Trolling With Super Braids

What do we mean "Super Braids"? "Super Braids" has become the generic term for the relatively new, ultra strong polymer fiber braided fishing lines. Reported to be 10 times stronger than steel of the same diameter. Dyneema, Spectra, and Dynel are a few of them but, by far, Spectra are the most popular. Braids of Spectra fiber are now offered under many brand names. The brands are all good for the most part but there are some substandard ones whos braid is loose, creating a diameter which is no better than the older Nylon or Dacron. If you see one in a catalogue that is priced well below popular brand names itcs probably one of the bad ones. They've actually been around for quite some time but have only become popular as fishing line in the last decade or so. Mainly, because new technology had to be developed to braid it efficiently. The diameter of a single fiber is extremely small and braiding a line used to take about one minute per inch. The costs of these first attempts were high and only a few fishermen like me and some friends bought the stuff in a "Specialty Kite Store" as Hercules Competition Kite String. This was long before fishing tackle companies were offering it. (I had another advantage)!

It is becoming very popular among the trolling fraternity because of tit's small diameter. Due to the large diameter of standard Nylon or Dacron line they did not troll well and generated too much drag for trolling. Drag is a Trollers enemy. You couldn't get your lures down to where they needed to be unless you used a weight damn near as heavy as a sash weight. Hence, the Down Rigger. I find Down Rigging in salt water to be impractical. Too much stuff to tangle! Up and down every time you need to reset a rig, salt water abuse to the down rigger hardware, high maintenance after every use, high cost, the clip won't generally hold heavy lures, etc. etc. etc. Forget em'. Might be O.K. in a lake for Trout or Salmon where your strikes are typically few and far between, you might have to go as deep as 100 feet and your running line is only in the 15# to 17# range.. Monofilament is a poor choice for inshore trolling due to its large diameter too. And, since it is much like a long rubber band and your trolling outfit is usually in some sort of rod holder when the fish strikes, he has to hook himself. (Not good with a rubber band!)

The Super Braids have minimal or no stretch and when a fish grabs your lure, your STIFF rod's got him. Added to the no stretch property is the small diameter, U.V. and rot resistance making it a great alternative to trolling with wire line. I find the only difference to be the need to add about a 4 oz. weight to make them perform similarly.

If you don't have a Super Braid Outfit, please read our section on Setting up a Super Braid Outfit.

Once you have your outfit, you're ready to go!

To me, using one of these outfits is as close to wire as you can get. To get equivalent depth you might have to slow your boat speed by as little as .25 to .50 MPH as long as it doesn't hamper your lure action. If it does, drop back another 25 feet or add another ounce of weight.

Now that you're ready to "go fish" you need to know how much line to put out, set your drag properly and a few more particulars. Since trolling with super braid is so close to using wire I could copy out Trolling With Wire section and paste it here. Instead, please read that section. No difference and you might gain a little insight on wire techniques.

One more thing I would like to mention again. Please set up with 80# braid and not the lighter 50# stuff. 50# is just too delicate for this type of trolling, the size of the fish you'll be hooking up and the size of the lures you're gonna' troll.

The last topic to cover is the danger of these Super braids. Don't let it wrap your running gear. It won't break and if you have an outboard it can wind in the space between your propeller and lower unit. I'll shut you down and pop a bearing! If you catch the prop, turn your motor off REAL fast. Then lift it and unwind all the line you can. Not so much of a problem with an inboard. But you still need to take your motor out of gear and break it off.

If you want a more detailed explanation about trolling with super braids or setting up a super brain outfit, please read the sections on Trolling with Wire and Setting up a Super Braid Outfit.