Need some advice/tips on PE 6lb

[flatty_catcher]

Hi all

I blindly purchased this expensive 6lb rock fish PE in a moment of impulsive buying...lol

I was told it is the best.. not sure what rates good braid these days but I have found a few small issues with it and was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on using this ultra thin stuff.

First issue is strength, it snapps at the knot with what I thought was a rather light tug (maybe not), when I tie the leader (I'm using 6lb leader).

Second I gave it a run yesterday arvo and it casts well enough and feels great but when i stopped to inspect how the knot was holding out on the leader it fell off in my hand because the leader knot was hitting the rails on cast and wore it out, i'm using an albright knot (the one that loops done then back again,some call it corrected albright).

It seems to have little abrasion resistance at all and my rod has larger runners to accomodate knots.

cheers

[Nitris]

thats crazy flatty catcher.... are u doubling the amount of turns u do in the braid compared to what u would do with mono.. i usually do 9-10 turns on the braid.. if u got the knot done realy good i usualy trim the mono leader real close to the knot so that there is less to catch on the runners.. How much did u spend on the braid?

also 6 lb should not snap like that, i guess unless the knot is not right.. i use 2 lb braid on one of the spools i have for my eggbeater and i dont find that tightning the knot like that breaks even my 2 lb.

[flatty_catcher]

yeah I just checked again, it's definetly a leader knot issue.

the braid itself is otherwise quite strong.

I might give the multiple loops ago

braid was $59.00 :ohmy: , but I only have one good setup so I get a lot of enjoyment out of itand now have 2 spools, the other spool has Berkely 8lb fireline on it.

Im sure its good stuff I just have to get used to it, you can cast an switchblade 30-40 meters and its very smooth so it handles well.

It really is remarkably thin, I just need to get the knots better

thanks

[flatty_catcher]

anyone used this stuff?

The tackle store I bought it from usually know their stuff, so I don't see why they would sell me crap.

just had a test and it frayed at the knot again?

cheers

[Nitris]

that is realy strange man... anything arround the $60 mark is good braid. what shop did u buy it form? it may just be faulty.. if it continues might be worth a go at taking it to them and asking them to have a go at it..

and yeh its great for casting.. once u get it sorted im sure u wil stay on the braid..

[Mack_attack]

Try doing 25 turns in your knot and remeber to lubricate it with some saliva.

[Feral]

Try tying the leader around the braid ion the albright knot, I do that with light braids and light leaders for the exact reason you have encountered, the leader has a lot more resistance to wear and tear through the runners.

[flatty_catcher]

thanks for the good advice guys, I took it down the river this arvo and did find it was wearing above the knot, somtimes only after 12 or so casts.

I did increase the number of loops to about 14 and got some better results, I also cut the line on an angle so it didn't

jutt out so much.

I will try the extra loops and the leader trick

It is wearing above the knot though, not at the knot,is this what you encountered feral?

Cheers

[Leighton]

Mack_attack wrote:

Try doing 25 turns in your knot and remeber to lubricate it with some saliva.

lubricate, I have found in the smaller braids and leaders if you dont lubricate or if you pull the knot together to quickly the knot heats up causing breakage

[Feral]

flatty_catcher wrote:

It is wearing above the knot though, not at the knot,is this what you encountered feral?

Cheers

No, but I do have a braid that does that, its a really light one, but in the case of mine it is two layered, its only the outer layer that wears, with only the inner layer left it still seems just as strong, but I dont trust it.

I just change the leader more often when using that braid.

[flatty_catcher]

well I spent 59 dollars and now I think the braid ani't worth 10 dollars

I cannot see any benefit in this braid if it is meant to be stronger then mono but is in fact weaker due to poor abrasion resistance.

my old berkely fireline 8 lb with go all day for a week hitting the runners...hmmm

this stuff? at the moment it is lasting 20 casts max

lesson learnt Rock-fish PE is not the "Best Braid" at all...

Dan

[Leighton]

Welcome to the world of PE Braids, a PE will break at or even less than 8lbs

8lbs Fireline will break closer to 15-20lbs

[flatty_catcher]

Well I am just going to use a shorter leader,

I cant be worrying about the wear on my braid every 15 minutes, its not my fishing style.

anyways there is hope yet and soome good ideas too so hopfully I will get better mileage between leader changes using the advice.

also Leighton its not the breaking strain that botherd me , its the fact its wears down in seconds if i flick a one off jerky cast

[flatty_catcher]

Bought some 6 lb Finns today and will be putting that on my other spool, feels good

I will need to persevere with the rockfish.

had a few casts this morning and I seem to be getting less runner abrasion with the longer 24 loop knot (it probably doesn't tilt as much)

its been a bit windy all round anyway, think ill wait for the wind to die down

cheers

[noname]

with my braid, i will always use a bimini twist, which gives you a double, then a simple uni knot with both the braid and mono, and no problems yet in 8 years, it's easy, and simple, as you have small knots, this might work for ya, and it might knot,, get it.. good luck mate..my thoughts are pe is a over rated line,

[flatty_catcher]

thanks Rob

I will be trying all this stuff

[ellicat]

Might seem a bit obvious, but have you checked there's not a rough patch inside one of your runners ?

[flatty_catcher]

ellicat wrote:

Might seem a bit obvious, but have you checked there's not a rough patch inside one of your runners ?

yeah I will check that

I am thinking it was my knots

It seems the high qual PE is not as easy to handle and

for the newbie to PE like myself I have to adjust to it.

or else just eventually throw it in the bin and tell no one,

Dan

[Cowfish13]

I know this may also seem obvious, but have you checked that you are tieing the knot correctly? Not trying to insult you in anyway as it took me a long time to learn how to tie the albright. I kept stuffing up and it would either slip or break with next to no pressure.

Another knot to try could be a uni to uni connection. A bit easier and still gives great % of line strength

Failing all that, if you are definately tieing the knots correctly and lubing them to make them slide and tighten easier, then I think you were just very unlucky with your purchase and picked up a bad batch (the brand is still awesome though). Most braids, especially those around that price range, are great quality lines and you shouldn't experience any of these problems.

[Nitris]

i fish with 2 lb on my 25oo darwia caprice reel and a procaster-x im-7 rod.. never had a problem even with the 2 lb... im going to also call dodgy batch of braid..

[flatty_catcher]

yes the knots are good. has anyone here used rockfish PE?

give it a run and you will know what I mean

I have no idea why it is a light braid , I agree with Rob , its a little over rated

I have purchased FIN

I will kepp an eye on this , as I am very curious if it is good or not.

the guy at BCF (who dont stock this stuff), said the easy snapps are typical of rock fish.

daN

[kriso]

i had a similar prob with pe braids mate, i changed my knot to the slim beauty and made sure i lubricated the knot well and didnt have a drama after that.

[namyau]

do double the amounts of turns then when its been pulled together do a couple of half hitches around the line with the tag ends