04-02-2008, 02:17 AM
I use 20 and 30 lbs pound braided for mainly two reasons. Firts, I do not use Downriggers. That is my personal preference, and that is how I was advised by expert lake trout fisherman who do fishing up in Canadian lakes, like Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake and others. I put these lines in my trolling reels, and it gives me a sense of security knowing that 3-5 oz weight plus a 15-20 pound fish will not break my line. It would be 
to loose my lure and fish because my line was a little cut somewhere, perhaps by me or my equipment. A little thicker line will avoid this. Second, the 20 lbs braided is only 6 pound diameter, and the 30 is only 8 pound. I can still fit alot of line and have more assurance that nothing will break. Braided line also lasts a long time, so I use my reels at Lake Powell. Big catfish have immense strength. You will not believe how they will snap "strong" line. Because I fish for catfish on the bottom (mostly), casting and re-baiting take their toll on a line, and stronger line avoids the need to cut sections so often. That way it is cheaper too.
As for the Nail or Tube knot, yes, it is mainly a Fly line knot. But, if on rare occasions, I want to tie on a leader to my 6-12 lbs braided line, I use it. You get a much cleaner and smaller "bump" in your line, which does not get stuck as easily in the reel, if it gets there.
If I snag with 30 pound line, I just back up and turn my boat around. Most of the time, I would say 98-99% of the time, it just comes free then. Sometimes I have to pull harder, and in that case I just replace my leader or retie it and my lure or jig. This sure beats dealing with leadcore or some kind of steel line for downriggers. Plus, it is strong enough to troll deep with. 60-80 feet is no problem, without downriggers. I am not a pro, so every little extra-strength thing will help me until I learn better. We all have plenty of stories about how the big one got away, it may sound funny but I would like to avoid this.[blush]
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to loose my lure and fish because my line was a little cut somewhere, perhaps by me or my equipment. A little thicker line will avoid this. Second, the 20 lbs braided is only 6 pound diameter, and the 30 is only 8 pound. I can still fit alot of line and have more assurance that nothing will break. Braided line also lasts a long time, so I use my reels at Lake Powell. Big catfish have immense strength. You will not believe how they will snap "strong" line. Because I fish for catfish on the bottom (mostly), casting and re-baiting take their toll on a line, and stronger line avoids the need to cut sections so often. That way it is cheaper too. As for the Nail or Tube knot, yes, it is mainly a Fly line knot. But, if on rare occasions, I want to tie on a leader to my 6-12 lbs braided line, I use it. You get a much cleaner and smaller "bump" in your line, which does not get stuck as easily in the reel, if it gets there.
If I snag with 30 pound line, I just back up and turn my boat around. Most of the time, I would say 98-99% of the time, it just comes free then. Sometimes I have to pull harder, and in that case I just replace my leader or retie it and my lure or jig. This sure beats dealing with leadcore or some kind of steel line for downriggers. Plus, it is strong enough to troll deep with. 60-80 feet is no problem, without downriggers. I am not a pro, so every little extra-strength thing will help me until I learn better. We all have plenty of stories about how the big one got away, it may sound funny but I would like to avoid this.[blush]
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