# Braid line



## Harden97 (Feb 21, 2012)

Hey guys I haven't used braid before I was wondering if it is worth it I'm mainly just catching bream, flathead, whiting and some jewfish and what pound braid do you recomend, thanks :?
Please HELP


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Braided line has no stretch which means you feel lots more of what's going on through the line. You feel fish biting easier as well as things in the water that a lure might hit. You can tell if the bottom is mud, sand or,rocks by the feedback through the line. If you think any of this is worth the extra expense the braid might be for you.

The downside is you need to use different knots as it won't grip onto itself like mono does and the knots you may be used to could come undone under pressure. Another drawback is that it is less resistant to abrasion and will deteriorate if it's rolling around over rocks, branches etcnwhen bait fishing. The fact that it doesn't stretch means its less forgiving when you have a fish on and your drag is too tight.....you can open hooks, snap the line or pull the hooks out of a fish that suddenly takes off. Braid will also cut your fingers like you wouldn't believe if you're not careful. It's thinner than the same breaking strain of mono too.

Mono is like a big rubber band which means you've got a better chance of getting your fish. You may be missing bites with mono though if your line is slack.

Horses for courses, I only started using braid in recent times but only buy the cheap no name brands online. Impersonally can't justify the cost of the brand name stuff you see in the shops. If you get a tangle in your braid you're going to blow some $$$. If you have others using your gear you may want to stick to mono (kids or people who are inexperienced fishos).

Using mainly lures I'm a convert because the extra sensitivity adds to my fishing experience, just don't let anyone tell you you NEED to use braid....because you don't.

Give some a go one day and see what you think. Just get a small spool and put it on top of some mono so you don't blow big heaps of $$$ on something you may not like.

Theyre my thoughts on the subject anyway.


----------



## waynedc (Nov 8, 2011)

Great information Barrabundy. I've just purchased a shimano baitcaster and I am getting all different advice on what line to use.
Your advice has helped out a lot. I was under the impression that with a baitcaster I should use 10 -2 lb line, when I went to the local tackle shop he was suggesting a lot lighter. Anyone got any thoughts? I will be targetting bream here in SA but also maybe flathead on some trips.


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

That's the $199 question, what weight line to use?

I don't know what sort of places you fish but when I'm chasing flathead etc I have a reel with 8lb line and think its fine. There are many here that use much lighter line especially when targeting bream. The lighter you go I would imagine to more success you're likely to haves the flexibility of the line has less affect on how the lure or bait moves in the water, it's obviously less visible too I'd imagine. If you have a smooth drag and have the room to play a fish or are targeting a specific species that are up to a certain size the some would agree that lighter is better. If your after whatever fish is out there and want to stay connected to that bigger than usual one that may also find your lure/bait interesting, then you'll want to go heavier. From a kayak you'll find that once you get up to around the 20lb mark most fish are going to tow you around anyway so much heavier becomes superfluous. I used to get some bust offs at 20lb and changed to 30lb and don't think I've broken the line on a fish yet, but I don't catch big toothy things like others either.


----------



## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

As has been said, its horses for courses. The main benefit of braid over mono is its size and casting ability. This is where its even more important that you are targetting Bream Flathead and Whiting as it casts so easily being very thin for its breaking strain and limp (no memory as mono does). Having said that it does require a leader and new knots etc.

So for lobbing small lures and baits, I think its bloody useful stuff.... I have a saying about braid, its so sensitive you can feel the fish fart.... :shock: apologies for the rude concept....


----------



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Forgot to mention braid floats while mono sinks, if that has a bearing on how you fish


----------



## samm (Oct 13, 2008)

I switched from mono to braid a few years ago. For some months after I made the switch the number and size of fish I was catching reduced significantly. Initially I thought I was just experiencing a dry spell but thankfully it eventually hit me that while braid is thinner it not transparent like mono and that must be a factor. That is when I discovered fluorocarbon leaders. Fluorocarbon is now an essential part of my fishing gear.


----------



## FishinDan (Jul 3, 2006)

If you're using braid while trolling lures, they run a bit deeper as well, as the line doesn't have as much water drag on it.


----------



## jace89 (Apr 21, 2012)

smathew50 said:


> I switched from mono to braid a few years ago. For some months after I made the switch the number and size of fish I was catching reduced significantly. Initially I thought I was just experiencing a dry spell but thankfully it eventually hit me that while braid is thinner it not transparent like mono and that must be a factor. That is when I discovered fluorocarbon leaders. Fluorocarbon is now an essential part of my fishing gear.


Your not alone, I only started not so long ago and I felt so silly not to realise what I had been doing wrong!


----------



## SkyFish (Apr 24, 2011)

If you are thinking, you should give braid a try.

When i switched over to braid, i changed it on one spool just to try it out. I bought 8lb Power Pro. Then gradually every time it comes to changing a line, i choose braid over mono. Now all my reels are loaded with powerpro braid 3lb, 5lb, 8lb, 20lb.

Its responsive, casts way better, and most importantly for me, it lasts much longer than my mono spools which gets curled up over time due to excessive twists. No matter what techniques i try to reduce line twist, it never worked well enough for me, i find myself replacing entire spools of mono every 3~4 months. 
My current spools of powerpro lasts about 2 years! And every few months i will pull line out and run the line between my fingers to 'sweep' out all the accumulated line twist. Having virtually zero memory, the twist simply gets push out of the spool.

For mono, I also notice significant deterioration in line strength after a few good fish or snags. (yes even with 1/4 drag setting).

Cost? I ordered them from the states, which generally costs $15 or so per 300yds spool.
About the same as buying quality mono in australia. Actually my recent spools of powerpro (shimano) were bought on sale for $5 per spool *wink*.

For all my line weights 3lb to 20lb, i find uni-uni joins leader to braid well enough above 85% strength. And double uni-uni is slightly better above 90% but larger knot size thus more resistance when casting. No leader join failures for me yet. Knots are very brand specific, this is only for powerpro shimano line, not sure about other brands. You will have to find out yourself.

good luck.


----------



## Harden97 (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks guys this has helped it heeeps!!!


----------



## burgerzoid (Aug 14, 2012)

When i started using braid i was getting the dreaded wind knots quite often until i read that it was due to winding on slack line. Now i always make sure to keep some tension on the line when winding in slack and have not had a wind knot since.

Was also having a lot of trouble getting knots to hold from braid to fluoro leader, especially with lighter braid. Albright knot is supposed to be the one, but buggered if i could get them to hold. Various improved albright knots were no better. Finally started using 5-loop surgeons knot which holds very well and is quick and easy to tie.


----------



## Guest (Feb 4, 2013)

burgerzoid said:


> Was also having a lot of trouble getting knots to hold from braid to fluoro leader, especially with lighter braid. Albright knot is supposed to be the one, but buggered if i could get them to hold. Various improved albright knots were no better. Finally started using 5-loop surgeons knot which holds very well and is quick and easy to tie.


Try this (easy to tie on water):





The only part I'm not confident about is the strength of a surgeons knot in light braid. However, it hasn't let me down.


----------

