Braid?

[David Turton]

I dreally use braid fishing line so i was wondering what the difference is between SPOD braid and a normal braid or is there no difference appart from colour of the line and would spod be ok to fish with or is it a dedinate no no
Thanks

 

[Terry Simner]

As most people use braid due its low diameter and softness, spod braid (being soft and low diameter) would be fine IMO. Does the colour matter? I'm not sure as I think fish can see any coloured braid quite easily. My only advice would be ...ask yourself why you're using braid (not sure if you're thinking of using it as a main line, or hooklink) before using it, and whatever braid you do use ...physically check its breaking strain. Quoted b/s is often bs.

 

[Neil Smart]

I dreally use braid fishing line so i was wondering what the difference is between SPOD braid and a normal braid or is there no difference appart from colour of the line and would spod be ok to fish with or is it a dedinate no no
Thanks

Its a no no from me.

 

[Neil Smart]

Its a no no from me.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Didn’t even know there was dedicated braids for spodding
Silly question here but why not use fishing braid

 

[David Turton]

Didn’t even know there was dedicated braids for spodding
Silly question here but why not use fishing braid

I didnt know that there were dedivatwd braids eather thats whatbis confusing me
I was looking a wychwood reel that has curently got braid on and when iv asked about it they have said its spod braid so confused about the whole braid thing

 

[Chris Belcher]

I dreally use braid fishing line so i was wondering what the difference is between SPOD braid and a normal braid or is there no difference appart from colour of the line and would spod be ok to fish with or is it a dedinate no no
Thanks

Use Berkely Crystal Fireline for floater fishing / trotting as its very fine and floats (so is easy to mend etc) . . .I also like the directness but use with softish rods that bend and can cushion the fight. Most Spod & Marker braids also float but you could get away with a smaller diameter / bs so not sure why you'd use them. For sinking braids (very weedy waters) always used Nash Bullet (discontinued) but its like tow rope and only really relevant for cutting through thick beds when a carp gets balled up in them. . . . not sure I'd use braid for barbel as I don't believe there would be a massive advantage . . .mono stretch can be your friend esp on aggressive takes

 

[Joe Winstanley]

I guess the main difference between a braid labelled as a 'spod braid' and a mainline braid is likely to be that the spod braid is a thicker diameter, unless that is it's designed to be used with a shock leader for casting long distances.

Spod braids usually float, although for mainline this is of little irrelevance if its attached to a 4oz lead!

Will a spod braid suffice as a mainline ?- yes at a push assuming it's a thick enough diameter.

 

[Tim Marks]

I use regular 30lb ish braid for spodding, with a mono leader to protect my fingers. I would wager that ‘spod’ braid is probably a marketing ploy - apart from the fact that it should float !

Iuse braid for spodding, plumbing, lure fishing and fly line backing; but not for barbel fishing. For barbel I use the thickest mono I can get away with (currently .38).

 

[Terry Simner]

If you're thinking about using braid for winter flood fishing then I can see the logic in that (i.e. low diameter line offering lower resistance to strong flows) but I'd echo Chris's sentiments in saying there's a great need for a 'cushion' in your system. With spodding they recommend a strong (~40lb) leader that will cushion your line (and fingers!) on the cast, and if you're actually fishing with braid you'll still need a 'cushion' ...but not so much for casting but for playing fish. In my opinion you need (as CB recommends) a soft-ish actioned rod, a stretchy leader to absorb the 'shocks', and a hooklength of lower breaking strain (especially as losing terminal tackle whilst flood fishing is an 'occupational hazard'). And if you're buying what's basically second-hand braid then physically checking its breaking strain is of even greater importance ...IMO.

 

[Simon Archer]

If in doubt why not buy some cheap braid of eBay. 300mts of 20lb Spectra is only a tenner. Lots of Bream anglers use the cheap stuff rather than the branded expensive braid citing it's not much different. They do use a mono leader though. Most of them anyway.

I use Spectra with an Arma kord leader on my spod set up.

As regards the colour of spod braid, I was under the impression it was a bright colour to try to deter the Seagulls.

 

[Gerry Giles]

I have used braid for donkeys years carp fishing in Europe at extreme ranges at times love the stuff for feeling everything always with a 20 ft plus mono leader for a bit of give at the netting stage and when after 50 odd years of carping I returned to Barbel fishing

and use it when big flood water is on as you can get away with using a lot lighter lead due to far less drag again a much lighter mono leader and an even lighter combi hook link

but TBH the truly amazing Mono ESP Syncro XT ( NOT THE LOADED RUBBISH) is one of the best mono`s I have ever used so been using that a lot most of my carp fishing pals all use it to sooo reliable and abrasion resistant and super strong I always carry 2 spools of braid and 2 spools of Esp on the reels now

 

[Mark Pevy]

I have used braid for donkeys years carp fishing in Europe at extreme ranges at times love the stuff for feeling everything always with a 20 ft plus mono leader for a bit of give at the netting stage and when after 50 odd years of carping I returned to Barbel fishing

and use it when big flood water is on as you can get away with using a lot lighter lead due to far less drag again a much lighter mono leader and an even lighter combi hook link

but TBH the truly amazing Mono ESP Syncro XT ( NOT THE LOADED RUBBISH) is one of the best mono`s I have ever used so been using that a lot most of my carp fishing pals all use it to sooo reliable and abrasion resistant and super strong I always carry 2 spools of braid and 2 spools of Esp on the reels now

I have used esp olive for the last ten years i reckon without any problems at all for my barbel fishing, im down to my last spool now,it was always 9:95 for 1000yds,i would bet the syncro is the same line re branded

 

[Chris Belcher]

2nd that . . .ESP Synchro XT is on all my carp reels, (small & large water) stalking reels and barbel reels . . .great stuff - superb knot strength and abrasion resistance . . .also agree the Loaded version is sh*te in comparison as I found out at my expense last season . . .

 

[Huanzhou Zhu]

2nd that . . .ESP Synchro XT is on all my carp reels, (small & large water) stalking reels and barbel reels . . .great stuff - superb knot strength and abrasion resistance . . .also agree the Loaded version is sh*te in comparison as I found out at my expense last season . . .

How does it compare to maxima? I am about to buy some new line and want to try something different

 

[Dave Brooksbank]

I have used esp olive for the last ten years i reckon without any problems at all for my barbel fishing, im down to my last spool now,it was always 9:95 for 1000yds,i would bet the syncro is the same line re branded

Totally different lines,going by the Tacklebox line chart.The syncro being far stronger.

 

[Keith Humphreys]

I have used braid for donkeys years carp fishing in Europe at extreme ranges at times love the stuff for feeling everything always with a 20 ft plus mono leader for a bit of give at the netting stage and when after 50 odd years of carping I returned to Barbel fishing

and use it when big flood water is on as you can get away with using a lot lighter lead due to far less drag again a much lighter mono leader and an even lighter combi hook link

but TBH the truly amazing Mono ESP Syncro XT ( NOT THE LOADED RUBBISH) is one of the best mono`s I have ever used so been using that a lot most of my carp fishing pals all use it to sooo reliable and abrasion resistant and super strong I always carry 2 spools of braid and 2 spools of Esp on the reels now

Just curious?
I have been using ESP Syncro XT Loaded for two seasons and love it but I rarely need to do a overhead cast as all my fishing is within 25m so just wondered what your reasons for disliking are?

 

[Chris Belcher]

Just curious?
I have been using ESP Syncro XT Loaded for two seasons and love it but I rarely need to do a overhead cast as all my fishing is within 25m so just wondered what your reasons for disliking are?

Behaves like a pig and doesn't cast as well. . .very twist prone and springy compared to the standard synchro IME . . .sinking speed / density negligible . . .its a nice colour though! That and the fact that I lost 2x decent fish on it last season - may have had nicks I hadn't checked / noticed but lost both fish on the same rod - after losing the first I stripped a load of line off . . .and promptly lost the next fish in exactly the same manner. Binned the lot after that and went back to the original . . .

 

[Keith Humphreys]

Behaves like a pig and doesn't cast as well. . .very twist prone and springy compared to the standard synchro IME . . .sinking speed / density negligible . . .its a nice colour though! That and the fact that I lost 2x decent fish on it last season - may have had nicks I hadn't checked / noticed but lost both fish on the same rod - after losing the first I stripped a load of line off . . .and promptly lost the next fish in exactly the same manner. Binned the lot after that and went back to the original . . .

Worth checking your rod rings as well, ceramic rings cut like a razor if chipped

 

[Gerry Giles]

Just curious?
I have been using ESP Syncro XT Loaded for two seasons and love it but I rarely need to do a overhead cast as all my fishing is within 25m so just wondered what your reasons for disliking are?

AS Chris has said
its not as strong ( just confirmed that on the tackle box line tests chart)
springy coily horrible line in comparison ok its sinks quicker is the only positive but everything else is a negative its a completely different line I lost a good fish on it and have had it break for no good reason too !
the normal ESP Sycro XT is just soo much better
I have used probably every decent mono there is over my 60 plus years of Angling a few stand out lines Shimano Catana now no longer made was awasome and possible the best but this ESP Sycro XT beats anything else its not a pre stretched line this accounts for its amazing strength and abrasion resistance and yet still casts very well indeed the best available all round mono IMHO