Braid. Is it just me that hates the stuff?

[Diabolos]

Guys

 

I have resisted the urge not to chip in for long enough on the braid being no good for uptiding thing. Frankly, some of the statements have me tearing my hair out and make me want to yell “FLICKIN’ HOGWASH!!!!”

 

Braid is magic for uptiding particularly in very fast flowing waters, and further, on charter boats where space is tight. There are however several core tackle adjustments that have to be made, and equally, the reasons for them must be clearly understood.

 

There is no doubt that a large fixed spool is the best way to cast with braid, simply to remove the likelihood of braid-bite and birds nests. Another huge plus in switching to a fixed spool for uptiding is that the line spills off a static spool about five times as quickly as it can from even a fast running drum spool of a multiplier. Why is this any advantage? Because in fast tides you want your lead on the bottom and biting as soon as possible…super-fast line-spill is the best way of ensuring this can happen. With a mono on a multiplier, your standard 6 oz grip will always trundle a considerable way downtide before digging in. Now it could be argued that this can be countered somewhat by casting further uptide and more parallel to the boat, but this is not the ideal solution because of the angle of line bow and competition for space which is a nightmare on charter boats (especially from amidships positions), because as soon as one person winds in and casts out again, they are sure to be casting into other anglers’ bow…problems, problems, problems.

The best option is to use braid on a fixed spool and to use a much heavier lead that you might otherwise do when confronted with few complications from other anglers, and when there are no problems of limited space in which to operate.

Employing this braid/fixed spool/heavy lead set-up means that you can get away with casting more across-the-tide instead of up it, because that heavy lead, it won’t wander far from where it meets the seafloor given the speed that the braid mainline whizzes from the static spool; it also means that you are fishing a fairly short line to the terminal tackle and a drastically reduced bow. (By heavy lead: think 250 – 300g or 8 – 10 oz)

Mono is fine on small boats where space and overcrowding are not pressing issues, but trust me, every International UK boat angler worth his salt has now converted to fixed spool uptiding for the reasons set out above. I fish and compete all over the place, working from charter and small boats, and having adjusted to braids for boat-casting, and having repeatedly benefited from what they offer me, I do not think I will ever again revert to mono for uptiding purposes.

Going slightly off track…the fixed spool offers big casting benefits too because there are still ports and skippers that are less than warm to the uptide method, and where casting from inside the boat or from over the opposite side, is not permitted. Where underarm casting is the only option, a fixed spool will more than double the distance of a multiplier with half the effort, simply because of the unchecked line flow from the static spool. In this instance, multiplier distance is largely annihilated to a stuttering short plop because the terminal tackle is towing against a revolving spool loaded with comparatively thick line.

Sam your old man was something of a UK pioneer in his day, but methods evolve and improve, and the variations and styles of uptiding widely practiced today have changed a bit from 20 odd years ago. Since its inception in northern Europe (Belgium & Holland) some 12 years before BC & JR began to bring it to UK attention, uptiding/boat-casting has moved on. And it is currently going through another metamorphosis – to braid or not to braid? - that may eventually do much to bolster its 21st century case.

In a previous post someone said that mono holds water on its surface, whereas braid doesn’t: this is true to an extent but some coated/fused braids display very noticeable water adhesion, while certain other poor quality braids also soak water up like a sponge.

Think things through and give braid a fair shot before leaping in to dismiss it. There was a time when I would probably have blindly fired anti-braid salvos where uptiding was concerned. However, time-served experience is a most wonderful thing.

 

I’ll now apologise for crawling out of the woodwork and about-turn back into the ether, holding my tongue all the way.

 

S

[Toerag]

spanner:

In general you just need to cast smoothly and don't try and hammer it. I thnk a lot of people who have trouble with braid are too jerky in thier casting.

Seeing as John isn't casting any further with his multiplier and modern rod than his old rod and fixed spool I think his casting technique may be suspect.

I think Fireline would be a good line for him to try as it'a the perfect halfway-house between mono and braid.

[Gillies]

I concur with Diabolos.

 

I would not dream of using mono on a boat anymore, especially when bait fishing (cant remember last time I did) .... though I do sometimes use mono in shallower water for working lures.

 

A sor shore casting, I had less problems with it when I used it on a large fixed spool instead of a multiplier, though braid on a windy day the line going around the tip sometimes after I casted was a pest.

 

Gillies

 

[ 01. July 2005, 01:02 PM: Message edited by: Gillies ]

[john frum]

OK, I'll try Fireline.

Now I'm a bit worried that the cracks in the outer part of one of the rings on my old rod is a possible cause - although the snappages have usually been caused by some kind of looping, which is addressed by some of the posts. I can't be @rsed to re-ring the old lump and even less splash out on a replacement.

[Guest stevie cop]

Diabolos

You wrote a lot of stuff there. Some of it, for what it's worth, I disagree with, but that's neither here nor there.

 

The bit that got me most was the bit about Sam's old man being a bit of a pioneer way back, and how things have moved on. Sam's "old man", as far as I'm concerned, invented uptiding. Uptiding as a complete method. The most successful method of boat fishing ever developed. Uptiding as we know it, wasn't something that just happened. It was developed. There was a lot of research done in every aspect of it. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and hooks. Regardless of what anyone else thinks they know about "proper" uptiding, as a method it hasn't changed from the days since it was developed. All the same principals that applied then, still apply today and it is still as effective a method as it was back then.

 

If the trend is now to use braid and alter other things like rods and reels, weights and methods, then you are no longer talking about uptiding in it's purest form. It'll be an adaptation of uptiding. It'll be something different from uptiding.

 

Each to his own I say. If that's what you prefer, great. But please don't stick the uptiding label on it and then suggest that the man who invented it got it wrong! Bob Cox didn't sit back on his arse after develpoing uptiding. I'm sure if he felt it had anything to gain from using braid and different tackle, he would have said so by now.

 

[ 02. July 2005, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: Steve Coppolo ]

[Guest NickInTheNorth]

Steve Coppolo:

 

The bit that got me most was the bit about Sam's old man being a bit of a pioneer way back, and how things have moved on. Sam's "old man", as far as I'm concerned, invented uptiding. Uptiding as a complete method. The most successful method of boat fishing ever developed.

 

A succesful method. As downtiding has caught far more fish over the years it must be a more succesful method.

 

 

Uptiding as we know it, wasn't something that just happened. It was developed. There was a lot of research done in every aspect of it. Rods, reels, line, terminal tackle and hooks. Regardless of what anyone else thinks they know about "proper" uptiding, as a method it hasn't changed from the days since it was developed.

 

Uptiding is fishing uptide. Your "proper" uptiding is simply one way of doing it. Others will doubtless develop their own ways of doing it, they are neither more or less "improper" than yours.

 

 

All the same principals that applied then, still apply today and it is still as effective a method as it was back then.

 

exactly - same principals - those principals can be applied by different folk in different ways.

 

If the trend is now to use braid and alter other things like rods and reels, weights and methods, then you are no longer talking about uptiding in it's purest form. It'll be an adaptation of uptiding. It'll be something different from uptiding.

 

No, fishing uptide is uptiding, anything else which is not fishing uptide is very probably downtiding!

 

Each to his own I say. If that's what you prefer, great. But please don't stick the uptiding label on it and then suggest that the man who invented it got it wrong! Bob Cox didn't sit back on his arse after develpoing uptiding. I'm sure if he felt it had anything to gain from using braid and different tackle, he would have said so by now.

Never saw anyone suggest Bob got it wrong. Methods develop, and change to suit different situations. Bob may well not have anything to gain by using braid, that doesn't mean no-one else does, or that what they do is not uptiding.

 

[ 02. July 2005, 03:09 PM: Message edited by: NickInTheNorth ]

[Guest stevie cop]

Whatever.

[Guest NickInTheNorth]

Thanks for the grown up response Steve

[jeepster]

i was going to say the same thing nick!

[Guest stevie cop]

No point in giving a grown up response when my original comments went straight over your head Nick.