Thanks for all the responses. I think I will give the toothpick option a try. Seems like an easy solution.

The clips are brand new and so is the powerpro.

The next time I am in Lacey or Tulalip I will check out the blacks or pro release.

I thought about the scents sliming up the pads I, did use a clean towel to scrub the pads it helped a little but did not solve the problem.

If all else fails I will leave the power pro on as backing and spool a bunch of mono on top of it 300 yards of 30# braided doesn't fill a reel very much.

My next question is what is a good knot for connecting mono to braided?