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By MIKE SCARANTINO
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 14, 2001
Many anglers have tried the new braided super lines. Some people are thrilled about their performance, others are not as convinced.
I am a bit of a traditionalist, but remain open-minded enough to try new items and technologies.
One basic parameter for me when considering something new is, if the item or technology makes catching more and bigger fish easier, then I'm all for it.
But how do you decide if something actually works?
Take some advice from a wise old man. Ben Franklin had a great method for making informed decisions.
Franklin drew a line down the center of a piece of paper. On the left side, he wrote the word pro, or for. On the right, he wrote the word con, or against. He listed the benefits on the left side and the disadvantages on the right. Whichever list was longer told him all he needed to know.
Let's apply that same type of thinking to braided lines.
On the left side, anglers agree that braided lines are much stronger than monofilament or Dacron lines. The toughness of the braided ones is becoming legendary on the fishing scene.
On the right side, there can be a drawback to that strength.
Imagine setting the hook on what you think is a large grouper in 60 feet of water. You're using 100-pound braided line and what you end up with is a hook stuck in the rocks. How do you get it free?
Unless the hook breaks or the leader parts, you don't. In this case, you have to lop off however much line is in the water, and braided lines are considerably more expensive than monofilament lines.
In regard to the expense of braided lines, most are more than $15 per spool compared to monofilament lines costing $5-$10. However, on average, braided lines last 3-4 times longer than ordinary monofilament.
Many anglers repeat the same advantage.
"You can fish a single spool of braided line for years," says Al McDermott of Lakeland. "The stuff just doesn't seem to wear out."
Monofilament has to be changed frequently, though many anglers don't change it often enough. A good measure for when to change monofilament line is: if it gets twisted or pigtailed from spool memory. Braided lines don't wear out easily, nor do they retain much memory. They mostly just lose their color or get frayed slightly.
If they lose their color, take a marker pen and re-color the line. Frayed, puffy-appearing, braided line is not necessarily weaker.
Sensitivity is another huge advantage to braided lines. These new super lines have extremely small diameters and a near-zero stretch factor, making them sensitive.
Monofilament lines have loads of stretch. High-stretch factor translates into less feel to the angler. Braided lines afford anglers the ability to feel every bump and nibble when fishing.
That same no-stretch factor also translates into bone-crushing hooksets and incredible fish-stopping power. Stretchy monofilament doesn't perform nearly as well.
When using braided line, though, back off on the drag a bit. All it takes is an easy hook set and good drag to beat most sizable gamefish.
The small diameters of these super lines is a large attraction to anglers. Their decreased diameters allow baits to swim more naturally, lures to swim deeper when trolled, and they are less affected by current, increasing feel to the angler.
Another positive property of braided lines is the ability of anglers to cast them farther than monofilament. Because of their extremely low diameter-to-
strength ratio and special slick coatings for smoothness, they cast well.
Anglers say they can cast much farther with braided lines. Some report increases of 10-30 yards per cast.
There are many to choose from. Which is right for you?
Standing out among the scores of new braids are Power Pro Braided Spectra, Fireline from Berkley and Spiderline and Spiderwire Braid. All three have thin diameter-to-strength ratios. For example, take Power Pro's braided Spectra in 30-pound test. The diameter of that line is equivalent to 8-pound monofilament.
Spool them on using a small amount of monofilament backing. Ten or 15 turns of the reel is enough. This stops the slick braids from free-spinning on the spool when setting the hook or fighting a fish.
Using the proper knots become important when tying line. PowerPro suggests a uni-to-uni splice be used for attaching the line to the backing and leader material to the tag end of the braided line.
Practice this knot. It isn't easy to tie, but it's strong. It is important to use a strong knot because of the slickness of these new lines. A note of caution: never wrap braided lines around a hand or finger when attempting to land a fish. They can sever flesh quickly. Land fish by lipping, netting or any other proper method other than wrapping the line around an appendage.
If you have a question or comment, call Capt. Mike Scarantino at (352) 683-4868.
(1). Lay PowerPro and monofilament parallel, with 12-18-inch tag ends facing opposite directions.
(2). Loop the tag end of the mono around both lines, then pass the tag end through the loop 5-6 more times. Pull the tag end to tighten the knot, making sure the wraps snug down neatly.
(3). Repeat Step 2, using the PowerPro tag end, but use 8-10- wraps.
(4). Pull on the standing lines to jam the two knots together tightly.
(5). Trim the PowerPro tag end about 1/8 of an inch past the knot. Trim the mono tag end as close to the knot as possible.