Braid vs Wire (from the Sooke reports thread)

[profisher]

I still fish wire and rely on it singing to me to let me know a fish is on...when I'm looking the other way. Something that no one has talked about....honest answers guys...how many of you using braid have a few fish pop you off and you don't notice it until after the rod has popped free of the rigger? I may have had one this year because it smashed it and popped it on the initial strike...otherwise I was on them before they released...because I either heard the wire pitch change or sometimes just sensed it.

 

[ericl]

http://www.protroll.com/books/?id=5&p_id=all

 

[scott craven]

I had a pro troll box when I used wire on my rigger's. Mostly voodoo, especially when fishing at depth. (I know commercial's use them)
switched to braid and yes, I miss the odd pop off but overall success is the same or better.

 

[ericl]

Hi r.s craven. Did you read the article? In Chapter XI it says that some boats will be properly bonded and would experience minimal if any improvement from a "black box" - perhaps your boat is one of these? Grounding techniques are important as well; I always run a separate large gauge wire to my Neg bus bar for each device I am grounding.

 

[TheBigGuy]

Rob at PNT sold me some 200lb mono , i use about 6 feet of it , and a couple crimps at my ball connector , a couple at my braid/Mono transition ,
Bobs ur Uncle , acts as a snubber or shock , very forgiving on the gear , NEVER breaks , the transition where the crimps meets the braid is my auto stop ,
the scotty power grips love the thickness of the 200lb mono , never slips , been using this for 3 years flawlessly , again , thx Rob for the idea ,

ive converted a handful of rods to try this , they love it ,

250 Scotty - Smooth and Strong but way to much blow back , ( i recommend for 20 lb balls perhaps )

My Choice - Power Pro 200lb as mentioned on this site a few times now , it just works !! id rather have zero volts

( i change the 200 Mono twice a year , Braid last 3-4 years no prob , no rust , no wrought , SMOOOOOTHHH )

fd

I use a very similar setup to FD on my boat. Except I use 300lb mono instead of 200lb mono at the terminal end before the ball. 300lb mono is super tough and almost never needs replacement. I cover the crimps with plastic tubing or shrink wrap, so the crimps don't chew up the rigger pulley.

I would never go back to wire. Especially on an aluminum boat, where electric current can be a constant worry if using wire.

TheBigGuy

 

[Prairie Locked]

I use a very similar setup to FD on my boat. Except I use 300lb mono instead of 200lb mono at the terminal end before the ball. 300lb mono is super tough and almost never needs replacement. I cover the crimps with plastic tubing or shrink wrap, so the crimps don't chew up the rigger pulley.

I would never go back to wire. Especially on an aluminum boat, where electric current can be a constant worry if using wire.

TheBigGuy

I like your pragmatic approach to issues Big Guy.

I stopped using wire because of it starting to unravel then causing a birdsnest and jamming up the rigger on two sides after only a year of use. I found once the wire starts to come undone, it doesn't stop. I've used braid for two years now and haven't had an issue so far. I'd rather replace the braid every 2-3 years if I need to avoid any failures.

Regardless of what you use, regular inspections should be occurring. Nicks and wear patterns in braid (or wire) should be routinely looked for to prevent failures.

 

[Tightlines1976]

200lb power pro. I have had zero problems with it and it has less blow back than wire. I crimp 10ft of tuna cord on the bottom between the braid and the snubber, it acts as the stop so you never need to worry about stops popping off and it also gives you the option to move your release clip around. I switch the braid out every 3 years for peace of mind.

 

[Last Chance]

I have run the 250 pound Scotty stuff for over 11 years on Swiftsure Bank, guiding daily, 200 feet in challenging conditions. Drop maybe 1 ball a gear. Seem to do great. If you are worried about blowback just run a bigger ball. I can't see why anyone would bother with a ten these days. Cost is minimal, and the point is to get the bait DOWN there.

 

[Tsquared]

I plan to use the green gangion with my braid:questions for those doing the same: do you double the gangion up or use it single strand and is there any cause for concern that the braid might eventually cut the gangion at the knot? (Uni knot, I assume.)
T2

 

[SpringVelocity]

I plan to use the green gangion with my braid:questions for those doing the same: do you double the gangion up or use it single strand and is there any cause for concern that the braid might eventually cut the gangion at the knot? (Uni knot, I assume.)
T2

Nope the gagnion is pretty tough. I put two overhand loops each end of gagnion. I use a polamar knot to attach braid to gagnion on one of loops. Other end I put a big sampo swivel for ball. Ran this for a few years now, and its super simple. And no I didn't replace my pulleys.

 

[reelfast]

wire, at best would last me 2 seasons. it was the only reason i lost 2 cannonballs, frayed wire. i switched to braid, made sure my pulleys were free and moving and learned to tie some braid knots. at the end of each season, i would pull off about 20' of that braid and redo the connections. i figured that was about the amount that was really getting hammered each time it came up onto the spool. one side had 150# braid, the other side 200#. if i was to do this over, 150# had far less blow back than the wire or the other braid. what i missed was the singing wire when i was operating at a good trolling speed. i'd never go back to wire.

 

[Tsquared]

Thanks spring velocity --I'll do that.
T2

 

[TenMile]

I switched to braided line several years ago and used it for 2-3 seasons and eventually switched BACK to stainless.

While I love the handling of the braided line and all the points noted above, I personally found I was losing way too many cannonballs. I'd generally find that the braid would fail where the knot looped through the swivel. Not generally the knot itself, but where the knot would loop under a fastening point. My usual setup is Cannon Ball -> Snubber -> cord -> swivel -> downrigger line. I never really found a way to prevent the braid from snapping -- I'd inspect the line frequently but after losing a half dozen or more balls, I've switched back to stainless again.

I have a foolproof way of connecting the stainless to a swivel/cord that doesn't require crimps and eliminates the need for Scotty line stoppers. I think I lost a single ball this past summer when a guest held the downrigger in the "on" position.

Trotac has come up with a nice little rig for $10. Its basically about 6' of blue cord, with a large swivel to attach to the ball (made of 100% stainless) and at the opposite end another large stainless swivel (again 100% stainless). You can also make this setup yourself -- but I just buy it now and keep a spare.

I use the knot method in this pictorial to actually tie the stainless downrigger cable to the swivel -- no crimps required, no tools other than sidecutters or scissors required. http://njsaltwaterfisherman.com/forums/index.php?topic=15015.0

The swivel acts as the downrigger stop on a Scotty downrigger -- no need for the Scotty plastic stops that fall off. Rigger always stops -- I prefer it with the ball just under the surface of the water -- that way it doesn't bump into the hull -- if I am playing a fish I can tap the rigger to bring the ball out and clear.

For me, this has been the best setup.