love of braid

[BigBassin144]

I use a pair of fishing pliers with Tungsten Carbide cutters. They have been the most consistent for me over the past couple years. Braided line scissors work for a while, but do get dull. Regular scissors work for a shorter time and get dull. When these get dull, they don't cut clean if they cut at all. I don't really have a problem cutting the knot with the cutters that are on the side of the pliers and not in the jaw. Also, a sharp pocket knife works fairly well. I have a Buck Nobleman that slices through braid easily and cleanly.

BB

[MississippiBoy]

Back to the original question, who all uses braid for topwaters....spooks and other walking baits, especially? I've been using mono, I think 15-17 pound test, but I know some use braid for this. Who does, and what's your thought process for it?

[bassboogieman]

I've been away, and I'll say it once again. I am not a big fan of braid, although it does have it's uses in specific applications. I wouldn't think of spooling all my reels with it, I just don't like it for a majority of my fishing. I like it on spinning gear - 20# as I hate the issue of wind knots with anything lighter. Braid works so well with spinning gear, compared with other types of line. I like 50# for hollow-bodied frogs and jigs in heavy cover. That's it. I would not throw a treble hook bait on braid for any reason, I know guys that do, and they usually go to a lighter rod to compensate for the braid's lack of stretch, not me. I don't have many rods less than MH, those few Mediums I have are crankbait specific rods or finesse spinning rods. My line of choice is co-polymer for most applications other than mentioned above, where braid is a superior performer. Bottom line is I don't "love" braid, I'm more inclined to "love" co-polymer, but I "like" it in certain, rather specific, uses.

Back to the original question, who all uses braid for topwaters....spooks and other walking baits, especially

Daniel, I can't see a reason for using braid for topwater plugs. Frogs in heavy vegetation - certainly, but not for a plug. Braid's lack of stretch would be a problem for me with topwater plugs. I think a little stretch would be desirable with the delayed hookset, those lures require. Again, treble hooks (being short shanked) may get pulled out of a fish's mouth with braid, no forgiveness there, and I believe a bit of stretch may result in a better hookset, and keeping the fish button up, particularly with topwater. I often replace trebles, unless a bait comes with expecially good ones, and use a sweeping hookset rather than trying to hammer trebles home like you would with a heavy wire hook, like on a jig or when fishing a big hunk of plastic. As I said, I don't think using a lighter power (whimpy) rod to compensate for braid's lack of stretch is preferable to a heavier power rod with a line with a bit of stretch. To each his own, but that's my way of doing it.

[joedog]

I know the thread turned into a braid cutting thread so I'll start there, on one lanyard I carry a Bucks small pocket knife (razor sharp) and a Swiss Army similar to previous post, on another I have a small Leathermans with folding siscors and a blade I keep extremly sharp. As noted its the knots that are tuff as a posed to the braid itself, heres an idea for the times you find your self without a sissors, cut line with knife and take knot with your clippers just pinched enough to hold the knot and pull, the knot pulls a part and usually you can just pull it off. (some times you may have to do it a couple of times to get knot griped properly)...... Next, favorite braid, I use Spiderwire Ultra cast Invisi-braid. Now, I know most if not all of the braid users at one time or other have tried a clear braid and probably dissatisfied. Now invisi-braid is actually supposed to be translucent as apposed to clear. No it's not no flourocarbon but I fish extremly clear waters and was very surprised. If your in dingy water you still see a white line and theres no translucency so I usually take my black Sharpies and color a foot or so. I never use a leader with the exception when I'm in pike or musky water then I use tieable(is that a word?) wire leader or carolina rigging I'll use flourocarbon leader.

[carolina-rig-01]

Maybe I am the only one, but personaly I hate braid in the most profound way. I use it when I need to like frogs, flippin and pitching in nasty stuff, or even buzzbaits around a lot of nasty stuff. But I absolutley hate using it. I hate how it digs in, even with heavier lb test and also with backing, I don't like how hard it is on my equipment, and I have a tendancy to rip hooks out with it as well. When I do use it I like Sufix perfomance braid the best by a landslide though.

[Dogmatic]

Good to know that my dislikes of braid are not unheard of...I am slowly coming around to it, but only for the situations mentioned in the previous post.

[DVT Mike]

The back to back knots you're using are probably double uni-knots. The Albright or Alberto are the knots you want though. Stronger and slimmer going through the guides. I wouldn't bother with a leader unless you're worried about abrassion like around zebra mussels.

[Flippin TN]

for that nasty knot I use a utility knife and just change blades on occasion. seems to do the job.