braid main line

[Common 40]

either of the 2 combinations you mention would work fine, choose your line carefully though, looking more at the diamater than its stated B.S

 

Incidetally just to add to Jim's comment of heavy unyielding rods, if anyone has had the pure delight and pleasure of playing a large fish on a Diawa infinity 2.75 TC will know what I mean (IMO the rolls royce of all carp rods made to date), closely followed by the Dream maker 3.25 Tc

 

[ 09. September 2005, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: Common 40 ]

[comradpoplin]

mine is a standerd 2 1/2lb tc ron thompson rod not an overly expensive rod but does this make a lot of diffrence i dont really understand the test curve bit totely

[Jim Gibbinson]

Worry not, Comradpoplin - no one understands test-curves! They are applied somewhat arbitrarily and there is no industry-accepted standard.

[Newt]

Jim Gibbinson:

- ...."it is well documented that mono, after being stretched to near the breaking point is permanently weakened...." Documented by whom? I carried out a whole load of tests on monos (published four or five years ago in Carpworld as a series of three articles entitled "Mono Multi-Tests"). To my surprise, I found that after being stressed until it actually broke, the stressed mono recovered full strength, or as near as dammit, within about 30 mins. I suspect this has to do with realignment of the molecular structure - but I emphasise that's only an opinion.

Jim - thank you for that information. Directly contrary to what I thought I knew but that won't be a first. I had no idea the weakening was a temporary thing.

 

Your other point about heavy rods, heavy hands, and low stretch lines is also well taken. It does seem like the heavy rods would take lots of the fun out of catching the fish though.

[Andrew Burgess]

I thought I make a point here.

 

Never use braided mainline as a hooklenght as due to its ultra low diameter/high strenght ratio it can cut their mouths. If you are using hooklenght and rig tube/leadcore/leader the main line never come in contact with the fish. The only way I've seen damage caused when using braid is when anglers used with high power rods 3lb+ T.C.and the pulling so hard that the hook is pulled riping the mouth. But thats the angler not the braid fault.

[poledark]

And as most carpers(we are talking about carpers are we not?) seem to be using pretty thick coated braids for hooklengths the "problem" of cutting mouths would seem to be academic (all in the mind??)

 

Braid bashing is a load of rubbish...mouths torn?? faces cut open?? (yes I have heard that) dragging fish in?? (not down to braid, surely??)

 

Coming from a very old school I was brought up on twisted silk(?) line, and the only consideration was strength.

When the new wonder product Nylon line came on the market it offered us a thinner, stronger material which was siezed upon by the angling world. Noone complained about it being thinner, stronger and less stretchy than twisted silk, (well maybe aa couple of people did )

 

Then we got Glass rods...almost indestructible compared to whole/split cane...did we complain?? (well maybe one or two did )

 

Then we got prestretched nylon/perlon ..even thinner and stronger..

 

now we have braid (actually been around foe many years )

 

Did we complain (well at least one does )

 

I use braid, for at least ten years for barbel and more for carp and I also use rods which have rated TC up to 3.5 lbs and I have neve seen any mouth damage which I can attribute to "heavy" tackle.

 

I play my fish on my medium feeder rods and 12lb line the same as when using my 3.5 Greys and 20lb line....and this would be no diffferent if I were using nylon of 10 and 15lbs.

 

no way would I use less.

 

Can you quote me any scource for the statement that "many who used braid are switching back to mono" Jim....not my experience, I see a steady increase in the use of braid on the waters I fish, so often the topic of conversations on the bank are extolling the virtues of braid over nylon, never about the damage to fish. Not discussed because it is not an issue!!

 

Den

[Common 40]

I totally agree with you Den, very well put

[Jim Gibbinson]

Den, I've seen several references to abandonment of braid by different authors in the carp magazines, and have encountered similar accounts in conversations with anglers on the bank. Whether there has been a net increase or decrease in braid use for carp fishing I'm not able to say - perhaps there is a tackle dealer reading this who could tell us?

 

Yes, Den, like you I go back a few years.... And like you, I used braid main-line back in the 60s - in my case it was Milwards Black Spider, or White Spider which I dyed (braided terylene). It was thicker than modern braids, but shared with some modern braids the unfortunate characteristic that it had very poor abrasion resistance compared with mono.

 

In your hands, Den - bearing in mind your many years of experience - I'm sure you can play fish safely on braid (even on your needlessly stiff rods!), but what about those who lack such experience? If you ran a fishery, would you be happy for inexperienced anglers, or those with comparitively little experience, to hook your carp on non-stretch braid and stiff rods?

[Common 40]

Jim I know you are asking the question directly at Den, I appollogise for butting in and sharing in the mixed oppinion, however I would answer you,

 

If I were a fishery owner I would have no problem in unexperienced anglers using braid, reasoning; I have witnessed lots and lots of times, tethered fish, towing snapped mono, it is possible this was not caused by inexperience, But I have also witnessed as I am sure you have very light monos being used on specimen lakes which makes me sad and angry

I understand that if a fish unfortunately swims into a hidden snag you may have to pull for a break, but I would have done all the homework and plumbing around that I could beforehand, and simply would not fish in areas where I thought the fish could get snagged.

 

Is it just me that has this horrendous thought of leaving my tackle in the lake, or worse still connected to the fish.

I am a firm believer in using the right gear for the right lake.

 

[ 10. September 2005, 09:51 AM: Message edited by: Common 40 ]

[Jim Gibbinson]

Common 40, I agree with you 100% about the need to use the correct gear for the fishing circumstances. Difficult to legislate for this, though. A pole angler, targeting small silver fish, might inadvertently hook a big carp. It would be wrong, would it not, to compel that pole angler to use heavier tackle because of such an eventuality? I once landed a 20lb-ish carp that had at least half-a-dozen mini hooks (size 20 or thereabouts) in its mouth. I removed them all, of course, but I suspect it then went on to accumulate another batch! I wouldn't want to dictate to pole anglers that they should use heavy tackle, though. Anglers who deliberately target big carp with inadequate tackle are another matter. They require education in the first instance; banning from the fishery/club if they continue to behave irresponsibly.