The old which braid question

2504 Views 20 Replies 9 Participants Last post by gadusmorhua, 4 mo ago

wightman

Discussion Starter · 4 mo ago

Been trying a few different braids over the last few years as I am looking for a braid that will do it all and I have not been happy with any.
Tried so far :
J-braid grand 22lb liked it but it started to lose its strength after a few months and became weak

Sufix 131 20lb I found sank too quick in strong tide and affected top water lures

sufix 131 18lb very thin great for top water and casts extremely well but not very durable in the rough stuff

Savage gear silencer 20lb I got winds knots regularly so I binned it pretty quickly

Majorcraft Dangan X8 20lb which I really liked floats nice with top water lures and casts well but snapped twice on me where my finger holds the braid on the cast. I lost 2 big patches which hurts, so I took note of this and it did start to fluff up on my casting finger. I guess I must have rough hands

I know it sounds like I have gone through a lot of braid but I have several reels I use and a spare spool. At the moment I have the 2 sufix 131 and the dangan loaded on reels. So I am looking for a durable braid which casts well isn't like a rope and doesn't sink like the 20lb 131.
Where I live I have every type of coast to fish from, rough boulders to sandy and mixed beaches and large rock ledges. Any input with what you guys are using and are happy with would be much appreciated thank you. I am tempted by ygk x-braid x8 upgrade.

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Dirty Squid

· #2 · 4 mo ago

I have been using Spiderwire stealth for the last 4 years
I use it over rocks, reefs beaches does everything
I use a leader with it all the time
lasts a good year and would probably do more but I always rip it off at the end of March and load new ready for the new season to kick off
Hope this helps

Reactions: 1

wightman

Discussion Starter · #3 · 4 mo ago

Dirty Squid said:
I have been using Spiderwire stealth for the last 4 years
I use it over rocks, reefs beaches does everything
I use a leader with it all the time
lasts a good year and would probably do more but I always rip it off at the end of March and load new ready for the new season to kick off
Hope this helps

I must confess I have also tried spiderwire stealth a long time back and found it too thick for it's breaking strain for my liking. I think it was 14lb and it was more like 30lb.

sergeï

· #4 · 4 mo ago

momoï ryujin for me (0.12 & 0.14)
berkley fireline fused 0.12 on sandy beaches
but daiwa / YGK / duel / varivas / etc. did it well too (all 8 strands)

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wightman

Discussion Starter · #5 · 4 mo ago

sergeï said:
momoï ryujin for me (0.12 & 0.14)
berkley fireline fused 0.12 on sandy beaches
but daiwa / YGK / duel / varivas / etc. did it well too (all 8 strands)

Had a quick google Sergeï is momoï ryujin the orange version you are using and would you class as a smooth or courser braid.

JonD

· #6 · 4 mo ago

Shimano ocea is one you should add to your list. Its extremely long lasting without loosing colour, fluffing and more accurately labelled in strength, the fact its accurate means it's very thin. Its what I use on my offshore tuna and marlin reels, where Im often using expensive lures on very large fish and want a line I feel very confident using.

Reactions: 1

Michal Smiga

· #7 · 4 mo ago

Shimano Pitbull x8 PE1. Very smooth braid.
Varivas Avani Sea Bass gold. Both great for finesse fishing , but not for the rough ground.

Sufix 832... A brute coarse braid, but tough as old boots

Reactions: 1

gadusmorhua

· #8 · 4 mo ago

I don't understand why 20lb Sufix 131 is no good for topwater lures, but 18lb 131 is- surely there's hardly any difference? Try a tiny bit of mucilin on your braid if sinking rate is an issue for you.
I've found 131 perfect for my very rough ground, I use 20lb and it still looks good after over a year's use. No wind knots and it behaves well for me.

Reactions: 5

sergeï

· #9 · 4 mo ago

Wightman ,
color doesn't matter : i always color the last 2-3 meters with a black pen . It's very smooth and strong.

Reactions: 1

wightman

Discussion Starter · #10 · 4 mo ago

gadusmorhua said:
I don't understand why 20lb Sufix 131 is no good for topwater lures, but 18lb 131 is- surely there's hardly any difference? Try a tiny bit of mucilin on your braid if sinking rate is an issue for you.
I've found 131 perfect for my very rough ground, I use 20lb and it still looks good after over a year's use. No wind knots and it behaves well for me.

I have no problem with 131 durability it's a great braid it's the 20lb the sink rate is faster than any other braid I have used. It's ok if there is no tide running but in fast tide it affects the action of my top water lures. I like the 18lb but it is to thin for my rough ground, I lost a very good fish whilst using it last season when my 18lb 131 touched a rock. Thank you about the tip with mucilin I will give it a go.

bass912

· #11 · 4 mo ago

I've gone from J braid to trying Berkley Whiplash 8. Can't really fault either but the Whiplsh is thinner and probably harder wearing.

Reactions: 1

wightman

Discussion Starter · #12 · 4 mo ago

This is worth a watch if you fish with sufix 131 the tests are on Australian 10lb 131 which is the same diameter as UK and European 28lb sufix 131 this is why it can be a headache with braid diameters with such variation

JonD

· #13 · 4 mo ago (Edited)

3

wightman said:
This is worth a watch if you fish with sufix 131 the tests are on Australian 10lb 131 which is the same diameter as UK and European 28lb sufix 131 this is why it can be a headache with braid diameters with such variation

I take these with a pinch of salt but do agree 131 breaks well above its rating like most other braids.

What I find very odd about this Australian video testing of yours? is that everything the guy does is in lbs, where here we work in kg. Also the 131 I buy has different labelling to what he has as you can see here from 131 from large stores which have franchise stores all over the country.

Testing by "Fishing Monthly" magazine had far different results to what you have posted as you can see here while testing 20lb 131. I use the 131 20lb knowing I have a little extra in reserve, which is around 7lb. I have no issues using 131 for any kind of lure fishing, the lure design and speed I work them dictates the depth with mine. Ive yet to have to replace any 131 which Ive been using well over 2yrs now.

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You can watch the entire video if bored but the findings are pretty much thicker braid is stronger than thinner braid.

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wightman

Discussion Starter · #14 · 4 mo ago

JonD said:
I take these with a pinch of salt but do agree 131 breaks well above its rating like most other braids.

What I find very odd about this Australian video testing of yours? is that everything the guy does is in lbs, where here we work in kg. Also the 131 I buy has different labelling to what he has as you can see here from 131 from large stores which have franchise stores all over the country.
View attachment 1400592 View attachment 1400593

Testing by "Fishing Monthly" magazine had far different results to what you have posted as you can see here while testing 20lb 131. I use the 131 20lb knowing I have a little extra in reserve, which is around 7lb. I have no issues using 131 for any kind of lure fishing, the lure design and speed I work them dictates the depth with mine. Ive yet to have to replace any 131 which Ive been using well over 2yrs now.

View attachment 1400594

You can watch the entire video if bored but the findings are pretty much thicker braid is stronger than thinner braid.

He said in the comments in one of his videos he is based in Australia but I think he gets his different braids from around the world so his sufix 131 may of come from the USA which may explain why it is in lb's

Reactions: 1

flatmatt

· #15 · 4 mo ago

wightman said:
I must confess I have also tried spiderwire stealth a long time back and found it too thick for it's breaking strain for my liking. I think it was 14lb and it was more like 30lb.

I think you were using standard spider wire, which is pretty thick stuff. Stealth 8 is thin.
I've been using spider wire stealth 8 smooth for a long time now, but I can't help but think that all these £20 quality braids are coming from the same factory and having a few cosmetic tweaks.
If you want to go down a different road..which I haven't been maybe try tasline or varivas. Sunline used to be a popular brand too.

Reactions: 1

Brin 192

· #16 · 4 mo ago

Hi
I'm using the spider wire stealth 8 smooth and was advised to go for the the 28lb braid ,and was shocked how thin it was and how far it casted ,I had no problems with it

Reactions: 1

wightman

Discussion Starter · #17 · 4 mo ago

flatmatt said:
I think you were using standard spider wire, which is pretty thick stuff. Stealth 8 is thin.
I've been using spider wire stealth 8 smooth for a long time now, but I can't help but think that all these £20 quality braids are coming from the same factory and having a few cosmetic tweaks.
If you want to go down a different road..which I haven't been maybe try tasline or varivas. Sunline used to be a popular brand too.

I will have to look into the spiderwire it was too long ago so I can't remember which one it was, thanks.

JonD

· #18 · 4 mo ago

I used spider wire many years ago (from the UK) and found it to break well bellow its rating and vowed never again. However I bought three spools of stealth blue camo 8, which again turned out to be awful, won't give them anymore chances.

flatmatt

· #19 · 4 mo ago

JonD said:
I used spider wire many years ago (from the UK) and found it to break well bellow its rating and vowed never again. However I bought three spools of stealth blue camo 8, which again turned out to be awful, won't give them anymore chances.

How was it awful? Haven't used that particular model, there are quite a few varients now, like spider wire invisibraid too.
I notice the camo blue is on sale too.

JonD

· #20 · 4 mo ago

flatmatt said:
How was it awful? Haven't used that particular model, there are quite a few varients now, like spider wire invisibraid too.
I notice the camo blue is on sale too.

First use was good but after that I soon noticed the colour fading and the breaking point reducing. Given most of my fishing is targeting species above line strength I buy, it simply wasn't acceptable.

Often you will find those stating they have not had any issues with it are using heavier line such as 20lb to target bass where even an exceptional specimen would be 10lb. Unlike the UK where a decent sized bass is far from common, here its almost guaranteed to catch fish after fish in the 4-8kg size from the shore. So testing any line or tackle soon finds faults, not to mention most of these species targeted are fast hard fighting pelagic's.

Unfortunately posting these facts on here soon turns people defensive on the line they have but the fact is that the fish are here in numbers so testing any part of a tackle setup can be done in a short period which could take a lifetime to do back home.

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