Is Braid Fishing Line Always
Better Than Nylon Line?

Braid fishing line is a thread-like yarn made up of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) fibres like Spectra and Dyneema. These 'super-lines' shouldn't be confused with the older, and much thicker, Dacron fishing line which is an inferior braid made from polyester fibres.

The much lauded properties of braid fishing line – its almost zero stretch, low diameter and high strength – make it ideal for many boat fishing and shore fishing applications.

They provide a number of benefits when compared to monofilament fishing line, but there’s a downside too …

Braid Fishing Line ~ The Good, and Not So Good

Strong points …

• Its small diameter means you can get more line on your reel.

• Its small diameter creates less air resistance and lets you cast further.

• Its small diameter enables it to cut through the water better than mono, which means you can get your lure down deeper when spinning and trolling, and it will sink faster when jigging.

• It has zero stretch, which means you get better bite indication at the rod tip.

• Similarly, you'll be kept in direct contact with a fish hitting your lure when spinning, plugging and jigging.

• Braided lines have no reel memory whatsoever.

Not so good …

• This line is so thin, hard and sharp it will cut fingers to the bone. Be careful!

• Braided line is capable of grooving the all but the hardest of line guides, so either roller guides throughout or ceramic-lined rod rings is the way to go for boat rods - the latter being the only sensible option for shore rods.

• Because of its zero stretch the line does not absorb shock at all, and hooks can be torn from a fish’s mouth.

• Braided line can be very visible in clear water conditions, particularly when seen from below and silhouetted against a bright sky.

• One more knot to learn - the rather unimaginatively named Braid Knot for tying braided line to swivels.

  None of the usual fishing knots are recommended for braid, except the Albright Knot for tying it to mono lines of larger diameter - shock leaders for example.

• And yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s expensive in comparison to nylon monofilament line.

Berkley FireLine Braid
more details...

Shock leaders should always be used with braided lines, not just for surfcasting but for trolling too. Otherwise, the lack of stretch will test your back and shoulders to the limit when playing a large fish, and when close the boat the fish may otherwise shake itself free.

And never handline a fish with the braid super-lines (another reason for that long monofilament leader), not even with gloves on. Old-style Dacron is fine for handlining, but Spectra or Dyneema? Forget it!

Just one more thing …

Braid lines don't cast well on a baitcast reel, as the coils bed into one another on the spool when under tension on the retrieve.

Next cast? A short, inaccurate one if you're lucky, and a bird's nest if you're not. And the memory of a birds nest in braid fishing line will stay with you for a long time.

So for casting with braid fishing line, a fixed spool spinning reel beats a baitcasting reel every time.