Stan Fagerstrom
04-23-2002, 07:21 AM
Part One
A Bit About Braids
By Stan Fagerstrom
There are a whole lot of fishermen who still have questions about those relatively new super strong braided lines. Because those questions continue to surface, I’d like to share some thoughts in that regard in the next two issues of Bass, Panfish & Products as it applies to bass fishing.
The new braids have been around for some time now. They didn’t, as some predicted, become the answer to all bass fishing situations. They do work wonderfully well for some. One thing is certain, they are really strong for the size of their diameter.
I still have to smile when I recall a time I used the new braids in my casting demonstrations at an International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Denver shortly after they were introduced. I had just finished when a man walked up. "Mister," he said, "did I understand you to say you were doing that fancy casting with 40-pound line?"
"That's right," I replied.
"May I see it?" he asked.
I handed him my outfit. He pulled some line from the spool of the reel so he could examine it with care. The look in his eyes told me he thought I was a candidate for the “Biggest Liar of the Year" award.
"That stuff can't be more than 14-pound test if it's that much," he snorted. "Look how small in diameter it is. What kind of a joker are you anyhow?"
Instead of arguing with that guy, I invited him to break off my casting weight. "Go ahead," I told him, "break it off there at the knot. It's time I retied anyhow. If you’re convinced it’s only 14-pound test you shouldn’t have trouble breaking it. All I ask is please be careful not to cut yourself."
That Doubting Thomas took a couple of quick wraps around his hand and pulled. Nothing happened. The doubt in his eyes faded as he pulled again. Then he jerked the bejabbers out of it. The line still held.
"I'll be damned," he said as he handed my rod and reel back. "I never would have believed they could make a line that small so darn strong. Where can I get my hands on some of that stuff?"
http://www.ifish.net/sfheavyc.jpg See that bunch of submerged trees the angler in this photo is fishing? This is the kind of cover where a super strong braided line can
come in very handy.
I'm no newcomer to braided lines. I've used them for some forms of bass fishing off and on for half a century. If you've followed my writing in the past you know that's true. But none of the earlier braided lines I used decades ago come close to matching the small diameter and tremendous strength of the new ones that hit the market several years ago.
The new braids had lots of publicity in the beginning. They didn’t all have the same qualities. Some that were highly publicized on introduction have already disappeared from the tackle dealer’s shelves. Though demand has slowed, it’s my understanding certain of the better performing lines are still selling well. I know one; I’ll be talking about it at length in the next issue of this column that has really increased in popularity.
If you've never used anything but monofilament you're in for a surprise the first time you fish with a new braid. These lines have near zero stretch. Reduce stretch and you increase sensitivity. Fish a plastic worm or jig with it and you'll have a whole lot better idea of what's happening down there under the water than is possible with stretchy monofilament.
But keep a couple of other things in mind. Suppose you spool your reel with 40-pound test braided line. This line is like 12 or 14-pound monofilament in diameter. The new graphite rod you're so proud of is rated for lines testing from 10 to 20-pounds. You set forth with this outfit and fish for bass in heavy cover. Within minutes a 5-pounder comes blasting up to clobber your lure. You rare back to set the hook just as you've been doing for years with monofilament. The resulting gut-grabbing C-R-A-C-K! will be that one-piece rod you just spent a bundle for being converted to two sections.
Employ a generous amount of common sense when you fish the new braids. This applies especially at hook setting time. It also applies when you hang a snag. The line won't break. Your rod might.
There’s another reason for being careful when you hang up. Don't pull back hard on your rod without clamping your thumb down on your level wind reel's spool. If you don't, the braided line might bury itself. You'll likely have a devil of a time getting it untangled if you're able to do it at all.
I recall the first time I spooled a 50-pound braid on one of my level wind reels. I flipped a jig and frog into a pile of brush. I’d hopped the lure over a couple of underwater limbs, but managed to hang up solidly on a third. I tried to work the lure free, but no luck. Frustrated, I jerked back to see if I could yank it free. I couldn’t. Then I looked at my reel. The line had buried way down into the spool. I picked and pulled and sweat and swore, but to no avail. I couldn’t use the reel until I got the line free. The only way I could do that was to cut it off. It took me a half-hour of valuable fishing time to get the job done.
One final thought where the new braids are concerned. Keep in mind that some of the new braids work just fine on an open-faced spinning reel. Ever face a bass fishing situation where you wanted to throw a light lure into heavy cover with your spinning outfit, but knew the line wouldn’t hold up if you hooked a good one? You can get braided line testing 20 pounds that is only 8-pounds or less in diameter.
You can handle a line that’s only the diameter of 8-pounds just fine on an open-faced reel. But now that you’ve got a line that’s of that diameter, but still tests 20 pounds, you don’t have to be reluctant about throwing your lure into heavy cover. I’ve nailed some dandy bass just that way using something like a Gitzit with only a 1/32nd-ounce weight. You won’t get the same distance as easily as you would with monofilament, but that’s not usually a major problem.
In my next column I’ll talk about one of the new braids that has worked especially well in my own fishing.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsubtree.jpg
Hook a big bass at the base of a submerged tree like the one pictured here and you've got your work cut out for you.
A good fish might wrap your 20-pound monofilament around an underwater limb and break off.
If you've got a super strong braided line on your reel you might be able to keep a big bucketmouth from getting down into the cover.
That new 50-pound braid won't be any larger in diameter than 20-pound mono.
A Bit About Braids
By Stan Fagerstrom
There are a whole lot of fishermen who still have questions about those relatively new super strong braided lines. Because those questions continue to surface, I’d like to share some thoughts in that regard in the next two issues of Bass, Panfish & Products as it applies to bass fishing.
The new braids have been around for some time now. They didn’t, as some predicted, become the answer to all bass fishing situations. They do work wonderfully well for some. One thing is certain, they are really strong for the size of their diameter.
I still have to smile when I recall a time I used the new braids in my casting demonstrations at an International Sportsmen’s Exposition at Denver shortly after they were introduced. I had just finished when a man walked up. "Mister," he said, "did I understand you to say you were doing that fancy casting with 40-pound line?"
"That's right," I replied.
"May I see it?" he asked.
I handed him my outfit. He pulled some line from the spool of the reel so he could examine it with care. The look in his eyes told me he thought I was a candidate for the “Biggest Liar of the Year" award.
"That stuff can't be more than 14-pound test if it's that much," he snorted. "Look how small in diameter it is. What kind of a joker are you anyhow?"
Instead of arguing with that guy, I invited him to break off my casting weight. "Go ahead," I told him, "break it off there at the knot. It's time I retied anyhow. If you’re convinced it’s only 14-pound test you shouldn’t have trouble breaking it. All I ask is please be careful not to cut yourself."
That Doubting Thomas took a couple of quick wraps around his hand and pulled. Nothing happened. The doubt in his eyes faded as he pulled again. Then he jerked the bejabbers out of it. The line still held.
"I'll be damned," he said as he handed my rod and reel back. "I never would have believed they could make a line that small so darn strong. Where can I get my hands on some of that stuff?"
http://www.ifish.net/sfheavyc.jpg See that bunch of submerged trees the angler in this photo is fishing? This is the kind of cover where a super strong braided line can
come in very handy.
I'm no newcomer to braided lines. I've used them for some forms of bass fishing off and on for half a century. If you've followed my writing in the past you know that's true. But none of the earlier braided lines I used decades ago come close to matching the small diameter and tremendous strength of the new ones that hit the market several years ago.
The new braids had lots of publicity in the beginning. They didn’t all have the same qualities. Some that were highly publicized on introduction have already disappeared from the tackle dealer’s shelves. Though demand has slowed, it’s my understanding certain of the better performing lines are still selling well. I know one; I’ll be talking about it at length in the next issue of this column that has really increased in popularity.
If you've never used anything but monofilament you're in for a surprise the first time you fish with a new braid. These lines have near zero stretch. Reduce stretch and you increase sensitivity. Fish a plastic worm or jig with it and you'll have a whole lot better idea of what's happening down there under the water than is possible with stretchy monofilament.
But keep a couple of other things in mind. Suppose you spool your reel with 40-pound test braided line. This line is like 12 or 14-pound monofilament in diameter. The new graphite rod you're so proud of is rated for lines testing from 10 to 20-pounds. You set forth with this outfit and fish for bass in heavy cover. Within minutes a 5-pounder comes blasting up to clobber your lure. You rare back to set the hook just as you've been doing for years with monofilament. The resulting gut-grabbing C-R-A-C-K! will be that one-piece rod you just spent a bundle for being converted to two sections.
Employ a generous amount of common sense when you fish the new braids. This applies especially at hook setting time. It also applies when you hang a snag. The line won't break. Your rod might.
There’s another reason for being careful when you hang up. Don't pull back hard on your rod without clamping your thumb down on your level wind reel's spool. If you don't, the braided line might bury itself. You'll likely have a devil of a time getting it untangled if you're able to do it at all.
I recall the first time I spooled a 50-pound braid on one of my level wind reels. I flipped a jig and frog into a pile of brush. I’d hopped the lure over a couple of underwater limbs, but managed to hang up solidly on a third. I tried to work the lure free, but no luck. Frustrated, I jerked back to see if I could yank it free. I couldn’t. Then I looked at my reel. The line had buried way down into the spool. I picked and pulled and sweat and swore, but to no avail. I couldn’t use the reel until I got the line free. The only way I could do that was to cut it off. It took me a half-hour of valuable fishing time to get the job done.
One final thought where the new braids are concerned. Keep in mind that some of the new braids work just fine on an open-faced spinning reel. Ever face a bass fishing situation where you wanted to throw a light lure into heavy cover with your spinning outfit, but knew the line wouldn’t hold up if you hooked a good one? You can get braided line testing 20 pounds that is only 8-pounds or less in diameter.
You can handle a line that’s only the diameter of 8-pounds just fine on an open-faced reel. But now that you’ve got a line that’s of that diameter, but still tests 20 pounds, you don’t have to be reluctant about throwing your lure into heavy cover. I’ve nailed some dandy bass just that way using something like a Gitzit with only a 1/32nd-ounce weight. You won’t get the same distance as easily as you would with monofilament, but that’s not usually a major problem.
In my next column I’ll talk about one of the new braids that has worked especially well in my own fishing.
http://www.ifish.net/sfsubtree.jpg
Hook a big bass at the base of a submerged tree like the one pictured here and you've got your work cut out for you.
A good fish might wrap your 20-pound monofilament around an underwater limb and break off.
If you've got a super strong braided line on your reel you might be able to keep a big bucketmouth from getting down into the cover.
That new 50-pound braid won't be any larger in diameter than 20-pound mono.