Tackle Test: Fins Braid Review

If you are a regular reader to my blog you will remember that I had my fishing rods stolen recently and this also meant that I had to replace all my fishing line. I must admit to being a braid addict - I love the stuff - but I have only ever used Berkley Fireline. Being a bit of a creature of habit isn't always a good thing so I decided to try a new braid this time around.

Fins Braid Review

Knots and line strengthMy initial impressions of this line were that it was much more limp and smooth than fireline. This makes Fins braid is easy to tie and it knots very easily and smoothly. Like most braids the actual breaking strain is much higher than the manufacturers breaking strain, but even when this is taken into consideration the knot strength is very impressive. Knots are generally the weakest part of the braid, but because of the smoothness of Fins I didn't have any problems in this area.

On the water
The high vis yellow is very easy to see even on the brightest of days. In my initial tests the limpness of the line seems to reduce air knots slightly although it is still not recommended to use this line if others on the boat are using monofilament. The abrasion resistance was fairly low, but this seems to be a problem with every braid, my suggestion to overcome this problem is to use a slightly longer leader than usual. I was fishing over a rusty, coral infested wreck and only had one major snag and resulting bust off the entire day.

Fighting a fish
This is where this braid comes into its own. It is very smooth through the rod guides when a fish is taking line and even with the drag on tight it doesn't seem to cut into itself on the reel like many other braids.

Overall
This is one great braid, but for the price I expected it to be. The line smoothness makes knot tying a pleasure and the knot strength is probably the strongest of any braid you will try. On the water it is great to use and I look forward to using it in the future.