Got rid of the braided line back to mono

[Ed Brabant]

Try taking a sharpie or a marks alot and color the end of your line. I use the ones that are about 1 1/2 inches around with a big chisle tip. The one thing that you HAVE to do with braid is loosen your drag. My son has shattered 3 tour edition flippin sticks because he likes the drag tightened down all the way. And with no strech pow the rod shatters. I use Stren super braid and have just started to use power pro. I LOVE the stren and the power pro isn't that bad either. Keep an eye on you rods for cracked guides. And I NEVER use the eye as a hook holder. I see a lot of people do that and then run down the lake with the hook grinding away on the eyes and then they wonder why their line breaks mono and braid. Hook the hook on a keeper by the reel. or stick it in the cork handel but never on the eyes. I use #65 on my slop rod. #65 on my carolina rod and #65 on my flipping rod. The only one I use the marker on is the Flippin rod and the spinning rods. And 20 on my spinning rods I use mono on 2 bait casters for topwater and spinner bait in open water. I have a hard time with a spook using braid. It keeps catching tha rear hook.

Edited August 18, 2008 by Ed Brabant

[Kajan]

I tried many braids in the small lb tests. 10 lb usually. Best is prob Tuff line but looses color. I use Spider wire stealth, have not tried the new one. I hated the Stren, not enough strans in the line made it too soft and dug in. I used PP but started getting spools that were rotten. Would not make one fishn trip. Questioned PP about it, they kinda said "Oh Well". Thought maybe it was just that roll, happened on 3 rolls. Tried another, think it was P line, another TOO SOFT braid for me. FLorocarbon is my favorite in clear water or fishing a poppin cork for reds and specks. Braid is too stiff for corks my opinion. I use only baitcasters.

[Ed Brabant]

The Stren was it the super braid? The braid "when it first came out" was crap. Diging in on the reel wasn't the word for it. The new "Super braid/Power Pro" is round now or so that is what they preach. I find it won't dig in the reel 1/10 as much. If I get hung up and pull sraight on the reel holding the spool with my thumb it will dig a little but one cast and out it comes. I too was turned off with the old braid but am very happy with it now. It's too bad about the reply from power pro you got. Big companies sometimes don't realize the damage they do to their reputation when they won't help a customer. I guess the bottom line is what ever line you like and have confidence with is what works for you.

[jamie]

I guess the use of braid is ones own personal opinion but they will have to pry my braid from my cold dead fingers before I will give it up. Hook ups on musky versus landing fish there was a big difference after I switched. The trollers of the musky world would give you a good argument on use of mono over braid . There are pros and cons of both lines but for me its braid baby.....

[Kajan]

Ed Brabant, Not sure which one it was on the Stren, but I only made one trip and took it off. My type fishin is many long hard casts, soft braid is Pa' bon'. I still think the best strength is the Tuff Line brand. Power pro would thin out and you could break the 10 lb with your hands. They tried to tell me I had a cracked guide eye. I told them I had took Q tip and passed thru the eyes, and that it would not happen with other brands just the Rotten PP.

[BobP]

Superlines usually break at the knot, especially if you use a snap hookset. The instantaneous strain transmitted down to the knot can be quite high. I've seen guys snap 50 lb braid. 65 lb braid is popular because it's pretty much immune to any stupid kind of hookset. The knot used at the lure is also a factor. Knots that include multiple wraps around the standing line (which cushions shock) generally do better than a Palomar knot. I use a San Diego knot, but there are various choices.

[Kajan]

Superlines usually break at the knot, especially if you use a snap hookset. The instantaneous strain transmitted down to the knot can be quite high. I've seen guys snap 50 lb braid. 65 lb braid is popular because it's pretty much immune to any stupid kind of hookset. The knot used at the lure is also a factor. Knots that include multiple wraps around the standing line (which cushions shock) generally do better than a Palomar knot. I use a San Diego knot, but there are various choices.

Really, wow, I never had braid break at the knot. Really, never do break unless on oysters or pilings.