Braided Lines

[Canalratt1]

Hi all. Looking for some input on braided line. Right now there are so many on the market I am having a hard time deciding what to use. I have used spiderwire (no like) and Fireline (like) but I don't want to go with something that has a real small diameter on my 7000 for the canal or my 4/0 Senator for deepwater cod fishing. I am a little hesitant on using it in the Ditch because of my "Chunking" cut bait. With no stretch and sometimes only 10 feet of line out I don't want to get pulled in! Plus the fact is I get hung up alot fishing this way. I will definatly use some type of mono shocker. Thanks for any input.

[JohnR]

I was just visiting Mike T on Saturday and we were talking about the braids. He was recommending Whiplash to me when I was asking. I have not used them yet... I think Saltheart likes the Cortland Spectron...

[Fisherwoman]

Hi Canalratt1, I have tried several different braided lines, Fireline, Whiplash, Power pro, Spiderwire, and one other one but can't remember the name of it. I have tried these lines on spinning reels only, so this info may not help you all that much. But after trying these lines I have gone to strickly Fireline. They all have ther pro's and con's.
I liked the Whiplash because it doesn't seem to have a coating on it so after you fish it for a while you don't have to worry about the line wearing a whole lot, but the bad part is that this line is very light in the air when you cast and none of these lines retains any water at all. So wind knots came very easily, some were easy to get out and some you ended up loosing half the spool on one cast.
The Power Pro was a line I read about last year, it is very tough, but the wind knots were the same as the whiplash, now I did have someone tell me to try using a heavier pound test, and that might resolve the problem, but never got the chance to try it.
The Fireline is the one I like the best on spinning gear, it holds up longer, is tough, you don't get any wind knots until the coating starts to wear off, which isn't that frequent when you are fishing for bass and blues, Albies is another story!!!! I find that more fish are caught on this line because I do not think it is that visable to the fish perhaps, or more because you can literaly feel everything so well. Even if you pick a tiny piece of grass or weed on your line, you know it. I know these lines are more recommended for Baitcasting reels and you may really like them, but I would not start with anything less than 30lb test on a baitcasting reel, and you always need to use a little mono backing on the reel and connect the lines together using a uni-knot, this knot is the easiest to get the lines to stay strong together.
You also want to keep an eye on your tip guide on your rod as this line if you fish hard and alot will cut thru guides that are not hard- loid guides.
As I said I have fished 3 or 4 different braids and have gone back to the fireline every time, I just can't be bothered messing around when the fish are biting!!!!. When you attach your lure to the line or snap, you also want to use a Palomar knot, it will never come undone and is the only knot I believe which is recommended by the dealers. Hope this helps.

[Fishpart]

As a student of Saltheart I must say I am extremely happy with Cortland Spectron. I have used Spiderwire Fusion but find Spectron far superior. I use 35 pound on my ABU 6500 and I plan on loading 50 pound on my ABU 7000. It is important to use a mono leader to take the casting shock, but it also saves your expensive braid. Unlike fishing with a mono mainline you should use a leader that is lighter than your main line so it breaks when you "catch" the bottom of the Ditch by mistake. I am sure Saltheart can fill in the details I missed.

[Slipknot]

Go with 65 lb. whiplash on the cod rig. You will get it down quicker and the no stretch is a big plus for the sensativity.

For the canal , as long as you use a shock leader then there is no reason you can't put on 50 lb. spectron. I just ordered some myself at SOL for about half what it costs elsewhere. If it's good enough for Saltheart , it's good enogh for me.

I picked up my new rod today Arra 1205. I can't wait to use it.


Oh and I love fireline for spinning, the stuff lasts all season and then some.

[Got Stripers]

I've been using 30/6 spiderwire for years and love the stuff and was very disappointed when I tried some 30# fireline last year to see what everyone liked about it. I found it to be like rope, compared to what I'd been used to and quickly spooled it on the conventional reel as it will be fine for dragging eels. I gave up 40-50 foot per cast with the fireline as compared to the spiderwire.

I use a uni knot and don't need glue. I sometimes go weeks before retying the braid to barrel swivel connection and rarely miss fish due to a failure of the braid or knot. Usually it's because I haven't checked for abrasion of either the braid, but usually the failure is in the mono leader.

Tight lines.

[chris L]

im going to try braid for the first time this year in the canal . I have some 50# whiplash that im going to put on my 7000 . Ill have to see if braid will work for me and behave .

bruce
Im glad to hear you picked up your rod. Dont you have a cabinet job on the canal this weekend . I have to get out myself and do some casting in the surf . Maybe next weekend I can find an hoour or two .

[Saltheart]

I like the Cortland Spectron cause its so tough. As Ed said , on a 6500 size reel , the 35 lb is the best choice. For that a 30 LB mono leader works well. You got to size the leader so its the weak point in a very strong system. At the Ditch we get snagged several times a night on the bottom. You have to break off. You don't want to break off in the Spectron so the leader must be properly sized. For a 7000 size reel like the BG7000CL , I like 50 lb Spectron and a 50 LB Ande leader. For some reason , the 50 lb Spectron is stronger than 50 LB Ande and so it breaks off in the leader where you want it to.

I'm no fan of Whiplash. Its thinner so you can go to 65 pound test and still get a lot on the reel. My complaint is that if you are throwing heavy stuff like 3 -5 OZ Jigs or 4 OZ pencil poppers , an overrun is a disaster. Where the line crosses itself during the overrun , the whiplash develops a weak spot. So next cast it often just parts right at the kink left by the previous backlash.
The other good thing about the spectron is it will last for more than a season. Its expensive compared to mono but over its useful life , I think you'll find that its economical to use the spectron as well as for getting a performance increase. I like it for jigging. On a boat or from the shore , anything touches the jig and you will feel it with the spectron.

When using the overly strong braids , its important to adjust the drag based on the max stress you are willing to put on your rod. You can't really set the drag based on the line strength cause the braids are so strong , you might break the rod if you did. I set mine on my eeling rod so a fish about 10 pounds can take no drag but a 20-30 pound fish can. That's about right for the rod I use and the 35 pound spectron I use on it (my eeling rod is a Loomis 1266 with a BG6500CL and 35 LB Spectron and 30 LB Berkley BG leader) For my canal rod , I use a Loomis 108-30 (just like a Loomis 1087) with a BG7000CL and a 50 LB Ande leader. That drag is set heavier than the 35 lb rig but still not too much. I play the spool with my thumb when I get a reel big one that needs extra drag pressure.

One real trick is to try to break off from a bottom snag with the 50 LB Spectron. Sometimes you want to go back to the parking lot to get the pickup to break that line. I found the best way is to wrap the line around my forarm which is covered with a thick sweatshirt or a jacket sleave. Quick jerk pulls will get the line to break. Never try to grab spectron with a bare hand or around your bare forarm. The stuff will cut you easy. I use to stick my finger in the reel to lock the spool and braek off with the rod unbent pointing right at the snag. That got me a broken finger last year so now I wrap it around my protected forearm and yank hard. Once you've gone through the difficult task of breaking off from a bottom snag and find out just how tough it is to break the spectron , you'll fish it with a lot of confidence. Tough stuff. One last comment is that in my opinion , spectron is not good on a spinning reel.

[Got Stripers]

Good point Saltheart, any braid is tough to break off and you really have to be careful handling the stuff. Most (like stupid me) will learn the hard way and a few deep cuts will teach you not to mess with this stuff. First time I hit some big blues after making the switch and grabbed the line to boat a still green fish, was my lesson in what not to do. Don't think you can take a few wraps around your nice custom rods cork handle and snap that snag free, because it will cut it like butter. I have a small gaff on the boat and wrap the braid around the handle about 6 times to pull any snags free.

As Saltheart said, be careful on the drag setting to protect your rod as well. If you look at any detailed report on braids the line strength is considerably higher than the knot strength. Pairing a mono leader of the same rated strength is a good match, because the mono will always break before the braid.

Watch those fingers.

[chris L]

Thanks saltheart and GS
very good informitive info for those just starting to use braids like me . When using mono I point my rod at the snag tighten down on my reel and pull . Broken finger you say well that is one technique that I will have to break my self of before I break a finger .

[JohnR]

Saltheart, I remember you telling me last year (the night of your date fish) about how you broke your finger but refresh my memory... How exactly did you break it? Slip under the bar or something? ???

[Canalratt1]

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like I can narrow it down now. Some of the guys I know use the Fireline on their 6500 reels but I will probably look at the Whiplash and Spectron. One tip on breaking off is to use a dowel or old plug to wrap around the line. Using your reel or rod to break it can damage them. How long of a mono leader do you recommend?

[Saltheart]

I used to put my right thumb over the spool from the rear and my left index finger under the spool from the front. Well one very frustrating night (that damby mag casting control on the mag elite had accidently gotten pushed forward and bang , I overrun. While clearing the overrun , the jig got stuck on the bottom and I had to break off) I roughly shoved my index finger in to grab the spool but instead of going under the spool as planned , the spool turned and my finger went under the levelwind bar then up over the spool. YEOW!!That thing hurt for 3 months and I couldn't tighten an Albright the rest of the season cause the finger was useless. Its all better now though.

BTW , thats the same night I I broke my Sabre 1089. I had gotten 9 fish , all about 26 inches long. We were suppose to leave but I had to get number 10. Number 10 , I hooked up to a fish about 12 pounds. Since I had no problem lipping the smaller fish with the hand with the broken finger , I lipped number 10 with the bad hand and my broken finger let go sideways and I dropped the fish. The ull weight of the fish snapped the rod tip off my pole!! To make matters worse , when the tip broke , it wacked me across the back and I had a big welt like I had been caned in Malayasia or something. Despite the broken finger and the broken rod and the lash across the back , it is remebered as a pretty good 10 fish night!!

[CowHunter]

I have been using Braids since 97' and I have to say that I absolutely love Braided lines and think there are more positive reasons to fish it then negatives. To start I like either the PowerPro or Whiplash. Now I mainly use Whiplash and I don't use anything under 65lb. I use from the 65lb to 100lb range for numerous reasons. I go with the minimum of 65 because it is not as thin and fishing rocky beaches such as Rhody is a bit more resistant to nicks, (Believe me every bit helps), I still have lost some decent fish by them going around rocks and with the tension breaking me off rather easily. The 65lb is mainly for the spinning outfits and for the conventionals I go with the 80-100, (Big Sticks- 11ft+), it is used mostly fishing deep inlets on the south shore of Rhode Island...
Positives:
-Braid has no memory, therefor flows out much more smoothly= More Distance
-More Sensitivity, feel every little tap, hit..
-No Stretch = Instant Hook-ups and more Hook driving Power
-More LB strength at a smaller Diameter
Negatives
- Yes, You get more wind knots, but I find this to be true only throwing lighter stuff into wind, I just make sure there is always tension by applying with my fingers if I have too. I rarely have problems with windknots.
-The biggest problem I have with braid is due to the No stretch. One night last June I was fishing an area with good current, A school of big fish moved in and I caught many in the twenty Lb Range including two thirtees. I also hooked four that night that made the other fish look real small. Having them on for well over 10 minutes and having over two hundred yards out I was only gaining little line on them in that time and after a while the fish just popped off. I was using jigs and found that the tremendous pressure I had on the fish eventually wore a hole in the fishes mouth and ripped the jig right out. I was fishing an are where I really couldn't finnesse the Fish. Sometimes it is good to have the stretch like in mono.
I am always going pretty heavy because I am never targeting small fish, I am always after them Cows...

[Blitzseeker]

I've been pretty much a solid Fireline guy for three years, and have had great luck with it.

Some of the good fishermen that I know also use Power Pro, so I got some of that this winter and will spool up one reel with it this spring to see how I like it.

I just can't see where I would ever use mono again.

[CowHunter]

I see alot of people hear like FireLine alot....I have used it and don't like it as much as Whiplash, PowerPro, even SpiderWire. Fireline is flat, not round and is less wind resistant than the above. It also doesn't have as low of a diameter, Mono to Braid Ratio....

[Patrick]

I like Fireline. It's been very good to me. I tried Spiderwire a while ago and I didn't like it. I think maybe I messed it up. You think the stuff is worth another shot? I like Fireline but Spiderwire has better and more diameters of line than Fireline. Plus it is stronger. I could go with 50/10 spiderwire than 20/10 Fireline. I think it's 20/10, maybe 20/12, I can't remember.

[CowHunter]

Patrick, try the 65lb Whiplash or 50lb PowerPro they are about the same diameter......

[Patrick]

Cowhunter,

I'm using a Penn 6500SS, is that such a good idea?

[JohnR]

One of the truly wonderful aspects of being a tackle junkie is the opportunity to try new things . Time to give the Whiplash or Spectron a whirl this year.

But how will this braid affect my IGFA record 94 pound striped bass that I'm going to catch off the Squibnocket shoreline this fall?? I would hate to hamper my wonderful anticipated catch with a disqualifying line?? Just being prepared you know, Semper Preparedness :P

[CowHunter]

Patrick, as far as the 6500SS goes I stopped using them a few years back and have never used braids on them so couldn't tell you. I like fishing Bailless reels because eventually the bail will loosen up some and when you are putting some power behind you're cast they tend to close and cause a break-off, especially with the Penns, have many of them in the garage. I know the braids handled well on the 706Z, no problems, I primarily use Van Staals although I have many complaints with the Drag.
John, yeah that might be a problem with that 90+ pounder you're gonna catch...Although I think if the fish is a World Record Catch it can be "All Line/Tackle", Might qualify...... Yeah I am a tackle Junkie Myself, have way more equiptment than I need and always find myself buying stuff when I am bored or just because I want to have....

[Plug]

I've used Fireline, Powerpro and Whiplash. I don't care for the Fireline. Its not as abrasion resistant. It is spun not braided and after it gets broke on can be a real mess in a tangle. It's strength to thickness ratio is not as great. Whiplash is good but its braid is a hollow core like cheap polypro water ski rope. When clinching down certain knots it had a tendency to open up and bunch ahead of the knot when I slid the wraps down. PowerPro is a tighter, harder weave that knots better and won't "pick" on things like other peoples hooks in a tangle or your teaser hook.

So far its my favorite although I plan on trying Spectron on a conventional this year.

[Saltheart]

Some of the spinners are ok with whiplash. I don't know about the penn but I've seen it work well on a Neptune and a Daiwa That JPowers has. With a spinner you don't have to worry about the damage a hard backlash will cause the line. I wouldn't use Spectron on a spinner.

I don't know what using braid does to your world record. I would think if its an all tackle record , it would be OK. Who knows. Maybe their site has some info. They do have a site with the rules. You might want to put up a link to it John.