What Braid?

[outdoordan]

In the market for some high quality 20lbs braid

Price isnt a huge problem, but still want good value.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks Dan

[Sharky]

Hey Dan

what do you want to use the Brade for??? If its for a spin outfit for cating lures I would suggest XDS fireline as its a true brade and casts really well and has a very thin diameter. Fire line is great too if you get a good batch I find pink the best colour. Platepuss brade is good as well .

[Guest Jewel]

FINS is pretty good in that size.

[mottyman]

G'day Dan,

I've got TufLine XP on a few of my outfits and I can't tell you how happy I am with it.

I've got 15lb on some heavier spin gear and it's great. Casts like a dream and sits on the reel perfectly. I troll with as well as bottom bash off shore reefs with it. It stands up to everything really well.

I've been using it for about a year now and can't recommend it highly enough.

I'd give the 20lb in TufLine XP a go for sure. Comes in green or hi vis yellow.

I never used FiNs but a lot of people use it and speak highly of it.

Cheers

David.

[wakd]

Yep, I have 20lb Fin-S on a number of reels, and find it very good. Tuffline XP is also sposed to be good stuff, but haven't tried it personally.

Sharky - XDS is not a "true braid", its fused micro dyneema, but still a good line, I use XDS on my bigger spin outfit. Fin-S is softer and silkier than both fireline or XDS, this is good on baitcasters, but can cause tip wraps on spin gear. Fin-S also thicker than Fireline or XDS for a given line rating. I still use both Fireline and Fin-S in 4lb on my bream reels, still can't decide whether to go one way or the other, they both have pros and cons...

[outdoordan]

its to be used on a baitcaster for up north, targeting barra,jacks and trev, and possibly a bit of offshore work.

Id like a line which casts well.

thanks for the info, keep it coming its greatly apprieciated

Thanks Dan

[Hooky.]

G'day Dan

I'm using 15lb Tuf Line on my low profile baitcaster and just love it and I would think that the 20lb stuff would be just as good.

Silky smooth casting all the way.

cheers

Hooky

Edited February 1, 2006 by Hooky.

[Bashir]

I recently tried some silaflex copper braid in 5kg on my sahara 4000 and it is a great line. Comes in a 200m spool too. The copper braid is also sold under a different brand, as well as silaflex.

[slayer666]

i use 20 pound TUF-LINE XP on my bait caster and its a very good line i paid $40 for 150yrds

Cheers Joe

[Mondo Rock]

Dan - having been on 8 trips to the top-end chasing barra in the last 8 years I can tell you that fireline is the only way to go. These are not light-weight trips either - the biggest barra on tour last year was 113cms.

We use Loomis GL-2's matched with Calcutta 250's and one Daiwa millionaire CV-Z 203 and have tried a number of braids, including Rod Harrison Bio-braid, Finns and Fireline and the Fireline has come out clearly on top. Probably 80% of the guides up there use it and because it is microfused it has a slightly better abrasion resistance than the true braids - which is seriously important when a 50lb horse takes off for the snags or shoots under your boat (lost a MASSIVE fish that way at Endyalgout two years ago using Finns - looked like a volkswagon when it jumped).

Would also recommend that you up the braid strength to 30lb. I know, I know, we fishraiders are extra special and can fight big barra on lighter gear - only we're actually not and you'll lose fish on 20lb when you are forced to thumb the spool to stop the big ones. It took me several years of watching lesser fishermen outfish me on 30lb for me to finally give in and upgrade.

Here's a photo of the 113cm fish from last year to whet your appetite. Was caught on 30lb fireline.

Mondo

[Guest madsmc]

That's a top barra there Mondo. How much did it tip the scales?

Looking forward to a few of your barra chasing stories at the March Social.

Shane

[outdoordan]

Hey Mondo,

Firstly, what a barra!

Thanks for the info mate, i will definately take it on board, and i reakon it may alter my decision somewhat.

I intend to use the line on my recently purchased Loomis CBR 756, Which is based on the GL-3 Blank. and couple this to my millionaire SW-203. i was just wondering roughly how much 30lbs fireline you could fit on yours( millionaire 203), in comparison to 20lbs?

Also is that fireline or XDS?

thanks Dan

[Mondo Rock]

Well there's a great story behind the barra, because it was caught on the last day, on pretty much the last cast of a five day tour at Arnhemland Barramundi Lodge.

The other boat (I wasn't on it) was fishing a drain on the incoming tide in about 1 metre of water, flicking with a shallow diving surecatch (I think - I've attached a photo we took down the fishes throat after it was caught - how good is that shot!) and working it almost like a popper (on the guide's instruction). It was nearing knock off time and had been a very slow day (our boat didn't land a barra that day), so one of the guys from our team in the other boat decided to have a smoko and handed his rod over to Wayne the guide for 'a couple of quick flicks' while he finished his ciggie.

You know what happened next don't you? Wayne flicked out the lure and BANG - 113cm of barra was on the line and into the boat pretty quick smart given that it only had a metre of water to fight in.

So I can't really claim it as 'our' catch, since it was really Wayne's fish, but the point remains that he was using one of our rigs spooled with 30lb fireline (not XDS, just the regular stuff). We dunno how much it weighed since we never weigh our barra anymore (big risk of damaging the fish's neck if you hold it with the boga grip without supporting it).

We all got some good fish though, and I've attached a couple of photos below to whet your appetite (I'm the guy in the blue shirt with the small fish - yes I had a crappy Tour last year. Actually, as I review the photos I'm starting to doubt my comment above about 'lesser fishermen').

To answer your other question, I could definitely fit more of the 20lb line than the 30lb, but I don't really know how much more. Given the weight ratio's I imagine that the 20lb stuff is 2/3rds as thick, but if you move to the XDS then there won't be a problem. In all the years we've fished I've never seen anyone get spooled on a barra. They go extremely hard, but they don't go that far.

But hey - if you want to fish 20lb then by all means go for it - I did, and still managed some pretty decent fish (although I've never personally cracked the magic meter mark). I'm pretty sure I had the 20lb on for the fish I caught below.

And thanks Shane - I'll see you at the social!!