Ever since I've started using the new "superlines" braided out of 'dyneema',
or 'spectra' (Technically called "high performance polyethylen" hppe)
I'm not using anything else anymore, because these lines have such big
advantages over good old mono.
The greatest plus is their almost complete lack of stretch: this gives you great
contact to your lure and whatever happens on the other end of your line.
Presentation of the lure is also enhanced, because every twitch you make with
your rod tip is transmitted directly to the lure and last but not least, your
hookset will come through to the fishes mouth even over a long distance and the
number of bad hook ups is reduced. You will often hear, that more fish are lost
during the fight, supposedly because the missing stretch makes it easier for
them to throw the hook. I can't confirm that at all, I've successfully hooked
and landed several sea trout which are supposed to be especially prone to
throwing the hook. The fish I lose the most are brown trout, but that was
already the case with mono and actually I think it's become better with
superline.
The line has an enormous tensile strength in relation to the diameter, which is
typically stated much to low though (see table).
The suppleness of the line makes for farther casts and it is not so susceptible
to line twist.
Because it resists UV-light rays it ages much slower than mono which puts the
higher price in perspective again.
The down sides of the super lines are the higher visibility and the lower
abrasion resistance. There can also be problems at temperatures below the
freezing point when water enters the braid and freezes. Its never happened to
me, so I can't really tell how bad it is compared to mono. Sooner or later the
tip of the rod will freeze anyway (I've had that problem) and then it's time for
a more comfortable pastime anyway. Not necessarily a disadvantage, but a
difference to mono is that superline is lighter than water and will float on the
surface.
When the water is clear or I'm using a rig which requires a leader or if I'm
afraid of high abrasion near the lure I like to use a piece of fluorocarbon line
if I'm not using a steel leader. Fluorocarbon is very invisible and more
abrasion resistant than super line
.
