Ok I am sure this is an ID10T error on me behalf so looking for some help on getting this sorted.

I have a shimano Sahara 100 spinning reel I was given and its loaded with spectra power pro 20lb braid on a daiwa procyon med/light 6'6" rod.

With this setup I keep getting knots in the line when I attempt to cast a lighter lure ( 1/8 roadrunner or such). I am beside myself on the issue and I have decided its the braid as it does not seem to come off the reel very smoothly, thus I turn to you guys.

Is it the line? Iif so what do you all recommend?

I used to get knots when I overloaded my spool with line. Once I took some line out, that solved the problem.

It could be overloaded or you spooled it on backwards.

http://www.b3fishing.com/2011/12/08/how-to-stop-wind-knots-in-braided-line/

Found this confirmed ID10T error

Do not think it overloaded but let you guys judge

Try a differant braid, something like Spider wire they are not all made the same, 20Lbs should be good for that reel, that is what I am using.

Nice set up you have there, that is an excellant reel.

One last question is the knot after the line is out or near the lure?

On lighter baits i use my other hand to slow the line down towards the end of the throw to not get so much slack.

Probably over loading the spool. I sometimes have the same problem. As much space you would leave when spooling up with light mono, double it. Seems to solve my problem. I'm using 10lb braid at max on a similar sized reel, so it might make a difference.

After the line is out about 20-30' from lure

GKM, remove any lure and leader you have from the end of the line. Drop the line in the water and start paddling as you let out at least 50 yards. Point your reel at the line and drag it through the water behind you for several hundred yards. Then reel the line in slowly with the rod pointed directly at the line. This will let the line untwist. When you cast, open and close the bail with your hand. When you cast, stop the line when the lure hits the water. I have a spinning reel that I use for salt water that will know up constantly if I just cast it. If I close the bail by hand and stop the line when the lure hits the water, it eliminates the loops and knots.

I have a 1000 size reel (Saros), and I use 10# braid on it. Works great.

looks like you have a lil too much on that spool. it dont take but very little to make big difference.

there are a few things that cause me problems.
1st how did you load that reel?
the reason why i asked is, U could have twisted it when it was being spooled. if it was fine at 1st and now its geeking up, thats probably not the case.

but, in the yak you just dont need that much line. if your bank fishing youll need to load up your spoool.

also wondering if you might have trolled that setup? if i continue to throw a lure that tends to foul, or slab/jig a lot, it will also twist my line.

trolling certain lures causes the line to twist more.

if i dont take the time to untwist the line it wants to come off weird & will knot up when i cast.

best to use swivels if your trolling & slabbing IMO. it will help eliminate some line twist.

I've had the same problem with mono when dealing with light weight lures. Roadrunners, Rooster Tails, Mepps, ect.. I finally tried a snap swivel and that really helped. Allowed the lure to spin and not create extra twist especially in situations where I picked up vegetation.

To me there is no better line for a spinning reel than Fireline crystal. Regular spectra braids actually end up 'too limp' after theyre broken in for a while. Good line management helps, but 5-30 lb braids will eventually become so supple that theyre hard to control in wind. Fireline has a decent amount of stiffness for the first couple trips but it breaks in beautifully. I use 10 lb. For some reason the advertised breaking strength in Fireline ends up to be less than 50% of the actual breaking strength. Go figure. The bass in the lower left in my sig was winched up with 10lb Fireline. What you don't see is the basketball sized lump of hydrilla that it came to the surface with... It's ridiculously strong line that has enough stiffness to keep the wind knots at bay. Gotta use a leader with it, though...

I've been using Spider line on my new Wave Spin reel for several months and have never had a wind knot.

BassArt has the cure for these problems: " When you cast, open and close the bail with your hand. When you cast, stop the line when the lure hits the water. I have a spinning reel that I use for salt water that will know up constantly if I just cast it. If I close the bail by hand and stop the line when the lure hits the water, it eliminates the loops and knots."

Going to try to improve my line management first as I fully think I am the issue, but thanks for all the advice on the line type. Eyes deep in this fishing learning curve and having fun!

how stiff is your rod...? if its too stiff to cast a 1/8 lure than thats the problem.