AuntyM ~ you mentioned using braided lines for halibut fishing, I tried this for a month while up in alaska and found that when I fought big fish the line would get wrapped around itself on the spool (I assume because of its tendency to expand and contract based on the amount of water it absorbed combined with the tremendous force on the other end) and if the fish was of any size that mattered it would easily break the 80lb line. Has anyone else experienced this??? After I lost six or seven big fish I went to an expensive deep water mono designed for halibut and reduced the number of fish I lost dramatically. I also found that the abrassion resistant mono holds up better and longer than braided lines.