Braid

[GodWithaRod]

What is it and what are it's main advantages to sea anglers???

[The Great Wallsendo]

Instead of line made up of one strand of stretchy mono. Braided line comprises of multiple strands of fibre interwoven together...the result is stronger, finer lines with less stretch

Less stretch means improved bite detection and "feel"...

It is is however an argued point whether it's better than mono

I would say it is better in certain situations such as spinning and fishing light gear and also from the Boat

Someone else will have their own opinions as it's really down to personal experience

[mick dunn]

Braid is good on a boat. You can use a lighter wieght to get down. It has a couple of drawbacks.When you get caught in a crossed lines its a nightmare to untangle. When you get stuck on the bottom you cannot grab braid as it cuts like cheesewire. You need a piece of wood to wrap the braid round and pull.
I have 30lb braid with a ten foot mono leader on one reel. and 50lb mono on my other. Tend to use the braid more. You can feel bites better.

ps Braid is not cheap either.

Mick.

[GodWithaRod]

Do people use it on their multipliers for beachcasters?? Spoke to someone last week who said he used it. Wasn't sure what you'd gain by it. Would you use the same strength braid as your mono, or would you use a higher strength if you ditched the mono in favour of it?

[codseeker]

i dont think its any good for casting with a multipier i cud be wrong never used it ,fixed spool is ok for casting it . but ideal on dropping on a boat

[Lowrider]

Only prob from the beach is that the lack of give means every movement of the sea is shown.
So i found that the rod was at times almost dragged out the rest.
Great for clam summer fishing but has it problems other wise.
You could just set the clutch loose or the reel in free spool but on a busy mark that is not always possible.
Lastly with multies the prob is that the lines being so thin tends to dig in on itself,causing problems.

[treeboa]

i often use braid from the shore on a multi, one at 20lbs b/s ( dia of 6 lb mono) the other at 50lbs b/s ( dia of 15 lb mono), in anything but a mild swell you have serious rod nodding, every tap looks like a great whites playing with your bait , if your casting is smooth and your using a decent multi then you wont have a problem, though you still need to use a shock leader, get it stuck in and use your hands to drag it out and you wont be fishing again, it will take your fingers off, if you birdsnest it will be a real baby of an eagles nest , in the right circumstances and conditions i think i will allow you to outfish mono, especially for those fish that mouth the bait rather than hammer it down, you just have to remember that heavy tap tap tap may actually be a crab that normally you would not see

[mick dunn]

Treeboa never heard or seen it on a multi for pier fishing/casting. Seen it used on fixed spool from the pier.

[treeboa]

mick i started using the stuff years ago for bass fishing on clean welsh beaches, keeps you in better contact with your bait for those often missed bites that happens with mono, a little pluck on mono is a deff bite on braid, when i moved over here from merseyside i continued using the stuff as well as mono, conditions and sea state dictates, took a few codling and many whiting on braid last year, mainly on flat conditions, horden in general is clean at high water and i have used it at hendon as well, but not in the rocky areas

laying the line is a prime concern, i use level line multis only, 20lbs on an abu 5500 and the heavier is on a shimano , though i have used it on an abu 6600 brute as well without a problem, smooth casting is the only way, it does not take prisioners at all if you cock up the cast, birds nests are suddenly eagles nests lol, takes practice but if your willing to try its worth it in my book, the thinner line does cast further, having heavy bs braid on your reel also being thinner than mono also means you can cast further if need be plus you have more chance of getting your end gear from a snag as long as you take precautions and dont loose your hand , personally i would not use it on a slosh or a penn as they dont have level winds and the sloshes i have used in the past have been like the old shimano fst`s as in near uncontrolable

if your thinking of trying braid, take it slowly, tighten your end caps and if you have mag brakes set them high, ease it back as you become more confident, obviously use it in daylight first, dont run with the thought, oh im good with mono and can really hit the stuff, braid shows up every bit of sloppy casting it can unlike the more forgiving mono, im not saying im a good caster or anything like that, im just aware that i have learned to use the stuff, and casting smoothly is the key, as is good laying of the line on the spool, dont expect instant results, like leaning to cast you need to practice, i have seen 70lb braid used straight through without a shock leader, personally i wont, it does not take wear as well as mono so having a shock takes the dragging over the beach better and you can see the damage or at least feel it as it comes past your fingers