Sunday, February 05, 2006

Braided lines have several advantages for fishing

Braided lines have several advantages over conventional monofilament, in Paul's way of thinking. In similar weights, they have a much smaller diameter, allowing fishermen to make longer casts. They are extremely abrasion resistant, allowing fishermen to use them in all kinds of heavy cover without fear of breaking. Because of their small diameter, they are also extremely sensitive compared to monofilament. And braided lines have absolutely no "memory" - the built-in "coiling" property that is often a bugaboo for monofilament, especially on spinning reels.
"Braided fishing line is not the answer in all situations, but it is becoming very good in more situations," he said.
The big "bugaboo" that remains for braided lines is one caused by some of the same features that make it good in many situations. Braided line has very little stretch or give, so fishermen have to learn to use their rods,
"A good rod (for braided line) is one that has a heavy butt but a nice fast or limber tip that will give, and you need to get used to the pattern of the bend in the rod using braids," he said. "The other thing is, since there is no stretch, when you get a big fish close to the boat, you have to bow to the fish. You have to give him some slack with your rod tip."

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