Power Pro Braid

I catch pickerel on a weightless worm that i let sink to the bottom. Gets em everytime. topwater frogs too. Nice pike! The alberto is just like an albright, except you go all the way down, then all the way back up instead of just going up. Its strong, compact and ive tied a uni to uni and i think this one is easier and better. I'm hooked on this powerpro! I liked fireline in the beginning but that dimished on the spinning reel. Still love it on my baitcaster but i like this powerpro better. it's cheaper, you get a bit more, and it's ROUND!
 
dipbait said:
I used the trilene and palomar knots . I like Berkely Big Game a lot also. Very strong.:thumbup:
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You had a knot come undone with a palomar knot in braid? That has never happened to me.

I use Power Pro braid and Spider wire braid. I like them both a hundred times better than Fireline. However I use a Flouracarbon leader when fishing braid. I'll tie braid direct to topwater lures, but I seam to get much more strikes if I use flouracarbon with everything else.
 
I love Power Pro. Infact it is all I will use now. I find it much more abrasion resistant than spiderwire and fireline. It also holds a knot much better. I have been using 8 lb on my trout rod and I have yet to see a fray. The fireline lasted me a month.
 
I reckon with fishing (just as with everything else) we all find things that work for us, some that don't....of course there's an overlap of common ground that we all share.

Sorry, I've had a few beers and I'm a trumpet player so I've got to cast this one out!

Brecker Brothers, "Common Ground"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tgyN4Zz-e4

Anyway.....

I've been well into my lure fishing for 10yrs now and when I started I was on braid. Lots of ups and downs and lots of learning....lots of money spent on gear....I traded some for up grades....other bits I gave away, to family and friends....

It's true to say that until 15yrs ago (and even until recently) the Brits have been behind the times compared to North Americans, the Japanese, Australians, South Africans etc... I reckon we've now caught up as specialist lure fisherman, but unlike you throwing lures we get looked at a bit funny....Apart from the fly fishing brigade most Brits are bait and wait guys, pretty specialist and successful and different to what others around the world do.....

Anyway....

We've no pickerel in Europe let alone the British Isles.

My parents bought me an In-Fisherman Pike book, it said they were a smaller growing sub-species of pike, that they could tolerate warmer water, hence they didn't grow as big and that they were patterned differently.

Muskies, pike, the Amur pike from Central Asia and the different species of pickerel. An awesome set of fresh water predators!

When my dad was in Zambia in the '60's he sometimes used to catch what he called African pike, and he didn't mean tiger fish.....these were something different to them, like our pike but more primordial!

I reckon if you've got pickerel in your waters dig out your ultra light gear!

Caught in the pool behind me....

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Using this little fellow, a Spin Beetle which my dad brought back for me when he visited the USA after 9/11. He went to a Bass Pro and was completely blown away, I've never been to the US, normally we only have a little wall of lures to choose from in a British shop (unless using specialist British shops on the internet), my dad said Bass Pro was like one of our supermarkets, incredible!
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(no wire trace, just 15lb Maxima mono for a leader)

One funny thing about pike fishing is the remarkable tales that get said and written!

This picture

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gets linked to a picture of a pike with its jaws wrapped around another pike.

As far as my research has gone that particular pike was caught in Holland in one of the huge shipping canals (poldars sp?), not Ontario where it is claimed, the Dutch guy released it by the way... not the type of thing that a trophy hunter North American would do!

Anyway, I've babbled too much..sorry friends,

Johnny
 
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unless there is a new knot, the albright (or similar) knot is the knot to tie braid to another line...if it slips you're not tying it right...if a palomar is slipping you're not tying it right...

i always use a mono or floro leader with power pro braid...the only time i might not use a leader is with crankbait, but i think it's still too visible to fish if you go without one; you need all the edge when fishing...
 
tonym said:
You had a knot come undone with a palomar knot in braid? That has never happened to me.

.
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Thats how I remember it, but my memory is a little shaky. With the Trilene knot, I use it about 95 % of the time, it would slip. I use to double the string and tie it, which was a pain in the rear, or use Super Glue.
 
YB, nice fish. And yes... BPS is a hoot to go in.

Pilote, the Alberto knot is an "improved form" of the Albright.
Instead of only wrapping the braid back to the loop in the mono, you wrap up and back.
Making little x's along the way back to the loop. Works well and it is a nice, small knot.

dipbait, the trilene knot, which is my favorite for mono, will slip every time with braid.
Palomar fixes that.

One neat trick that I picked up on SOL was for the times when you use a swivel to attach your mono or flouro leader.
Make a spider hitch or bimini twist to double your line. I'll make about 12-18" of double line. Attach the swivel with an offshore swivel knot.
Basically put the end of the loop thru the swivel and bring the loop back on itself.
Make sure the loops are aligned and open.
Put the swivel thru both loops 8 times.
Wet and draw tight.
If done right it'll look like a double hangman's noose... sort of.
Attach the mono leader of your choice and you're good to go.
The beauty of the system is that you can feel the spider hitch hit the tip top guide.
That keeps you from reeling the swivel thru the guide.
A real plus when fishing in the dark :)
 
i know the alberto improves upon the albright; thing is, the albright has never failed for me and i don't feel i have to improve on it so i'm satisfied with using the albright knot...

i definitely use a spider hitch to make loops; never learned the bimini twist...again, i know the bimini is stronger (and if i did tuna fishing i would have to tie it) but the spider works good enough for my kind of fishing...
 
yorkshire, nice fish bud! wonder if its too much or if its possible for you to order from BassPro Shops and or Cabellas.. Not sure if they have over seas shipping. both places have stores that are huge. i mean huge! go online and see what you can do. maybe worth the time and $$ and then again, it may not.. tight lines, solo
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I catch pickerel on a weightless worm that i let sink to the bottom. Gets em everytime. topwater frogs too. Nice pike! The alberto is just like an albright, except you go all the way down, then all the way back up instead of just going up. Its strong, compact and ive tied a uni to uni and i think this one is easier and better. I'm hooked on this powerpro! I liked fireline in the beginning but that dimished on the spinning reel. Still love it on my baitcaster but i like this powerpro better. it's cheaper, you get a bit more, and it's ROUND!
Click to expand...

for the $$ PP is better. knew you would like it.. however i will say the spider wire braid is stronger and, to me, more abrasion resistant. i still prefer PP though. its cheaper and it gets the job done.. tip, keep an eye on the line. if it starts to fray or lose a lot of color and the waxy feel to it. change the line.
 
hung-solo said:
for the $$ PP is better. knew you would like it.. however i will say the spider wire braid is stronger and, to me, more abrasion resistant. i still prefer PP though. its cheaper and it gets the job done.. tip, keep an eye on the line. if it starts to fray or lose a lot of color and the waxy feel to it. change the line.
Click to expand...

i only use PP...fraying, yes; but change the line if loss of color/waxy-ness gone?

i've got large spools of different weights of PP yellow; they go to white pretty quick, to the best of my knowledge (from use) it doesn't affect performance (unless color is a big deal for your kind of fishing)...maybe if you're using vermilion red it's a big deal if that color fades on you...i use a long leader of floro (usually around 20ft) anyways, so color isn't a factor for me...

i gotta try spider wire at least once; gotta see if i'm missing anything...
 
pilote said:
i only use PP...fraying, yes; but change the line if loss of color/waxy-ness gone?

i've got large spools of different weights of PP yellow; they go to white pretty quick, to the best of my knowledge (from use) it doesn't affect performance (unless color is a big deal for your kind of fishing)...maybe if you're using vermilion red it's a big deal if that color fades on you...i use a long leader of floro (usually around 20ft) anyways, so color isn't a factor for me...

i gotta try spider wire at least once; gotta see if i'm missing anything...
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once the waxy coating is gone it will fray easier. also the "waxy coating" helps casting.. i normally get 2 years out of one spool of power pro (assuming i dont have to cut a lot from snags or bird nests. when it fades, just keep an extra eye on it. i have had it snap before.. just a heads up mainly.

as for spider wire.. nothing beats its strength. atleast i have not found anything stronger. like i said before i was reeling in 80lb soaked stumps.. the rod will break long before the spider wire does. this is also why i quit using it. too strong.
 
the only time i tie directly on to spectra is when yo-yoing an iron or trolling a feather; yellowtails and abacores just hit the action off the lure...and it does fray when fishing this way...on most of my salt baitcasters spectra is on the bottom of maybe 80 yrds of mono to give me more line capacity; i had a dorado that would have spooled me if i had just had max mono on...also, it's easier to change line weights; i don't have to take off 300yrs + to go from 40 to 30lbs...

on fresh spinners, it's 10-20 feet of 4lb maxima leader tied on to 12lbs spectra...no line memory and really long casts with 1/2oz roostertails...
 
pilote said:
the only time i tie directly on to spectra is when yo-yoing an iron or trolling a feather; yellowtails and abacores just hit the action off the lure...and it does fray when fishing this way...on most of my salt baitcasters spectra is on the bottom of maybe 80 yrds of mono to give me more line capacity; i had a dorado that would have spooled me if i had just had max mono on...also, it's easier to change line weights; i don't have to take off 300yrs + to go from 40 to 30lbs...

on fresh spinners, it's 10-20 feet of 4lb maxima leader tied on to 12lbs spectra...no line memory and really long casts with 1/2oz roostertails...
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so you fish salt a lot? i dont anymore. mainly its freshwater. the flouro/braid combo is a big deal now for spin cast rods.. i may give it another whirl one day. imo, its too many knots and the older i get the more i love the KISS method that worked like a charm when i was a kid. in fact, on average, i bet i caught more fish for less $$ when i was between the age of 8-17 yrs old.. what is funny is that i have spent a ton of $$ on new things, trying different lines etc etc.. and i ALWAYS go back to my basic, again the KISS method.. one day ill remember this when i go to a tackle shop and decide i need to try new things lol...these are my basic setups

light tackle rods.. always spin and always yo zuri hybrid 4-8lbs line

med light rods (for smaller cranks, large crappie jigs and weightless worms/lizards) its always spin rod and always yo zuri hybrid 8lbs. sometimes 6lb.. remember the 6lb has a breaking point of 12.5 lbs. the 8 is around 14-15lbs. plenty of strength

(all for bass)
-- med action with 10lb flouro or yo zuri hybrid for cranks only. i have one spin in this and one bait caster. both work very well

-- med heavy rod- one spin and 2 bait casting. all used for various worm/lizard presentations and spinner baits. . i only use a great mono like pline or something close in 12-16lbs test (mainly 14lb) . the only time i use braid is carolina rigging and the leader will be flouro.


that being said i do not jig for bass much. never had much luck with it and always have given up on it bc i have lost so many.. now if this changes ill probably use braid for it. just match the water color the best you can.

--
 
If you are using less than half the amount of braid on your reel, let's say 150 yards on the reel and your casting 50 or 60, even cut off 5 yards... you could still reverse the line on the reel and put the worn end on the bottom and the fresh stuff on the outside.
"End for end"
:)
 
Ebbtide said:
If you are using less than half the amount of braid on your reel, let's say 150 yards on the reel and your casting 50 or 60, even cut off 5 yards... you could still reverse the line on the reel and put the worn end on the bottom and the fresh stuff on the outside.
"End for end"
:)
Click to expand...

funny you said that. i used to do that with spider wire on my catfishing rods. it helped justify the high price of that stuff..
 
hung-solo said:
for the $$ PP is better. knew you would like it.. however i will say the spider wire braid is stronger and, to me, more abrasion resistant. i still prefer PP though. its cheaper and it gets the job done.. tip, keep an eye on the line. if it starts to fray or lose a lot of color and the waxy feel to it. change the line.
Click to expand...

Here's the booklet that came with it. I scanned it in for you guys.

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i've had barracudas and wahoos chop thru PowerPro...wire leaders with those guys...
 
. I haven’t seen any one say any thing along the lines of , that braid line has no stretch were mono has stretch big diferance.'m in Australia and I do allot of game fishing from rock platforms I find mono far more forgiving when **** happens. live baiting with heavy braid when a large predatory fish takes alive bait at high speed even with the drag on the fishing real set very light but not light enough for an over run. A 30 lb game fish will bust up 50 lb brade near every time but with mono you have a some chance because of the stretch.
 
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