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Print versionBraided Line Misconceptions
When the first modern braided lines came out it was voiced by many that this would be the end of mono. That wasn’t the case! I wasn’t one of those voices as it happens, in fact I can still see mono being around for many more years yet.
Some old braid misconceptions have persisted though and it’s certainly the case with rods. When braid came out there were no rods specifically designed for braided lines. We fished the braid on standard rods designed for mono. We quickly realised, with the non-stretch properties of braided lines, that fishing 30lb braid on stiffish 30lb mono line class rods put too much pressure on the hook holds in lightly hooked fish, and this caused a high proportion of lost fish.
To combat this we dropped down a line class with the rods and found that when fishing, for example, 30lb braid, that a 20lb class rod with a softer tip and middle section retained more hooked fish with fewer fish dropped during the fight. There are still many anglers that believe this system works well today. The truth is it does not, things have moved on!
The design concept of modern braid rods is completely different to rods designed for mono. Quality mono rods are built with supple tips but with a quick increase of power in the upper mid section to take up the stretching capability of mono as the rod assumes its compression curve against a fish.
Braid rods are different. For instance, a typical braid rod will have a very supple tip but with a slow progressive increase in power in to the mid section to compensate for the non-stretch property of braid. A badly designed braid rod will continue that progressive action in to the butt and still bend a little in the butt when under full compression. This is incorrect!
A good braid rod has the same supple forgiving tip, then the slow progressive increase in power through the mid section, but the power then increases rapidly to form a stiff butt. The reason for this design is that the tip cushions the non elasticity of the braid and will cushion light hook holds, then as the middle section with increasing power comes in to play, this controls the fish during the fight up through the water column. The stiff butt is key and is the leverage point. This comes in to play when a big fish is hooked and you need to work the fish hard to stop it diving for snags or a wreck. It effectively makes the braid fully work in your favour by allowing the angler to put full direct pressure on to the fish.
The stiff butt is also designed to work together with the reel drag. As a fish fights and hangs in the mid water column the tip and upper mid rod sections are working, as a fish turns and powerfully dives for the seabed the rod transfers power in to the lower mid section and stiff butt and this naturally coincides with a correctly set drag that starts to give line. The combination of the stiff butt, fully compressed rod and the reel drag makes the fish work hard for the line slowly tiring it out. It’s no coincidence we design rods the way we do, though few anglers realise just how sophisticated modern rods actually are.
Once you understand the differences in mono and braid rod design then you have to ask the question why so many anglers have started to ignore the sound IGFA line class system that we once took as set in stone and have now started to fish 40lb braid with rods designed for 20 and 30lb class braided lines? They reason that the finer diameter braid allows them to use a heavier breaking strain for additional safety. I can’t see the point! The tackle is not balanced and does not fish as efficiently as balanced tackle does.
The line class system works just as well with braid as it does with mono because we now design rods specifically for braid. In fact I don’t agree with many other writers that modern rods can be fished with both mono and braid. Yes they can, but not to their best performance. A specific design will always be more efficient than a compromise design, which is exactly what a rod designed to fish both mono and braid is.
My advice is to go back to balanced tackle. Fish 20lb braid on 20lb braid rods, and 30lb braid on 30lb braid rods and so on.
There’s another misconception about braided lines too. That is that you tie it direct to your rig for maximum bite detection. Not so!
I’ve recently come across anglers moaning that they can’t catch fish on yellow braid lines. Yellow is often my first choice colour for braid as I can clearly see it when fishing amongst other anglers on a charter boat and it’s caught me hundreds if not thousands of fish. It’s obvious to me that these anglers have been fishing incorrectly without a clear leader between the main braid line and the rig.
So, when using braid lines, you need to add a length of clear mono, occasionally I’ll use Fluorocarbon. This short section, usually twice the length of the rod is sufficient, serves two purposes. One it separates the rig from the coloured line and avoids any eye contact from the fish putting it off biting. Secondly, the mono introduces a little elasticity which again helps keep a delicate hook hold in tact, but also, when a good sized fish is on the surface, should it try to dive back down through the water column, the stretch in the mono leader can save a line breakage when using light gear and also avoid the hook ripping out.
I use Fluorocarbon when I want to retain direct contact with the fish and fully pressurise it as Fluoro carbon stretches much less than mono, but you still have that clear element to avoid visual eye contact with the line.
So hopefully a few wrongs righted! In clearing up these misconceptions about braid, I hope it gives some of you the incentive to rethink your braid gear, enjoy fishing more balanced tackle and hopefully catch far more fish as a result!
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