Best Braid?

[Slab]

OK, I'm sure this question has been asked a bazillion times on here but I'm gonna ask again. I like braid, and I hate braid.

I like it cause it's strong as heck - we have gar here in FL that eat through line like it's a wet noodle.
I like it cause it does not stretch - you can see the crank bait action, which tells you how it's working and whether there's weeds on it.
I hate braid cause it tangles so easy - wind knots, around rod tip, in your other lines crankbaits treble hook.

I always use fluorocarbon leader. Swivel to snap, and on goes the crank bait kinda thing.

I'm interested in about 14lb test line, and I'd like it to be stiff like mono (if there's anything like that in a braid). Don't care if it's thin or not as I don't/can't fish very deep here in FL anyway. Anything like it? Thanks for your help. Best answer wins a prize! Something a little Crappie, Crappie.com to be specific. lol

[Cane Pole]

Power Pro Super 8 slick is what I use. Feels like mono and does not stick to my poles. Best I have found thus far.

[doggone]

Well I have only tried about 6 maybe 8 different ones so far. And hands down the original Power Pro is the best in overall characteristics. I have not tried Fireline or Nanofill or any of the latest variations. Keeping in mind with me anything less than twenty years old is still relatively new LOL.I wish I had the money and time to test every single one of them because I probably would. Power Pro sure ain't stiff though as you probably know.

[Crestliner08]

I've tried various brands of braids and fused lines over the last couple of decades. I started off with original Fireline and drifted away from that (due to all the "hype" with the newer "super lines") to Spiderwire, PowerPro and a few others.

Now I'm back to Fireline, but in the Crystal version. I like it, because unlike the true braids like PowerPro, Fireline sails smoothly through rod guides without a lot of noise and/or perceived grinding that I've experienced when bringing in a fish with PP and other braids. It accomplishes this because it is a fused line and not a braid. So I like that. Silence is golden!

I've used it from 2# test up to 14# test, depending on what I'm trying to achieve; species & presentation. And I always use it with a comparable fluorocarbon leader, maybe 4' - 6' long, connected with an Alberto knot. This joint makes a slim knot (not actually a knot, but rather a braid of both lines, sort of like the old Chinese fingercuffs you use to get in the CrackerJack boxes many years ago!).

This line and leader combination has performed flawlessly for me over many season and with 4 crappie rigs. It just works for me.

[deathb4disco]

FWIW, I currently have three different braids on three different reels. If it weren't for the color, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[Cardsfan55]

Power Pro Super Slick 8 is what I use.

[blue-jig]

PowerPro Superslick Hi Vis. Good stuff for vertical, trolling, etc

[CrappiePappy]

Some things I've found out over the years while using spinning reels & braid and mono:

Braid will twist, just like mono, and the same un-twisting techniques used on mono can & should be used to counter that.

"Wind knots" & "tip wrap" can and will happen with mono. Most of the time it's due to wrist snap casting, same as with braid. It's mostly happened to me (using braid or mono) when casting a very light bait on a rod that doesn't have a fast action tip, or one that has a stiffer action than the line size indicates.

None of this is "written in stone", and it may not happen to everyone, but it has for me.

[INTIMIDATOR]

Slab....The Best Braids can run from 40 to 100 bucks for 150 yards, they are made in Germany, Japan, and Australia....they can be purchased online...Each uses the finest threads and braiding techniques available.

Then You have the best of the middle class of Braids...Seaguar Smackdown Tourney Braid or Daiwa Samurai Braid which is a close second...you can get it at stores for 29.99 or online for a few dollars less.

Then the best of the lower class of Braids, would be PP Slick 8, 832, fireline, nanofill, etc...then braids like regular PP.

Good Braid is not stiff, it is soft and flexible...but manageable...plus all the good points you listed.

You can research some of the listed brands and trial a few.

Good Fishing!

[crappielimits]

Spider wire invisabraid is good. Nothing about braid compares to mono.