About Spectra (PE Lines)

Tower Todd · Sep-25-2008, 10:40 AM

Found this information informative and thought that my BD bruthas mike be interested:

Braided lines of Dyneema and Spectra are all basically the same, Poly-Ethylene based filament lines. It floats because it has 0.97 weight ratio, when water has 1.0 weight ratio. The line is braided with a lot of very thin fibers and it tend to have more body than a single fiber. This is the reason braided lines floats. There are too many braided lines in market, and we should study before we use them.

Most differences of available PE braid lines come from the way of braids, coatings and dying.

Way of braids: 3strands, 4strads, 8 strands, 16 strands
PowerPro, Spiderwire, Fireline and most PE braid line are braided with 4 strands. Each strand is composed of a number of (about 50?) very thin fibers. Braided lines with 4 strands are in the shape of square, but with thin lines it looks round.

There are a few PE braid lines braided with 8 or 16 thinner strands for more smoothness. Those are mostly for offshore jigging for +200-400 feet, rated at more than 40lb-test, and expensive. Those lines tend to have more body, but for jigging, it is not a significant disadvantage. Smoothness is very important because line has always high tension in jigging. I'm spooling 40lb of 8-strand to my jigging reel. Ripcord lines are braided with 3 strands, and it is flat. It receives more wind than 4-strand line. When lines are twisted, the 3-strand line shows more roughness.
　
Coatings: Hard coat, thin coat, non-coat
Most braided line are coated with some kind of abrasion protector because PE lines has much less abrasion resistance than monofilament lines. One of the hardest coating is put on Barkley's Fireline and Spiderwire fusion. Fireline looks like one fiber, but it is braided with 4 strands and then coated with plastic. PowerPro has relatively hard coating, applied to each strand, and you may easily identify the braids of the line. Ripcord Si has thin silicone coating, and it is as soft as non-coated PE line. Ripcord and Spiderwire doesn't have any coating on its surface.

Coating will give the line harder and thinner body. It is good to handle the line in the way of monofilament. The thinner body also receives less affection by wind. But, harder line has more friction with guides in casting, and leads to less casting distance. Though PE material itself doesn't have memory, the hard coating has memory. Softer, less-coated lines require special care in handling to prevent tangles, but cast farther.

Considering the extent of added abrasion protection by coatings and the disadvantage of them, I prefer to use thin-coat line because it casts much farther, and retrieve much smoother. By using mono-leader, I can achieve the abrasion resistance, and don't much need it for main line. Currently, some nylon lines have 20times abrasion resistance to normal mono, and coated braided line may have only the similar resistance of normal nylon line.

Dying: colored or white
It is said that when PE braid lines are died, it gets weaker. However, metered line, colored in different 5 colors by every 20 meter is very useful to know how deep you fish without line counter.

Bloodvessel · Sep-25-2008, 05:57 PM

Thanks for the info Todd. The more we learn the more we can share!
Carl

Mo · Sep-25-2008, 09:52 PM

Interesting info TT, thanks.

Sammy Hooker · Sep-25-2008, 11:18 PM

Hey, TT....many thanks to ya cuz you're wicked cool posting all this info to help us all be better catchers-of-fish. Let me ask ya...what's your line of choice for tuna and sammies?

Keta · Sep-26-2008, 05:31 AM

You didn't list hollow uncoated line.

**Cornfed** · Sep-26-2008, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keta

You didn't list hollow uncoated line.

YUP....and you didn't quote your source.

Tower Todd · Sep-26-2008, 08:49 AM

Found on another site. Don't know the author.

Trolling:
I like the Jerry Brown Hollow for my trolling reels. The spliced loops and Chinese fingercuffs are really cool and give me something to do during the winter.

Jigging:
It doesn't work as well for iron jigging, so I'll probably spool with the OTI Jigging line for next year on the jig set ups.

Live Bait & Swimbaits:
For live bait and swimbaits, I'll use Tuff line as backing with a good top shot of flourocarbon line, like 100 yards. That way I don't have to worry to often about the top shot getting to short from cutting off deep hooked hooks.

TT

OTI Multi Colored Jigging Line:
Ocean Tackle International

Ducks4jimm · Sep-26-2008, 08:44 PM

Todd, I don't like Spectra, regardless of topshot rigging. The lack of stretch is a major issue; Stretch is a good thing when trolling jigs. If you are fishing albacore you don't need a ton of line capacity - a 4/0 Senator will take you home.

doug johnson01 · Sep-29-2008, 01:17 PM

Todd,
Thanks for your sharing of articles. The trolling article firmed up some logic and was valuable on our last trip. What reel is your choice as we are currently using out halibut reels/Shimano takada 700.
Regards,
Doug Johnson

**Cornfed** · Sep-29-2008, 01:49 PM

Out here on the west coast....SPECTRA IS A REQUIREMENT if you ever want to tangle with MR. Big. If not, go ahead and spool your reel with 40 to 60 lb. mono and hope the day never comes when MR. BLUE or MR. STRIPED comes into your spread. Capacity is key cuz the only thing stopping these fish is a thermocline or bottom. The guys ont he east coast can get away with running mono because they can get it back on their reel. They are fishing in water no deeper than 300' to 400'. With mono there is barely time to realize...."OHHHHHHHHH SHIT......Let's see if I am doing 6.5 knots in one direction and the garbage can Blue Fin Tuna that pounded my clone is doing 20 knots in the other direction.....how long will it take....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZINNNNNNNNNNNGGGG PPPPPPPPOW"

Don't worry about doing the math...you won't have time.

What is the strand count on JBHC 80 lb.? I need to give some of that to myself as an early xmas present.

DJ - I ran my tekotas a couple weekends ago and they worked great (for albies).

Keta · Sep-29-2008, 02:05 PM

I honestly can't come up with a situation where I feel stretch is good. For albacore trolling just put a 50-100 foot topshot on and fish.

Tower Todd · Sep-29-2008, 02:31 PM

The topshot gives you the strech you need while the braided line gives you the longer backing that you need. Honestly, I'm not worried about strech when fishing for albacore if the drags are properly set. I feel the benifits, far outweigh the negatives. How may years can you get out your mono? The good quality braids can go for may years as long as you trim the end from time to time.

TT