There is nothing better than having the best braided fishing line with you out on the water. It makes your experience so much nicer.
Did you know:
Braided fishing line is the oldest form of line used by anglers.
There's a twist though...
The braided line that we use today is vastly different from the type of line used in the past several hundred years.
It is stronger, smaller, and smoother than the old lines made from cotton or horsehair.
It could be considered the most popular type of line used by anglers today because of the many advantages it provides.
The thing is...
There are hundreds of different braided line products available.
So how exactly do you go about picking a line that is going to offer you the best performance?
In this article, we will look at ten of the top options on the market.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, where I make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What is Braided Line?
Before we get into discussing the individual products, let us take a look at what braided line is and its fishing applications.
Braided line is made of several strands of material.
To be more specific, braided line is made from four to eight strands of manmade fibers such as Dacron, Spectra, or Dyneema, patented products made from ultra polyethylene.
Having high molecular weight means these compounds are packed tightly together.
This gives braided line its qualities that we will discuss in the next section.
While we say four to eight strands, there are several hundred individual fibers only micro-meters in diameter. That's really small.
Bundles of these fibers are woven to form one of the strands that make up the braided line you spool.
Pros & Cons of Braided Line
If you are using braided line, you have to understand its advantages and drawbacks.
It is great for certain types of fishing, but for others, you are going to prefer using monofilament or fluorocarbon.
Pros
Lack Of Stretch
Because braided line is made from hundreds of individual fibers woven together compactly, there is not a lot of give compared to mono or fluorocarbon.
This property leads to the following characteristics of braided line.
Low Line Memory
Monofilament has a tendency to take the form of the spool or becomes stretched after extended exposure to UV light, hang-ups, and fish.
This causes decreased casting efficiency. The line will not ride in the water properly. Braided line resists these changes and provides excellent casting for a long time.
Sensitivity
The compactness of braided line and its lack of stretch makes it extremely sensitive to bumps and strikes from structures and fish.
This is important when fishing with certain lures or fishing around structures where your strategy involves knowing where and how your lure is reacting.
Incredible strength
The type and number of fibers give braided line incredible tensile strength. With the correct knot use and upkeep of the line, it is almost impossible to break this line.
You can get an idea of how this would be useful when trying to land large game fish.
Thin Diameter
What is really impressive is not just the small diameter of braided line, but how much stronger it is than mono at the same diameter.
What thin diameter allows is less water resistance so your lures can move smoothly through the water with less drag.
The low air resistance and the slick nature of braid help increase its ability to cast further.
Cons
Lack of stretch
Oh yeah, lack of stretch can also be a major drawback in some situations. Set the hook too hard on some fish and you run the chance of yanking the hook out completely.
Lack of stretch paired with a poor knot choice is going to lose many lures. You need to have good drag management when using braid to cut down on this drawback.
Visibility
In clear water, braid might spook some fish that are wary of line. If fishing clear water or spooky fish, a lot of anglers use a fluorocarbon leader tied to the end of braid.
Braided line manufacturers continue to improve and now provide line that is becoming less visible.
Limited Knot Choice
Knots are another concern.
Because of the material used in braided line, its slick properties, and lack of stretch, braid tends to slip many normal knots used in fishing.
The Blood Knot, Palomar Knot, and Non-Slip Loop Knot are great knots to use with braided line.
Prone To Fraying From Abrasion
Once braided line begins to fray, it loses many of the properties that make it so popular. It is great around underwater structures.
However, regarding sensitivity and strength, eventually the fibers will begin to break down.
Manufacturers will often coat their line to help reduce the amount of abrasion. It is important to check your braided line often to be sure it is structurally sound.
So, now that you have a better idea of what makes up braided line and its applications, let's look at ten of the top braided line products on the market.
Best Braided Fishing Line - Top 10
1. Power Pro Spectra Fiber
Power Pro's microline takes braided fishing line to the next level.
It provides small diameters that allow this line to be used in clearer waters, a drawback associated with braided line.
Diameter options for this line range from 0.005 inch to 0.035 inch in diameter.
This line comes in various colors, spool lengths, and pound tests.
You may customize your outfit to fit your fishing needs.
2. KastKing SuperPower
KastKing is one of the top brands in braided fishing line.
This is one of several products that have made our top list of braided lines.
The SuperPower braided line is made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, giving it superior strength.
Also adding to the strength of this line is the number of strands used.
For line 65 to 150 pound test, eight strands are woven together making it nearly unbreakable.
For tensile strengths lower than 65 pounds, four strands are used to maintain smaller line diameters.
What is incredible about this line is the small diameter versus strength. Similar to Power Pro Spectra, it is a small enough diameter to be cast and fished with smoothly.
3. Spiderwire Braided Stealth Superline
This line features several color patterns excellent for low visibility in underwater situations.
It has excellent strength and is made with four to eight strands of Dyneema depending on the pound test.
Regarding pound test, this line is offered from six to eighty pound test in a variety of spool sizes.
Micro fibers are treated with a special coating before the braiding process. This provides reduced friction.
4. Piscifun Braided
One thing that Piscifun is known for in their fishing products is great performance for only a fraction of the cost of other high-end braids.
Piscufin offers a line that that is available in several color options along with tensile strengths from 12 to 150 pounds.
This braided line can hold up to just about any other braided line on the market in strength and abrasion resistance.
It does have an issue with color loss, but for the price, you can buy several spools of it for the same price as one spool of another high-end line.
5. KastKing Fortis
With the Fortis line, you get incredible performance at an extremely affordable price.
As the name implies, this line has undergone a new staining process that greatly reduced color fading on the line.
This property only matters if the line stays functional.
The Fortis braid is one of the most abrasion resistant lines on the list.
It is offered in several colors and tensile strength options.
6. KastKing Mega 8
The major advantage of the Mega 8 by KastKing is its incredible casting power.
The line manages this through a special coating process that reduces friction between the line and the guides.
This leads to increased casting ability.
Mega 8 braided line is available in several color options and tensile strengths from ten to eighty pounds.
Unlike other lines, even the smaller tensile strength options are made using eight strands of polyethylene fiber instead of four strands commonly seen in other line brands.
This offers you incredible strength on even the smallest diameter lines.
7. Suffix 832 Advanced Superline
Suffix 832 offers incredible resistance to color fading.
This line is braided with eight fibers, one GORE performance fiber and seven Dyneema fibers that provide a rounded and castable line.
The GORE performance fiber and tight weaving pattern increases the lines abrasion resistance giving a longer lasting line.
The braid is available in several colors and pound test from six to one hundred with diameters ranging from 0.06 to 0.48 millimeters.
While not as thin as other lines on this list, it is still able to cast well and holds up to hard use.
8. Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid Superline
The Invisi- Braid Superline by Spiderwire is the absolute top choice for fishing situations where low line detection is needed.
This unique translucent braided line is available in several spool sizes and between six to eighty pound test.
Made from four to eight tight wrapped Dyneema fibers, it still maintains its strength and casting ability as other lines.
9. Booms Fishing ECO
One of the stronger braids on this list, Booms ECO braid line, is designed to handle trophy fish.
Like most braided lines, it is available in several colors, spool lengths, and pound test options.
This is not a line to be used in clear water, as it is highly visible.
It has large braid diameters compared to other lines on this list that might affect its casting performance.
10. Fishingsir Super Dyneema
Perhaps the best trait of Fishingsir braid line is the treated surface that results in a smooth line.
This reduces friction and dramatically improves casting performance. The line is available in several colors.
Some reviews have shown that the color retention on this line is not optimal and was probably a tradeoff for the smooth and near frictionless line.
Surface treatment has also made a braided line that is very resistant to abrasion, giving the line a longer life span.
The line is available in multiple colors and 12 to 120 pound test options. Line diameters range from 0.09 millimeters on the 12-pound test up to 0.63millimeters for the 120 pound test.
Conclusion
The improvement in the manufacturing process of braided line has resulted in a quantum leap for braided fishing line technology.
We are beginning to see line that still provides all the pros of braid, but also a reduction in the traditional tradeoffs you have to sacrifice when going with braided line.
You have boundless options for braid; however, unless you can pick out the well-made line over the knockoffs, you are not going to have much of an advantage once you're out on the water.
We hope this article has clearly outlined what braided line is along with its advantages and disadvantages.
We also hope our list of the top ten braided lines will give you a basis for choosing the most high-quality lines available.
Hopefully, it will provide the advantage that most of us need when out on the water.
Don't forget to check out our awesome guide on trout fishing. We also have a nice article on fishing basics if you know anyone just starting out on fishing.
Product Images Sourced From: Link