04-03-2019, 03:42 AM
A few weeks ago I posted about knots for connecting braid to flouro. This was the first time I have used braid. I got some great input so I figured I’d provide my thoughts now that I’ve been able to fish several days with it. Hopefully this is helpful to someone.
Knots. The general feedback was to use the double uni or Alberto knot. I tried both. The Alberto is a slimmer knot that passes guides better, so I preferred that knot when I had the knot going through the guides at all. I think this knot is a little harder to tie than the double uni unless you are in ideal conditions (no wind, steady, etc.). The double uni is a slightly stronger knot from research I have done. With either knot though, I found it best to not have it pass through guides if possible. When the knot did pass through the guides repeatedly I noticed the braid and the knot would wear quite a bit which surprised me. I ended up retying the flouro leaders on due to concern the braid would break.
Braid. I decided to try braid to allow me to cast further with jigs. Aside from that, I didn’t know what to expect. There are a few things I learned. First is line twist. Since the braid has almost no stiffness, line twist can be an issue, and if the braid folds over itself the knots are horrible and small. Trying to untie them is much more difficult than mono. Second, I heard braid did not stretch. I did notice this, however it offset the third item which is braid tends to float. With flouro, I’m used to having a direct connection to the jig or lures, meaning the flouro sinks with the jig. With the braid, I noticed the braid floated on the surface, and only sank directly below the jig. In essence, it created a big hockey stick shape from my rod to the jig. While braid doesn’t stretch, I felt the floating limited the direct contact and ability to manipulate the jig as much as I wanted. The final item is durability. Braid does not seem near as durable as mono or flouro when abrasion is possible.
Overall, I like the small diameter and ability to cast further which is good in applications, but I’m not quite sold on it being better or even the same as many other aspects of flouro. The jury is still out for me. I guess the only way to further explore this is to fish a bunch more with it. I guess there could be worse things to have to do
[signature]
Knots. The general feedback was to use the double uni or Alberto knot. I tried both. The Alberto is a slimmer knot that passes guides better, so I preferred that knot when I had the knot going through the guides at all. I think this knot is a little harder to tie than the double uni unless you are in ideal conditions (no wind, steady, etc.). The double uni is a slightly stronger knot from research I have done. With either knot though, I found it best to not have it pass through guides if possible. When the knot did pass through the guides repeatedly I noticed the braid and the knot would wear quite a bit which surprised me. I ended up retying the flouro leaders on due to concern the braid would break.
Braid. I decided to try braid to allow me to cast further with jigs. Aside from that, I didn’t know what to expect. There are a few things I learned. First is line twist. Since the braid has almost no stiffness, line twist can be an issue, and if the braid folds over itself the knots are horrible and small. Trying to untie them is much more difficult than mono. Second, I heard braid did not stretch. I did notice this, however it offset the third item which is braid tends to float. With flouro, I’m used to having a direct connection to the jig or lures, meaning the flouro sinks with the jig. With the braid, I noticed the braid floated on the surface, and only sank directly below the jig. In essence, it created a big hockey stick shape from my rod to the jig. While braid doesn’t stretch, I felt the floating limited the direct contact and ability to manipulate the jig as much as I wanted. The final item is durability. Braid does not seem near as durable as mono or flouro when abrasion is possible.
Overall, I like the small diameter and ability to cast further which is good in applications, but I’m not quite sold on it being better or even the same as many other aspects of flouro. The jury is still out for me. I guess the only way to further explore this is to fish a bunch more with it. I guess there could be worse things to have to do
[signature]