Help with choosing my next braided line

[Mack_attack]

I'm setting up my new combo for flicking large plastics for big snapper, spinning slugs for tuna and casting hardbodies for jacks and cod.

I've chosen to get a Stradic-FI 4000 (20lbs of drag:kiss:) matched with a Shimano raider Snapper 2pc 7'6", 5-8kg Spin stick and i'll match it will some 20lb or 30lb braid.

I have already ruled out tufline and sunline as even though they have great casting abilities they wear through on rocks like it wasn't even there. I have also ruled out fireline as although having great abrasion resistance it is not great for casting distance

So i was thinking:

-Platypus superbraid

-FINS Prt

-Line System Bass Hard PE

-Daiwa TD-sensor (maybe price might be an issue)

with the snapper and jacks fishing ideally you would want the best abrasion resistance possible but for tuna spinning you would ideally want the smoothest braid for the longest casts so what are your guys experiences and thoughts on the subject.

PS probably won't be tuna spinning as much as i would like so its major use willl be flicking Large SPs for big snapper.

[benno573]

i've never had too many issues with fireline regards casting distance. however, from your list, i can say good things about platypus. use it on a few reels, goes good. have switched to fireline on a couple of reels due to abrasion resistance advantage.

[pinkey]

ive got 14lb fireline and its good, but callum has 20lb platypus superbraid and its better ill have to admit . Very nice line. Casts like a bullet.

[Mack_attack]

thanks benno, in the lighter classes i have also had no issues with fireline but above about 10lb i find it to be pretty wiry stuff. But maybe down the track i might put platypus or similar on one spool for the ease of casting plastics etc and fireline on the other spool for cod and jacks where abrasion resistace is a must.

[kevinchen19870316]

varivas for open water, fireline for extreme snaggy condition. TD sensor or powerpro for usual conditions.

[Leighton]

Sun Line Castaway 50lbs

it is a PE3, same diameter as 30lbs

[namyau]

havent used anything in your list, from what ive heard bass hard is good, if you can get it try shakespear cajun braid if you can find it pretty good stuff or order online and get some exotic jdm stuff like gosen

[Dan23]

So far for power fishing I've found powerpro is pretty abrasion resistant. Especially in 20lb.

For finesse I'll only use TD sensor braid for its bright colour, thin diameter and soft memory free quality. I'd have to imagine the heavier versions would be great but IMO with fishing heavy the most important quality is toughness.

Have used tuff line and didn't rate it very highly. I hate fireline in the lighter classes, but it excels for heavy fishing around nasty structure so it mightn't be a terrible idea..

[Keechie]

plattypus superbraid for sure, i use it on my 2lb bream combo and also on my light shark rig. even on the shark rig with my overhead i cast like a bullet with it. seconfd option would be the fins.

[Mack_attack]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think i'm going to go with the platypus superbraid because it seems to be able to have a good mix of the features i'm searching for and is still relatively cheap. Now to decide on the colour yellow or green. I like the fact that yellow is highly visible so it will aid in trolling etc and i don't think it will scare the fish as long as my leader is long enough.

Anyone strongly disagree?

[MichaelJ]

yeh the platypus braid is good i just got a spool and its really strong casts far very easily and isnt to expensive

[namyau]

there is the copy of modern fishing with braid test, it should help you decide if i can find my copy ill scan it and post it up

[Mack_attack]

that would be great namyau, Thanks

[Keechie]

i use the yellow for my light stuff and green for my heavy work, i don't know why i just do.i do tend to find the yellow fades a bit to like a creamier yellow colour but i still enjoy it. goodluck

[fishyman]

namyau wrote:

there is the copy of modern fishing with braid test, it should help you decide if i can find my copy ill scan it and post it up

i would love that too

Cheers

[Dec]

I hate fireline from 2lb to whatever it has weak patches i find it gets alotmore wind knots and few other problems. Then the platipus line is my favrouite I have heaps of reels filled with it including 2 snapper reels and it is great good line abrasion and can cast good a bit stiff at the start though. Have also heard bad things about the fins line.

[fishyman]

sunline castaway is great from what ive played with (10lb) really thin and nice and strong.

the platypus sure is strong as hell but its a bit thick for my liking. probably be good for fishing structure

[BassTracker]

FINNS!!

I swear by it.. i've fished north qld reefs with it (with oodles of leader) but it seems to have good abrasion resisitence, the green stuff seems to be really good at tying itself in beautiful knots mid air, which is a pretty amazing skill if mid air knot tying is what your into, while the yellow braid seems to be really good, i havnt had any problems with it and most of my reels are spooled with it and are going on close to twelve months without looking like needing to be replaced

[fishyman]

just noticed something

Thats a 10-16lb blank if you plan on really locking up that 20lb of drag with 20-30lb line

bye bye blank

i am goign through the same situation as you at the moment setting up a new combo.

i was planning on running 20lb through a 6-17lb blank. the reel i chose has 8.5kg of drag so not quite 20lbs. i got turned away from 20-25lb braid because if i do lock up or cup teh spool to pull a fish up my blank could shatter.

just something i thought id mention

[BassTracker]

Good point fishy man, you must have listened in maths while I was talking to the blonde up the back :woohoo:

[fishyman]

haha dont mention maths lol just had a 3 hour exam today :S

back to teh point, yes overlining (running higher line through i light rod) can be manageable but if you make a mistake like lifting the rod to high you will break your rod if your fishing every bit of your gear.

[MichaelJ]

then when u have the braid tight u dont lift the rod as high which releves the pressure of the blank

[fishyman]

yeah but that also puts more pressure on your reel. its a bit of a give and take thing

[MichaelJ]

your reel should be pretty strong if it can have 8kg of drag

[fishyman]

yeah true,

just something i thought id mention.

for interest sake i have decided on running 17lb braid over my blank right on the edge of its line weight. should make things a bit safer

[Mack_attack]

Fishyman i understand where your coming from but i'm sure you've heard that you should set the reels drag to 1/3 of the breaking strain of your line. So about 3kg and the rod should handle it fine.

Offcourse if i screw the reels drag up to 20lb and high stick the rod with a few big jerks thrown in for good measure, no doubt it will break

[MichaelJ]

yeh youl rarely if ever have the drag over 5kg

[Mack_attack]

i know what you mean whatnow, 5kg of drag in a kayak isn't a good mix

[fishyman]

yeah alright just thought id mention it

[Mack_attack]

fishyman wrote:

just noticed something

Thats a 10-16lb blank if you plan on really locking up that 20lb of drag with 20-30lb line

bye bye blank

just something i thought id mention

BassTracker wrote:

Good point fishy man, you must have listened in maths while I was talking to the blonde up the back :woohoo:

Or not:laugh:

2.2x5=11lb

2.2x8=17.6lb

so it's more a 11-18lb blank.:silly:

I'm sorry fishyman not taking a shot at you i know how your brain must be feeling after that exam:S

[fishyman]

haha i just normally use 2x the kg lol

i know its not slightly perfect but it does the trick most times

[Feral]

I've seriously been eying off the 1mm whip cord, 100m for $6.50, 200lb breaking strain.

Be interesting to put it on my 6000 series baitcaster for sharks next summer!

[Mack_attack]

How would you attach it to your reel feral?

a small crimp maybe?

Love to see the monsters it could pull out:woohoo:

[MichaelJ]

sounds like something kev needs to stop those threadys lol

[Terry H]

With regards to line and breaking strength, depending on the knot you use for line to leader, you wont be able to put more than 80% of the breaking strain of the line without breaking the leader knot.

Unless of course you use a bimini twist and then join the two together.

Edit: so using a uni to uni leader knot with 20lbs the line will most likely break around 15lbs I think... can't remember exactly what the % was when Geoff Wilson tested the uni knot with braided lines

[namyau]

Mack_attack wrote:

that would be great namyau, Thanks

no worries - i wont be able to look for it till thursday as im staying at my gfs place for a few days.

[Feral]

Mack_attack wrote:

How would you attach it to your reel feral?

a small crimp maybe?

All new reels these days are ventilated, supposedly for lightness, in reality for me to tie the line on to through the holes