coated or uncoated braid

[scoobydan_84]

Was havin a chat earlier with a mate and got onto subject of coated or un coated braid!

So which do you use for what rig and what bottom?

[beza26]

Neither most of the time, but i do use some coated braid's once in a while

[carefulcarping]

90% of my fishing is using coated braided hooklinks, although i do strip 1" back from the hook for the "hinge" affect.

 

Ross

[lessthanphil]

I've been using coated braid a bit recently. Prior to that I generally used uncoated, supple braid such as merlin and silkworm - old school (well almost).

 

Have to say, I'm liking the coated braids so far. Have more confidence in them with a bit stripped back than using a traditional combi rig as that knot always scares the pants off me. Will stick with them for a while, but can't see a reason to change right now.

[salokcinnodrog]

I use both coated and uncoated braids.

 

For years I used standard Silkworm, Merlin, SuperSilk, SuperNova or even Multistrand straight through, with few problems or little tangling (PVA reduces or nullifies that happening ), long or short and it produced fish from gravelly, weedy, silty, sand or clay bottom lakes. I'd quite happily use any of the Kryston hooklink braids as I have never had problems with them, other than the Multistrand, but that was more down to where I used it as opposed to tackle fault.

 

Then in an attempt to "progress" I moved over to coated braids. The original Snakeskin I struggled with, but when Snakebite and Mantis came out I really got on with them, and again, it didn't matter what lakebed, I was comfortable using it everywhere.

 

Even now if you go through my rig bin, and tackle box the rigs are made up with one of those mentioned, usually Merlin or Mantis, although now most of the Merlin rigs are fished as a Combi-rig and there are a few rigs made up from a spool of Jackal that I own.

 

Even that Combi-rig I'm not that far advanced from the Harry Haskell original, still using Amnesia to the soft supple section.

 

I'm not saying this is the only knot to use with Combi-rigs, as the Albright knot works, but I can tie this up easily without thinking, and it works also as a good knot for shockleaders:

Tie an overhand knot in the stiff material, but don't pull it tight

 

Push the supple braid through the knot, and then tie a Uni knot

 

Lubricate the 2 knots and gradually pull tight being careful not to pull the braid back through the overhand knot.

 

For my own confidence I lighter blob the tag ends of the knots.

 

It may be worth checking that this can can be used with a fluorocarbon if you use it for the stiff section.