The braid with the colour changes is used for jigging as it makes it easier to fish a certain depth, for example if there is a school of tuna in mid water.

For popper fishing I do not see advantages (or disadvantages) of multi coloured braid.
I do not think certain colours are better for certain types of fishing, if you buy different colours for each strenght it does make it a lot easier to spot what line is on the spool.
I have 30, 50 and 80 lbs Powerpro which are red, green and yellow... especially when you have spare spools with different PE lines.

There is a great difference in quality in braid brands, some lines are thicker than others at the same PE, rounder lines cast easier (more distance) than flatter ones etc.
Affordable brands I have used are TUFF tackle and Powerpro and have not had any issues with either brand.

Have a look on GTPopping.com - Popping & Stickbait the World for Giant Trevally | GTPopping.com brings together the top experts from around the world on the subject of popping and stickbaiting methods for Giant Trevally (GT). Long considered the world's best resour , you will find tons of info on braided lines (amongst other things).

Southern Oman seems to be stocking lures and spare gear so I do not think you will need a lot of spare braid, Madagascar I would take at least 2 refills.
The odds of being spooled when popper fishing are small, when jigging the odds are a bit bigger since you never know what will hit your jig or the fish you hooked

Braid is a lot cheaper in the US than Europe so you might consider buying some when you go to the Keys...

 

Sorry .. double post.. :wallbash:

 

I dont think colour makes any difference as you probably want a leader material of some sort on the end such as mono,floro,or wire.And the stuff that changes colour every so many feet is to help you keep track of how much line you have out,usefull say in a trolling situation to get that lure back to the same depth.Everyone has their own pref when it comes to brands but after trying several different brands over the years ive settled on power pro as my favorite.The only benefit to buying spare spools that i can see is you can spool them with various sizes of line to make quick changes for different situations and may cut down on the number of reels you need to take.
This is just my 2cents worth

cheers
Rob

P.S. that trip to the keyes looks very interesting!

 

Serge beat me to it,[what he said] lol.

 

Another vote for PowerPro, durable, tough, tried and tested. I like the yellow as it can be quite useful on a far running fish to see where it is! And if on a serious trip I would take two 300M packets of each strength as spares.

 

Power Pro sounds the early choice for braid.

Keys does look a good affordable trip, and this was booked with only a fun fishing trip in mind, and only because I've spent the bulk of my spare money on tackle. But it also gives me the option of ticking Sharks off my bucket list, and hopefully Grouper. But variety is my wish over the 2 weeks.
I will do a report on my return, just in case others want to go to this houseboat should it turn out a good fishing location.
But I am taking tackle there too, and may leave my braid until I get there if its that much cheaper than UK.

Colour to signify braid strength I thought would be right.

Bright obvious colour braid when Popping and using Stickbaits is a good idea to keep sight of fish or lures, I had not fully considered this, but will now.

Jigging - so this is why some braids are coloured at different points, so obvious now
Must get this braid for Madagascar and my Stella 20K.

 

Before buying your braid check this site out . Not all braid are what they seem.
Paulus Just fishing

 

Before buying your braid check this site out . Not all braid are what they seem.
Paulus Just fishing

Wow
Info overload.
need to view this better on PC, not phone.

Thx

 

Check out the Jerry Brown braid (on Pauls site), its what I use on nearly all my high end outfits and never had any issues, its also considered the top braid in the US though powere-pro is the biggest seller over there due to the low price.

As for colour Ive got some depth change braid but never take any notice of the depth or colour. I do like to colour match (bling bling) with each outfit, the yellow rods have yellow braid, the red ones have red braid etc but every out fit I use for fish of a lifetime type of fish is only Jerry Brown.

My beach and light spin outfits I will often go with cheaper power-pro, Daiwa saltiga or finns. You may also notice that some braids made by the same company will have different breaking strengths depending on the colour even though they are meant to be the same strength.
JonD

 

Damn,
Jerry Brown braid,
That is expensive stuff, I'd have to cancel a trip to afford to use that on 4 reels.
Although it does have a good reputation too.

Have read about Power Pro & Jerry Brown
It seems both are popular and Power Pro maybe more popular due to being a lot cheaper.

Opinion seems fairly evenly split on which is best, but I'm likely to go with Power Pro.
Purely on cost at this point, but may invest on Jerry Brown for my Stella when I go somewhere special to fish.

Is Dyneema braid OK for my light tackle option?
Appreciate your input though guys

 

Hi Kenya

Do your wallet and bank account a Favour and visit Bass Pro when you arrive in America. I promise you you will not be disappointed and you will be able to buy everything you need from these stores as they basically stock everything you can possible think of and some are the size of a 5 aside football pitch. It will save you a heap of money and there is nothing better than seeing before you buy.

If you fly into Miami then the Miami Bass Pro believe it or not is the best but failing that the Keys have a shop which you will pass when driving on the main road and there is only one main road in the Keys. They have aquariums inside with Hugh areas for clothing range, Christmas Decorations and a restaurant for when your wife gets bored of waiting for you after 3 hours of browsing (all fish related of course). Bass Pro is like Disney World but for the angler and I can not recommend going there more. If you go to the Bass Pro web site you can get the address for the stores near to you, punch in the Zip Code in the Nav and it will take you straight there. If you can get to the Miami store that is the best but if you only see the Keys stores you would still be blown away.

Happy shopping:laugh:

 

Hi Kenya

Do your wallet and bank account a Favour and visit Bass Pro when you arrive in America. I promise you you will not be disappointed and you will be able to buy everything you need from these stores as they basically stock everything you can possible think of and some are the size of a 5 aside football pitch. It will save you a heap of money and there is nothing better than seeing before you buy.

If you fly into Miami then the Miami Bass Pro believe it or not is the best but failing that the Keys have a shop which you will pass when driving on the main road and there is only one main road in the Keys. They have aquariums inside with Hugh areas for clothing range, Christmas Decorations and a restaurant for when your wife gets bored of waiting for you after 3 hours of browsing (all fish related of course). Bass Pro is like Disney World but for the angler and I can not recommend going there more. If you go to the Bass Pro web site you can get the address for the stores near to you, punch in the Zip Code in the Nav and it will take you straight there. If you can get to the Miami store that is the best but if you only see the Keys stores you would still be blown away.

Happy shopping:laugh:

Hi Phil,
Yes I've looked at Bass Pro on the Keys on line today, definately best option based on prices I can find here in UK, although I did find good prices.

Going with a mate, not the Mrs
Do they do rooms for the night, might be there ages murdering my credit card
But it does sound good to visit

 

In my opinion it's the best place to visit whilst in the states. I guess it's like visiting a Jimmy Choes Shop for a women but this is full of boys stuff. Don't forget the fishing though. I have been reading your threads about all the different places you will be visiting. When do you start and what will be your first destination.?

All most forgot I have used Power Pro for the last 8 years and it has never let me down in both fresh and slat water fishing. I won't use anything other, that's not to say there is not better out there (ie better casting lines) but for the money, strength and durability it won't let you down.

 

Hi Phil,
Florida Jan 2015 BOOKED FOR HOUSEBOAT 2 weeks
Me and a mate. He's a keen amature fisherman.

Costa Rica June 2015 if the lads will hand over deposits
If they don't hand deposit in by June 2014, I will just high jack 1 of the many trips posted on my FB or here at WSF as a last minute option. Although Guinea Bissau is still an option, just could not pay for Nov 2014 in GB while buying tackle still, I preferred to complete tackle buying.

Dec 2015 or Jan 2016 Madagascar (hope to get some guys to make a group of 4) but a few operators there are keeping me in mind for a spare spot too.

2016 mid or end of year somewhere special, not yet decided, but PNG would be 1st choice if I can afford it, and once tackle purchases are finished this year, I should be able to save £200 a week towards trips.
The Mrs has had 2 holidays in 6 months with me, Cuba & Cyprus, so she knows 2015/2016 is only me going on fishing trips without her, and it's all good.

May take a couple of last minute trips Inbetween these if the prices are good too.

It's ashame my regular guys I've been taking to Kenya Trolling over the years are not interested In Popping, Stickbaits and Jigging
Means I have to start from scratch again finding like minded guys for trips again or join trips as a stranger with other groups, but I'm a sociable guy who mixes well.

Had lots of offers to join trips to Southern Oman, Costa Rica, PNG, Guinea Bissau, Namibia (also sounds good)
And a few other places.

I can have as many holidays as I like, just restricted by money, so try to keep them under £3k and do 2 or 3 a year if possible.

Loved Kenya, and caught some good fish, but it's heavy gear and not really challenging, and as a Pike fisherman here in UK for 40 years I want to have a more hands on experience while I'm still young enough and fit enough (aged 51) to get maybe 8/10 years quality fishing in, before getting old.
And some of these fish and destinations are absolutely amazing.

 

So this won't affect you for your trip to the Keys, but as we're talking about braid colour, I'll just add one personal observation. Sometimes when popping, you have to contend with that absolute bane of the surface fisherman, the crocodile needlefish or "Long Tom". They're such *ahem* keen little so-and-sos that they will sometimes go for your leaderknot, cutting off an expensive popper in the process. I've found that this can be avoided if the last bit of your braid is pale in colour, ideally white. If you're using the green Powerpro, you can artificially fade the end a bit by soaking or rubbing it, though who knows what that does to the strength...

 

So this won't affect you for your trip to the Keys, but as we're talking about braid colour, I'll just add one personal observation. Sometimes when popping, you have to contend with that absolute bane of the surface fisherman, the crocodile needlefish or "Long Tom". They're such *ahem* keen little so-and-sos that they will sometimes go for your leaderknot, cutting off an expensive popper in the process. I've found that this can be avoided if the last bit of your braid is pale in colour, ideally white. If you're using the green Powerpro, you can artificially fade the end a bit by soaking or rubbing it, though who knows what that does to the strength...

Not really got expensive in the Popper section yet, with costliest being about £20
It's Stickbaits that I'm concentrating on at present until around Aug 2014.
Some of these have cost well over $100 each

Poppers look no cheaper for high end ones, but I'm likely to go for Heru as my main purchases as well as a few cheaper ones too, and I already have lots of cheaper ones.

Those Needlefish cost me expensive lures, they will go in to the bucket for bait instead of being thrown back in the sea.

Hopefully this won't happen to my braid too often.

 

Sounds like you have it all planned out Kenya. I am looking forward to all your trip reports in the years ahead lol. Your right not to leave Popping and Jigging to late on as it the more extreme and hardcore end of the sport. Good luck to you

 

Sounds like you have it all planned out Kenya. I am looking forward to all your trip reports in the years ahead lol. Your right not to leave Popping and Jigging to late on as it the more extreme and hardcore end of the sport. Good luck to you

Bloody expensive trips.
They need planning and budgeting for.
Going high end on my tackle with Racepoint rods and Stella reels.
Having reasonable back up reels too.
Braid is important part of my tackle.