IF YOU TRY ONE THING
England ace Lee Kerry reveals how using a braided mainline can transform your fishing...
Ditch your mono lines for braid when fishing the feeder
FEEDER fishing with a braided mainline is not a new concept to angling, yet there is still something of a stigma attached to doing so, meaning many anglers stick to their tried-and-trusted monofilament mainlines.
Not long ago I too was in that category. I felt that I could fish with mono reel lines in most situations, without it affecting my catch rate. However, once I understood how to use braid properly, I soon changed over, and I would now never go back!
If you’re considering making the switch, let me first highlight the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
THE ADVANTAGES:
1 Braid has zero stretch, so any movement is magnified at the quivertip. This means that as soon as you move the rod, you are also moving the feeder. As a result, you can react to bites quickly and adjust the placement of the feeder if you need to as well.
2 When playing fish on the feeder with braided mainline you will feel every tail flick of the hooked fish, so that you can control your retrieve accordingly.
3 Braid is much thinner than normal mono. This can be hugely beneficial when casting long distances because it offers less drag.
4 Braid carries superior strength. For example, 0.10mm mono line may have a 2lb breaking strain, but most braid in 0.10mm will be over 10lb breaking strain! 5 Braided mainlines can improve with use, so will last a long time, sometimes more than five years. This will save you a good few quid in the long run!
THE DISADVANTAGES:
1 There is an initial cost when putting braid on your reel. A spool of braid is much more expensive than normal mono but because of its increased lifespan it does work out better value for money.
2 Having zero stretch, there is little room for error with braid. Tangles are often permanent, and tangles round a quivertip make it easy for damage to occur.
3 If you can feel everything, so can the fish! This means that often, big aggressive fish like carp will bolt off and break your hooklength with ease. That makes braid better suited to smaller or slower-moving fish like bream and roach.
SETTING UP WITH BRAID
Braid comes in all thicknesses, but generally for feeder fishing there are three main diameters: 0.08mm, 0.10mm and 0.12mm.
As a rule, the thinner the braid, the more susceptible it is to tangling, so unless I’m looking to cast long distances, I nearly always opt for the 0.12mm type.
Traditionally, braid is used with a shockleader and this is still my favoured form of fishing. By incorporating a relatively long mono leader, this will take the brunt of the cast, helping to protect the braid in the long
term. Critically, mono also has a bit of inherent stretch, helping to ensure a good hookhold while playing fish close to the net. If you were fishing with braid straight through, hookpulls are far more likely. A leader also means there is a bit of give when filling the feeder or when minor tangles occur before casting.
My shockleaders are all the same, 7m long, so no matter what the rod’s length I always have the same length of mono to work with.
To attach a shockleader, I find the easiest way is to form a small loop in the braid, then tie a blood knot in the mono through the loop. It’s quick, easy and although not the strongest means of attachment, with a 10lb shockleader and 18lb braid there’s no risk of failure.
WHERE CAN I USE BRAID?
Some fisheries ban the use of braid because lost tackle incorporating braided mainline can cause problems for other anglers. This is more the case on heavily-fished carp waters, where lines in use can be much stronger. For general coarse anglers, however, shockleaders and light hooklengths mean these problems are very unlikely to occur, but it’s important to check your fishery’s rules before you start using braid.
WHEN SHOULD I USE IT?
Big natural reservoirs and lakes tend to be my favourite venues for braided lines. This is because there are very few carp present, but big heads of roach, bream and skimmers.
Braid is much better suited to traditional tactics, such as using cage or open-end feeders. If I was fishing a Method feeder, which gives savage bites, I’d stick to mono mainlines.