Braids Tried So Far

[Josh Smith]

Hi Folks,

 

I have been trying different braids over the past couple years.  I've not kept detailed notes, but I have tested the following and found them to have very different "personalities".

 

1.  Spiderwire Invisibraid:  I liked the feel, but I'm not so sure about its visibility.  Supposedly translucent, it looks white to me.  I don't trust it to catch fish.

 

2.  Spiderwire Stealth Camo:  This is the second stuff I tried.  Very limp.  Excellent knots, excellent casting from a modified Ambassadeur 5000.  The camouflage actually made quite a bit of sense to me simply because it breaks up the outline.  Some here color the first few feet of standard braid with a sharpie for the same reason.  In the end, I just didn't like the way it looked on my reel; kinda' tacticool if you will.  That's a very subjective reason for dumping it, but it also didn't match the weeds in the lake I usually fish very well (too many tans, for example.)

 

3.  Spiderwire Stealth, Moss Green:  I love this stuff!  Tough, quiet, and limp.  No memory.

 

4.  Spiderwire EZ Braid:  I actually like this pretty well.  It's pretty smooth.  I can't find any data as to strand count.  To me it feels like 8 strand, but I could be wrong.

 

5.  Berkely Fireline:  I hate this stuff.  It's rough and noisy. 

 

6.  Sufix 832:  I don't like this as much as the Spiderwire Stealth.  It's stiff and seems to have some memory; if I strip a lot of it from my spool it will tie itself in knots.  Spiderwire Stealth doesn't do this.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[EvanT123]

So number 1 you don't trust the spiderwire invisabraid to catch fish. Did you catch any fish with it? How long did you test each braid? And where's the power pro?

[Josh Smith]

Evan,

 

I did not catch fish on it, but I was using it in a heavily pressured lake with green stained water.  I switched to moss green and it worked well.

 

I have a feeling that in clear lakes, the Invisibraid would work very well.

 

Last year (2013-2014) was the Year of Spiderwire Stealth and Spiderwire EZ Braid (different reels, same models).  This year (2014-2015) is the Year of Suffix 832 (on Ambassadeur 5000/5500/5500c3 reels).

 

Berkely Fireline stayed on one reel for one month last year.  I didn't get along with it well at all.

 

I've not tried Power Pro yet.  The standard Power Pro seems a bit rough to me and I'm afraid it'll be the same as the Fireline.

 

Power Pro Super 8 Slick is some good feeling stuff.  I'm waiting until I need to replace the line on one of the reels before I buy it, though.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[new2BC4bass]

And where's the power pro?

 

And Daiwa, Sunline, P-Line, McCoy, Izorline, etc.   Don't cheap out, Josh.  Spend a thousand on line and give us a detailed account of your experience with each. 

 

Josh:   I have 30# Fireline on a MH Jig & Worm spinning rod.  It flaked bad when I spooled it on.  Thumb and finger were a dark green afterwards.  I find Original PP to be very noisy.  Fished a reel spooled with 30# 832 Ghost for 2 weeks while in Florida.  I didn't have the problem you described.  Bought reel used with this line already spooled on it.  Line is very limp.  Have Spiderwire EZ on one reel.  No problem with it.

 

For a reasonably priced line, try Sufix Performance.  I like it a lot.  Loses color pretty quickly turning almost white, but fish don't seem to mind and it is cheaper than 832 Ghost.    Line is quiet.  Never had a problem with it until the year I spent a day throwing a 3/4 oz. spoon with it tied direct.  Line twist galore by the end of the day.  Can't blame the line.  Had been used for 3 years without line twist using normal bass lures.  We were fishing brackish water for small saltwater fish.

[SirSnookalot]

With the exception of 1 brand which I didn't care for at all, I'm not overly fussy.  Price wins, I've been using US braid 10# for bass and peacocks, as good as any line I have used.  Recently bought some 20# and loaded up 2 barracuda reels, been fine for them too.  In addition I'm using in freshwater PP slick, PP original and Fins, saltwater original PP and Fins.

I say this, tie a good knot, find the fish and don't worry about a thing.

[adam lancia]

Josh, did you allow the Sufix 832 to break in a bit? Once you use it for a couple of outings, the coating wears a bit and the colour goes fainter. I have found that once I get to this point, it gets very limp and smooth. I have used, and am using, Super 8 Slick and I prefer 832 to it. The biggest reason being that 832 doesn't start to fray and separate at the leader knot. S8S seems to fray at the leader knot, the leader knot itself is fine though, just the line going to the knot, say about half an inch of it. That is with 10# and 15# S8S. I have some 10# 832 that I'll be trying in comparison to see if that frays as well. I'm hoping it's not just a product of the thinness of the line being used.

[Josh Smith]

For a reasonably priced line, try Sufix Performance.  I like it a lot.  Loses color pretty quickly turning almost white, but fish don't seem to mind and it is cheaper than 832 Ghost.    Line is quiet.  Never had a problem with it until the year I spent a day throwing a 3/4 oz. spoon with it tied direct.  Line twist galore by the end of the day.  Can't blame the line.  Had been used for 3 years without line twist using normal bass lures.  We were fishing brackish water for small saltwater fish.

 

Hello,

 

I just grabbed some Performance on your recommendation.  We'll see how it works on the water; I like the feel.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

[Hogsticker]

On the cheap - Sufix performance braid

Not so cheap - Seaguar Smackdown

Both are great lines

[Jrob78]

Hello,

 

I just grabbed some Performance on your recommendation.  We'll see how it works on the water; I like the feel.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

I actually prefer the regular Sufix Performance over the 832.  I think you will like it.

[Catch and Grease]

IMO, spider wire is junk that falls apart quickly. That's been my experience with all their braid products but I do know some people use it and like it...

[fishballer06]

832 is stiff and has memory?! You must be using a totally different 832 than me...

[Josh Smith]

I wondered if maybe I got a bad batch. It wasn't so bad after it broke in, but not as good as some others after the same break in period.

The Performance Braid isn't as stiff as those three spools of 50lb 832.

So, no idea.

Josh

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

 

I just grabbed some Performance on your recommendation.  We'll see how it works on the water; I like the feel.

 

Regards,

 

Josh

 

 

I actually prefer the regular Sufix Performance over the 832.  I think you will like it.

 

 

For a reasonably priced line, try Sufix Performance.  I like it a lot.  Loses color pretty quickly turning almost white, but fish don't seem to mind and it is cheaper than 832 Ghost.    Line is quiet.  Never had a problem with it until the year I spent a day throwing a 3/4 oz. spoon with it tied direct.  Line twist galore by the end of the day.  Can't blame the line.  Had been used for 3 years without line twist using normal bass lures.  We were fishing brackish water for small saltwater fish.

 

I had this out the other day, and I LOVE it!  Like JRob78, I do think I like this much better than 832.

 

I guess I'll see how quickly the color fades.

 

Josh

[Diggy]

With the exception of 1 brand which I didn't care for at all, I'm not overly fussy.  Price wins, I've been using US braid 10# for bass and peacocks, as good as any line I have used.  Recently bought some 20# and loaded up 2 barracuda reels, been fine for them too.  In addition I'm using in freshwater PP slick, PP original and Fins, saltwater original PP and Fins.

I say this, tie a good knot, find the fish and don't worry about a thing.

Orange power! I have been buying this also for the most part. I picked up 3 spools of USA braid yesterday. I have some suffix 832, pp regular, spiderwire cant remember which, sunline fx2 and stren on other reels right now. I tried zebco braid but it ran thicker than other brands did.

[keyvike]

Stren superline for me. Tried a few others but keep coming back to the Stren. Suffix 832 was ok but has a little more memory to it than the Stren. Granted I haven't tried the more expensive braids as I haven't found a reason to and I'm a tightwad...LOL.

[Mike L]

I tried some Seagar Kanzen one time took it off, put the original Power Pro back on and there it stays.

Mike

[Insanity]

Spider wire must have came a long way if you think it's softer or less noisy then Berkley fire line.

I may need to try it again. I haven't used it sense it first came out. And I striped it off the reel and chunked it. Because it sounded like steel cable coming threw the line guides. I've used the fire line ever sense. However I only go as high as 20 pound. When it breaks in its soft. And I get about 6 months on it then a strip it off and turn it around on the spool for 6 more months. And that's heavy use. Never broke it on a fish.

However! I'm alway in the market for something better. Sense your testing And comparing I'm all ears.

Are you using the same weight for each line?

[SirSnookalot]

Orange power! I have been buying this also for the most part. I picked up 3 spools of USA braid yesterday. I have some suffix 832, pp regular, spiderwire cant remember which, sunline fx2 and stren on other reels right now. I tried zebco braid but it ran thicker than other brands did.

Can't agree with Diggy more, in fact he is the one that first mentioned it.  Using the US braid both in fresh water and now for salt too, I'm sold on it.  I've had 10# on since Dec on a reel I use almost daily, even with inline spinners and no swivel there hasn't been a windknot or any significant twist, pretty rare for me.  I've got about 2 months of 20# on 2 reels for barracuda, my tubes constantly spin 360 degrees, most braids twist up pretty bad, but not the US Braid. I don't know what's different about it, both strength and knot power haven't been a concern, it's been a star performer. Price is attractive too. 

[the reel ess]

Fireline was recently improved. I notice the 17 or 18# is no more. I guess replaced by 20. I think I have the older version on two spinning reels. Since I got it I've had a much better hookup percentage with seemingly less effort. I just trust it not to break when a big fish is on.

 

Tried PowerPro years ago on a heavy BC reel. Didn't care much for it. It had a habit of digging into the spool.

[WPCfishing]

I just ordered a spool of 832. I don't like thin line so I bought the 65# which is about the same as 17#. Never used braid before.. I'm looking forward to trying it.

If I went to heavy let me know your thoughts. I'll be pitching with it. Nothing more.

[Insanity]

I just ordered a spool of 832. I don't like thin line so I bought the 65# which is about the same as 17#. Never used braid before.. I'm looking forward to trying it.

If I went to heavy let me know your thoughts. I'll be pitching with it. Nothing more.

Your rite on pair with most for pitching line size.

That must be way every one goes so heavy on it. The diameter. Never could figure that out.

As for me I don't want to have to cut off extra line if I hang up and can't get it back. Plus I bank fish a lot so I'm after distance.

[WPCfishing]

Your rite on pair with most for pitching line size.

That must be way every one goes so heavy on it. The diameter. Never could figure that out.

As for me I don't want to have to cut off extra line if I hang up and can't get it back. Plus I bank fish a lot so I'm after distance.

 

I know we're talking braid here but I'd like to add this since you mentioned distance. I've started using P-Line CX.. The line casts a long way.

Give it a try if you are in the mood to test a line one day. I'm not sure if braid will get out any further. You guys can tell me.

[DaleGribble]

Ive tried a handful. The things I can say I've found are that I don't care for Spiderwire Stealth Braid; it feels stiff, waxy, and wiry. PowerPro is great but can be noisy. I've like Grand Slam braid while I could get it but it seems to wear out faster. I'm currently giving Sufix Performance a try and I've been very pleased for the $12.99 price tag. It is smooth and supple and seems to be tightly braided. 

[WPCfishing]

Hi Folks,

I have been trying different braids over the past couple years. I've not kept detailed notes, but I have tested the following and found them to have very different "personalities".

1. Spiderwire Invisibraid: I liked the feel, but I'm not so sure about its visibility. Supposedly translucent, it looks white to me. I don't trust it to catch fish.

2. Spiderwire Stealth Camo: This is the second stuff I tried. Very limp. Excellent knots, excellent casting from a modified Ambassadeur 5000. The camouflage actually made quite a bit of sense to me simply because it breaks up the outline. Some here color the first few feet of standard braid with a sharpie for the same reason. In the end, I just didn't like the way it looked on my reel; kinda' tacticool if you will. That's a very subjective reason for dumping it, but it also didn't match the weeds in the lake I usually fish very well (too many tans, for example.)

3. Spiderwire Stealth, Moss Green: I love this stuff! Tough, quiet, and limp. No memory.

4. Spiderwire EZ Braid: I actually like this pretty well. It's pretty smooth. I can't find any data as to strand count. To me it feels like 8 strand, but I could be wrong.

5. Berkely Fireline: I hate this stuff. It's rough and noisy.

6. Sufix 832: I don't like this as much as the Spiderwire Stealth. It's stiff and seems to have some memory; if I strip a lot of it from my spool it will tie itself in knots. Spiderwire Stealth doesn't do this.

Regards,

Josh

I just started using braid. I chose 832 because of all the great reviews and forum members opinions, all favorable. My experience with 832 has been completely positive. Not at all as you described it.

You obviously like Spiderwire, available at Walmart. You should stick with it.

[Master Bait'r]

832 & PP Are the crowd favorites.

SX1 & FX2 are probably the toughest I've ever used but can be a bit noisy.

Smackdown is my favorite all around. Smooth and quiet like PP/832 but tougher and keeps color better like SX1. It's the best of both worlds IMO. Great finesse diameters available too!