Hi Guys,
Totally a different subject than rodbuilding but has anyone used braided lines for salmon/steelhead fishing in clear conditions tossing hardware? How was your results?
Pat

Pat,
I do a heck of a lot of fishing for Salmon and Steelhead with hardware. In fact, it is most of the fishing that I do and I fish quite a bit. I have tried the braided lines and while they do result in better feel I still do not care for them for several reasons.
1. I use direct drive reels and the braided lines are very hard on your thumbs.
2. They show up too well in the water. I think that Salmon and Steelhead are less line shy when fishing hardware than bait but I still prefer monofiliment.
3. The ones that I have used make noise coming across the guides. If I can hear it I am concerned that the fish can as well though I may be full of prunes on this score.
4. I use hooks on the spinners and wobblers that will straighten out when hung up just before the line breaks. I have not been able to get this as well calibrated with braided line as with monofiliment.
5. They are more expensive though I will concede that the cost of line is a small piece of the overall cost of fishing.
6. I am not able to cast them as smoothly and as far as monofiliment.
7. If you do get a professional over ride (back lash) you have a much bigger problem with braided line than with monofiliment.

Emory-
Are you on the west coast or the great lakes?
Pat

Pat,
I live in Portland, Oregon, God's country, but this time of year I do most of the Salmon and Steelhead fishing on the Oregon coast. I have a little fishing cabin on the bay of the Nestucca River and this time of the year when the big Fall Chinook are starting to show up I spend about half of my time there casting a spinner for them. I fish during the day and work on rods in the evening.
Almost no one there uses braided line that casts lures for Salmon or Steelhead. Many of the fishermen that use bobbers and bait for the Salmon do use braided line. They like it because they can wax it and then it floats plus because it does not have any stretch.
Where are you?

Oh wow, Emory how's the space in that fishin cabin???? I'm green with envy!. We see a lot of braided line both on the salt for coho and kings as well as the rivers. I use Power Pro on my baitcasters and like it a lot. I'm particularly fond of spinners and plugs and have not had any more problems than experienced with mono. At times, a mono leader is advised, if the water is clear and low, but most often we tie directly to the braid. There is a learning curve to the braids but it is something you'll have to try and decide for yourself. It feels different and most definitely requires a different hookset. You should also be careful not to over line the rod. For salmon and steelhead I'll use 20lb. tops, both river and salt.

Grant,
Where are you from that you see a lot of braided line with hardware? Not many use it here with hardware. They use it with other fishing techniques but not with hardware. The biggest reason that personally I do not use it is I use nothing but direct drive reels, the old Pflueger Supremes for Salmon, and braided line and your thumb and a reel with no drag do not get along very well.

Emory-
I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area but I fish the Trinity/Klamath rivers in the fall. But this year we might not much of a fall season with fish and game getting their way. I pitch spinners for the fall chinooks.
Pat

Pat,
I have good results with braided line fishing for salmon in AK. Braided line is much better than mono. No line memory, better feel for stirkes on hardware. The only place I haven't converted the use of braided line is in my trolling rods. I'm using inner line rods for trolling. I'm afraid braided line will wear grove in rod.

Emory has some very good point about braided lines. I find only certain times salmon are spooked is when water is clear & hot... I have just ordered some of these split rings from cabelas. Ulimate saver split rings.. They are expensive up front but I think they will save your gear in the long run...

Hi Art-
That's the conditions I'm always fishing in the fall. Water low, clear and the air temp is usually on the warm side. I was hoping with the braided line's smaller dia ( and lo-vis green color) that would be able to get a #3 spinner down deep to the fish ( without clamping split shot) and not having the braided line spook the fish.
Pat

Pat,
Grant had some very good points about braided line too. If you go to power pro site, they recommend to use line the same dia of mono you used... If you do that, you have over loaded your gear. I think If you use the same split rings from cabelas you will save your gear.. But it remains to be seem I have't used split rings yet...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2006 02:11PM by Art Jessup.

Pat,
This may initially seem to be counter intuitive but in that clear warm water that you have to deal with in the Fall you might consider a larger blade. In those water conditions I have found that Salmon do not bite as aggressively and the larger blade that has more resistance in the water allows you to slow the retrieve way down. Here in the Fall I often use blades that are as large as #8s and retrieve the blade as slow as possible. In fact, I use cupped Colorado blades that will continue to spin even when retrieved very slowly.
I found another problem with the very small diameter braided line fishing Salmon and that is that it tends to dig into itself on the reel much more than the larger diameter monofiliment when there is a load on it.
I do agree with Art that the braided line does not have the memory that mono will develope but I think that the answer to that is to change line relatively often. I also agree that you are asking for trouble by using line that is much stronger than appropriate for the rod.
But the main reason that I do not use braided line is that I use a direct drive reel that does not have a drag and braided line can result in the loss of a lot of skin off of your thumb.

I'm just up the road Emory, do the Hoh, Bogachiel, Qinault, Sol Duc ring any bells??? There's been some good info in this little thread. I'll second the theroy about not being afraid to go with bigger blades even in low, clear conditions. Brass and black come to mind for colors. The braid, being thinner ,also allows the lure to sink quicker. Some folks here use the split shot as well Pat, but I'm not fond of the way a spinner casts with a hunk of additional lead on the line. Direct drive reels......another almost lost art, good to hear you use it Emory.

Grant,
Yes it rings bells. I envy you being able to fish those rivers for native Steelhead. The Olympic Penninsula is the last place in the lower 48 where there are still good runs of big natives. The Salmon fishing is probably as good here as there but not the Steelhead fishing.
The next time you are fishing in relatively clear tidal water try a big, #7 or #8, rainbow colored blade. No one here uses split shot. Most use a dropper of drop swival 18" above the spinner and 3/4 oz. to 2 oz. lead on it depending upon the amount of current