Braid Line Abrasion?

[Todd2]

There have been several line topics that have come up recently, one with a video which I can't find now, talking about line abrasion. I've always heard that one of the reasons for a leader is because of braid's bad line abrasion qualities. It never made sense to me, they make special scissors just to cut the stuff, but I figured it was a diameter thing. So I decided to do my own "experiment". I put a file in my vice in my garage and took out all of the lines that I had in my cooler and ran them over the file mutliple times, two at time. 

 

Every time, my 20lb braid (6lb diameter) was the winner and it was never close. It lasted longer than even my thickest line, 17lb Stren Original. It also beat 14lb Stren, an old spool of 10lb Fluoro, and some 8lb mono which wasnt even close. Even though it was the smallest line, it won ever time, so I don't get the whole braid abrasion thing. Anybody else?

[CroakHunter]

Sharp or rusty metal docks or dock posts, zebra mussels, etc will cut braid like a knife. 

[Todd2]

16 minutes ago, CroakHunter said:

Sharp or rusty metal docks or dock posts, zebra mussels, etc will cut braid like a knife. 

I hear that about mussels, don't have them at my normal places. I have tons of rock and wood and the braid holds up as good as anything I've tried. 

[Troy85]

Saltwater barnacles cut my Fluro and mono way quicker than braid. I read a lot about mono being more abrasion resistant, it just hasn't been my experience either.

[Boomstick]

The only sharp things I usually have to worry about are rocks, and I've had great luck with braid against rocks. Most of the rocks in lakes in my neck of the woods have been under water for so long that they lose their sharp edges too. Rocks under newer, man-made lakes are often much sharper.

 

Anyway, I keep meaning to give Power Pro Max Cuatro a shot as it's supposed to be fairly abrasion resistant.

[geo g]

Braid does not do well with sharp limestone rock walls.  I am surrounded by these man made lakes with lots of straight down rock walls.  Floro and mono hold up much better when in contact with this type of structure.

[OkobojiEagle]

Number of carriers plus the type and thickness of any line coating will factor into the abrasion equation significantly.

 

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[Team9nine]

It's an interesting question/observation. I've done similar in that I remember once having left my line cutters at home and having to cut a lure off straight braid. I thought, no problem, I'll just use this piece of limestone riprap to cut right through it...wrong. Took much more abuse and pressure to eventually cut through, way more than a bait would likely ever put on the line. And the scissors point is not too dissimilar to the fact that they use Spectra and Dyneema to make cut resistant gloves.

 

The most likely scenario is that it is a matter of diameter. If you watch the Salt Strong video comparing the two, 20# braid to 20# mono, mono wipes it out. But 20# braid is the diameter of 6# or less mono. Another online video I saw took this into account by testing 25# or 30# mono to the equivalent diameter braid, which was something like 130 or 150# test. The braid won each time. So the simplest answer might lie with the fact that braid seems to be less abrasion resistant because rarely is line diameter taken into consideration.

 

Would be great to see some detailed testing that either proved or disproved this theory.

[J.Vincent]

Braid frays really bad around rocks because it's composed of strands or fibers and it also wedges itself into wood because of the thinner diameter. This is primarily the reason I would use a Fluoro leader; as I know in a real world scenario, Fluoro will slide over rock or rugged timber much easier. But with braid that same rock or timber would fray and discolor the line , making it more prone to future snags as the fibers separate. So really I think Fluoro is more snag resistant for certain situations; but heck I've gone back to using Monofilament and Copolymers for 99% of my fishing; so I can eliminate this variable except when frog fishing

[soflabasser]

Mono is king when it comes to abrasion resistance, plain and simple. This is something that every decent saltwater fisherman knows from real life experience. Zebra mussels are nothing compared to barnacles, exposed concrete pillings, metal from shipwrecks,etc. But don't take my word for it, try fishing with strait 30-60 pound braid for permit in the keys bridges from land and let me know how many permit you land while I use 30-60 pound big game monofilament and land the fish. I also use mono when fishing shipwrecks and reefs for permit, grouper, snapper, amberjack, and other hard fighting wreck/reef fish.

[Tywithay]

14 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Mono is king when it comes to abrasion resistance, plain and simple. This is something that every decent saltwater fisherman knows from real life experience. Zebra mussels are nothing compared to barnacles, exposed concrete pillings, metal from shipwrecks,etc. But don't take my word for it, try fishing with strait 30-60 pound braid for permit in the keys bridges from land and let me know how many permit you land while I use 30-60 pound big game monofilament and land the fish. I also use mono when fishing shipwrecks and reefs for permit, grouper, snapper, amberjack, and other hard fighting wreck/reef fish.

Fluorocarbon is FAR more abrasion resistant than mono, when comparing two lines of the same diameter. Mono is much softer and gets even weaker as it absorbs water. 

[Boomstick]

On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 1:00 PM, Tywithay said:

Fluorocarbon is FAR more abrasion resistant than mono, when comparing two lines of the same diameter. Mono is much softer and gets even weaker as it absorbs water. 

Ever try Sufix Siege line or Berkley Trilene XT? Those are fairly abrasion resistant. If you compare Trilene XL to fluorocarbon, of course the fluorocarbon is going to drastically win every time. Just saying....

[Tywithay]

22 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Ever try Sufix Siege line or Berkley Trilene XT? Those are fairly abrasion resistant. If you compare Trilene XL to fluorocarbon, of course the fluorocarbon is going to drastically win every time. Just saying....

I've used both of those and came up with the same results. Mono absorbs water and gets less abrasion resistant as you use it. Tackletour has done a couple tests using both mono and fluorocarbon and their results showed much of the same, when comparing good fluorocarbon line against mono.

[Boomstick]

53 minutes ago, Tywithay said:

I've used both of those and came up with the same results. Mono absorbs water and gets less abrasion resistant as you use it. Tackletour has done a couple tests using both mono and fluorocarbon and their results showed much of the same, when comparing good fluorocarbon line against mono.

See I don't disagree that fluorocarbon is the most abrasion resistant after a day of fishing, but I'm just saying after a day of fishing on Sufix Siege and to a lesser extent Berkley Trilene XT, they still held up rather well.

[Tywithay]

2 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

See I don't disagree that fluorocarbon is the most abrasion resistant after a day of fishing, but I'm just saying after a day of fishing on Sufix Siege and to a lesser extent Berkley Trilene XT, they still held up rather well.

Most lines are more than adequate. More often than not, I use Trilene XL and never have a single issue. When I am fishing a species/area that requires more abrasion resistance, I will reach for fluoro every time.

[Todd2]

48 minutes ago, Tywithay said:

Most lines are more than adequate. 

I agree for the most part...in larger lb test. The problem I've ran into is trying to fish finesse lures (neds and sliders for me) in places I probably  shouldn't have. So the first day I caught a bunch of nice fish when other guys were struggling. The downside was I got my heart broken twice when wrapped around some brush. It happens, but when using 8lb mono, I shouldn't have been surprised. Braid ( at least on a spinning reel) has been the answer. It allows me to fish finesse in questionable areas.

[Tywithay]

52 minutes ago, Todd2 said:

I agree for the most part...in larger lb test. The problem I've ran into is trying to fish finesse lures (neds and sliders for me) in places I probably  shouldn't have. So the first day I caught a bunch of nice fish when other guys were struggling. The downside was I got my heart broken twice when wrapped around some brush. It happens, but when using 8lb mono, I shouldn't have been surprised. Braid ( at least on a spinning reel) has been the answer. It allows me to fish finesse in questionable areas.

I've had my fair share of heartbreaks, but I've also been surprised more than once by how well a line held up. Just this past Saturday I caught a 27lb carp on 6lb Tatsu while I was crappie fishing. Took me over 30 minutes and I have no clue how it didn't wrap me around something, but it held strong. I don't use braid, so sometimes you just have to take a loss.