Braided Lines - which ones?

How many of you use braided lines, and for what? Which brand do you use? What knots do you use to tie on gear?

I've thus far resisted the modern "spider-wire" stuff, but wonder if I'm missing something.

I've been a Maxima and Trilene guy for close to 30 years. I prefer Maxima, but it gets pretty pricey when you start loading up three or four rods (me and the kids). So I've tended to use trilene XT. Seems like the braided stuff would be even worse, unless it's enough better to be worth it. What do you all think?

SILVER HILTON I use tuff-plus 80lb for sturgeon on all of my rods. It runs $30-$40 per 300 yrd spool. I love it. I have 4 reels that have been spooled with for 4 years w/out a problem. Some of my buddies use 50 lb on their trolling rigs.

So, what kind of knot do you have to use to connect to terminal gear? Is it some special knot, or a normal one, like a clinch knot?

I use a knot tool made by Joe Little i don't know the name of the knot. I use this knot tool for the strength of the knot for obvious reseans. If you use a cinch knot it will work but the knot strength is not their but I did use that knot before I got Joes knot tool. The knot tool can be bought in most tackle shops around here.What are you going to be fishing for???

I use the thin spider wire when bobber fishing and mono for my leader. I've found that the braided spider wire floats and is easy to pick up off the water during the hook set so you don't get all that drag. Also it doesn't stretch which helps with a quick solid hookup. I've bobber fished next to others using mono who were getting the same number of bites but their hookup to bite ratio was much lower than mine.

GOOD LUCK
TIGHT LINES

Mike

this is why i think it`s no good, apparently i`m not alone


Question: Years ago braided lines were used by many marine anglers, especially big game trollers. You don't see so many billfishermen using braid today, even with the new breed of super-braid lines. What gives?

Answer: Braided line has very little stretch compared to monofilament, which is good and bad. Hook sets with braided line are bone-crushing solid, so even giant marlin are usually drilled well by trollers. Trouble is, however, that during the course of the fish fight, non-stretch braid is very unforgiving to angler error. If a fish surges suddenly, braided line draws tight quick, and can part or pull the hooks out. Monofilament, on the other hand, stretches considerably, so acts as a built-in shock absorber, even during jumps when a giant fish may land on the line, which is almost sure of breaking braid.

Use the palomar knot.

I've used Power Pro on and off for a year now, and have relegated it to my 10'5" float rod for the reasons Kunan states above: Low stretch means instant hook-ups even on long casts, and the stuff FLOATS, which makes it quite easy to mend when bobber fishing.

That said, I've lost fish due to its low stretch properties, particularly when fighting a hot fish with a 6 lb test leader at close range--it's quite easy to snap. Once hooked a fresh summer run on a spoon and Power Pro--the fish darn near ripped my arms off! I won't use it for drift fishing or spooning.

I've had no luck using Power Pro on a spinning reel--it tends to kink up and form knots. While you may have some problems with backlashes initially on a baitcaster, in the end Power Pro is easier to pick out of a bird's nest--because it has zero memory, you can really dig at it without worrying about kinking it or nicking it like mono.

I'll stick with Maxima for all my drift/spoon fishing...

I use PowerPro and the palomer knot excusilvely on my 10.5' float rod. Everything else is mono.

Regarding Joe Littles knot tool, the only retailer that you can buy it from is Sunbirds in Chehalis and Tenino. But there is hope Gamefishin.com is in the process of becoming an exclusive online retailer for Joe Little's knot tool. We will be able to offer his tool at a special price, I should have all the details online soon, in the mean time if you are interested in getting one just email me at bruce@gamefishin.com

This thing works, I've been using it on braided lines for sometime now and it's never failed me.


Joe Littles Tie Master

[ 10-18-2001: Message edited by: Bruce Pearson ]

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.

I only use superlines on my float rod. My favorite so far is 14 lb Berkley Fireline. It's a little stiffer than braided line but it never twists around the very tip of your rod like braided lines do.