Cheap braid

D

David Will

Guest
I am reliably informed that www.summerlands.co.uk are doing very cheap braid .Whiplash ?14.99 for example.As I couldn,t get the site to work past the home page I cannot verify but there is a phone number on the site plus e mail .From viewing the homepage they do a vast array of tackle.
 
R

Rob Brownfield

Guest
Yep..theve got Whiplash at ?14.95 for 270m in 20, 30, 50, 65 and 80 pound test and Fireline at ?9.45 for 110m in 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 20, 30 and 50, or ?1995 for 270m in the same breaking strains.
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
Fireline's pretty bomb-proof but it's a bit stiff and grates in the rod rings. No problems, but it can take some getting used to. I use the 20 for most bog standard bait fishing, 30 for drifting. I used to love the 30lb Whiplash, which is the same dia as 6lb mono until the other week.

Baits sail out miles using it, you can cast lives underarm three or four rod lengths so they land gently, trot miles with it etc - then I had a fish cut me on a snag a few weeks back, so I've now stepped up to the 50lbs which is a bit thicker.

It's got a flattish profile, so it does tangle occasionally unless you're careful with line lay and tension.

Both float, which has several advantages.
 
A

Andrew Webber

Guest
Its time for me to change the line on all piking reels. I'm putting 30 pound power cable on the reel I use for lures. At the moment I have 15lb big game on my two bait reals at the moment, should I put on more of the same or switch to braid? I probably ledger and float fish an equal amount so should have floating or sinking braid?
 
D

David Will

Guest
Andrew look at the pro's and cons of each before buying.Braid is not very abrasion resistant so depending on your water and snags this may influence your decision.The lack of stretch in braid helps with bite indication and setting hooks at distance.Casting distance if it is important can be better with braid.
I have used floating braid for everything including legering and the so called sinking braids do not seem to sink as claimed by the sellers.
 
A

Andrew Webber

Guest
Hmmmm... braids not very abrasion resistant? I thought that was one good points of it! I've bought spools of 30lb power cable and 25lb whiplash, I think I'll give braid a go, I definatly could do with the no stretch property of braid. I've got loads of 15lb mono left over from my days carping so I can always go back to that.
Cheers Dave
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Andrew, I don't believe that there's any circumstances in predator fishing where mono has a significant edge over braid, other than in price. But if braid does the job where something else won't, then it's worth the money. I put up the original thread about summerlands, because it resolved the gripes about price. If you doubt the edge that braid has, then look at all of the articles by those that make their living from the sport, all use braid. This hoary old chestnut about braid not being abrasion resistant is a nonsense. You can with misuse and unluck bust up any line and having used kevlar lines before I'm in a position to know. Take a pair of sharp scissors and cut a piece of mono in half it works every time, take a pair of sharp scissors and cut a pice of braid in half, doesn't work does it, takes a few goes and a bit of sawing back and forth, in fact you need special braid scissors to do it. By the way, I have no connection with summerlands.Trust me I'm an estate agent! (LOL)
 
A

Andrew Webber

Guest
I know what you mean about all the 'pros' using braid. I have to admit the mick brown has basically taught me all I know (very little) about piking and I see he has now gone to braid!

My dad and uncle and lots of the other carpers use braid on the syndicate I fish and they're all screaming about it so, on that water, braids good!

Cheers Gerry
 
S

Steve Burke

Guest
I'm going to try braid for ledgering for pike for the first time shortly as I've been sent some Bullet Braid by Nashy to field test. It's supposed to have better abrasion resistance - anyone tried it?

In the past I've restricted braid to floater fishing and lure fishing only as all the braids I've used to date have much inferior abrasion resistance compared with nylon. On my Carp Lake several members have used braid but discarded it after repeated cut-offs. I haven't actually banned it but have discouraged it's use. However, if the Bullet Braid suffers the same fate I may have to reconsider.
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Andrew just don't ask Mick to teach you all he knows about pike fly fishing, he'll know what I mean.
 
C

Craig w

Guest
I bought braid off a guy called dave havers on Ebay, he has stuff for sale in the fishing section of www.ebay.co.uk.
I bought 300yrds of Spiderwire fusion off him for ?7.99 a couple of months ago, youll find others on there selling the same things, contact them direct dont bother bidding as most of these guys have lots of spools and will sell direct for a set price
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Craig, I buy regularly from Dave, but the Spiderwire Fusion that he sells is not a popular line, hence it's auctioned on e-bay. It's too loose in the weave, swells up very badly in cold wet weather and is very bulky in comparison with other braids. The 'standard' Spiderwire that he occasionally sells on e-bay but also sells from his site at www.tacklebargains.co.uk is altogether a better line, not cheap at ?25-30 per spool but nevertheless a good line. I'm afraid with very few exceptions you only get what you pay for these days.
 
S

Steve Clements

Guest
To chip in with my 2 penn'orth , Fireline is an absolute winner for me in as mucvh as the control it affords just by being that bit stiffer and definately less prone to wind knots , unlike gorilla braid.
 
P

Pete Harrison

Guest
Just to confound those who claim braid is expensive - I still regularly use a baitrunner for carping, filled with the same corastrong braid that I loaded onto it about 14 years ago for long distance shrimp/float fishing for salmon on the moy.

I've never had a breakage on it, it's endured some monsterous tangles (the trick is to let it dry, and use a needle to unpick it) all of which have been undone without losing an inch.

It cost about ?35 for the 200 metres at the time - I'd hate to think what the regular changing of mono would have cost in the intervening years.

Cheers - enjoy xmas everyone
 
D

David Will

Guest
Gerry as Steve has pointed out.
'On my Carp Lake several members have used braid but discarded it after repeated cut-offs. I haven't actually banned it but have discouraged it's use'
This is the experience of many.
Maybe this is why Pikers use a minimum 30lb and more likely 50lb braid. Abrasion resistance is different from direct cutting as with scissors.Try a test with mono and braid of the same breaking strains with weights and a rough stone.
 
G

Gerry Castles

Guest
Each to their own David, check out the last posting from Pete Harrison. I have never had an abrasion problem with braid other than on the rusty ironwork of deep water wrecks, but I've had wire traces part company on wrecks. Perhaps this is the key, pikers use wire traces, carpers don't and this after all is a predator forum and my comments are quite clearly directed at predator fishermen. Even those after perch and chub, knowing that pike are in the area, will use a wire trace.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top