Suffix High Performance Braid Thoughts

[JCrzy4Bass]

Hey fellas I've been thinking about switching my heavy 15lb mono line on my jig pole over to 20lb High Performance Suffix Braid. I use this mainly for jigs, plastics and spinnerbaits.

I use Suffix Superior for my crankbait rod and have fallen in love with the knot strength, castability, and stretch it provides for my crankbaits and figure that I should try out their performance braid since I praise this one so much. I am pretty much a Shimano guy but I think so far Suffix has provided me with great line capabilites and I really like their products thus far.

Just getting some thoughts from you guys who currently use this line and your likes and dislikes for it. Keep in mind with this pole I am usually fishing moderate to heavy cover so the braid probably is a better choice.

My second choice was going to be trying out the new Stren Microfuse Braided line.  Comparisons?  I'd like to hear from both sides if we have any anglers here who use the products.

[SCBASS]

Do a quick search on this forum and you will find that many people think that it is one of the best braids on the market.   I personally love Sufix but I can't compare it to Stren Microfuse because I have no reason to try it.    If you are fishing moderate to heavy cover, I would not go smaller than 30lb test (8lb mono dia).  

[happy_fisherman]

When it comes to braid lines I would not use heavier pounds than the rod is rated for. Thats just me. As I am a custom rod builder and void my guarantee if a heavier braid is used than the the rod is rated for.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Specific reasoning for this? This was actually one of my quirks about my current line is that it loops up occasionally a bit if I use too light a lure or jig or what not. I use 15lb for my 12lb rated reel. I read somewhere that it's not that big of a deal (here on bassresource.com).

So 20lb Braid would be an issue on a Sonora 4000 (the bulkier of the three models), that's only rated for 12lb test? Maybe I just need to upgrade my reel then? Just trying to get some insight. Thanks guys.

If your talking about rod I think the actual rod is rated for up to 17lb test. Not sure I'll have to check it out tonight though. I wouldn't go past what the rod says but from what I understand the reel is barely compromised so long as you don't go too far up above the range the reel is rated for. Am I wrong here?

Also I use BPS rods for my jigging and plastics applications.  Great backbone and I think it would be a perfect rod for braided line.  These things are built tough.

[Cory20]

What weight jigs and plastics are you throwing ?  In moderate to heavy cover you can expect to break that 20 lb braid on a hard hookset.  Up the pound test on the braid and back your drag off a touch if you're worried about breaking anything.

[BassinBoy]

Never tried the braid but the regular elite line is great.  I wouldnt use the stren if i were you, i dont like their line.  

[JCrzy4Bass]

Cory generally I throw 1/8 or 3/8 oz jigs but occassionally I will throw a 1/2oz jig.  So your saying if I go ahead and use a higher rated line like 20 or 30lb braid with a rod and reel not rated for anything above 12 I won't have problems if I just back the drag off a bit?

I'm not so much worried about breaking line.  I'm not one of those guys where every single fish counts.  Ii'm just recreational and don't plan on getting into clubs or tourneys.  So to me if I lose a fish here and there because of line snapping its ok.  I just don't wanna screw up my reel or break a rod or guides on my rod because the line is rated too high.  Any other thoughts on this?

[MickD]

I would not use braid under about 30 # on a bait caster, I don't like the lighter lines' handling qualities as much as the 30+ line.  At 30-40 it will handle a lot like 12-15 mono.

Regarding overstressing the rods, I have used braid well over the rods' ratings and have had no trouble.  I usually use a 20 pound leader which is still over my rods' ratings, and have really had some salmon going nuts on my outfits, and they just keep on ticking.  If I were selling rods to beginning fishermen, I might agree with voiding the warranties.  It's the fishermen that break rods, not the fish.

[eyedabassman]

Best Braid that is out there, HANDS DOWN.

[ghost]

I'll agree it's the best braid, better than Power Pro.  Thinner diameter & the color lasts a bit longer.

ONLY thing I don't like about Sufix braid is it's more expensive than other braid by $10-12 for the 300 yd filler spools.

However there is a $6(150 yd filler spool) & $10(300 yd filler spool) rebate going on now.  

[huskertko]

...

My second choice was going to be trying out the new Stren Microfuse Braided line. Comparisons? I'd like to hear from both sides if we have any anglers here who use the products.

My opinion, STAY AWAY from the microfuse.  I tried it a couple weeks ago and it has to be the worst line I have ever used.  It was very stiff and hard to handle.  I have a review I posted about it in this section detailing why I think it is a horrible line.

That is just my $.02

[JCrzy4Bass]

Thanks Husker.  I'll check the review and see what others had to say.  Looks like more than likely I'm gonna check this suffix braid out.  Just wanna hear more about the whole using higher rated line than your rod and reel are actually rated for.

[Grey Wolf]

I have used braid for ten years (20 &30 lb.) and have no rods shatter or break due to a hook set.

[SV1000]

I recently bought a 300 yd spool of Sufix high vis yellow in 20 lb after a few months with Power Pro green 20 lb. I wanted to give Sufix a shot because it receives very high review here.

I have posted in a few threads about my comparison of the two but will try to summarize here.

I found the Sufix to be quieter and frays less. But after two weeks of fishing and approximately 25 fish, I have broken off at least four times most likely at the hook, and snapped off two lures when I left a loop from a previous backlash and cast again, this occured the second time last night but I was able to retrieve the Bandit Footloose, can't say the same for the buzzbait.

I have used a Uni-Knot for all connections.

On the other hand, I caught over 58 fish in February and did not break off or lose a bait using Power Pro. It is stiffer, frays faster and fades quickly but knot strength appears to be better as well as shock strength.

I will go back to Power Pro Red but I need to get full use out of my Sufix, if I get some catfish rods set up I will move the Sufix to those reels.

Just one guy's opinion and worth exactly what you paid for it....SV

[SCBASS]

IMO braided line diameter is more critical than the actual tensile strength rating.  A bass probably wont break 20lb braid in open water but if its living in brush or heavy cover, you may need a bigger diameter to up the abrasion resistance.  I would not worry about hurting your gear because a properly set drag will slip before rod or reel damage would occur.          Example :If the reels drag is adjusted to say 10lbs, it does not matter if you had 15lb or 85lb line.  The fish will start pulling drag after it overcomes the 10lbs of force protecting your rod.  

[JCrzy4Bass]

Thanks SCBass that's EXACTLY the answer I was looking for to my question.  It seems the drag plays a critical rule when it comes to overlining your rod with higher test.  I will definately check my drag each outing and adjust accordingly.  Needless to say I think I'm gonna give this stuff a try.

I think 20lb will work for me only because I don't fish HEAVY HEAVY cover.  And normally if I do I'm more on the outside of it because I'm still not 100% comfortable with my flipping and pitching accuracy.  Yes I know the best spots are right in the thick of the stuff but I still need practice before I get that brave.  I'm gonna try and it and see what I think.  I'll let you guys know.  Thanks for all your input in this vauable thread fellas.

[Tokyo Tony]

I just tried Sufix Hi-Vis yellow braid yesterday afternoon for the very first time.  I was excited to try it out because of all the rave reviews on this site.  Up to this point, I've used Power Pro exclusively and had no reason to try any other braid.

I was disappointed by Sufix.  It was noticeably stiffer than PP, and at least as loud (it actually seemed louder to me).  Another turnoff was the powdered dye that kept coming off the line and lining my guides and bail.  I'm sure the dye issue will resolve itself as I use the line for a couple more outings, and hopefully the line will also soften up a bit and become a little quieter with use.

One thing that really p'd me off about Sufix was the spool design.  It has an indentation on the top side of the spool that makes spooling it onto a spinning reel an absolute nightmare.  I had to clip the sharp ends off then sand it down before I continued spooling my reel up.  Terrible design.

That said, the line fished pretty well, but again, at this point, I much prefer Power Pro.  And again, my opinion may change on this when I break the line in.  Hopefully it will.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Tony, does the line come with directions or a guide as far as spooling it up on a spinning reel? I'm assuming not since it's probably primarily used for baitcasters.

Anyway, so what sharp metal things are you talking about? I definately don't want to chance fraying my line or having impaired line on my reel when it's all said and done.  Anyone else had this problem?  Ways around it?  Guess I'll find out tonight when I line my Sonora Reel.

[Tokyo Tony]

There wasn't anything sharp or metal on the spool.  It was just an intentional indentation in the spool design that made the line catch on it everytime it passed that indentation.  Just a poor design on the spool.

Obviously the indentation won't affect spooling a baitcaster, but for spinning gear it's a pain.

[JCrzy4Bass]

Ohhhhh ok.  It may have just been a one time issue though.  I mean I'm sure those types of things are normally checked when the spools are made or produced.  Anyway... thanks for the heads up though.  I'll check for any before I spool up tonight.  After my trip this weekend and if I go out tommorrow I'll post my thoughts on the Suffix for you guys.

[Grey Wolf]

It's hard to make an intelligant decision after using anything one time.

JMHO

[JCrzy4Bass]

It's hard to make an intelligant decision after using anything one time.

JMHO

I'm not planning on writing up a report for a newspaper dude lol.  Just my first impressions of it.  I probably eventually will put up a review but it won't be for months.  I haven't even posted a review for the Suffix Superior line I've been using on my crank rod all season thus far (2 months) haha.  But I eventually will.

[Tokyo Tony]

It's hard to make an intelligant decision after using anything one time.

JMHO

If that was directed at me, let me say that I made it clear that I have only used it once, and that my opinion might change.

I have also used brand-new Power Pro many many times without some of the problems I experienced yesterday.

Regardless, only time will tell for sure, and I hope the Sufix breaks in nicely.

Any of you Sufix users find that you need to break the line in for a while before it becomes softer/quieter?