Is THIS Braided Fishing Line Unfair??
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing, Salt Strong Podcast, Line, Braid
Most anglers lock in their braid choice early and never revisit it.
Thicker feels safer, stronger, and easier to trust, so it becomes the default without much thought.
But after years of fishing side by side, Luke started noticing a pattern that kept repeating under certain conditions.
That’s what sent him down a rabbit hole we didn’t expect.
And what he uncovered challenges one of the most common assumptions in inshore fishing.
Featured Gear:
- Line: Daiwa J-Braid x8 (6lb, 8lb, and 10lb)
- Leader: Ande Monofilament Leader
- Rod: Slot Machine Rod
- Reel: Otis 2500
- Lure: Tweaker
- Rigging 1: 2/0 Round Eye Jighead 3/16 oz
- Rigging 2: Hoss Helix Weedless Weightless Hook
Key Takeaways
- A small change in braid size can change how much water you’re actually fishing.
- Line can influence fish behavior in ways most anglers never consider.
- Lighter setups introduce a tradeoff that shows up once a fish is hooked.
- Drag smoothness becomes far more noticeable when margins get thin.
- Some environments reward distance more than control.
- Other situations punish light gear immediately.
Final Thoughts
This isn’t about fishing the lightest line possible just to prove it can be done. It’s about matching your setup to the conditions in front of you. When the water is calm, clear, and fish are spooky, braid diameter can be the difference between follows and clean eats. Used intentionally, lighter braid becomes a tool. Used blindly, it becomes a liability.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
I have been using 9x 8# braid on one rod with a 1000 reel. I find that it casts nicely and retrieves 26″ reds. Two experiences: it is much more susceptible to fraying from oysters than 8x 10# braid, and it gets wind knots easier probably to its less stiffness. I have no idea if it catches more fish since Jacksonville waters are generally murky.
I will try the braid already use 10-25 lb leaders
Mono to Mono
thank you for the content
I just picked up Sufix Revolve braid—it’s crazy thin for the rating. Curious what you think about super-thin braids overall?”
Lb Test Diameter(in) Diameter(mm)
4lb .003 .08
6lb .004 .10
8lb .005 .12
10lb .006 .14
12lb .007 .16
14lb .008 .20
The 6 lb j-braid 8 grand that I’ve been using is .003mm in diameter. The pros are that it casts a mile and the fish can’t see/feel it allowing for more strikes. The cons are that it makes for tough knot tying and requires extreme care in setting drag and ensuring zero abrasions to make sure it holds up to fish battles.
Very eye opening information……..will be trying this out on open water,,,,thanks guys
We’re glad to see that you enjoyed this video
It almost seems like the fish are almost impossible to catch on windless clear days.
The bite can sometimes be good on calm clear days, but those days are often the toughest especially for areas with a lot of fishing pressure.
Wish I could have attended while it was live! Great video. I’m going to try out the lighter line. Thanks Joe and Luke!
Thanks Leo!
My double lines seemed to work great first trip but started to tangle with each other after that . Had about 20 inch leaders, Thoughts to diminish twisting?
Any twisting means that at least one of them has an issue with rigging… when rigged properly, they’ll dart around with very few twists. But if one is not rigged well (or if it somehow formed a curve in its shape), then it’ll twist around in the water causing twists in the tandem rig.
What knot did you use to connect the lighter braid to the 20lb leader?
I use the Braid Uni knot shown here: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/braid-uni-knot/
Interesting Podcast. I would be afraid to use a 1000 series reel for any fish over 15″ in my area. I would wind up burning up the reel.
My other concern with using light gear on these fish if I was C&R fishing. You would exhaust these fish to a point the may not recover.
Hopefully next month these lures will be ready for the Tackle Tester (HINT).
I fish two reels 1000 and a third reel either 2500 or 3000 depending on target fish and structure(sheep or big drum). No problems retrieving 27″ reds on either my NASCI or Kastking 1000 reels. I may take longer especially for the 22+” reds..