Best braid (to limit wind knots)

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Leslie Hempel

New member
guys im needing some aadvice

i predominantly use suffux performance and rovex viros braids, i have in the past used ez braid and the suffux fuze (horrible stuff)

but i still get windknots when casting a light lure....

i try my best to position myself to cast with the wind behind me to carry my cast further and i have even wet the spool to try limit the windknots but i still get them from time to time..

i have even gone as far as trolling with a subsurface lure on my way to the spot where i surface fish to strch out the braid a little but this also yields varying results..

i have heard there is a new braid on the market that is very good for my problem but the guy who told me about it has thrown the packaging away and cant remember the name..

i do understand that wind knots will happen from time to time, that is inevitable.. but has anyone got a suggestion or tips for me to limit them

im fishing with 4.5 - 6.8kg which is a nightmare because the frustration gets to me and i wind up snapping and having to join where the knott is.. the thicker stuff can still be yanked a little and the knott removed but im not too sure how good this is for the braid?

advice welcomed...
 
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PatrickC

Senior Member
In my experience the knots are caused by everything but the braid. The reel being the biggest factor.
Over filling it will guarantee you knots. Then the design of the reel itself, some fixed spool reels are made for casting and other not, the most important aspect here is the top edge of the spool that the line runs on when casting. Will try find a picture.
 
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Leslie Hempel

New member
shot appreciate the response,

i have in some cases overfilled the spool in the past but dont anymore, i spend the first few casts removing line when i first did this...

i learnt my lession..

im using penn firece, penn sargus and penn battle reels....
 
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PatrickC

Senior Member
I've been using .20 nanofil on my sargus with no hassles. Except that the line is crap, really like the reel though.
 
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aquadementia

Sealiner
main issue is winding up slack onto the reel, your lures are probably too light for your setup... A good reel (read SHIMANO s-concept reels) is invaluable... Maybe the Penn's are good, but I havent risked moving away from what actually works
 
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Enigma

Moderator
95% of braids will be fine

Make sure the gap between braid and edge of spool is around 2mm (looks wierd and empty but will reduce the problem significantly

Get a rod designed for braid spinning or upgrade your current guides to K Series or Concept Low Riders (both Fuji)

Key problem with a large majority of off the shelf spinning rods are that the 1st guide is to close on the majority of spinning rods resulting in braid going over the top of the guide and wrapping on the guide.

To answer the question on the braid..... for durability and longevity then look to Suffix Gore 832, Power Pro or Jerry Brown
 
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Leslie Hempel

New member
interesting.. thanks guys.. will have a good look at it again with a fresh perspective and see if i can find the problem..

some days its fine others its a tangle...

love the smoothed edge on that spool in the pic..

i must say im happy with my penn reels, they have produced nice catched..

lures being light ate definatley a possibility, its strike pro's and small surface poppers.. and i can relate to the slack uptake although i have become more concious of thsis in persuit to fine tune and limit my loss of braid...

the nanofil looks promising.. im tempted to try it.. but as you know braid isnt cheap.. i have a bought a small fortune of the stuff in the past 2 years in search of a "better" braid...

so far much happier with the suffix perfomance and viros... just wondered if there was a better brand?
 
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Ant86

Sealiner
Agree with what has been said, the actual braid doesnt cause wind knots.
Ive been using jerry brown and suffix 832 on my Stradics for 2 years now and have yet to throw a single wind knot.
 
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PatrickC

Senior Member
Definitely look at the jerry brown. I've been using the 50lb on a multiplier and its grest stuff! Been very impressed with its durability. Hasn't frayed and faded like most of the other brands do.

Haven't used the lighter ones yet but the Double X viper braid seems pretty good too.
 
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PatrickC

Senior Member
billmatt wrote:
Where can one get 20-30lb Jerry Brown in Cape Town? The Fishing Specialist does not stock.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Order from Enigma, prices on the website, http://www.cds-angling.co.za/jerry%20brown%20braid.html


In Cape Town I normally buy braid at goodwood sports, they usually have a good selection.
 
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spoonbait

New member
A couple of factors seem to help reduce wind knots from my experience. That said, they don't totally eliminate the knots, which is a pity.

Firstly, the cone angle on the reel is important. The reel should wrap the braid on the spool evenly and neatly when retrieving, and should not produce a top heavy or bottom heaving coning effect on the spool. Top heavy being the most dangerous as coils coming off the bottom of the spool on a cast can catch the top coils on the spool and throw them off in a wind knot.

Most of the medium to high end Shimano reels allow you to adjust this cone angle through adding/ removing washers.

Secondly, braid is inherently quite limp and doesnt spring into position like nylon would. Hence, overfilling a reel is a sure way to cause knots. That said, with a correct cone angle, one can fill the reel a lot better and produce much longer casts due to the fuller spool.

Thirdly, observation is key. One needs to make it a habit to check that no loose loops are bulging off the spool before a cast. If so, walk it out. Manually set the bail arm back after a cast, and place the braid correctly in the line roller to ensure correct wind on to the spool. Little habits like this really help.

And lastly, a dose of good luck on the day certainly does no harm either!

I do find S-bend spoons can cause more wind knots as they wobble in the air and are wound back slowly causing a loose line lay on the spool.

Moral of the story, no concrete solutions, just keep observing what works and stick to it. My guess is each rod/ reel/ braid combo will have unique features to that set up.
 
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spoonbait

New member
A couple of factors seem to help reduce wind knots from my experience. That said, they don't totally eliminate the knots, which is a pity.

Firstly, the cone angle on the reel is important. The reel should wrap the braid on the spool evenly and neatly when retrieving, and should not produce a top heavy or bottom heaving coning effect on the spool. Top heavy being the most dangerous as coils coming off the bottom of the spool on a cast can catch the top coils on the spool and throw them off in a wind knot.

Most of the medium to high end Shimano reels allow you to adjust this cone angle through adding/ removing washers.

Secondly, braid is inherently quite limp and doesnt spring into position like nylon would. Hence, overfilling a reel is a sure way to cause knots. That said, with a correct cone angle, one can fill the reel a lot better and produce much longer casts due to the fuller spool.

Thirdly, observation is key. One needs to make it a habit to check that no loose loops are bulging off the spool before a cast. If so, walk it out. Manually set the bail arm back after a cast, and place the braid correctly in the line roller to ensure correct wind on to the spool. Little habits like this really help.

And lastly, a dose of good luck on the day certainly does no harm either!

I do find S-bend spoons can cause more wind knots as they wobble in the air and are wound back slowly causing a loose line lay on the spool.

Moral of the story, no concrete solutions, just keep observing what works and stick to it. My guess is each rod/ reel/ braid combo will have unique features to that set up.
 
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FLUKE

Sealiner
3 factors that I've found are key and all have been mentioned.

1) don't fill the reel
2) surface lures like the strike pro create slack when they skip so you get loops in the braid because unlike nylon there is no stretch to take up the slack.
3) quality of line lay of the reel. My Penn Fierce 2000 for example has horrible line lay. It is flat in the middle but leaves a ridge on either end of the spool with a gap between the ridge and the lip of the spool. Try as you may a reel with that line lay will always give wind knots.

So don't fill your reel, buy a shimano and still get wind knots when fishing a strike pro popper LOL
 
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