BRAID

Good and bad news about

Braid lines offer the angler a number of advantages, but there are drawbacks for those wanting to fish to IGFA rules.

Anglers fishing gel-spun polyethylene (GSP) braid in tournaments run in accordance with International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) criteria run the risk of disqualification if the line over-tests, say NZ Sport Fishing Council representatives.

Contrary to popular rumours, NZSFC Vice-President, Phil Appleyard, and IGFA Representative John Chibnall, say “nothing has changed” in relation to the use of braid, either as main line or as backing.

Most anglers who use braid agree that this type of line is great to fish with. It does not stretch and is very thin, minimising water resistance, making it particularly well suited to targeting deep water species. This same fine diameter also means reels do not need to be nearly as large and cumbersome as those used with equivalent-strength nylon, so fishing is made more pleasant and fun.

There is, however, one big problem with most brands of braid: they tend to over-test the indicated weight on the packaging – sometimes by as much as two or three times.

While the NZSFC, along with the IGFA, accept record claims for fish caught on braid, anglers take the risk of the line over-testing when tested as part of the record-claim procedure after the catch is made. This is a common occurrence.

Another issue is the line’s inconsistent strength. If you were to take 10 metres of braid off one spool and test it 10 times, you might well get 10 different breaking strains. This makes braid unsuitable for use in events such as the Council’s Simrad Nationals, where it is not practical to pre-test line before start fishing or after the tournament is finished, due to the number of anglers participating and their wide geographical spread. However, this does not stop the weighmaster from testing any line used at any stage, and if the line does over-test the fish will be disallowed. And keep in mind that under IGFA rules, GSP braid used as backing under a mono top-shot is subject to the same stringent breaking-strain rules as the top-shot, so be careful what you use.

NZSFC zone representatives have asked Council to approach IGFA, suggesting they might bring some pressure on the braid manufacturers and their distributors to put a true breaking strain on all spools sold for recreational fishing. IGFA advised that, based upon past experiences with this issue, they have had little influence over the world’s tackle manufacturers producing these lines.

“I spoke to the only New Zealand braid line manufacturer and was told most of the braid line made worldwide is used for other purposes,” Phil says. “Fishing lines take up only a small portion of their production capacity and are a minor component of their business.”

Besides, trying to make gel-spun lines meet IGFA standards is not practical, because the type of fibre braid lines are made from has an inconsistent breaking strain and cannot be woven into a product that breaks reliably.

In contrast, the much more reliable nylon monofilament lines are extruded, but are thicker and have more stretch, so lack the main qualities anglers applaud in braid: thin diameter for breaking strain and low stretch.

However, there is a reasonable alternative for those anglers wanting a braided option, with Dacron line being thinner than mono and not stretching as much – but being slightly less durable than GSP braid. Both Dacron and mono are usually reasonably true to their labelled line-classes, especially if also labelled ‘IGFA’, indicating the line should break below the stated breaking strain. (However, keep in mind that the IGFA does not rate any fishing line itself, even mono, though some distributors make this claim.)

Most tournaments and other prizes or trophies use IGFA fishing rules and regulations in their conditions of entry. These are in the NZSFC year book under IGFA and NZSFC fishing rules and regulations.

“The council promotes ethical fishing and good sportsmanship when fishing, but it is up to individual anglers what they fish with – braid is okay, but you do run a real risk of it over-testing,” Phil says.

Cost of braid

The size of UHMWPE yarn is measured in denier (d), which is grams per 9000m. The sizes available range from 30d to 400d for fishing line.

The cost per metre of yarn is approximately the same from 100d to 400d, but fine yarns less than 100d are roughly 50% dearer per metre.

The cost of a braided line is dependent on the number of yarns used. For example, light line made up of eight or 12 fine yarns will be expensive. A coarse yarn made up of three yarns will be cheap(ish).

Material cost is only part of the total manufacturing cost but it is clear that eight-carrier and especially 12-carrier lines will be substantially more expensive than the coarser four-carrier yarns for the same strength.

Heat stretching

After braiding there will be differences in tension between each yarn, the range being dependent on the correct adjustment and maintenance of the braider. These differences have a major influence on the strength of the line.

To overcome these differences and compact the line, some companies heat-stretch their lines. Basically, the line is stretched at a certain tension while heated.

If done correctly, heat-stretching will reduce the diameter, strengthen the line and reduce the stretch under tension. When not done correctly it can reduce the strength of the line and make it stiff and ‘brittle’.

Myths and misconceptions

There is no such thing as ‘zero stretch’. All lines stretch to a certain extent.

A line braided from quality UHMWPE yarn and optimally heat-stretched may stretch 3% up to breaking point; some badly-made lines using inferior UHMWPE may stretch 6-8%.

Nylon mono will stretch up to 30% before breaking.

Kevlar is not the strongest fibre anymore and hasn’t been for at least 20 years. Kevlar has been superseded for many applications by UHMWPE, which is 50-100% stronger – except where high temperatures are involved.

Braid facts

GSP braid is made on a braiding machine.
To manufacture fishing line, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 carrier machines are used.
Production is slow: 50 m/hr on 37kg/80lb down to 20 m/hr on 4.5kg/10lb.
Three-carrier braid is flat, almost ribbon-like. It is the cheapest braid and looks it.
Four-carrier braid is round but knobbly.
Six-carrier braid is rounder and less knobbly than four-carrier.
Eight-carrier braid is round (slightly square), smooth and more ‘limp’ than four- and six-carrier braid.
12-carrier braid is very smooth, hollow and can be slightly flat. It is able to be spliced to mono or into itself to form a loop.

About UHMWPE

Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene is a type of polyethylene (PE). Humble items such as buckets and supermarket bags are made from PE and are not known for their strength. UHMWPE fibre is made in a very special way that makes it extremely strong and also expensive. The PE polymer is dissolved forming a gel that is then heated and extruded – hence the term ‘gel-spun’.

The process was invented and developed in the ‘70s and ‘80s separately by Allied (now Honeywell) in the USA and DSM in the Netherlands. Honeywell branded its version SPECTRA and DSM made theirs DYNEEMA.

Differences between Dyneema and Spectra are minor; both have different grades which are similar.

DSM and Honeywell had the market to themselves for a long time, but this has changed in the last five-10 years, as has the main application for the fibres, which has changed from ropes and lines to body and general armour.

There are now some Chinese manufacturers who produce a very acceptable product close to Dyneema and Spectra in quality, but at (much) lower price. Unfortunately, there is also a number of Chinese UHMWPE suppliers who produce an inferior product and then quite brazenly call it ‘Spectra’ or ‘Dyneema’.

Braid offers anglers a much thinner line, thus a great spool capacity when compared with mono, but there are no guarantees when it comes to a consistent line test.

Due to the way it is manufactured, the line strength of monofilament is much easier to control, enabling its breaking strain to test close to the line class stated on the label.

January - 2015 - Phil A & Grant D New Zealand Fishing News Magazine. Copyright: NZ Fishing Media Ltd. Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited