Braided Fishing Line
This section shows advantages and disadvantages of using braided fishing line.
Advantages of Braided Line
- Because of lower diameter you can get more line on your reel.
- Because of lower diameter you can cast further.
- Because of lower diameter, when bait fishing or jigging from a boat, you can more easily get your rig deeper.
- If you are trolling your lure will go deeper.
- Because of less stretch you can feel bites better.
- Braids have no reel memory.
Disadvantages of Braided Line
- Thinner line can cut fingers if not very careful.
- Braided line is tough on reels and rod guides.
- Braided line requires more care in tying knots and special knots are recommended, one being the Palamor Knot for tying braided line to hooks, swivels and lures. Another is the Albright Knot for tying braid to mono of larger diameter.
- Because of less stretch the line does not absorb shock, and hooks can be torn from a fishes mouth.
- Mystery line breaks sometimes occur.
- If you get snagged on the bottom it is more difficult to break off.
- Wind knots are more common with braided line.
- If you get wind knots or other tangles they are more difficult to undo.
- Rod tip wrap is more common with braided line.
- Because it is thinner, braided line is less visible.
- Braided line is more expensive.
You can minimize, and maybe eliminate, some of the disadvantages
of braid in the following ways:
1. Use a 24 to 36 inch leader of at least 40 pound test monofialment or flourocarbon. This will give you
something to grab onto when landing a fish. If you grab the very thin braid you can easily get cut.
2. To avoid wind knots close your bail manually after casting. Also tug on the line to get rid
of the slack going to the spool before reeling in.
3. Another thing that will help eliminate wind knots is to move up to
50 pound test braid. 50 pound test braid is still pretty thin, about the same diameter as
14 pound test monofilament.
4. If you combine 1. and 3., you now have a 40 pound test leader connected to a 50 pound test line.
Now if you get snagged, the 40 pound test leader will break before the 50 pound test line, there by
saving your line.
If you get snagged with braided line it is more difficult to break off. A suggestion is to carry a 10 inch piece of broomstick with you. Wrap a few turns of your line around the broomstick and hold on to the broomstick piece and pull. This way you can break off your line, or pull out of the snag, without cutting your fingers on the line.
See about knots to use with braided line Fishing Knots.