Braided Super-Lines

Hello Everett,

First, let me say that I thoroughly enjoy getting your magazine each month in the mail. It literally makes my day, especially being over 300 miles away from the coast in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I do try to make it down to the Rockport area at least every other month to get my saltwater fishing 'fix' and see my family in Refugio and Victoria.

I have been doing pretty well now with topwater fishing using 12-pound mono and want to rig up my other rod/reel with braid for plastics. Given my success with 12-pound mono, what would you suggest, size-wise for braid? I have yet to break the mono line on fish I have caught to date. Given that braid line is smaller in diameter than mono, I realize I can get higher pound-test but how much higher would you advise? I use 6'6" rods and bait casting reels.

Keep up the good work on the magazine.
Kind regards,
Robert Woods, Jr.
Alvarado, TX

Dear Robert,

Braided super-lines are a different animal than mono and you will need to complete a bit of a learning curve to become proficient. There are many excellent products on the market and all of today's offerings are highly refined compared with the stuff many anglers learned to hate back when braid first hit the market about 15 years ago. Many anglers who take the time to become proficient with braid never go back to mono. The most popular seem to be 20lb and 30lb test for the class of tackle you describe. Most brands of 20lb braid are the diameter equivalent of 6lb mono and 30lb is the same as 8lb. For your first go round I would recommend the 30lb as it is more forgiving if you should ever encounter one of those troublesome tangles that can occur when your thumb slips off the spool during a cast.

EJ

Here's a few tips to help you along:

-Place a few wraps of mono on your spool before filling with braid, or, leave the spool half-full of mono and then fill with braid.

-Have a helper hold tension on the filler spool while filling your reel and pack it on tight.

-Study the line-to-line joining knots shown on the package literature and become proficient before going fishing if you are not already handy with them. Always test your joining knots.

-I like to attach a six foot section of leader material (usually 20 or 30lb) to my braid. This allows a good amount of lure tying before the leader becomes too short.

-Begin fishing with about half your normal drag setting until you get the hang of setting the hook with braid. Braid does not stretch, much less effort is required.

-Braid is bad about wrapping around your rod tip. Manage your slack carefully; using a short swoop more than a jerk when working a lure helps prevent this.