Fireline Reel Abrasion

[danbo]

Fireline floats, so its great with topwaters. PowerPro is the King of the super-lines IMHO.

[Dabluz]

Fireline floats, so its great with topwaters. PowerPro is the King of the super-lines IMHO.

 

Actually, all the new lines are made of the same substance. It's either called "dyneema" or "spectra"....depending on who manufactures the stuff. Sometimes the stuff is twisted and braided together to make "braid". Other times it's forced together with a bit of heat and is called "fusion". Fusion is a thinner than equivalent strength braid. That's normal because the braiding process does make tiny gaps in the material thus making it a bit larger but less prone to fraying. Braiding also does increase elasticity a tiny bit too. There is one line that I use that uses both processes.....braided line with a core of parallel fibers. The line is called Mason Tiger braid. I like it a lot. It's a tiny bit thinner, considered to be the strongest of the braided lines and the best abrasion resistance of the braided lines. However, tying knots in the stuff is real tricky. When the knot is cinched real tight, the outer braid sometimes gets cut and exposes the core. Fireline, which is a fusion type line is by far the strongest line but it does fray easily. I reversed the first batch of 8 lb test Fireline on one of my reels last year after about 8 or 10 years of use.

 

I have some Power Pro on one baitcaster but I found that Mason Tiger Braid is limper and casts a bit further. There are 3 types of Tuff Line. Tuff Line XP, Tuff Line Plus and Tuff Line. The best one is Tuff Line because it does not have any additives like mono coating to make it a bit stiffer and smoother.

 

Most of the braided lines do have a very thin cover of mono. Some are even covered with so much mono that they are very smooth. However, the mono does make these lines a bit stiffer.

 

None of the new lines float. If they do float it's due to the fact that these lines do not absorb water and their is a resistance at the surface of the water that pushes against all objects.

 

Mono floats because it's specific gravity is lighter than water. But mono absorbs water...about 15 to 20% of it's weight in water and this decreases the floatability of the line.

 

If you want your braided line to float longer, I guess rubbing some silicone on the line every once in a while would be the best trick.