Fished the North Coast yesterday. I hooked 2, landed one, which was a beautiful chrome hen about 12 pounds. She was so strong, I was sure I had a 20 pound buck on! I was using fireline 14 pound tied direct to a #5 spinner and noticed when I landed her that the line had cut through her scales in some spots and some scales were missing. She had rolled quite a bit in heavy water and must have wrapped herself in the line. Have other people experienced this with braided lines? I usually use mono and have never noticed it tearing out scales. I don't want to use braided lines if they injure wild steelhead. I suppose a mono leader might have helped.

I myself have never had a problem with braided line harming/marking fish before. If the fish wrapped itself up in the line that can be tough. The way it happened to you think mono might have done the same thing?

The 14 pound fireline is so thin, I think it cut into the fish more than mono would have. I had to pull this fish out of fast water, so if it was wrapped up, I'm sure that didn't help.

I noticed the same thing today!I have a spool of the same fireline as you and just switched back from 10 mono.I released a 10lb buck with scales missing that I am sure was from the spectra line.It gets frayed a little bit and takes some scales with it when they roll up in it.I felt bad because ut was a beautifull buck.I am not going to use it on the smaller water next year but I will continue to use it on big water for the bigger nates.I think the quicker release times out ways the scale loss.

I use 14 lb Fireline and have never had a problem with it harming a fish. I do use mono leaders though.

While I don't doubt that braided line could do damage to fish, I have been witness to the same sort of thing with mono as well. This summer I got taken down some rapids by a fish and when I brought it in I noticed that the fish had a deep laceration along it's tail, as if someone had slit it cleanly with a knife - I know it was fresh because blood was pumping out while it was in the water. So I'm convinced that the line got wrapped around it during the fight. Fortunately that was a hatchery fish. By the way, I was using straight 8# UG, tough stuff is all I got to say.