Superbraid lines

[gtinga]

Was looking thru various superbraid line adds and noticed some are formed from 4 strands and others 8. What are the advantages/disadvantages of these? Is one type more flexible or limp with less memory than the other?

Thanks.

[Juan]

I have a love / hate relationship with braid. One month, I love it and the next I hate it. I currently love it and think I'll probably stick with it this time. I don't even use a fluorocarbon leader any more and I can't tell any difference in my catch ratio.
To answer your question: I've tried a lot of different braids and have done a lot of reading about them and I've found there is a difference between 4 and 8 strands.. (There's a 9 strand too) The 8 and 9 strand braid is round so it's smoother. is quieter and casts better than the 4 strand braids but it costs more. Because the 4 strand braids aren't perfectly round, they make more noise and get more wind knots but they cut through vegetation and weeds better than the round braids and claim to have better abrasion resistance and cost less than the 8 & 9 strand braids. Both are extremely strong and have no stretch. The lack of stretch has it's pros and cons too.
Personally, I like the higher strands for the small diameter and added casting distance and I like and use 10lb PowerPro Super 8 Slick and Suffix 832.

[mosquito13]

What ever braid you use check the eyes on your rods often. I have worn groves on cheaper rods tip eyes and started shredding line. I like powerpro's super slick. Think it is a 8 strand. Have thrown friends rods with other brands of braid and not notice a difference on the line part. I always hit up the venders at the boat shows for coupons or buy directly there. Seams like powerpro pushes their product aggressively this way. Most of my rods have the 15lb . The debate over braid v/s mono has been beaten to death... and I do fish mono.

[985crabs]

I'm cheap and I think being in close proximity to hungry fish and presenting them with something they want leads to catching more of them than the line does. I just bought 1,097 yards of KastKing SuperPower 15# braid for $36. Feeling pretty good about it too.

[freezerfiller]

I haven't found a braid I like to fish with regularly. Alligator hunting is a different story.

[Warpig]

I fish braid almost exclusively. I've tried all kinds, PowerPro, Cabela's, Spiderwire, Kast King and a few others. I don't notice much difference except with the "coated" lines. Those may be 4 strand. I don't know for sure I think but they put the coating on there to make it more round. Those are noticeably stiffer. I do prefer the more flexible lines.

[gtinga]

Thanks for the information/opinions.  Reason I asked was my son set us up with an inshore guide in Ft. Meyers over Thanksgiving.  We caught a ton of jacks and had a great time.  The guide was using Hercules braid he bought in bulk for a great price.  He's been using it daily for over a year and swears by it. I liked it because it casts and handled better than any braid I'd used before. It comes in both 4 and 8 strand versions, hence my questions.

Many Thanks.  GT

[Simple Man]

Dec 12, 2019 9:50:43 GMT -6 985crabs said:

I'm cheap and I think being in close proximity to hungry fish and presenting them with something they want leads to catching more of them than the line does. I just bought 1,097 yards of KastKing SuperPower 15# braid for $36. Feeling pretty good about it too.

Keep an eye on that KastKing line and give a report back in a year or so. I spooled my KastKing reels with it a few years ago and started experiencing mystery breaks on big fish the last year or so. It kind of pulls apart (leaves a tuft of line at the break).

[985crabs]

Simple Man, you bring up and interesting point. How long should one leave braided line on a spool? I generally assume it is dry rotted after about 6 months so I'll change it systematically at that interval.

How long do you guys leave your line on a spool?

[Juan]

I think it depends on the line and how and where you store your fishing reels. I religiously flush mine with fresh water after every use, let em dry out and then spray with Reel Magic before storing them inside on a reel rack so they're completely out of any sunlight. That being said, I'll test the line for breaking strength after about 6 months of use and if I can break it easily, I'll empty the spool in the pasture and then reverse it on the spool so the line that was on the bottom of the spool is now on the top.

[Simple Man]

Jan 6, 2020 8:53:06 GMT -6 985crabs said:

Simple Man, you bring up and interesting point. How long should one leave braided line on a spool? I generally assume it is dry rotted after about 6 months so I'll change it systematically at that interval.

How long do you guys leave your line on a spool?

I used to leave braid on for years without noticeable degradation in strength. I had some old spider wire that was faded out white it was so old. I don't do that anymore and try to change the line out every 3-4 years now. Reason is I found out the hard way that If you don't back up with mono and leave the braid on the spool too long it will corrode the heck out of your spool.

[mosquito13]

Corrosion of the spool? Should do reel maintenance at least once a year. I do a complete clean and lube twice a year, minimum . How often do you clean your gun? I use powerpro super8 on all my set ups, but my fly rods. Mid season I use two spare reels to transfer the line to end up with the lure end(trimmed back past any abrasions) now tied to the spool. Effectively giving me "new" line to fish with . If I catch a large fish that pushes the line towards its breaking I replace. Example taking a 4' blacktip on a trout rod with 12lb braid on it. I replace line on my tarpon rods line every couple fish along with the drag washers. Cool trick I learned from Roland Martin is to use a black sharpie to blacked out the three feet of line and knot when fishing heavy cover. Not sure if it makes it less visible to fish, but he does it so I do it on my heavy bass rods.