Braids/Superlines

[Psychobilly]

Bro.... that must have been a holding on for dear life type fight! Man that would cool to feel too... were you able to actually hold the Rod the whole time, with that much drag? I use a 10 pound down rigger cannon ball to set mine and it feels heavy with that at times, but man anything over 30 pounds.... I honestly don't know if I'd be able to hold that myself, and I'm a big dude lol. I mean bro, in the movie Jaws, that used a Penn Senator 16/0, and I think those max out at like 30 pounds of drag.... lol. They probably use the spool size to maximize how much of a fun the fish can take, while towing the boat, to have a chance at landing it, and that amazes me at the skill level.

I've seen the hallow core mono! I saw a huge Penn International get spooled up with that stuff, and they ran the braid inside that core to make sure it won't come apart, and seeing a Reel that size, and how they spool it even, makes you think about that drag pressure, and the fact that there are people who can hold on to that, and I'm instantly humbled lol.

What kind of Rod would you go for? I know some salt water rods go for a carbon fiber and Fiberglass combo to give extra back bone, and sometimes they do a spiral of the carbon fiber to add "support" so it's less likely to snap, but, I imagine I'd want either pure E-Glass, or pure S-Glass, solid, and thick, so I'd know it wouldn't snap me off so easy with that kind of extreme pressure. The Reel seat must have been impressive too! Do they use steel on that? I have Aluminum Reel Seat Catfish Rods, but I feel like that would snap eventually, with that kind of load.

Do you realize how much less I'd have to type on a phone if you'd just move? I mean, you can thumb the spool with maximum drag, and super heavy line and hooks, but the Rod materials, guide materials, and Reel Seat, all have to handle those extremes, and I've wondered a lot what is used on each part, where you can actually push some limits without one part busting on you.

 

[Orion]

Lol, the rod goes in the corner rod holder and Hooper drives the boat chief...that macho stand up bs is for people that want back problems for their golden years.

I always ran custom built rods with roller guides, I never liked to fuck around with big fish I was going to kill, to the boat and in the box quick makes for primo product on the fork or chop stick, what ever your into...I'm a big sashimi guy and would'nt be offshore without soy sauce and wasabi...nothing like fresh tuna!

 

[Psychobilly]

Lol, the rod goes in the corner rod holder and Hooper drives the boat chief...that macho stand up bs is for people that want back problems for their golden years.

Oh good! I can pee without sitting down again! Lol. For real bro I've seen that, and thought to myself "maybe the number of Rods to Sun Dresses ratio I own needs to change" haha.

 

[Ramjet159]

I’ll simply say I learnt the very first time I went to tighten a knot with light weight braid and it sliced down into my finger like a hot knife through butter . Lesson learnt .
Fishing in deep water ( approx 170 feet ) there’s a massive advantage with eliminating the stretch in mono when bedding the hook . At that depth you strike the hook with the rod and it’s feels like a huge elastic band stretching using mono . Braid is so direct to the rig .
One disadvantage is untangling braid even on small scale tangles . If you try to pull the line into straightening out braid will almost instantly grab tight and being the nature of the line visually it’s near impossible to read what’s going where ?
I learnt that one very quickly as well . Be patient because a small issue can soon become a mood changer .
All in all I do love it . It’s ability to resist chafing and durability is impressive .
I got a couple good years off of one reel even when the braid started to look a bit tired it just kept on holding .

 

[Psychobilly]

I’ll simply say I learnt the very first time I went to tighten a knot with light weight braid and it sliced down into my finger like a hot knife through butter . Lesson learnt .
Fishing in deep water ( approx 170 feet ) there’s a massive advantage with eliminating the stretch in mono when bedding the hook . At that depth you strike the hook with the rod and it’s feels like a huge elastic band stretching using mono . Braid is so direct to the rig .
One disadvantage is untangling braid even on small scale tangles . If you try to pull the line into straightening out braid will almost instantly grab tight and being the nature of the line visually it’s near impossible to read what’s going where ?
I learnt that one very quickly as well . Be patient because a small issue can soon become a mood changer .
All in all I do love it . It’s ability to resist chafing and durability is impressive .
I got a couple good years off of one reel even when the braid started to look a bit tired it just kept on holding .

Braid is pretty bad for cutting into fingers. Imagine .... Bro, did you see the footage I posted of Jeremy Wade in Australia ? He hooked into a big ass Grouper or something, and was using a Thumb with a plaster or something cast on his thumb, to give extra drag pressure. The fish took off so fast it yanked that shit right off his finger, and then cut his thumb open.

Now, as for Mono and it's stretch, I will say this much:

Fluorocarbon stretches just as much, but it takes more pressure to begin the stretching than it does for Mono. For abrasion resistance, Mono is still better than Fluorocarbon, as I've watched a few people take a wooden dowel, and cover it with sand paper, and go to town on it. The Mono out lasted the other lines even when the pound test on the mono was smaller.

The Stretch of mono can actually be a good thing; If I was to hook into something huge in the Ocean, a big Circle Hook would likely be the ok I'd use. Mono stretching isn't really a down side when using a Circle Hook. The way it stretches, actually can help set the hook.

If I was fishing for say... A Barramundi in the Aussie land, I'd want some pretty damn chunky Mono for that fish, with a Circle Hook. The Mono would of course stretch, and that stretch, with me reeling down on the take, would set the hook very well.

I've never personally used Braid, as the Rivers here are full of busted concrete, with REALLY sharp edges, and a lot of steel rebar poking out. some people use a Mono Leader, or even a Top Shot of Mono so work around this, but eventually, a big enough fish is going to pull enough line out, that the braid is going to hit something in the water. I've watched the Wife hook into a little 7 pound Channel Cat, and bring him all the way to the bank where we were fishing, only to lose the fish when he got close to the surface. He clamped down on the line with his sand paper like teeth, started spinning, and cut right through it. I was amazed.

I know some people who swear by Braid, which is fine, everyone likes something, but for me, to feel comfortable using it, I would HAVE to be in open water, without any snags. I just don't trust line that people sell scissors for, when a Catfish Mouth seems to do the trick just fine LOL. Now, that isn't to say I wouldn't use it though... Like I said, if I was in open Ocean, and there were no snags near by, I'd use it. I'd also choose a different hook though, as the no stretch thing would be a different type of feel. I'd probably go for an Octopus Hook; Those are what I use the most, as they are part J Hook, and part Circle Hook in how they act. Very forgiving on the hook set, and usually you can just reel down the way you would with a Circle Hook, and it'll set.

 

[Amarok]

I'm a Mono guy all the way myself. But I do like this video for showing some of the difference:



I've seen side by side videos using sand paper covered wooden dowels to test abrasive resistance between mono and fluorocarbon, and the mono held longer, but a different brand could have easily changed those results, and of course, fluorocarbon should actually dissappear under water.

I also watched some abrasion tests, and saw that the hybrid lines have better abrasion resistance and usually higher than rated breaking strength. When I tie bait rigs for <sturgeon now, I'm usually using 8 or 15 lb Yo-Zuri or PLine hybrid for the terminal positions.

You really need to try braid yourself, btw. Nothing like real world experience.
One of the biggest benefits is when breaking off snags. Without the stretch of mono, you don't have hooks and weights snapping back toward your face at high speed. It just gives way

Oh and did you get a damn license yet?

 

[Amarok]

Fishing in deep water ( approx 170 feet ) there’s a massive advantage with eliminating the stretch in mono when bedding the hook . At that depth you strike the hook with the rod and it’s feels like a huge elastic band stretching using mono . Braid is so direct to the rig .

Absolutely. You don't need a super sensitive/expensive rod either because the braid is so sensitive. It's incredible what you can feel.

 

[Psychobilly]

I also watched some abrasion tests, and saw that the hybrid lines have better abrasion resistance and usually higher than rated breaking strength. When I tie bait rigs for <sturgeon now, I'm usually using 8 or 15 lb Yo-Zuri or PLine hybrid for the terminal positions.

If I was aiming for a Sturgeon, I'd want like 100 pound test. Not because I think I need 30 pounds of drag, but because the area you catch them around here, has a lot of stuff that can cut the line easy, and that doesn't include the Scutes on the side of the fish, which also would cut through line. But that's because of my area.

You really need to try braid yourself, btw. Nothing like real world experience.
One of the biggest benefits is when breaking off snags. Without the stretch of mono, you don't have hooks and weights snapping back toward your face at high speed. It just gives way

I haven't really had much issue there; When I get snagged up, which, that does happen a bit, I normally decide what I'm going to do; I prefer not to leave a line in the water with a hook, because them a fish might grab it, and end up with that stuck to him for a while. I've had to do it of course... Sometimes there's just no getting unstuck from a big snag. One day, while fishing for Suckers, I used a 17 pound test Trilene XT line for the leader material, and so I just thumbed the spool, and pulled until it snapped off.

I can do that with the Rods made of S-Glass, as they aren't likely to break, but some Rods, like anything with a Composite for example, I'd be more likely to not do that. I personally like my Big Cat Fever Rods; They are pure S-Glass, and they use reenforced stainless steel for the guides, and have metal Reel Seats, which I do like a lot more.

I do have a smaller Reel that would likely be great for Braid type lines, but, again, that would be one of those things where I'd use it in open water without a huge risk of snags, because I don't want a fish cutting me off. For Trolling for example, I could see that being a great option, because the smaller diameter of the same sized pound test, would "slice" through the water a lot better, but I don't have a boat.

I've seen people using 180 pound braid for White Sturgeon, but the guy still got broke off from the line hitting a snag. I'm not against the idea of trying it though. I'd just want one that's a bit heavier, so it's not as likely to be cut up.

Oh and did you get a damn license yet?

LOL not yet bro. We haven't actually had time to go out on the water as of yet, as this time of year is really busy, but we've already made the call that were going to get them so we can get out there a few times at least. I have some goals set for catching a few species this season. Catfish I can normally catch as long as I can get on the water at the right time of day, and Walleye are generally pretty easy to catch here too, as you don't need a boat or any fancy tools to do that; I nailed one a few years ago simply casting out a Jig Head with a plastic grub on it, and they love that. That was just standing at the River casting out, and reeling it back again. We've had nights where we limited out on those within a short period of time. There's a LOT of Walleye here.

Absolutely. You don't need a super sensitive/expensive rod either because the braid is so sensitive. It's incredible what you can feel.

The cheapest rod material I know of is Fiberglass, which I do like, because it can flex easy. Though a standard Ugly Stik, which is a composite Rod, also has a decent flex to it, without busting easy. I keep two of those; A GX2, and the Catfish Edition. I also have a cheap Zebco Dock Demon, which is pure "Z-Glass" which I do like for some stuff, as it's really short, but can be bent all over without breaking. Really nice for bait fish and others too given it's ability to not break.

 

[Frimpong]

Love braid and mono they both have their place for sure .

 

[Gatorbackbob]

Been using power pro 40lb on my spinning and 50lb on my baitcaster for years I love the stuff

 

[Ramjet159]

Love braid and mono they both have their place for sure .

The mono is definitely more forgiving when a fish is near to shaking the hook . That stretch is handy when the drag hasn’t come into play yet

 

[Frimpong]

The mono is definitely more forgiving when a fish is near to shaking the hook . That stretch is handy when the drag hasn’t come into play yet

Hell yeah man , i use mono leaders when fishing stripers. It can take quite a bit of shock at first bite

 

[Orion]

Been using power pro 40lb on my spinning and 50lb on my baitcaster for years I love the stuff

I switched to Cortland Master Braid from Power Pro. For me the 5lb and 8lb casts better and farther and the 50lb and 60lb just feels better to me, flipping and pitching but I never had any issues with Power Pro in heavy cover to be honest.
I also like the fact it's made right in NY and I've gotten some great deals on bulk spools when they have their Warehouse sales.
Braid to Mono or Flouro is my go to for my spinning set ups. Baitcasters straight braid is on most, but some times I will use a leader.
Fishing has been getting good if you can find the grass, seams everywhere they like to kill all the grass the fishing has gone to shit!