Power Pro Line, Pt. 2
January 22, 2009
An expert angler is usually the guy or gal who takes advantage of all the tools available to them.
To do less is like a golfer expecting to shoot par while armed with only a driver, a putter and a five iron. Golfers so equipped would never get anywhere near par consistently. They wouldn’t because they simply wouldn’t have the tools to let them best solve the constantly changing problems golfers always encounter from hole to hole.
An angler is in the same boat. If you’ve fished enough to know that a backlash doesn’t mean using a whip on somebody’s rear, you know this is true. Fishing one part of a lake where the water is murky and the cover heavy requires a different approach than a hole where the water’s gin-clear.
That’s one of the reasons the new super strong, small diameter braided lines have had such an impact among the world’s anglers. Today more and more knowledgeable fishermen are taking advantage of what these lines have to offer.
Spool-Up Tips
In my last Product Review column I told about the nifty new box the Power Pro people are providing for their excellent braided line. I also mentioned that there are a number of things to keep in mind whenever you fill your reels with this line.
For starters you need to realize lines like Power Pro braid have no stretch.
Among other things, this means that it’s not going to cling to a bare reel spool as monofilament does. Keep this in mind when you’re ready to fill your spool with it.
If you choose you can put some tape on your reel’s arbor before you attach the braided line. If your reel’s spool has holes in it that permit tying the end of the braid to them, you can also utilize that procedure.
I have more than one reason for taking a different route. My first consideration is where my reel and the line I put on it is going to be used. My bass fishing reels are used exclusively for bass fishing. Even a bass of 10-pounds or more isn’t going to pull a whole lot of line off my spool.
So what? So why in the heck should I fill the spool with 150-yards of expensive braid when the most I’ll likely ever really use and need is not going to exceed more than a third of that length?
What I much prefer to do is fill about half of the spool with monofilament and attach my braided line to the end of it. Then I wind on sufficient Power Pro to completely fill up the spool. I think this makes good sense where the reel is to be used strictly for bass fishing. When I want to change my braid at the end of the season I’ve still got enough on the 150-yard spool I purchased to refill the reel.
It’s a different story where other species are concerned. If, for example, my reels are to be used for steelhead fishing I’m going to just run 5 to 10-yards of monofilament on the spool and then use a sufficient amount of braid to fill it on up to capacity.
Knotty Problems Solved
There’s another factor that’s equally important where the super strong, small diameter lines are concerned. It’s to use knots the manufacturer recommends for its product.
Do you know what those recommended knots are? If you don’t you’d darn well better learn them if you want to be happy with your new braided line. Maybe you’ve always used a blood knot to attach a monofilament leader to your main monofilament line. Don’t plan on doing the same thing with braid. It’s not going to work.
The makers of Power Pro recommend that you use a Uni to Uni Splice Knot for attaching their braid to a monofilament line. I’ve used this knot again and again for hour after hour of bass fishing and it’s never posed a problem. Hook a largemouth of almost 12-pounds in heavy cover, and I’ve done that, and all of your tackle gets a tough test if you’re going to emerge as the winner.
A single Uni Knot is recommended for attaching braid to your terminal tackle. If you’ve always fished with monofilament, you’ve probably taken five turns through your loop before cinching it down when tying something like an Improved Clinch Knot. Eight to 10 loops is recommended where braided line is concerned. Incidentally, the popular Improved Clinch Knot is not recommended for Power Pro braid.
Why all the extra turns? These lines, especially in the lighter tests, and tiny in diameters are slicker that greased snot! Be careful in your handling of them. They can cut skin if you get careless and start yanking them around as you might be used to doing with monofilament.
The Palomar Knot is also recommended for use with the new braids. None of these knots is difficult to tie. Even so, you’ll be wise to take a few practice runs just to get the hang of what’s required to handle them before you get out on the lake or river.
I especially like what the Power Pro folks do where the important braided line knots are concerned. Remember the new box I wrote about in my last column? Look inside that box when you get it. You’ll find a small folder in the box that provides excellent illustrations on how to tie a number of recommended knots as well as those I’ve mentioned.
For Spinning Reels Too
Finally, I’d like to mention one more thing where Power Pro is concerned. I started out using it only on my level wind reels. Today I’m using it on the majority of my spinning reels as well.
And why not? It wraps beautifully on the spinning reel spool. It also does much to eliminate that tangled mess of line between your reel and the first guide on your spinning rod that so often happens when you’re using monofilament if you screw up a bit. 
I’m now able to use a braided line that is 10-pound test with my spinning reels but that has less than the diameter of 4-pound test monofilament. If the cover is really heavy I can go all the way up to 15 or 20-pound test and still get sufficient distance with smaller and lighter lures that fish sometimes want.
If the water is extremely clear and low line visibility is required, I simply use the Uni to Uni Splice Knot to attach a monofilament leader of the desired length. As far as I’m concerned this gives me the best of both line types.
No doubt about it, Power Pro braided line now plays a major role in my own angling endeavors. If you’ve not given it a try yourself, you’re likely in for a pleasant surprise when you do.