Braid: PowerPro vs Other

[Skridlov]

To put it short and sweet, I have had nothing but trouble with every brand of braid I have ever used except Power Pro (no I don't work for them or sell it!). Yet again last week my only (Barbel - I think) bite from 13 hrs of Barbel fishing at Throop resulted in an inexplicable snappage of an 8lb braid hooklength (Berkely something or other). Drag was set well short btw.

 

The hooklength was new - I'd just tied a new hair rig a couple of hours before. I had a small eel on it earlier and was forced to cut the hook off as the eel was hooked too deep for any other solution. The snappage was fully 6in above the second hook tied to this hooklength. I can't see any way that I damaged it when tying a new hook.

 

My mate who was fishing with me has had this happen twice this season (Berkely again) - he hasn't used braid a lot previously. I've had innumerable mysterious snappages on many brands of braid in the past to the point where I would NEVER use it for ANYTHING - were it not for PP, with which I have had no problems at all, ever (8lb and 50lb versions). Mind you it does float a bit, which is a slight drawback in some situations.

 

The cr@p season continues - and from speaking to people I meet on my local rivers, and the local tackle shop, it's not just me. Everyone reports that this season has been almost dead.

 

So that's that then!

[Pete Elleray]

To put it short and sweet, I have had nothing but trouble with every brand of braid I have ever used except Power Pro.

 

Interesting. What main line were you using (name and strength please)? What rod were you using?

 

8 lb hook link sounds a bit light to me.

 

Pete

[five bellies]

To put it short and sweet, I have had nothing but trouble with every brand of braid I have ever used except Power Pro (no I don't work for them or sell it!). Yet again last week my only (Barbel - I think) bite from 13 hrs of Barbel fishing at Throop resulted in an inexplicable snappage of an 8lb braid hooklength (Berkely something or other). Drag was set well short btw.

 

The hooklength was new - I'd just tied a new hair rig a couple of hours before. I had a small eel on it earlier and was forced to cut the hook off as the eel was hooked too deep for any other solution. The snappage was fully 6in above the second hook tied to this hooklength. I can't see any way that I damaged it when tying a new hook.

 

My mate who was fishing with me has had this happen twice this season (Berkely again) - he hasn't used braid a lot previously. I've had innumerable mysterious snappages on many brands of braid in the past to the point where I would NEVER use it for ANYTHING - were it not for PP, with which I have had no problems at all, ever (8lb and 50lb versions). Mind you it does float a bit, which is a slight drawback in some situations.

 

The cr@p season continues - and from speaking to people I meet on my local rivers, and the local tackle shop, it's not just me. Everyone reports that this season has been almost dead.

 

So that's that then!

 

 

What bottom where you fishing over mate ?

[barry luxton]

Why do you feel you have to use braid as a hook length. What is the advantage.

[five bellies]

Why do you feel you have to use braid as a hook length. What is the advantage.

 

 

 

Limpness bazz

[Brian Carragher]

Take it from me that power pro is'nt the great cure all that seems to be the point of this thread

 

I've had it snap without warning due with decent fish on and its not a great feeling looking at either clean breaks or raggy fibre breaks as seems to be common when power pro breaks. I've had it snap above my pike floats where it never comes into contact with any nasties in the water to weaken it so the onus is on us as anglers to check it and see whether theres any fault in the line, its a lot easier with mono as any weak or abraded areas are easily spotted.

 

I don't use braid when barbelling as I prefer mono and mono hook lengths but thats just my own preference and am using 11lb Stren feeder line and 8lb Ultima hooklength and I've not had any problems with breakoffs or snapped hooklengths

 

Braid can and does easily pick up little cuts and nicks when used as hook lengths amongst the rocks and boulders that litter barbel swims and is probably a bad idea to use 8lb braid as a hooklength as its too thin to provide any abrasive resistance and its more likely to 'cheesewire' barbel mouths

[Skridlov]

On this reel I was using 8lb PP mainline and 7lb Berkeley hook-length (can't find the orginal spool so it may just have been 8lb). I had been fishing for smaller stuff on this rod - chub and some nice little roach - using a 5lb/14 mono hooklength. I changed to the braid and a no8 to fish some Spam for the last couple of hours - I had another rod out with a pellet. The bottom was clear where I was casting - I had no snarl-ups in weed there all day. The breakage was a few inches above the hook but I was too p!55ed off to examine it closely - and it was dark. My night vision is pretty duff by this stage anyway. I was going to fish straight through but this would have meant having to change the type of tulip bead stop I was using and I was tired and not at all optimistic by this stage. Mistake.

 

The point is, from my own experience, this has happened so often in all kinds of situations, with at least four or five different brands of braid, on different reels and styles of fishing, mainlines and hooklengths. But it has never happened with PP. I have no axe to grind here, that's just my experience over the last three years that I've used braid frequently. I haven't looked recently but there is a bit of a shortage of PP suppliers at realistic prices so I only have 50lb and 8lb versions, which is a bit of an extreme jump. I have used the 50 for both carp and pike and just adjust the end-tackle to suit the circumstances (I'm with R. Walker on this; always use the strongest line you can get away with).

 

A personal opinion only!

[grumpybum]

Most recommendations when using braid suggest using the same diameter braid as the nylon you normally use.

 

To my mind your set up leaves some questions re actual breaking strains. I wouldnt mind betting that the actual BS of the Berkeley line is a good few pounds heavier than that stated. Giving a very unbalanced set up.

Braid of 15-20lb BS would be far better.

 

As to makes of braid I use power pro for piking, lures and drift floating, the fact it floats does help. I also use Climax braid for lures to in a lighter BS this is a sinking braid. I paid £4.95 for 100yds thinking it was worth a gamble and being honest I'm impressed.

[Peter Waller]

PowerPro might be fashionable, but it doesn't mean that braids from Daiwa, Penn and Berkley, to mention three, aren't good, they are.

[Pete Elleray]

On this reel I was using 8lb PP mainline and 7lb Berkeley hook-length (can't find the orginal spool so it may just have been 8lb).

A personal opinion only!

 

Thank you for the info. Doesn't that mean you have no stretch in your line/hook link combined? I am not too surprised that something breaks; you might just get away with it if you have a soft through-action rod.

Edited September 23, 2007 by Pete Elleray