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Braid

I also use power pro super slik (brown). With the modern 8 strand braid, abrasion resistance is no more of a problem than with mono. I fish with braid with a clear conscience. And I too like the zero stretch, and have a great feel for the fish's movement, used with a 'pin, during the fight.
It's not an irreversible decision, so if you don't like it, you can always revert to what you previously used.
 
Ok then guys, lets see/hear your favourite way of joining the braid to the leader ? And then the leader to your chosen hooklength. ( knots or swivels ? )
 
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I used the Albright for years, then had a chat to a match angler and he said put a fig 8, on your leader.. pass your braid through the fig 8 leader, pull tight the fig 8, with the braid do a 6 turn grinner around the leader and bed down. Gently tease both knots together, ensuring you moisten the knots as you go. It was total rubbish......only kidding...
 
There have been many threads on the pros and cons of braid over the years . The main [ but not the only thing ] that puts me off using the stuff is that clearly the stated breaking strains are unreliable . Why else are people using braid with very high claimed breaking strains for angling situations that clearly due not require line of that strength ? The answer seems to be that the claimed manufacturers breaking strains are not accurate , i.e. the braid breaks way below its claimed limit so users have to use a much heavier breaking strain to ' compensate '. That basic flaw alone says to me that the material is unreliable and not fit for purpose and far outweighs its supposed benefits
 
I don’t use it as previously mentioned but I suppose back to back grinners are simple and very reliable for braid to leader. And my personal favorite for tying anything to a swivel is the palamour. I love that knot for its shear simplicity and strength.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
There have been many threads on the pros and cons of braid over the years . The main [ but not the only thing ] that puts me off using the stuff is that clearly the stated breaking strains are unreliable . Why else are people using braid with very high claimed breaking strains for angling situations that clearly due not require line of that strength ? The answer seems to be that the claimed manufacturers breaking strains are not accurate , i.e. the braid breaks way below its claimed limit so users have to use a much heavier breaking strain to ' compensate '. That basic flaw alone says to me that the material is unreliable and not fit for purpose and far outweighs its supposed benefits
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No........ in fact it’s probably the opposite
You’ll bust 20lb mono before a 20lb braid with a pulling force on the line any day of the week.
the reason for the high breaking strains is because people are actually buying based on diameter and it’s because braid doesn’t fair as well as a quality mono under abrasion. It’s always advised to go heavier with braid than mono because of the abrasion resistance (lack of) but breaking strain.......... braid wins.
 
Bit of a sweeping statement there @Mike Hodgkiss ... yes, some braids (often the cheapest) overstate their BS, but not all. E.G. I've found PowerPro Super Slick 8 to be bang on/understated when it comes to BS. The simple answer is, check it. I wouldn't dream of relying on manufacturer's figures ... I check before loading any line. Now diameter ... that's another matter. I've no idea how some of them come up with some of their figures.
Knots ... I still use a slowly made, well lubricated, full blood with long-ish (~3cm) tags, and leader/hooklength joining by a 'quick bead' for ledgering, and for trundling my 'leader' (Ghostline) is my hooklength.
 
I like a good sweeping statement Terry ! I still get the distinct impression that braid , in terms of stated breaking strains is somewhat lacking and braid fans still seem to use braid as mainline in very high breaking strains to compensate for an intrinsic unreliability . Perhaps this is down to its lack of abrasion resistance therefore thicker braid with a larger diameter is used to compensate for this ?
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Interesting Richard . So in your experience are the claimed breaking strains of braid reliable ?
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Often under stated if anything. A good quality braid of say 20lb will often survive more force than equally stated mono and a good quality hook will often straighten before that braid let’s go as well. It’s extremely strong.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
I like a good sweeping statement Terry ! I still get the distinct impression that braid , in terms of stated breaking strains is somewhat lacking and braid fans still seem to use braid as mainline in very high breaking strains to compensate for an intrinsic unreliability . Perhaps this is down to its lack of abrasion resistance therefore thicker braid with a larger diameter is used to compensate for this ?
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I use braid almost exclusively and will select by diameter rather than breaking strain, usually 0.25mm equivalent to 8lb 'normal' nylon. This is normally around 30lb in braid although recently I bought some by b.s. 35lb and it's far too thin 0.17mm I think. Getting the correct diameter will mean 60lb! Nothing wrong with that, I stopped losing end tackle when I started using braid! Obviously with appropriate nylon hooklinks.
Using 8lb braid the line would be so thin as to be dangerous , certainly from an abrasion resistance point of view.
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Referring to Robs post , the plot thickens ... Be interesting to see a similar test done on monofilament lines
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The thing with mono/fluoro though is, knot strength plays a much more important part with them than when using braid. You can granny knot braid and get away with it, as it doesn't crimp.
 
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