I use Power Pro or Sufix but it's the same basic stuff as Spiderwire. I like it so much that I only use mono for ultralight (2# test) fishing, and for heavy fish (Ambassadeur 9000 for sharks, etc.)
I use 30# in my Ambassadeur 5000 bait caster and 15# in my medium spinning outfit. This is a great combination. I use a mono leader that's about 6 feet of hard 15# mono, and then a shorter leader of six or 8 pound test. The purpose of the mono is so I don't have to waste the braid when tying knots. This is a very good system in both salt and fresh water.
On the bait caster, I tie a snap to the braid, and then snap on my lure or a wire leader if I'm fishing for toothy fish. This too is a good system. I'll re-tie the snap every two or three fishing trips. But I have, out of curiosity, left the snap on for an entire season of northern pike fishing and never had a failure with it.
If you make long casts, the power of the cast plus the non-stretchiness of the line plus the weight of the lure will guarantee that the lure will snap off. I tried it for surf casting and lost a couple of plugs before I figured this out. Braid is still usable, though, if you have a mono leader at least the length of the rod to absorb the shock of the cast.
Because I don't need to fill the spool with the expensive braid, I use a cheaper dacron backing that leaves enough capacity on the spool to add 100 yards of braid to the spool. Dacron or braid absolutely MUST be taped to the arbor of the spool, or the line will eventually rotate as a mass on the arbor, making your reel useless. I use electrical tape. Just tie the line to the arbor with the usual arbor knot, then put a wrap of tape around the arbor.
You will need to have a good way of cutting the line on-hand. A lot of guys use scissors made for the purpose. I have always found nail clippers to be sufficient.
The braid will lose much of its color quickly. Don't worry about it.
I have done breakage tests with different brands of braid. In summary, 30# typically breaks when lifting about 15 pounds. This is a slow, gradual lift, resulting in the line breaking, not at the knot, but on an unknotted portion of the line. Mono, on the other hand, and using the same procedure, typically breaks near, and typically over, it's stated rating. Nobody believes me when I tell them this. They say things like "did you try a palomar knot?" and I say "the line didn't break at the knot". Then they ask "are you sure you tied the knot right?" and it goes on like that. They simply refuse to believe. Try it yourself. This is true for all tests I have tried from 8# to 50#. Often the guy will tell me that the sophisticated equipment used at the line company labs indicates that the line tests higher than its stated rating. I have a set of athletic weights that I've verified the weight of on a reliable scale. My test is simply to see how much the line will lift. Unsophisticated, but that's what we care about, isn't it?
Some guys like the braid for fishing an ultralight. I don't like it for that purpose. Some of my favorite fishing is in very clear water and there is even a difference in catch rates when using 2# vs. 4# clear mono. There's a significant difference when using braid. The trout are repelled by it somehow. I don't care how. But there is a significant difference.
I've had braid on some of my reels for four years. The stuff is good enough to last that long, but then I don't fish it every day either. The spinning rig I described above is now a standard with Florida guides. Many of those guides will replace the line every day, even though it's probably not necessary. Since I just fish seasonally and may not even use an outfit for weeks at a time while using other outfits, my system works for me.
If you get a snag, lock the spool with your hand, then pull straight back to free the snag. Don't try to wrap the braid around your hand and yank, it can cut you.
