How to Choose the Best Braid Fishing Line for Your Needs
February 2021
There are many types of fishing line including monofilament, braid, wire, fluorocarbon, among others. You can view our article Choosing the Best Fishing Line for more detail on how to pick a line that matches your fishing requirements. Anglers pick braid line for its small diameter, no stretch and great castability. Basspro Shops lists over 246 fishing lines and over 77 different braid lines, so how can you choose the best one for you?
Why use Braid Line?
There are many pros and cons in using braid fishing line. Anglers choose braid line as their “go to” line especially for long distance surf casting or when deep drop fishing is needed.
Pros
- Very small diameter compared to monofilament
- Casts farther
- Limited stretch
- Better line feel
- Low line twist
- Long lasting
Cons
- Difficult to untangle
- Can pull hooks from fish due to low stretch
- Can cut fingers on cast with spinning rods and heavy lures (see Ultimate Surf Casting Distance for more information)
- Knots can slip (improperly tied knots)
- Can have wind knots and tangles
- Expensive
Difference in Diameter Between Braid and Mono
One of the major benefits of braided line is the small diameter, but using smaller braided lines (below 15 lb test) can be quite challenging due to the very small line diameter. This makes tying knots and untwisting tangles challenging.
Types of Braid Line
The major types of braid line are classified by the number of strands that compose the woven structure of the line.
- Four Strand (or 5)
- Maximum strength and abrasion resistance
- Rougher surface
- More guide noise
- Eight Strand (or 9)
- Less abrasion resistant
- Smoother surface
- Cast farther
- 13, 18 (or More…)
- More consistent and smoother surface
- Maximum castability
- More expensive
Major Braid Fishing Lines
- Sufix
- 131 Braid (13 strand)
- 832 Advanced Ice Braid (8 strand)
- 832 Advanced (8 strand)
- Nanobraid
- Performance Braid
- Promix Braid
- Berkeley
- Gorilla
- Fireline
- Fireline Crystal
- Fireline Ultra
- X5 Braid (5 strand)
- X9 Braid (9 strand)
- Prospec
- PowerPro
- PowerPro
- Depth Hunter
- Depth Hunter Offshore
- Superslick v2
- MaxCuatro (4 strand)
- Ice Tec
- Hollow Ace
- Downrigger
- Daiwa
- Samurai
- J-Braid x8 Grand (8 strand)
- J-Braid x8 (8 strand)
- J-Braid x4 (4 strand)
- Saltiga
- Seaguar
- Smackdown
- Threadlocker (16 strand)
Choosing Your Braid
Choosing the best fishing line is a bit like choosing the best rod or reel. Everyone has their opinions on what is the “best” and most will do the job well. Manufacturers will market the next “new fiber” or the best new weave pattern, but there is minimal difference between similar lines.
As mentioned above, the major difference between braid lines is the number of strands that are used in the woven structure of the line. For heavy cover and when absolute maximum strength is needed it is best to use a 4 strand line. When smooth fishing and maximum casting distance is needed it is best to use an 8 strand or higher braid line.
Where to Buy Braid Fishing Line
Avoid Bargain Braids
There are many bargain brands of braid lines that are slightly cheaper than the products of the major manufacturers. I would suggest that you do not buy these cheap lines. Line is the most important link between you and the fish. The cheaper lines have larger diameters, bleed ink, have rougher coatings, have odor, or smell and often do not stand up to the proper line pound ratings. While they are cheaper, the difference in price is not worth the difference in quality.
Tips Using for Braid Line
Braid fishing line requires that you tie good knots to get the proper strength and minimize slippage. Here is a video 3 Knots for Braid that describes how to tie them.
Braid line requires that it be spooled evenly across the reel. Any gaps will create wind knots or other issues when you are casting. It should be noted that some older reels do not work well with braided line as they do not spool the line evenly and cleanly. For these reels is it best to stick with monofilament.
You can adjust the line spooling by removing or adding washers at the bottom of the reel spool.
SUMMARY
If you have never used braid fishing line it might be good to start considering it for your fishing. The small diameter, lack of line twist and maximum casting distance can benefit most anglers.
Tight lines … Captain P.