I would like to continue on the subject of braided lines as to some of the concerns when using braided line. If you have used braid, you know you have trouble breaking it by hand. It will cut you. When tying knots, it is slippery and flexible, which can be hard on old eyes and fingers. As been suggested, palomar or clinch knots are best, but a small tag-end or maybe super glue should be used to prevent slippage.
Other concerns are braid is visible in water. A floro or mono leader can be added, but a “knot-to-fail” is added to the system. Braid can cut into rod guides. Bury into the reel spool. One should spool line tightly and set the reel drag light enough to slip on hook set. Sharp scissors are needed to cut braid. Braids tend to be noisy and become “fuzzy” and difficult to untangle. It is hard to de-barb a hook once penetrated into the line; most often, it damages the line. Braid has no memory, it floats, has little stretch. One can rip the lure of a fish or even break a rod on hard hook sets. Setting a light drag can help prevent these problems. Braid can get caught in outboard motors and very difficult to remove. Along with any fishing line, it can be detrimental to wildlife.
From fly-fishing most of my life, I know wind knots can be very frustrating. When fly-fishing, wind knots come when improper technique is used, especially in the wind. However, when using braided lines, the mechanism to which a wind knot can occur is different. One of the most prominent problems with braid is a wind knot. Braid has a lack of memory and releases and unwinds far better that traditional nylon monofilament. A wind knot occurs when an overrun of slack line that has slipped off the spool. The slack line then forms a loop within the spool when the bail is closed. A wind knot to a spinning reel is the same as a backlash to a baitcaster.
Braid manufactures often add a coating to the line to prevent wind knots, but the coating will wear off in time. The coating can trap water and get heavy. Using heavier weighted lines tend to have less tangles. A good rule when using braid is to keep the line tight, preventing loops from occurring. One should spool line under pressure. You should be careful when spooling braid off a line-winding device because the line does not rest on the spool the same way after a cast. One should not overfill the spool on a spinning reel. Overfilling causes wind knots and tangles. It is best to tie on a 1 oz sinker and cast hard a dozen times before fishing. “Fingering” the line just before the lure hits the water will help. The braid closest to the lure stops, but the line closest to the spool keeps coming off, causing loops. Closing the bail with your hand will also help.
When fishing a lure such as a soft-plastic if you allow “slacking” of your line, will cause wind knots, especially if you add wind into the equation. One should avoid broad movements with braid. You don’t have to move your rod tip much to jerk a bait or set a hook with braid. Learn to use the reel to help move the lure. The transition between light weighted lures and the fighting fish can cause the line to dig into the spool. Take time after boating a fish to readjust the line. Small twitches are better than hard jerks in most cases with braid. Reeling as you twitch can cut down on slack line.
Wind knots occur at the beginning of the cast when the braid collides with the rod guides, causing a loop that continues to accelerate. Rods with low profile guides are designed for thin braided lines. Rods with larger guides are made for mono to reduce friction. This is an important fact to remember when purchasing a new spinning rod. Make sure your reel is “tracking” right or “rotating” right which can cause the line to twist without you even knowing it. If your braided line is old, faded and fuzzy, good luck fishing top-water in windy conditions.
I know I have brought to light some of the problems you may have with braided line, but they still are more smoother, have less diameter and cast further than most other lines out there. I personally enjoy my braid lines. I just have to pay attention to the details to keep my lure moving. I hope this helps someone to understand braid a little better. I hope some of you may add your comments. Thanks, Bonefish!