Braid:
As with all my surf fishing “equipment” I am always looking for what performs best for me, what I enjoy using and can depend on. It’s part of the experience, the fun for me. With braided line reliability is #1, that the line does not weaken or fray (quickly). The line is not susceptible to wind or any kind of knots is #2. Thin line is important to limit the drag in water and air. I always cut back 2-4 feet of braid before each trip to replace the line that is feeling the “stress” the most during the cast.
Power Pro Maxcuatro Spectra Moss Green Braided Line, 30 lb and the 20 lb. Started using it in 2021 and really liked it. Held up as good as any braid I have used and performed excellent. Expensive, but its what I have settled on. J-Braid X4 is my second choice. its noisy but when I use it, its reliable.
Daiwa J-Braid x4. I use and like 4 strand braid in 20 and 30 lb test (mostly 20). The main reason I went with this line was to see if the 4 strand made a difference in the amount of knots I would get. Based on 240+ hours of casting from 1/2 oz to 4 oz artificials I had less knots than previous braided lines I have used. The 4 strand was not nearly as smooth as other braided lines and it did cut down on some of my casting distance. It is also stiffer than 8 strand line which if I did get a knot, it pulled out easy almost always. I also noticed it did not fray as easily as the other 8 stranded braided lines. I still use this line at times.
Fireline Original Smoke….no, not for me. I fish small artificials a lot. So no.
Tried Berkley X9 Braid Fishing Line 30 lb. braid on both the VSX 150 and 200 reels. I used 20 lb pretty much all 2020 and just had a few to many issues. Had some fraying. Tried the Maxcuatro and preferred that, better performance and less fraying.
J-Braid Grand x8 Line, Gray. It performed as good as any braid I have used in the past. Was relatively reliable, knots are not excessive. Then I bought a new spool of line and I did not believe the quality was the same. More fraying, significantly.
J-Braid x8. Moss green. OK line, fraying was apparent, susceptible to knots. Nothing special about it.
Suffix 832 Line Again an OK line, fraying was apparent, susceptible to knots. Nothing special about it.
Power Pro Super Slick Line, did not measure up to Suffix 832. More fraying. Not reliable.
Original Power Pro Line. Had mysterious break offs. It was shit line. My first braided line, so this was many moons ago.
Spiderwire Stealth Braid Line. Fraying, nothing special, wind knots. A disappointment after 10 or so trips.
Daiwa Samurai Braid Line. Very thin line, didn’t like the feel of it. Didn’t hold up over time (short time). Moved on after a couple months fishing it.
Leaders: I use Seaguar Premier. Has been the most reliable for me over the years. 3′ to 4′ in length. Spro Power Swivel (120 lb) on one end and either Breakaway Clip or TA Clips on the other end.
- 20 lb with TA50, Albi snax, small plastics, 4″ and 5″ shads.
- 30 lb with TA50, Albi snax, small plastics, 4″ and 5″ shads.
- 30 lb with TA75, Albi snax (rarely), everything else (prefer 40 lb with 3 oz and above).
- 40 lb with TA75, 2 oz plus, prefer the breakaway clips.
- 40 lb with Breakaway clips, 2 oz plus, heavy current, big water.
I tie leaders before the trip and carry them in 2″ x 3″ 4 mil plastic bags and put them in either a Ebbpoint leader wallet or pouch in the Flatlader Surf Bag.
For teasers I go loop to loop. Teasers are on a 6″ 40 lb Fluro with a loop on the end. The teaser leaders have a loop ~6″ down from the Spro Power Swivel (120 lb). On the end of my leaders is either Breakaway Clip or TA Clips on the other end.
Spro Power Swivels, size 5, smaller diameter in case they go through tip.
