The braided fishing line is known as one of the earliest types of fishing lines widely used by fishermen. Back in the times, it was made of natural fibres including cotton and linen, which doesn’t necessarily mean they were very effective. Today the fishing community enjoys a far better option of fishing braid line, made of much stronger and durable materials such as Dacron, Spectra and the micro-dyneema braided into one single strand. This new alternative differs largely than its predecessor, and judging by the experience of fishermen who used it, it exceeds in performance the much praised monofilament line and the other popular types.
It’s Thinner than Other Types
Compared to the nylon monofilament line, the fishing braid is a lot thinner, which can be, but doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good thing. In addition to this characteristic, the braided fishing line is also very soft on the touch and it’s easily visible. As pointed out, these traits doesn’t necessarily contribute to the goodness of the fishing braid, but are characteristics that an angler can easily adjust towards his needs.
Very Small Diameter
Consequently to being very thin, the braided line has a very thin diameter as well. The interesting thing about the braided line with thin diameter is that it can withstand a lot more weight than the monofilament one that has a larger diameter. However, while the thin line offers the advantage of less water resistance – allowing you to feel when a fish bites the bait in vast depths, it comes at a price: it’s hard to work with, as knots are very hard to tie.
Very Little Stretch
The braided fishing line has almost no stretch. Fishermen who are accustomed to fishing with mono will find this very strange and quite hard to adjust to. However, the lack of stretch does provide some good traits, like feeling the hits better. Through a line that has a small stretching coefficient, the hits are easily felt as they are transmitted a lot faster. As good as this may be, it’s a double-edged sword: as you’re feeling the hit efficiently, so does the fish that bites the bait. Once the fish feels controlled on the other side of the rod, it’s more likely to drop the bait and swim away.
Hardly Visible
Yes, the braided fishing line is hardly visible because it’s so thin. And besides all the other benefits it offers, a lot of fishermen have found a way to keep an eye on the line. What they do is, they tie a leader – a piece of line from another type (like mono for example) that is a lot more visible and thus, shows the fisherman where the line goes. How you tie the knot is also important: surgeon’s knot is best, and so is the back-to-back uni knot, which is quite commonly used.
