Line Extremes: Part 1

To my surprise the most common questions that roll in to the site are those about line. Whether it be about specific techniques or more generalized questions, anglers really want to understand the line they are using. No longer do anglers settle for pros telling them to throw line “x” or line “y”. Now they want to know when, how, and most important, WHY.
In the past I’ve told you that I use braid in nearly every application. I’ve also explained my reasoning behind that so for today we will skip past it. Whether you use braid, mono, or flouro, I believe this topic will apply equally. I call it fishing the “Line Extremes” for big bass. Personally, these extremes apply to my leader material but for you it may apply to your main line.
Let’s define what I mean by extremes. On a given day you will not find a lot of “in between” line sizes on my boat. Sure, there are techniques that require 8, 10, 12, and 15 lb line but those typically aren’t big bass applications. For the sake of today’s discussion I will be ignoring applications that require these line sizes.
In part 2 I will discuss fishing with extremely light line and why it can be deadly effective but today we’re going to discuss the other end of the spectrum.
Extremely heavy line has its place, even in clear water. Many anglers are shocked to find that I use 65-80 lb braid and 25-30 lb mono and flourocarbon leaders for every day techniques. I can often be found flipping a jig on 25 lb, swimbaiting on 30 lb, or throwing a topwater on 80 lb. Why do I do this when I am knowingly eliminating bites? Simple… I don’t believe I am eliminating bites at all. If I fished with 30 lb monofilament every day of the year I would absolutely be hurting myself but by studying the conditions you will realize that sometimes the bass don’t care about line size. On those days, fishing with extremely heavy line actually helps you catch bigger fish.
The obvious question at this point is, “how can heavy line help?” I’m going to use a video as an example.

Prior to this video I noticed that despite crystal clear conditions the bass did not seem to respond to changes in line size at all. Instead of continuing to use light line I stepped up to a very heavy flourocarbon. When I hooked this bass I immediately knew I was in trouble. The fish had managed to get the hook in her lower jaw, right where I would normally lip her. As the fight nears the boat it becomes clear that I can’t grab her. She was shaking and thrashing and was sure to come off at any minute if I didn’t make a quick decision. If I had been using light line I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about the situation but since I had stepped up my line size, I literally grabbed the line and dragged her into the boat with no fear of breakage.
In this case, I can thank my heavy line for getting this bass in the boat. Will this logic work in every application? There are times when sticking to heavy line will result in less (or no) fish. However, if you learn to watch the bass’ response it becomes very obvious when you can step up line size to maximize your chance of landing a trophy bass.
…More to come in part 2.

Who makes the best braid?

The previous post makes my stance on braid pretty clear. If you haven’t made the switch to braided line yet, its time. Now that we have that out of the way there are a few more details to consider. The term “braided line” actually includes a variety of different materials from a handful of companies. To properly understand braid you must begin by understanding that not all braid is created equal.
I’m not here today to advocate a single brand. However, I will tell you that before reading the following material I fished with power pro and P-Line Spectrex interchangeably. At this time, I’m not sure what I will be using in the future. I’ve always liked the thought of using a brand of braid that had more carriers, as they are typically smoother and more manageable. The downside to this, at least in my own thinking, is that they tend to be weaker overall than lines with only a few carriers. I’ve been arguing with myself about what brands to try and what options might meet my needs for over a year now.
On a recent trip I stumbled my way into the pages of Florida Sport Fishing Magazine. As I thumbed through the pages of the September/October issue I was happily surprised by an in-depth article on braided lines titled, “The 30 lb. Challenge, All braids are NOT created Equal”
I was in for a treat! There are four primary factors that you need to consider when looking at a braided line. As explained in the article they are the fibrous material the braid is made of. (Typically Dyneema or Spectra fiber) The number of carriers (individual threads that will be weaved together to form the line), The “picks” per inch (this represents the number of times the carriers cross each other in the weaving process), and the final coating process.

Once you bring these four factors into play you can select a line that will meet your needs. In the meantime, I’m happy to share this graphic from the magazine. I hope you find it as helpful, eye-opening, and possibly even as much of a shocker as I did. As the title of the article stated, braids are NOT all created equal!

I have to admit that I was completely shocked by some of the results of these tests. Again, I am not here to promote any specific brand. However, after seeing these results I will personally be looking into a few different brands that may better suit my needs. I hope you’ve found this information useful!

If you’re interested in gaining a better grasp of how braided line is made and what separates one brand from another I highly recommend you visit the magazine’s website and contact them directly to try and pick up a copy of the September/October issue at: http://floridasportfishing.com/magazine/

Also, I beg you to support your local tackle shops. We’re in the midst of a tough market and they need all the help they can get. However, if you don’t have a local shop I recommend purchasing your braid from tacklewarehouse. Here is a direct link to their Braided line selection: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Braided_Fishing_Line/catpage-FLBRAIDED.html?from=tbassin

Did you enjoy this post? Was this information new? Leave a comment and let me hear your thoughts.

Making the Switch to all Braid

It was only a few short years ago that I believed braid was only good for frog fishing. Oh how the tides have turned. Today you will find that every rod I own is spooled with braided line. From the smallest of dropshot rigs, to the heaviest of swimbaits its all braid of varying brands. Obviously making a switch of this magnitude is not simple. It requires quite a few changes to how you fish but more importantly, to the gear you use. However, there is good news! You don’t need to spend a fortune to make the transition to braided line. This video will explain how to do it with the equipment you already have. If you haven’t made the switch yet, its time.

One of the key differences between fishing braided lines as opposed to straight monofilament or flourocarbon is the need for leaders. I’ve actually already filmed a video describing how to tie the necessary knots. If you look to the upper right you’ll see a window highlighting the most popular posts. It is called, “Four Essential Knots for Bass Fishing.”

In the next few days I will do an additional post that discusses the different brands of braided lines. Not all brands are created equal. I’ll show you some of the differences and even show the specific braided lines that I choose to use for my day to day fishing. Stay tuned!