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FISHING UPDATE LIST
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Get Your Braid On
Switching could improve your catch, experts
say
May 22, 2008 |
by Daniel Nee
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The
Power Pro brand of braided line is
among the most popular types of
braid with local anglers. (JSA File
Photo)
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Life used to be so easy.
There were 13 television stations, cars had only
AM and FM radios and when you spooled line on
your reel, you selected the test you wanted and
sped off to your favorite fishing hole as fast
as you could.
These days, however, things are different. There
are 700 stations on your cable lineup, your car
comes with satellite radio, an iPod plug and a
DVD player, and your buddies are telling you
that your old monofilament fishing line just
ain’t cutting it anymore.
For many anglers, braided line is something
that’s limited to magazine articles about
far-offshore fishing trips where anglers score
giant trophy catches – and make it look easy.
Afterall, for most of us, it’s easy using the
same techniques you have been using for years,
and switching to a new type of line where you
can’t use the knots your father taught you when
you were young isn’t of much interest.
For many anglers, braided line is something
that’s limited to magazine articles about
far-offshore fishing trips where anglers score
giant trophy catches – and make it look easy.
Afterall, for most of us, it’s easy using the
same techniques you have been using for years,
and switching to a new type of line where you
can’t use the knots your father taught you when
you were young isn’t of much interest.
Braided line takes some getting used to,
according to Dave Arbeitman of The Reel Seat,
Brielle, but in the long run, produces better
catches and allows you to take some of the guess
work out of finding the species you’re
targeting.
“The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages,”
said Mr. Arbeitman in a recent interview.
Braided line allows anglers to use much higher
tests for inshore salt water fishing, and
because it is so thin and tight, allows anglers
to pinpoint where in the water column their lure
or bait will be suspended. Additionally, because
braided line does not stretch, anglers can feel
the hit of a hungry fish immediately and
definitively. Where a traditional monofilament
line might leave an angler guessing, the same
person would know whether or not a fish has been
hooked, allowing the hook to be properly set in
a timely manner. For the average inshore or back
bay fluke anglers, Mr. Arbeitman recommends 20-
to-30-pound test line. A 30-pound test, he said,
will also work for jigging stripers during the
fall run, allowing an angler to use the same
conventional reel for both summer bottom fishing
and fall striped bass jigging applications.
“For someone fluke fishing, we don’t recommend
anything higher than 30-pounds, and with that,
we still recommend a leader in front,” Mr.
Arbeitman said.
A three foot monofilament leader should do the
trick. The advantage of a leader is that is
allows some stretch in situations where the line
get hung up on a submerged object or a piece of
jetty. Additionally, lures and rigs can be more
easily tied onto monofilament than braid.
Braid does take some getting used to, however.
According to Mr. Arbeitman, anglers should use a
lighter drag because of the lack of stretch in
braided line.
“A lot of people just don’t want to buy that, so
they end up breaking equipment of pulling hooks
on fish, because it just doesn’t stretch,” Mr.
Arbeitman said.
Hang-ups often present an angler with his or her
first braid-related issue.
“The thing that you will have a problem with is
if you get hung up on the bottom,” said Mr.
Arbeitman. “It’s not like mono, where if you get
hung up you can get away with wrapping it and
trying to pull it out. You do that with braid,
and you’re going to hurt yourself.”
Because braided line is, well, braided, wrapping
it tightly around a finger or wrist can lead to
some serious pain. Additionally, using the rod
and reel to try and free the snagged line can
cause damage to the equipment. Mr. Arbeitman
produced a broken reel in his shop for repair as
proof of what pulling too hard on braided line
can do to a conventional fishing reel.
Anglers should also be prepared to learn some
new knots when switching to braid. “Knots are
one thing they [people] have to be aware of,”
said Mr. Arbeitman. “With knot typing, there are
only certain knots that work with braid.”
Mr. Arbeitman said he recommends a uni knot.
Palomar knots also work with braid, he said.
“You can’t get away with a clinch knot,” he
said.
Many anglers are now using braided line
exclusively, and there are many different brands
out there. Power Pro is, by far, the most
popular, though Stren Super Braid is also
popular locally. At Dave’s shop, most braided
line which would be found on an inshore angler’s
reel sells for just under $20 spooled.
[ Editor’s note: The Reel Seat is located at 608
Green Avenue, Brielle, N.J. ]
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