RR ... I've got Cortland braid (15lb test) that's nearly 40yrs old and still good. I use PowerPro 10/2 on one of my outfits, and have reversed it (hi-vis) once over the 4yrs it's been on the reel. It fades, but is still very visible. I don't think braid is affected as much by UV rays, as is mono, so it should last for a seriously long time.
I tie direct to my baits with a Improved Clinch knot, with the PowerPro. When it's brand new & still slick, I'll tie a simple overhand (granny) knot in the tag end, before tying the Improved Clinch, so any slippage is stopped when cinching the IC knot down.
There's a lot of good knots for braid to mono connection, but I simply tie a double overhand knot and haven't had any failures at the knot. I'm referring to a "double overhand" as putting the two tag ends together, then making a loop and passing both tag ends through the loop twice, then cinching it down & trimming the tags. That's with braid less than 15lb test & mono less than 8lbs test ... so you may want to use an Albright, Bristol, or Double Uni knot if using heavier pound test lines.
... pappy



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