KNOTS AND BRAID LINE

 AVOID WINDING KNOTS WITH BRAID

True braids derive their strength from the weaving or lamination of many polyethylene fibers, as their name suggests, do this by braiding the fibers, while the cast braids use a patented form of heat welding of the fibers together.

The melted braid lines are generally less expensive, stiffer and thicker than braids with the same breaking strength. This does not mean that it is not so good. In particular in very slight deformations, it can be much easier to handle than the fine braided lines of the same resistance. Although they still share the same no stretch virtual sensibility of the braided lines, their lower cost makes it a great starting point.

Braids have problems were the propensity to form knots of wind, the difficulty to see the braid in the dim light and the apparent fraying of the braid fur filaments that appear on the surface, which seemed to occur a few hours later. After a few sessions, I gave up and returned to nylon.

follow a few simple rules:

Never overfill the spool. It is best to leave at least a 3 mm gap from the spool lip when filling it initially. Braid is so much thinner than nylon that casting distance is not affected by under filling the spool slightly.

 If the spool is too full it allows loose loops to form during casting, and these are what form knots.

Filling the spool initially under pressure. I run the braid through a piece of damp cloth and pinch it firmly. There should be enough pressure on the line to make the handle slightly difficult to turn with a working drag set on the spool. 

This ensures that the spool is filled evenly and this is really important as with braid any loose line will cause wind knots. After casting, glance at the reel for loose line or loops over the edge of the spool before you engage the bale arm.

Flick the bail arm over manually rather than by turning the handle and using the automatic bale trip mechanism. This ensures that your hand is in the ideal position to give the line a tug to tension it and remove any overlapping loops before you bin the retrieve. While this may initially seem a bit tedious it soon becomes automatic and a seamless process.

Avoid slack line retrieves. This is generally not an issue if you are retrieving heavy hard bodied lures under constant tension. However, if you are retrieving soft plastics, especially on a windy day, and the jig head is too light then the wrist flick action used to impart movement to the lure can create slack line. 

My recommendation for soft plastics is to try to minimize the bow in the braid caused by the wind by increasing the jig head weight and lowering the rod tip. If you can’t do this then reduce the amount of wrist flick and use a steadier, measured retrieve to keep the line tight.

I recommend changing to a high visibility or Yellow braid color rather than use the Smoke Charcoal colored braid. It is very easy to see in most light conditions and if you can see what is happening to the braid then it is easier to figure out what is happening to the lure and make subtle adjustments to the retrieve or drift. In fact, if you are going to wet line soft plastics then braid visibility is critical.

SOME OTHER POINTS ABOUT FUSED BRAID:

I recommend always making sure that the knot joining the trace and braid is outside of the rod tip when casting. If the knot is inside the guides then it can catch and either damage the guides or potentially break the rod, especially if it is a two piece rod.

Before tying the knot I like to draw the braid between my thumb nail and forefinger under tension to soften the braid. This seems to make the knot draw together more evenly and prevents overlapping. Other reliable knots to use for attaching traces are the Al-bright and FG knot. One of the interesting things that I have also discovered about fused braid is that it is not as likely to twist as mono-filament when using bladed spinners.

Also to consider is that you tend to lose more fish with a melted braid near the shore because of the reduction in stretching. It is very important not to go too hard with soft-mouthed fish or those that tend to jump, respectively, especially towards the end of the bout, as hooks may retreat or bend. Anyway, the fish can escape.

 It's not so much a problem when there are a lot of lines when the fish is near the coast. Prepare to drop the end of the cane and direct it to the fish when it is running or jumping into the shallows to fix it.

There have been many developments in other melted braids in recent years and they are now uniformly thinner, Nano-fil and less prone to surface wear. Most of the friction that occurs with the modern braid occurs when the line is held on the fingertip during melting or in the area of ​​intense wear above the trace node mentioned above. I tend to cut that at the end of each session and tighten the knots to avoid any chance of failure.

At the end of each season is to remove and reverse the braid on the reel. This means that the largely unused braid of the coil base is brought to the surface, effectively doubling the service life. The braid will last several seasons if it is neat and inverted in this way. I always attach 20 to 30 meters of nylon to the spool and attach the braid to the reel, as it prevents the braid from rotating around the arbor, especially under a heavy load.

There is no doubt that the melted braid is an incredible product. Increased casting distance and instantaneous contact with anything on the other side of the line due to the small spread allows more fish to be hooked, especially at long distance.