Braided line has been around since the dawn of fishing. And, to my knowledge, was the first line to ever be used to catch fish. Over the years, advancements in monofilament, copolymer, and fluorocarbon lines, angler sought the invisibility of these options. On the flip side, there have also been many advancements in braided “super lines”. Braided line is not only still used in my boat regularly but has become a necessity for several techniques that I, as well as others, use regularly.
Froggin’ and Punchin’
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of braided line thick grass, heavy rods, and big hooksets. Anytime that I know that I will be bringing in bass covered with the weeds that they live in, heavy braided line is going to be the best option. Whether I am dragging a frog over and through the grass, or if I am punching into the grass beds with heavy weights, I am going to be spooled up with 65-pound braid. The big, braided line gives you the strength to horse the fish out of these areas, as well as help cut through the grass.
Swimmin’
Another situation still has grass in mind, but maybe not quite the coverage as if I am frogging or punching. When the grass is sparser, I will downsize to something a little smaller than the 65-pound mentioned above. In these areas, I’m usually swimming either a swim jig, bladed jig, paddle tail worm, or other similar presentations. In this scenario, I typically spool up with 30 – 40-pound braid. It still offers plenty of strength and weed eating ability, but the thinner diameter will add to the action of these swimming type baits.
Spinnin’
Despite braid being known for power fishing, another application that I ALWAYS use braided line for is on my spinning gear. Now, while I always tie on a fluorocarbon leader, spooling my reel with 15-pound braid allows for longer casts, less line memory issues, more “feel”, and longer time in between re-spooling.
Of course, there are more applications where braid can be used, these are the three situations where I feel braid is a must!
