I finally discovered the blessing called "braid"!

[jb_adams]

Yep, I finally tried braided line.  MAN what a difference!

All this time, I was affraid to use it because I felt it would backlash more, harder to undo backlashes, and too heavy of a line and easily seen.  I was so far from the truth it's amazing.

I like fishing finesse jigs in 5/16oz to 7/16oz on a small 6ft rod with 10lb test.  I swapped out my Yo-Zuri (great stuff) with Suffix Pro Braid(?) in 10lb test in 6lb mono diam.  That stuff is amazing!  I could hear the rattles on my jig with the jig over 40 ft away.  I was so shocked to hear my jig rattles.  The sensitivity is great, no doubt if you get a bite now!

I also tried 20lb test in the Spiderwire braid.  Only reason I tried it was because it had a small dia. and was cheap!  It works pretty well too.   I have it on my crankbait rod and I can't believe how much more you can feel with the crankbait and braided line.

SO I feel like I have switched from an old Zebco 33 to a Shimano Citica or something.  I just can't believe that I've missed out all this time.

So, is braided line bad for your rod guides?  I have alconite guides on my St. Croix Avid rods and I have Fuji guides on my Falcon rods.  Is this OK or will it cut into my rod guides? :-?

[Hawg Fan]

So is braid the most sensitive line type?

[jb_adams]

So is braid the most sensitive line type?

I wouldn't put it like that.  Braid has no stretch or give to it so you get better feedback than flourocarbon which has stretch and monofiliament that has slight amount of stretch before it breaks.  Braid (if ever) simply breaks.

I know I will loose much fewer baits with braid.  I've set the hook on many a good baits only to have my line snap.  Some of which I know I had a fish.  Braid won't allow that to happen anymore!  Even the 10lb test braid that looks like sewing thread it's so small, is plenty strong.  I snagged my jig a few times today and I hauled in some really big limbs because they braid wouldn't snap under pressure like the Yo-Zuri does.  Yo-Zuri is a copolymer which is kind of a half mono-half flouro I believe.

I'm thinking about putting braid on just about 80% of my rods now.

[islandbass]

Yep, I finally tried braided line. MAN what a difference!

All this time, I was affraid to use it because I felt it would backlash more, harder to undo backlashes, and too heavy of a line and easily seen. I was so far from the truth it's amazing.

I like fishing finesse jigs in 5/16oz to 7/16oz on a small 6ft rod with 10lb test. I swapped out my Yo-Zuri (great stuff) with Suffix Pro Braid(?) in 10lb test in 6lb mono diam. That stuff is amazing! I could hear the rattles on my jig with the jig over 40 ft away. I was so shocked to hear my jig rattles. The sensitivity is great, no doubt if you get a bite now!

I also tried 20lb test in the Spiderwire braid. Only reason I tried it was because it had a small dia. and was cheap! It works pretty well too. I have it on my crankbait rod and I can't believe how much more you can feel with the crankbait and braided line.

SO I feel like I have switched from an old Zebco 33 to a Shimano Citica or something. I just can't believe that I've missed out all this time.

So, is braided line bad for your rod guides? I have alconite guides on my St. Croix Avid rods and I have Fuji guides on my Falcon rods. Is this OK or will it cut into my rod guides? :-?

Alconite are more than a match for braid. Matter of fact modern rods with good guides, even aluminum oxide, can stand up to braid without any trouble.

The good thing about braid is that it can almost make an ugly stik feel like a loomis. Just be mindful of your drag setting, especially when fishing with crankbaits or when you're freeing snags. Rods can snap with as little as 2lbs of force.  With braid's nero zero stretch you can place a lot of stress on your rod yanking lures free. That is a recipe to snap a rod.

Good to see you've find braid.  

[RoLo]

Alconite is more than a match for braid. Matter of fact modern rods with good guides, even aluminum oxide, can stand up to braid without any trouble

Good advice.

Short-lived "braided kevlar" was what gave braid a bad name, because it eroded every guide material

except titanium nitride and silicon carbide. However, aluminum oxide guides will last forever under braided polyethylene (PowerPro).

Roger

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Just remember that if using braid on a crank or topwater rod, you want to make sure the rod has an extra bit of flex in it.  If I were to buy a rod specifically for cranking with braid, I'd make sure it were softer than if I were using a line with stretch.

You're gonna love all the new sensitivity you get with braid and the more you use it, the better you are at "feeling"  (what's on the bottom)

[hawgchaser]

So is braid the most sensitive line type?

Yes there is a noticeble difference. I really like the stuff but I fish a lot of clear water so I throw more flouro and copolymer. I use braid for stained water and all of my crankbait and rat l traps.

[BassinBoy]

I love it for its no stretch ability which helps on hooksets.

[JT Bagwell]

I use PowerPro for all of my braided line applications.

Keep your drag set a little bit loose too. Since braid doesn't

stretch, it can put a lot of pressure on your rod when you

have a hard hookset when using jigs and plastics.

Try the Hi-Vis Yellow PowerPro braid when fishing baits like

Yamamoto Senkos and Jigs. Sometimes you can actually see

the line twitch before you ever feel anything.

JT Bagwell

[dodgeguy]

So is braid the most sensitive line type?

without a doubt it is!!!

[Jake P]

what is braid best used with? what applications? I am clueless when it comes to braid, i figured ide just use mono for everything but i want to try all types of line before i make a decision like that.

[.dsaavedra.]

i cant believe nobody mentioned one of the very reasons why i feel braid is superior...NO MEMORY WHATSOEVER!!!!!!

im so sick of having mono tangle to hell with just the slightest bit of slack in my line.

braid doesnt do that .

but the main reason i love braid is for the sensativity. it is definitley the most sensative line out there.

its also got no stretch like everone else said, so its got some good hooksetting power.

these three reasons (no memory, sensative, strong) are why i consider it to be a superior worm and jig line. worms and jigs often involve slack line, so no memory is great here. you also need to be able to feel for light bites and bottom contact, so sensativity is great here. the zero stretch strength is great for slamming the steel home!

i use yo-zuri hybrid on my crankbait rod only because of its stretch. but i hate how coily it gets.... :-/

[Pond Hopper]

i cant believe nobody mentioned one of the very reasons why i feel braid is superior...NO MEMORY WHATSOEVER!!!!!!

im so sick of having mono tangle to hell with just the slightest bit of slack in my line.

braid doesnt do that .

but the main reason i love braid is for the sensativity. it is definitley the most sensative line out there.

its also got no stretch like everone else said, so its got some good hooksetting power.

these three reasons (no memory, sensative, strong) are why i consider it to be a superior worm and jig line. worms and jigs often involve slack line, so no memory is great here. you also need to be able to feel for light bites and bottom contact, so sensativity is great here. the zero stretch strength is great for slamming the steel home!

i use yo-zuri hybrid on my crankbait rod only because of its stretch. but i hate how coily it gets.... :-/

And this is coming from a braid lover, braid tangles with slack or during the cast.  It is so limp that it often creates the mysterious 'braid knot or loop'.  It is something I am willing to deal with though.  

That said, no stretch, incredible sensitivity, and no memory.  When I fish mono, even on cranks, I feel like I am fishing with a slinky as line.  That and I feel it handles better on casting equipment as it is easier to pick out an overrun and does not kink like mono/copolymers.

[Stringjam]

I love braid!!!!  

I personally see no advantage to using a stretchy line in any situation - ESPECIALLY crankbaits (what I fish 90% of the time).  

The line should be a transmitter of exactly what the bait is doing at all times - which is CRITICAL when deep cranking or cranking in heavy cover - it should not a source of mush and stretch.......even if you use mono, you should use the LOWEST STRETCH mono you can find (ask David Fritts - he knows a bit about cranking.. )

[bronzeback01]

how often do you have to change braided line ?

does the color fade after a while ?

and is there any difference in tying a not ?

[skunked_again]

ive tried braid a few times and the problem i have is one little backlash and i end up cutting all the line off. im just not good enough to use the braid.

[THEbassmaster]

how often do you have to change braided line ?

does the color fade after a while ?

and is there any difference in tying a not ?

i use it all year, unless i get a little less.

yes, turns whiteish, atleast green power pro does

yes. im not sure what knot i usually use is but palomer works, ill look up what one i use, its a good one.

[burleytog]

I do not understand the braid hype. More sensitive? Than what, anchor rope?

Every brand of braid I've tried has been disappointing. I keep listening to the hype from threads like this one. Each time I come away ticked off that I spent $20 on a spool of line that was used for three or four trips.

[bighed]

IMO, a few of the downsides:  not abrasion resistant, backlashes can be terminal, can damage the reel/break the rod trying to recover hung up lures, very visible in clear water, can cut fingers/hands, expensive.  Braid, like most tackle, has it's place but may not always be the best choice.  I like it for flipping heavy vegetation.  It's also great for saltwater fishing where reel capacity is a concern.  big

[Stringjam]

I do not understand the braid hype.  More sensitive?  Than what, anchor rope?

Every brand of braid I've tried has been disappointing.  I keep listening to the hype from threads like this one.  Each time I come away ticked off that I spent $20 on a spool of line that was used for three or four trips.

What characteristics of braid have disappointed you?  

I assure you, there is no "hype" - - I wouldn't have used it almost exclusively for the past 12 years were that the case.....but like all things, it isn't for everybody.  

I find most of the things that people list as negatives are easily overcome or are a result of improper use or handling.

You obviously don't put on 80 lb. braid and try to use your rod and reel to bust it loose......it isn't the braid's fault it's strong, it's the user's fault for not utilizing a little common sense - - you wouldn't pull that kind of stuff with 80 lb. mono either....something's gonna break.      

Both the abrasion problem and clear water problem are both solved with the use of leaders......you still retain the benefits of braid, and get the stealth and abrasion resistance of mono.  

As far as being expensive - no way......I've saved hundreds by switching to braid.  I have some reels that haven't been respooled for over 2 years.    

[David P]

I have several cuts in my finger from keeping my finger on the line when I set the hook. Sometimes things happen so quickly, there's no time to take my finger off the line.

Braid also has a terrible tendency to dig into itself. Sometimes you'll go to cast, and it won't go because the line has dug into the spool too much.

It's highly visible, although this is one thing I'd be willing to give up if the other 2 weren't such a problem.

[RoLo]

what is braid best used with? what applications? I am clueless when it comes to braid, i figured ide just use mono for everything but i want to try all types of line before i make a decision like that.

I've used monofilament line for over 40 years (nylon, copolymer & fluoro).

Since I switched from mono to braid I've never given mono a second thought, and now use braided line for every task at hand.

Roger

[RoLo]

Braid also has a terrible tendency to dig into itself.

That is true, but it's easy to avoid.

"Line-burrowing" is generally not an issue unless at least one of two conditions exist (usually both conditions exist):

1) When casting a lightweight lure (the line will spool loosely on the arbor)

2) After heavy pressure has been placed on the line (e.g. pulling on a snagged lure).

When casting a lightweight lure (spinning> 1/8 oz or less), the line doesn't wrap as firmly around the arbor,

leaving a spongy base. In this condition, if heavy pressure is applied to the line (e.g. yanking on a fouled lure)

the last wrap of super-thin braid may burrow into the loose wraps below.

To prevent line-burrowing after heavy pressure has been applied to the line, simply pull a few yards of line off the spool

to undo the burrow. If you can't remember to do this or you just can't be bothered (like me),

spooling-up with 30 lb braid (or higher) will virtually eliminate all line-burrowing, even when the above conditions exist.

BTW: 30-lb PowerPro is only 0.011" in diameter, equal to 8-lb Triline XL.

Roger

[PondHunter]

I have switched to braid with a flourocarbon leader for everything. I hate how mono will coil up on the spool and ruin the castability on spinning outfits and backlash constantly on baitcasters.  Occasionally I will get backlash, but it is always easier to pick it out with braid. I havent had to respool with braid. but with mono its almost the routine when it backlashes to have to remove almost all of it. Im not concerned with the braid getting nicked on rocks because I fish in the weeds. Everytime I tried a new mono that was supposed to be "it" for a baitcaster it would work ok for a couple weeks, then it would take on a coil and be useless. Braid may be more expensive to start, but is cheaper in the long run. Not all braid is the same either. I use Power Pro. It is as limp as string. Fireline is much stiffer and feels like a coil of wire when not on the spool. Those are the only brands I have used.

[SimonSays]

I love braid, I started off using braid from the beginning on my Baitcasters and didn't think anything of it...until I tried using mono...wow...what a difference, it's alot harder using mono...with mono my hooksets have to be much harder and the feeling is a bit muted, more like pressure than taps.