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Coated braid ?

J

Joe Fletcher

No Longer a Member
A question about coated braid ? In the past I have used 10lb mono for my hook links on the Lower Severn with out any problems in the past up until the last time I was out ? when I lost a hook link to a snag . The mono hook link had caught on a snag and broke .

I am now thinking of changing to coated braid for my hook links and was wondering if there is any reason not to strip back the coating when tying the coated braid to the hook ? Will it make any difference by not stripping the coating back when tying the hook ?
 
Coated Braid

Hi Joe,
The main difference with not stripping back is the lack of flexibility around hook and hair,poss less natural,also some coated braids won't go through the eye of a hook twice if hair rigging or using a palomar knot(dependant on hook pattern/make)If you're happy with 10lb try Target Speciskin by Gardner,thinner than most.
Incidentally,had some success a while back without stripping back,poss makes the hookbait harder to eject?
Hope that helps some,
Regs,John
 
Hi Joe. I have used a coated braid hook length for years now and have tried with both stripped and unstripped presentations but can't say that either way has made any difference. I am using Suffix "nuflex " 9.3kg currently in one of two colour patterns depending on river conditions.
The link strength may seem excessive to some, but I fish with the thought that if the fish is hooked it's coming out. Some of the rivers I fish are pretty narrow and willowy so a hook and hold method has to be employed. By and large the only landing failures I have are hook pulls on about 10% of my bites. too many for my liking.
 
I use ESP Striptease. I strip the coating back for a knotless knot and leave about 1/4 of an inch after to allow the hook some movement in the water.
 
Joe... stripping the coating back will leave you with just plain braid, that will quite possibly have even less abrasion resistance than the mono you're presently using. Either leave the coating on (try tying hook-lengths up at home with it and see if you're happy with it) or go to a thicker (not necessarily stronger) mono for your hooklength. Maybe experiment with different end-rigs on each rod (if you're using more than one rod, that is!) I reckon with abrasion resistance it's mostly about line diameter...with braid, fluoro, and pre-stretched monos all tending to have lower abrasion resistance than plain old mono (generally speaking!)
N.B.. I reckon Ghostline is THE most abrasion resistant mono.
N.B.2! .. but if you're snagged on a immovable object, then something eventually has to give...and it's better for your hooklength to break than your mainline eh :)
ATVB
Terry (just back from 2 weeks in Kos, but back on it 2moz. Yippeeeee!)
 
Swings and roundabouts with stripping the coating back Joe. If you leave it on, it gives all the braided link protection and the bait some degree of anti-eject.
If you strip it back, leaving a minimal amount above the hook, it allows the bait to act more naturally and imho the flexible bit of braid improves hook- holds.
I must confess to only using coated braid ( Striptease) in swims that I know there is a risk of a cut-off so not something I do enough to be assured my thoughts are correct.
 
Cheers for the reply's guys . I have already tied some hook links using coated braid with out stripping the coating back . Logic tells me if I have lost mono hook links in the past to a snag and I know braid is less abrasion resistant than mono , Then I cant see the point of using coated braid if you are going to strip the coating back and expose the braid knowing it less abrasive resistant than mono if that makes sense .
 
I'm not so sure modern braid hooklink material is any less abrasion resistant than mono. It certainly was at one time, but the technology has progressed since then.
I'll happily stand corrected, however. :)
 
Hi Joe
I have been having similar issues
This season I have been using several different mono hooklinks a lot more than usual -normally 12lb b/s and I have lost a few fish unncessarily due to the hooklinks just parting in the fight. I assume that they got damaged and although I do try and check them regularly I must have missed some abrasion. I understand that once the coating of mono is breached( and it might be a tiny kink or scrape) it loses it's strength expedentially, so you have to be ruthless in replacing them.Clearly I haven't been.
That said I have changed back to 15lb braid hooklinks with a few inches stripped back for all the reasons mentioned above.I have no idea if it's technically correct but I do like idea of the non-stretch qualities of braid for setting the hook hard, coupled with the shock absorber qualities of mono mainline and a through action rod.Same applies with mainline,if it feels anything less than perfect, I snip back and re-tie.
 
The need to pack our gear away in quivers at the end of the session all geared up and ready to go next time , without checking to see if the hook length has not been compromised is a common problem.

We all do it :eek:
 
Neil Smart said:
The need to pack our gear away in quivers at the end of the session all geared up and ready to go next time , without checking to see if the hook length has not been compromised is a common problem.

We all do it :eek:
Click to expand...

True Neil, but these days I use quick change hook length beads and change my hooklengths very regularly. I also re-rig (discard bottom 3m of my mainline) after most session, sometimes even after I've blanked (a rare occurrence ... not :eek: )
 
Yes that is so true. Easy to chafe it when packing up in the dark, hell I left a net and handle behind the other night, didn't know until I got to the river 3 days later, no net or handle - went back to the peg and there it is in the long grass!
 
Interesting thread this . One thing that puzzles me . How does stripping back the coating on the braid allow the bait to ' act more naturally '' ? Presuming we are talking about ledgering , the fact that the bait is in effect held in a fixed position by the lead will negate any supposed benefit of stripping back the braid or am I just being daft ?
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Interesting thread this . One thing that puzzles me . How does stripping back the coating on the braid allow the bait to ' act more naturally '' ? Presuming we are talking about ledgering , the fact that the bait is in effect held in a fixed position by the lead will negate any supposed benefit of stripping back the braid or am I just being daft ?
Click to expand...


....if that was the case Mike, surely a ledgered baited hook on (say) 30lb fluoro would act as naturally as one on 5lb uncoated braid :eek:
 
I don't know Terry , that's what I'm trying to understand . What I'm trying to get my head round is how a static bait , is made to act more naturally by stripped back braid
 
But I don't think a ledgered bait on a very soft hooklink IS totally static..it just doesn't move downstream. Baits are often 'sucked up' into the fishes mouth, and on a highly flexible hooklength this will happen more naturally (IMHO)
 
mike, try leaving about an inch stripped back, enables the bait to waver more naturally but not leaving enough stripped braid to chafe or cut on flinty or rocky bottom unless the fish rubs its lips on the bottom trying to unhook itself but with barbel thats probably not going to happen
 
OK John , that'd a useful tip . I don't use braid for hooklinks or mainline but as can be seen I am curious as to the presentation of bait issue , i.e.. making the bait appear more natural . Neil re the wafting about point you make . I can sort of see what you are saying but wouldn't a bait on a static ledger be more natural just staying still rather than being in one place but wafting at the same time ? I have watched a few videos on U tube of barbel feeding under water and to be honest they aren't particularly subtle in their approach, appearing to suck anything off the bottom with gay abandon including stones , sticks and all manner of detritus .
 
Joe Fletcher said:
A question about coated braid ? In the past I have used 10lb mono for my hook links on the Lower Severn with out any problems in the past up until the last time I was out ? when I lost a hook link to a snag . The mono hook link had caught on a snag and broke .

I am now thinking of changing to coated braid for my hook links and was wondering if there is any reason not to strip back the coating when tying the coated braid to the hook ? Will it make any difference by not stripping the coating back when tying the hook ?
Click to expand...

My original question was ..... Will stripping the coating back make any difference when tying the hook ? People have suggested the bait acts more natural if the coating is stripped back a couple of inches when tying the hook ?

Assuming some one is fishing at night in darkness . Would a Barbel be able to see what looks natural and what not looks natural in the dark ?
 
Joe, answer 1, is yes much easier to tie and get through the hookeye if stripped,
2nd is in darksness the fish are following a scent or flavour trail and are not very likely to spot the line in darkness mate.
 
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