Anyone test the Braid?

[Tarpon4me]

You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if Braid line is much stronger than the pound test that it states. I keep thinking back to all those times i've gotten snagged in a limb and gave it a jerk, and to my surprise, the line doesn't break and I get my lure or bobber back. It's so surprising to me because a swift jerk with an equal size mono line and it more than likely would break.

I've never actually tested the breaking strength of braided lines before. I have tested mono before, and many of the monophiliment lines on the market are high quality and can with stand much higher tention than the pound class it is rated. I just wonder why braided line of the same strength won't break under the same stressors that a mono line would.

My only theory is that since mono is plastic and stretches, that as it stretches it looses it's strength gradually as the line is pulled and thinned. Where as a braid line has no stretch, thus, it maintains it's true breaking strength 100% of the time.

Any thoughts?
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[tubeN2]

I have made several test with braided, mono, hybrids and dacrons.

I shark fished with the Stren XXX 3 years ago. I was able to lift a 25lb shark (lip hooked)straight out of the water with their 10lb test. I lost a 3lb fish while hand lining the same line up a pier when the line hit a pile of mussels on the pier. I have also had 30 spectra snap at a lower lb rating than what it's rated for.

I have used Penns braided line to catch fish that were much bigger than what it was rated for only to watch it snap on a pull guage at 5lb less than the rating.

I developed a fancy for the newer Calcutta line. It has nothing to do with getting the 5lb spool for free on a test but I like the silky coating that is on the line. It wasn't intended for every fisherman/woman. You really have to know your knots with this stuff.[cool]
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey tubeN2,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]You are right on again ! Knots are really an important key to getting any particular line to perform to it's fullest ![/size][/black]
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[Tarpon4me]

I tried that Calcutta Braid one time. A friend of mine that owns a tackle store spooled up my Abu 6500 with the yellow 30lb test to let me try. I really wasn't impressed with the lines performance. I came to find that it doesn't have a very good abbrasion resistance compared to some of the other lines i've used, including a lesser cost Mono. It cut off a little too easily when fishing around the jetties. I also noticed that the line pulled into itself under extreme tension, a trait by which cost me more than one fish. The line was put on very tight, so that wasn't the issue. Needless to say, the line wasn't on my reel very long. I examined the line closely before my final decision to strip the 15 dollars worth of braid off the reel. I noticed that the line was actually sorta flat, which would explain the "folding" back into itself under pressure. My conclusion is that Calcutta was probably better suited for spinning tackle rather than conventional or hard core bait casting reels.

Like you, i've caught huge fish in comparison to the tackle rating that I was using. But that's no secret, i've always used undersized tackle for big game. I just wonder what makes those braid lines so much tougher than an equal pound test mono or hybrid.

Have you ever used Stren Super Braid or Power Pro? You might find those two braids superior to your calcutta. I'm not kidding Steve, that stuff is tough. If you look back on a similar conversation you and I had about braid line, I swore i'd never spend the money to put it on my reels. Well, here I am, spooling up my reels with power pro. LOL I'm sold on how strong and how well the line casts. If a true braid hater can be converted, there's got to be something to it. [cool]
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]Hey Tapon4me,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]I've also tried almost the whole spectrum of braided lines(I have not tried Gorilla yet). I even still have some of each, although I don't have any Spiderwire on any reels currently, I still have an unused spool of it sitting in the fishing line footlocker. Currently, I am using Fireline, and recently I have been converting some of my reels to Power Pro because of the castability and good response I have had from it. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]I don't think however, that I am to the point of completely converting from Hybrids or even quality mono. There are applications of which I still think those lines perform quite well. [/size][/black]
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[Tarpon4me]

For sure, there will always be a need for mono. Even on my big game reels, I prefer Mono over Braid. At a minimum i'll put a 20 or 30 foot top shop of mono on.

Braid just has so many advantages, most of which being line compacity. Braid give you the capablility of catching a fish much larger on a smaller reel, which makes for a fun time.

Lures also track more naturally with a high quality braid, and hook sets are far more superior, especially at long distances. There are many pros and cons, but like you said, there are many situations that nothing but mono will work. [cool]
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[tubeN2]

You are right about the flatness of the Calcutta. I think it was intended for the Coffee Grinders (Spinning Reels). It seems to work well on them.

As for the special color braids, I don't care much for the yellow, red nor the brown. The green or black is sufficient for my liking.

I do like the Stren Braid. It is good for the price. I will save buying the Power Pro for when I hit the Lottery. It is a little pricey in comparison to the rest but it is a good line.

I don't know if it is the amount of salt in the water on the west coast or what but I tend to have to strip/rinse my line more often when I use the Power Pro and the Penn braided line. Go figure.[cool]
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