time to master but is worth it for long-range casting.
  • Trim tag ends short but not flush; a tiny tag reduces slippage but won’t create a burr that cuts through fluorocarbon.
  • Check leaders after every fish or snag. Fluoro can abrade invisibly; a quick swap prevents surprises.
  • Use a good quality swivel and crimps if you rely on them — cheap hardware can be the weak link.
  • Experiment with leader length — 3–4m is my sweet spot for Southerndown, but shorter leaders (1.5–2m) work for shallower, rockless beaches.

    • Switching to 15lb braid with a 20lb fluorocarbon leader hasn’t made every session perfect, but it fixed a lot of the persistent problems I had with long-range beach casting at Southerndown. It’s a simple, adaptable setup that improves casting, increases survivability of rigs and gives you a little more confidence when those long runs start.