Braided Fishing Line Will Change the Way You Fish

Why Braided Fishing Line Should Be on Your Fishing Reels

FISHING LINE | FISHING TECHNIQUES

February 16, 2018 by Don Manning

If you are not fishing braided fishing line, or braid as most anglers call it, you are missing out. This type of fishing line will change the way you fish. Braid has been increasing in popularity and has become a staple on the professional tournament circuits. Let’s talk about why braided line should make it's way onto your reels.

Most anglers have grown up by buying a spool of monofilament fishing line, winding it on your spinning reel and hitting the water. No longer is monofilament the only type of fishing line you have for spooling up your reels. 

General Fishing Line Information on Braid

Monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing lines each have their place, but if you are not fishing braided fishing line you are missing the boat, or should we say missing fish. Fishing with more traditional lines in the past, meant re-spooling many times throughout the season. Well not anymore. The difference between braided vs. monofilament fishing line specifically, is that braid will last at minimum for a full fishing season. No longer should you be asking yourself which fishing line to use.  

Braid as the name suggests is a line that is made from engineered strains of fibers woven together. Braid overcomes many of the downfalls of the other types of fishing line on the market. It is a line that does not stretch and has superior line strength to diameter ratio. Hook setting is smooth, and durability is unmatched even in the most abrasive cover. Unfortunately, it is highly visible even in stained waters no matter the diameter you are fishing with.

Braided fishing line is perhaps the best fishing line type on the market. It excels in many different fishing situation but is one of the best fishing lines for bass fishing lures. It has almost twice as many advantages than disadvantages.

7 Advantages of Braided Fishing Line

1. Abrasion resistance -  The design of braided line makes it more abrasion resistant than any other type of fishing line. 
2. Knot strength - Pick a braided fishing line knot. Anyone you choose, braid has superior knot strength in every fishing situation.
3. Strength to diameter ratio - Low diameter compared to breaking strength (lb-test) gives you pulling power without sacrificing reel capacity and castability.
4. Zero stretch - Braided fishing line does not stretch, which is an important factor in how to pick a fishing line. 
5. Durability - The properties of braid makes it incredibly durable. It is by far the longest lasting line among all the other types of fishing line.
6. Eliminates line twists - Braid has zero memory, which means the traditional line twists you get in monofilament line are no more.
7. Visibility - Braid comes in a wide range of color choices and can be seen better than other line types, which is important depending on the fishing lures you may be throwing.

4 Disadvantages of Braided Fishing

1. Cost - Cost is a big factor for anglers today. Braid is more expensive than monofilament but the extra cost comes with the advantages mentioned above.
2. Difficult to cut - For those that cut line with their teeth, that won't work with braid. You need a good pair of fishing scissors to cut braid no matter what lb-test line for bass you are using.
3. Impossible to break - Getting hung up with braid and you will find it impossible to break it off.
4. More specialized. Braid line is not ideal for all types of fishing and species.

Tips for Getting Set Up With Braided Fishing Line

Braid is unlike other types of fishing line. As such, there are some additional tips you need to know when fishing braided line.

Rods and Reels

​Any spinning reel or bait casting reel can be used with braid. The only difference between fishing with braid and other fishing lines, is to remember to loosen your drag. Since braid doesn’t stretch, you will need to loosen your drag in order to effectively hook and land fish.

As far as the rod is concerned, I would suggest you use a rod with a soft tip. A soft fishing rod tip will help in your hook sets and keep the fish from throwing your bait. It's important to remember this tip. Soft rod tips and loose drags when fishing braid will equal more fish in the boat.

Spooling Braided Line

​Ideally with braid, you want to have backing on your reel first. Using backing on your reels saves you expensive line that would never see the water anyways. Backing is also important because braid won't catch on your spool easily without something for it to dig into like backing. Additionally, a few wraps of electrical tape around your spool will also give something for braid to dig into when spooling up.

Braided Fishing Line Knots

​When deciding which fishing line to use, consider that choosing to fish with braid line involves a few additional steps.

Typically, braided fishing line is fished with a 3- to 4-foot leader of fluorocarbon or monofilament. This leader provides some stretch and makes your line almost invisible to the fish. Because of this, you will need to not only know how to tie a knot to your lure but also connect the leader to your braid.

A simple Surgeon's Knot works well when attaching a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader to braid. This knot is simple to tie and very strong. There are many braided fishing line knots that work well for tying on leaders, but the Surgeon's Knot is by far the simplest and quickest to tie.

Video: Berkley Fishing's Angler Education on how to tie the Surgeon's Knot.

The best knot for tying braid directly to your lure is the Palomar Knot. The Palomar Knot is fairly simple to tie. It is super strong, and it is one of the better knots to hold your braid tight to your lures without failing.

Video: Berkley Fishing's Angler Education on how to tie the Palomar knot.

Braided fishing line will change the way you fish, hands down. Although it has a few disadvantages and it is not ideal for every situation such as fishing spinnerbaits for bass fishing, it's characteristics and advantages surpass the other types of fishing line on the market. Do yourself a favor and spool up braid on your reels this fishing season.