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Braided line blues

4K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  wind troller 
#1 ·
I bought some Spider Wire and some Power Pro braided line both in 10lb. (2lb. dia) Spun up two spinning reels with it- one of each type line.
Casted a split shot with a worm in 5 ft of water and hung up- two tugs and the line broke. The knot didn't come loose or slip out- the line broke- don't know how far from the weight.

Later I was trolling a big wiggle wart along the rocks of the dam at Haag when I noticed my line went slack. Thought the wart had caught some debris and was floating on top. Picked up my pole and looked back- no lure- just line- looked further back- there's my lure floating on top. Reeled in and found the end of the line was shredded. Must a scraped a rock.

Another plug got caught in the rocks- one swift tug and it easily broke OFF!

Might have considered one of these bad luck or just coincidence of finding a sharp object that cut the line. But three times in one day? I haven't broke that many snags off in a summer of fishing with 6lb. mono- and NONE would have given up as easily as this stuff did. I could've jerked and pulled and stretched it for a few minutes with out breaking it.

So.....so far I am a non-believer. Maybe OK for open water and for downrigging- but around obstacles and structure I'd say it's worthless.
And after this you could not GIVE me braid for my downriggers- confidence is high with steel thank-you. AND I kinda like the humming noise- often it alerts me to a fish on when I can't keep an eye on the pole.

I'm sure you're all gonna say now how great it is.............let 'er rip!!!!
 
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#2 ·
No, not me.....I believe that is why there are so many lines out there. The one that is good for you is the one you should use, confidence is a major factor in fishing. I don't use the brand you chose, but that's another story. I say go with what you have the most confidence in, reminds me of a short story. I took a friend to Crane one year, he had never been there...we got to the lake and set up camp and neither of us could wait for morning to fish, so there we went - to one of my favorite holes. We anchor up and I start getting my bobber ready for a bug and my friend says" What should I use, lure, powerbait, fly fish, bobber ?" my reply was go with what you have the most confidence in. So he rigs up a bottom rig, marshmallow and a chunk of night crawler....I smiled inside, knowing full will I had never tried that in that lake, but gave a nod even so. He got it ready and makes a great cast just beyond the channel. The bait never reached the bottom, and his reel started screaming........after a ten minute fight a 10# Crane bow was in the net....so go with what you have the most confidence in. I must admit I never go to Crane without a dozen night crawlers and some baby marshmallows.

Chuck
 
#3 ·
I`ll just say I use 10 lb power pro on my Dechuttes spinner rod. 2yrs. and and probably around 15 fish later, I think this is the best line on the planet. It works real well for me. wasnt there a post a while back about some scuba diving tree hugger trolling under the waters of Hagg with a pair of kitchen shears?
 
#4 ·
I just recently switch my line from 10lb P-line Floroclear to 8lb Power Pro. 1lb Dia. The main reason was line stretch. My thought was with as much line as I have out I should get a better hook set with braid. I also got spooled early this year and I bought a 500 yard spool on Ebay for $20 ship to my house. No way am I ever going to get spooled again with that much line on my reel. Anyway I only have one trip using it so far and I caught two 7 pound browns with it. I am not using any leader. I thought with such thin line that I should be ok attaching the line directly to the swivel. I also can detect the bottom very easy when tapping my lures off the bottom. The other part I like about the braid is if I do get any weeds on my lure I can tell immediately. So for now I am a fan. But that's with only three days on the water.
 
#5 ·
I bought some Spider Wire and some Power Pro braided line both in 10lb. (2lb. dia) Spun up two spinning reels with it- one of each type line.
Casted a split shot with a worm in 5 ft of water and hung up- two tugs and the line broke. The knot didn't come loose or slip out- the line broke- don't know how far from the weight.
HA! I thouhgt it was me, just tying up leaders SNAP, SNAP, whats up with this. haven't used it since. back to my old line.
 
#6 ·
Is tuff-line the same? I just bought one of those Okuma Chromer level winds at GI Joe's for $59.00 with a free Fina trolling rod (hard to pass up) for mackinaw. All my others have the cheap green and white dacron in 20lb with about 20 feet 12 lb mono leader, love it and have used it for years. They only dacron they had was 50 or 80#, so I chose 50# tuff-line with a 12lb diameter. Hopefully the 50# wears and ties better. I tied on my own mono leader this morning with a blood knot like I always do and it seems strong and tight. I will find out "real-life" how it works this weekend.
 
#8 ·
I must admit, I have never used that line, I have all ways used FIRELINE from Berkley. Never had a problem with it.......some of my line is over 4 years old and still preforming. Just picked up some of the Crystal 8# Fireline for my bobber rod, the jury is still out on it. JMO

Chuck
 
#11 ·
I was using Tuff Line on one of my spinning rigs while fishing for Coho on the Sandy river, tons of casting/retrieving and noticed it cut into the nylon(?) bail retrieve piece on the reel. I couldn't figure out why my mono was breaking and fraying after I switched back to mono but finally found that the Tuff Line was really tuff on the spinning reel parts. I switched back to mono because the Tuff Line was hard to manage, always wrapping around the rod, reel, etc. Has anyone else seen the problem of reel abuse using braided lines?
 
#12 ·
WT- I was thinking that was probably going to be the next problem to come up. I can hear the line going thru the reel parts and I can just imagine it grinding its way thru. Also I wondered about the top guide on the poles- will a groove soon appear there?

Thanks for all the replies- lots of different experiences it sounds like.
 
#18 ·
WT- I was thinking that was probably going to be the next problem to come up. I can hear the line going thru the reel parts and I can just imagine it grinding its way thru. Also I wondered about the top guide on the poles- will a groove soon appear there?

Thanks for all the replies- lots of different experiences it sounds like.


Just don’t use ti on reels with plastic parts. I use it on all my reels and never had it chew up any metal or guides as for it snapping it was the diamiter you were using switch it to the 30lb and you will not have that problem rp
 
#13 ·
T4T,
I fished the Tuff line for quite a while and it did get a workout with bobber fishing eggs and jigs. Short drifts on the Sandy and lots of them for several days. The rod guides held up perfect (ceramic guides) but the tip of the pole suffered a little from the line loopovers. I still am not sure why, maybe because of the braid but it does not act like mono while there isn't any tension on it. It wants to go everywhere but straight and can be frustrating to say the least. Sure is tough though and I love the response, no give and you feel every tap, I haven't tried it trolling yet but I think I will when Springers come in then maybe trolling at Crane, I'm sure it's great for that application.
tightines.
 
#14 ·
I haven't had any grooving in my rod guides or bail. I'm not sure if the other lines are the same, but the spiderwire's box says that it is teflon impregnated to prevent it from cutting your guides. My biggest complaint though is that on a slack line retrieve the line goes everywhere. Twice I've had it start spooling around the release button at the top of the spool bad enough to have to cut the tangle out.

My feeling with the braided line is that I will use what I have spooled up until it goes bad, but after that I will switch back to mono for trout, and save the braided lines for bigger species. I do like the floating line though, so I may spool up a spare reel with it for river drifting occasions. I like the fact that it has almost no memory, but there are lots of new mono lines out there that are extra limp and memory free for less money than most braided lines.

Bottom line: It's not really worth the hassle when mono will get the job done. I think the best use for it is on big fish setups. Instead of using a monstrous reel that can hold 200 yards of 50lb test, you can spool up a normal reel with 65lb/12lb equivalent diameter braid. I've also noticed that having such strong line reduces some of the thrill of catching trout. I don't have to play them in if I don't want to. Odds are nothing I hook into is going to be able to snap 35lb test. I'm afraid that if I use this line for too long I will dull my fish fighting skills. It's not nearly as thrilling as catching 3lb fish on 4lb test.
 
#15 ·
I don't have to play them in if I don't want to. Odds are nothing I hook into is going to be able to snap 35lb test. I'm afraid that if I use this line for too long I will dull my fish fighting skills. It's not nearly as thrilling as catching 3lb fish on 4lb test.
Their is something about that :yeahthat: I find myself using a very long mono leader when I use braided line. The new Crystal line from Berkley seems to have a mind of its own when their isn't any tension on it........

Chuck
 
#16 ·
I use Berkly's Fire Line in 6lb and love it..Like Troutski said I will use 15 to 20 feet of mono or copolymer leader on the end..I have pretty much abandon the use of other lines because of my success with it..I have used the smoke and chartreuse colors...I have not tried any other braided lines though...
 
#19 ·
I am with you T4T.
I just removed it from all my reels. It's a pain. Knots don't hold(special knots needed),Wraps on every thing. Mostly the tip and/or second guide. When on a level wind if you bird nest it you are down for 30 minutes or more.:mad: It cuts in to the spool when put under a hard load. Not for me,:hoboy: Especially with the new soft nylons and Mono's.
GET IT OUT OF THE BOAT!!
 
#20 ·
I am with you T4T.
I just removed it from all my reels. It's a pain. Knots don't hold(special knots needed),Wraps on every thing. Mostly the tip and/or second guide. When on a level wind if you bird nest it you are down for 30 minutes or more.:mad: It cuts in to the spool when put under a hard load. Not for me,:hoboy: Especially with the new soft nylons and Mono's.
GET IT OUT OF THE BOAT!!

:clap: :bowdown:
 
#21 ·
A follow up to my reply #6 on my tuff line can be found in my BIG Macks thread. I much prefer the old green and white dacron, the cheap stuff, holds up for 10 years on my mack rods, no wear on guides or reel parts, and gives me all the response and zero stretch I want. No noise reeling in. I use a 30 foot mono leader at the end and no blood knot has ever come undone. All these lines have thier applications and we can't expect them to behave like the mono we all grew up with. I tried for myself, now I know what works for me.
 
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