In this article, I will tell you what I think are the best fishing braids for reel at the moment and how I use them. I fish in fresh water. Of course, the conditions are different for everyone, but there are general rules, which I will try to convey in the review. This is my personal opinion, I do not claim to be the absolute truth. This is a personal case, which will hopefully be useful.
Cheap braid
Major Craft Dangan Braid x4
I have used green braid in numbers #0.8, #1, #1.2. If you look at the price to quality ratio, this is one of the best options. For $15-$20, you can buy quality braid.
Pros
- Resistant to abrasion. Particularly relevant when fishing in rocks and underwater trees overgrown with mollusks.
- High sensitivity due to low stretchability. And yes, even braids stretch, there are those that are more, some less.
- The green color is contrasting, clearly visible.
Cons
It’s not a top of the line braided line after all. If you compare it to my currently favorite Sunline PE EGI ULT HS4, then Dangan is inferior in all respects, except the price. But it’s a good option in terms of cost.
I used the #0.8 and #1 models for shore fishing, mostly jigging. It was a long throw. With the #1.2, I was fishing from a boat in less restrictive conditions.
Sunline Siglon x4
This braid is my alternative to the previous braid, but inferior in abrasion. Since I fish more often in heavy conditions, I prefer Major Craft Dangan Braid
Average price
Sunline PE EGI ULT HS4
This is the best braid for a fishing reel, and I’ve been using it more than any other lately.
I’d rather list the cases when I don’t use it:
- when I constantly tear off baits, but due to fishing from the shore, there is no way to put a thicker cord. That is, for a fishing trip or two, you can easily kill a reel of cord. In this case, I put Dangan Braid.
- When fishing small fish and I already have a tackle with another braid in that place, then I just out of laziness and lack of urgency do not rewind.
Otherwise, I use Sunline PE EGI ULT HS4. This model is so satisfying that I do not even see the point of continuing to experiment with new lines further, but focus on other important points of fishing.
The most popular sizes
#1 for bank fishing on large ponds and rivers, as well as for long-range casting. First of all, it is a jig and jig rigs, as well as surface baits. For fishing for minnow wobblers larger than 100 mm (4″) it is thin. And the baits fly unstable, tumbling. And there are too many breaks.
#1.5 – for fishing from a boat, except for the most cluttered places. From the shore this thickness is used on ponds and rivers, where there is no need to throw far. Also, where I occasionally put hard bates.
I take a unwinding length of 180 meters. As it wears, I cut the working section of the line. When I get a dead hook on the bottom or a tree, I clamp the spool with my hand, guide the rod along the line and rip. Thus breakage occurs at the node near the bait. The technique is suitable for fishing lines up to #1.5. There are ways that in such cases you can unhook the bait, especially in the current, but I have not used it lately, as there is a risk: that the line will break near the reel. At least I had so sometimes. From the boat, of course, release the hooked bait is always easier.
Sunline PE Jigger ULT 4
I use the #1.7 PE Jigger ULT 4 for those occasions when a longer throw is important, but the power of the #1.5 is not enough. There is no such size in the PE EGI ULT HS4 range, the thickest is #1.5. These two series of Sunline cords are very close in price. In terms of properties they are also similar. PE Jigger ULT is noisier on wiring, stiffer, but more abrasion-resistant.
If you catch pike in different conditions, both from a boat and from the shore, on different types of baits, except for the largest swimbaits and small wobblers, and you need to choose one universal set: reel and PE, I would choose 4000 Shimano reel plus #1.7 PE Jigger ULT 4.
Power Pro 0.23 mm 30 pounds (15 kg)
I use the Power Pro in heavily overgrown and overgrown areas. It is the size 0.23 mm (30 pounds) that allows me to cast bravely in the most difficult places. Psychologically, you catch more effectively with this braided line, because you are less careful to cast where others are afraid to do so.
Pros
- The durability of the Power Pro allows the hooks to be unfastened or broken, but the bait can still be retrieved.
- When a big fish is hooked, you can speed up the pulling without fear of tearing the line.
- Very high abrasion resistance, probably the highest of all the braid I have tried.
Cons
- The unwinding length of 135 m for a reel of size 4000 is small, a little more would be desirable.
- The line is not the smoothest, the casting is a little closer to the Japanese braid.
