Braid Boat Rods
- Are They For You?

The are several good reasons for using braid line, and braid boat rods are designed such that all the benefits of braid can be fully exploited.

As we know, the key benefits of braid fishing line are associated with its small diameter and its total lack of stretch - and it's these properties that create problems for an 'ordinary' rod.

Braided line will quickly cut into normal unlined rod rings, and allow a desperate fish to rip itself free of the hook.

But a braid boat rod is designed to deal with all such problems.

First though, let's remind ourselves why braid line outfits are so effective...

• the small diameter braid will offer much less resistance to the water letting you get your baited rig down firmly on the seabed - where the fish are.

• For the same reason, you'll be able to hold bottom with a lighter weight.

• Due to the low-stretch nature of the line, bite detection will be instant.

But back to the required qualities of the rod needed to get the best out of these lines...

Rod Rings for Braid Rods

These must be ceramic lined to avoid the risk of grooving.

Aluminium oxide was I believe, the first ceramic lining to be used, but even harder ceramic materials are used now, such as silicon carbide or silicon nitride.

For peace of mind it's worth paying the little extra for rod rings of the highest quality, such as those made by Fuji or Seymo.

Roller line guides - providing they're well maintained and free to rotate - also avoid the grooving problem, but there is a risk of the very thin braid getting jammed in the narrow gap on the outside of the roller. This is more likely to happen when jigging, and less likely when bottom fishing and trolling.

Dealing with Braid Line's Complete Lack of Stretch

Whilst the non-stretch nature of the line will enable you to see bites so much better, the absence of 'give' in the system may tear the hook from the fish's mouth and test all knotted connections to the point of failure.

To counter this, braid rods are made from carbon fibre blanks and are slimmer and of a softer action than standard boat rods, providing the ultimate-bite detection whilst cushioning the lunges of a powerful fish.

Click Here for a good example of a Braid Fishing Rod...

Boat rods are normally coupled with conventional (multiplier) reels, which are used on top of the rod. Consequently, more rod rings than you'd see on a standard boat rod are needed on a braid boat rod for the line to follow curve of the rod and not touch the blank.

For the ultimate in braid line fishing pleasure, a silky smooth lever drag multiplier reel completes the outfit...

Multi-Tip Braid Boat Rods

Most braid rods are produced in the 6lb to 30lb range, and an increasing number come with several tip sections of differing stiffness. This is just the thing for an angler who wants one rod to fulfil several tasks.