Trying to understand more about braid

[BeauSteele]

Hello fellow fisherman,

I have been fishing bait a long time and after some convincing from a friend, I'm going to try hard and soft plastics. There is a lot of information out there but I'm having trouble understanding the benefits of a couple of different types of braid.

For example there is extremely thin and strong "8 strand" brand going around which quote amazing breaking strains. Such as 0.1mm for 10lb.

There is also braid which has a breaking strain of 4lb but with a diameter of 0.13mm.

So the latter is thicker with a lesser breaking strain.

Is this because technology has gotten better of all of a sudden and the quality of line has increased? Or are there advantages to having these lower breaking strains such as better casting, sensitivity or is it simply a cheaper price point? Why would I use it?

Thanks everyone.

[NaClH2OK9]

Hi. I can't speak in depth for real light gauge braids as I rarely drop under 10kg but all braids are not made equal. 8strand will be stronger than 4 strand on a like for like but there is a lot more involved.

I believe that super thin braid has issues with wind knots when casting.

I attended a Raiders organised sp day. And a pro level guy was just fishing flouro straight through.

There are some real gun sp fishos on here and I'm sure you get hit with some much more detailed advice.

Edited February 3, 2015 by NaClH2OK9

[Witha]

You will find a very large difference in braids that state the same lb rating. At the moment I like using the Japanese pe rating which goes on thickness rather than poundage. I currently have a .6 pe braid that breaks at 10 lb and a other which is "rated" at 10 lb but is like rope! Its a matter of what you're after, for light lure work which is my favourite hobby thin supple braid really helps with casting distance and accuracy and really helps transmit the bites and keep good contact with the lure.

Braid definitely isn't essential as a lot of blokes are running straight through FC for ease of use but I really enjoy it and couldn't go back to the lack of feeling from other lines!

[Zacnoel]

Hi - I agree with Witha there are lots of brands out there and they all are different, I fish almost exclusively with braid and at the moment I am using the new Berkely product which has reduced in diameter of late. I fish for half pound whiting and metre plus. flatties and I use 4lb braid for both. It has ample casting distance and is very strong in fact your choice of leader becomes the more important decision . If I can offer one piece of advice it would be if you are just starting with braid don't go too thin too soon. I recently tried some really thin braid and even though I fish this all of the time , in high wind with very light lures it became a nightmare for wind knots ( which is a problem suffered by light braids in windy conditions) in the end I went back to the old faithful 4lb and and haven't looked back . Anyway good luck and good fishing

[marshie]

Hey Beau Steele,

Hope I can help a little in this regard - the listed breaking strains on a lot of braids are not reliable. Manufacturers in the early days of braid would under rate their breaking strains to counteract the poor knots that people coming from monofilament would tie.

This was to stop the impression that some would say "I'm never fishing braid again! The knot keeps slipping!"

In turn it ended up with people saying "Wow braid is so much stronger than mono! My 4lb braid could pull a truck out!"

So where does this leave us?

The amount of strands in a braid, for the most part, help to keep it circular in nature, like a hose. 8 strand braid is generally very round, and as a result casts well and costs more. A 4 strand braid in turn will be more 'tape like', and cheaper to produce.

In summary - the cheaper braids are more likely to be of fewer strands, and rated low for its breaking strain (ie 10lb test marketed as 4lb). The more expensive braids will be thinner, rounder and more accurately rated.

For your purposes, I would pick a 4lb braid from ANY manufacturer - even the thickest will be more than suitable for starting out.

Edited February 4, 2015 by marshie

[marshie]

As an addendum - there are some websites online that independently test line. A simple google search for 'braided line test results' should help.

[slinkymalinky]

G'day Beau,

Try this link...

http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=59384

Like it says in the article, I'm not a materials chemist or any kind of expert but the information in here comes from me having done work over a number of years with a company that manufactures braided fishing line.

Cheers, Slinky

[fragmeister]

G'day Beau,

Try this link...

http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/index.php?showtopic=59384

Like it says in the article, I'm not a materials chemist or any kind of expert but the information in here comes from me having done work over a number of years with a company that manufactures braided fishing line.

Cheers, Slinky

Thats a very informative post.

Thanks for that... I am going to have to review my braid buying strategies now.

Cheers

Jim

[Zacnoel]

Yes excellent information Slinky. You are right. I have used US, Japanese , Chinese, Hongcanese you name it. But as you say I do come back to the same 6 or so brands. Usually after being disappointed with my last purchase. There's a message there I guess

[GreyNurse]

I was just looking at the line tests on the Paulus Just Fishing website. Some very interesting stuff there. What caught my eye was the results of the Crane braid, which is the brand retailed by the store that has twice weekly specials and starts with the letter before "B". There is only one line supplied for testing, which is the 20lb line. The diameter is smaller than most of the well known brands for it's weight. It breaks closer to the stated 20lb rating (about 26lbs test).

I know there's much more to it than just breaking strain / diameter, but I use the stuff and I've no complaints, other than it only appears once a year in their fishing tackle specials at the aforementioned store.

I have other brands as well and they all catch fish. Just thought I'd throw that one out there.

[BeauSteele]

Thanks for your replies everyone,

I have read many posts on this forum and have came to the conclusion to buy 4 lb power pro braid at my local tackle shop.

Having used it earlier today I have to say I'm not that pleased with it. It doesn't seem to come off the reel that smoothly nor does it feel that sensitive. I might have to invest more money and buy a better braid. What do you guys think of daiwa braid or anything else good around? I did like the thinness of it.

[Witha]

Thanks for your replies everyone,

I have read many posts on this forum and have came to the conclusion to buy 4 lb power pro braid at my local tackle shop.

Having used it earlier today I have to say I'm not that pleased with it. It doesn't seem to come off the reel that smoothly nor does it feel that sensitive. I might have to invest more money and buy a better braid. What do you guys think of daiwa braid or anything else good around? I did like the thinness of it.

Mate after trying the majors like power pro, fireline, fireline exceed, and sunline super pe I've really really been enjoying the YGK oh dragon. Can't overstate it. Smooth thin round and slick. Flies off the reel and you feel every touch. Just my two cents. Unitika varivas and toray also make excellent stuff. Give em a go. Unitika is probably the best bang for buck it's the same price as the bigger brands pretty much

[Zacnoel]

Witha - do they make the ykg down to 4 lb?

Edited February 12, 2015 by Zacnoel