Braided Line Question

[blackadder]

Hi All,

I switched to braided line last year and I like the better feel and being able to use lighter sinkers, The tangles are a disaster I just cut them and retie. My questions is I put my reels away in September and just took them out last night to start cleaning them and found that the dark green has faded. The line doesn't seem damged and hasn't lost any strength. Do I need to replace it or is it still good? I usually replaced mono every season but with the cost of braided line I was hoping to get a little more life out of it. Again I have never used braid so if this normal just call me stupid and I will be happy with that.

Thanks

Chris

[ped579]

Fading is not a problem.  I usually go 2 to 3 seasons with my braid and had no problems.  This year is a year for change on a number of reels so I feel your pain in the cost.  As far as the wind knots you can try 2 things.  First the reels might have been over loaded I usually fill mine till I reach 1/4 inch from the lip of the spool.  Second I will be changing my first guide to a K series Fuji guide as it is designed to allow the line to slide over the guide and not begin the loop to cause the knots.

I hope this helps.

Happy Catching

Paul

[IrishAyes]

Braid does not degrade like mono does. If you don't see any fraying or nicks in the line you are good to go. 

[blackadder]

Thanks Guys,

My wife is right I am stupid (so she tells me every stinking day....) I was hoping that was normal for as braid is very expensive, but especially with my kids who dead stick alot I find the combination of braided line with circle hooks works well and they loose less fish when they are not paying attention.

I have read that many Party Boats don't want braid on Bluefishing trips so I am keep 30 lb mono on my big reels I can see why too I can imagine having a blue run off and snag 4 or 5 guys on the side of the boat with braid that would be a unholy mess.....

One more bone head question If I ever get the urge to take a deep water ling/blackfish/sea bass trip and I showed up with a heavy bluefish spinning rod and a large spinning reel (Penn Power Graph 7000 to be exact)would that work ( I would load up with 40 lb braid). All the pictures I see form these deep water trips everyone use conventional reels which I understand but being 50% Polish I can barely keep tangles off a spinning reel let alone a conventional reel.

Any Thoughts

Chris

[Capt. Carl]

it always fades out....a little trick i use....when i am spooling up an empty reel, i take a reel that has braid on it, and keep that in free spool then connect it to my mono backing on the empty reel and fill the empty reel from that one....basically "backwards". then all the braid that you never used on the reel is like brand new on the reel you just filled...color and all! 

[Wreckfish]

Another thing to consider:  Most of us only use about the100 yards of the 300 yards we have on our reels. Before the new season starts I like to re-spool onto another reel so that last years “fished” end is tied to the backing and the un-fished end is now the working end. You should get to good two to three years out of braid.  In other words reverse you line.  

[SurfJockey]

Yes, reverse the line!  It's like a freshly spooled reel!  Plan on hitting mine before the spring!

[blynch]

One more bone head question If I ever get the urge to take a deep water ling/blackfish/sea bass trip and I showed up with a heavy bluefish spinning rod and a large spinning reel (Penn Power Graph 7000 to be exact)would that work ( I would load up with 40 lb braid). All the pictures I see form these deep water trips everyone use conventional reels which I understand but being 50% Polish I can barely keep tangles off a spinning reel let alone a conventional reel.

Any Thoughts

Chris

The thing you have to remember is that sensitivity is very important in this kind of fishing.  I would guess that your bluefish rod is a stout, heavy action stick, which isnt very sensitive. Also, you might find that the line capacity comes up alittle short but i dont reallty know the specs on your power graph.

[Treebeard]

All great advice as usual here  4 sure don't sweat the fading.. the dye they use seems to wash out pretty easy, but the line lasts a long time.. i have some line that has almost turned white, but it still strong as ever. Got a deal last year on the red spiderwire.. the first few wettings while trolling with it my gunwales looked like a crime scene with all the red dye running off.. 

[Tacklebox Joe]

Braid does not degrade like mono does. If you don't see any fraying or nicks in the line you are good to go. 

 ....also, as Paul mentioned, change your braid every 2-3 seasons, I change every 2. I was shown how to reverse the line which , i was told, should be done after every season of use   When and if you can go with 50lb SUFFIX braided line

[PeggyLee]

Tell YOUR wife you are not  stupid but you are  SMART cause you married HER. Hence you are NOT stupid.    Then she will figure that out! Be SMART and not stupid for explanning this thing.

Now to answer your question:your braid is fine.BUT you already knew that,cause your SMART.

[Bucktail]

As Capt. Joe said, there is no need to change your braid unless it shows signs of wear.  The Spectra or Dyneema fibers (depending on which brand of braid you buy) are not as adversely affected by the sun's UV rays or extreme heat as monofilament is.  I have some reels that have the same spool of braid on it for 5+ years now.  And I can get it fairly cheap.

However, if your line has been subject to abrasion (run through the sand, rubbed on the boat's hull, etc.)  then you will need to check it carefully and replace (if not all) at least some of the line.

Fading means nothing.  No manufacturer has found a way to dye braid effectively and, as Treebeard said, all will turn gray or white over time.

[Luna Sea 5]

it always fades out....a little trick i use....when i am spooling up an empty reel, i take a reel that has braid on it, and keep that in free spool then connect it to my mono backing on the empty reel and fill the empty reel from that one....basically "backwards". then all the braid that you never used on the reel is like brand new on the reel you just filled...color and all! 

this is what i do also..

[On A Mission Fishing]

As everyone has said, the fading is no problem.
But I noticed you mentioned a Penn Power graph reel, I work in a tackle shop and would just like to add that that particular reel is not designed for braid line. The way the spool is designed is what is causing your (wind) not issue!

I would recomend stepping up to a Penn Battle wicth is designed for braid lines.

Hope I could help.

[blackadder]

Hello,

Yeah my old Power Graphs doesn't like the braid if I fill up the spool so I keep about 1/8" from totaly full. I use a PG4000 for Fluking with braid and a PG7000 with 30lb mono for the heavy stuff like bluefishing. My tangling issues is just general getting caught up with the person next to you (usually one of my kids), braid just isn't worth the time to try and detangle I just cut it off and move on. I do like my old Power Graph reels they have served for a long time however......I actually just got a Penn Battle BTL 4000 for my birthday over the weekend funny you should mention it must have ESP hehehehehehehehehe.

Chris

[Fireman Ed]

Yes, reverse the line!  It's like a freshly spooled reel!  Plan on hitting mine before the spring!

jason are you gunnatake care of my reels as well!!!!!