BRAID AND LEADERS
Braid mainlines and fluorocarbon/mono leaders.
Sufix 131 braid (best braid I have ever fished with)
A 13-strand, high-end braid that to be honest has blown me away with how good it is. This new Sufix 131 braid is something very special, and whilst their far cheaper X8 is also one hell of a mainline that will quite happily do all my bass fishing, I can’t ignore how much I like this stuff. See my review here.
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Berkley Sick X8 braid
This mainline has fast become a go-to braid for me. The newish Berkley Sick X8 braid is strong as hell (I mainly use the 24lb version), nice and thin and smooth (ignore the quoted diameters and buy this braid on breaking strain), and it casts incredibly well. Available in dark green, bright red or yellow, this stuff is one of those really good, roughly £20 braids (for a 150m spool). I do have a bit of a thing for the bright red colour, with a clear fluorocarbon leader tied to the end of it of course. A really, really good braid.
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Sufix X8 braid
Phew! This new Sufix X8 8-strand replaces their awesome Performance Pro 8, so it’s got a lot to live up to - which it does, and big time as well. Sufix X8 is an outstanding mainline at a brilliant price (well under £20 for a 150m spool). See my review here.
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Savage Gear Semi-Soft Fluorocarbon
I have been using this Savage Gear Semi-Soft Fluorocarbon for a lot of 2021 and I really, really like it. I tend to fish mostly with the 0.39mm/17.72lb version, but I have also used the 0.35mm/14.81lb a fair bit as well. It knots well, it doesn’t let me down, I really like the feel of it as a leader, and a huge plus point for me is the spool design because it’s so easy and efficient to use.
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SAVAGE GEAR SUPER HARD FLUOROCARBON
Damn this Savage Gear Super Hard Fluorocarbon is some tough stuff. A leader needs to feel right to me, and for surf fishing and hectic rock marks this stuff copes really well. This is one durable leader and I find myself using the 0.45mm/23.58lb version the most.
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Varivas Fluorocarbon Shock Leader
Not particularly cheap, but damn this Varivas Fluorocarbon Shock Leader is some serious leader material. One of those fluoros that just doesn’t let you down, and the way it “sits” with your lures just feels so right to me.
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Sufix 832 braid
I can’t believe this Sufix 832 8-strand braid flew under my radar for as long as it did because it’s an awesome line. Go for the European specs (diameter and breaking strain) and you will see how this is one seriously thin, tough, easy to cast and fish with braid that deserves to be known about far more in lure fishing circles. See my review of this line here and my updated 2017 review of Sufix 832 here.
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SpiderWire Stealth Smooth 8 braid
Another sub-£20 8-strand braid that to me is just about perfect as far as a braid mainline goes for the sort of lure fishing I tend to do here and in Ireland. I can’t recall having fished with any SpiderWire braids in the past, but this new SpiderWire Stealth Smooth 8 braid is sublime. See my review here.
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Varivas Hard Top fluorocarbon
What’s not to like? There’s nothing I don’t like about this Varivas Hard Top fluorocarbon as a leader material for my lure fishing, and the fact that it’s not very expensive and comes on 80m spools suits me down to the ground. Seems to be very abrasion resistant.
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Savage Gear 100% Soft Fluorocarbon
If a leader works well for guiding then you know it’s good, and this Savage Gear 100% Soft Fluorocarbon works a treat. If I had my way then all spools of leader material would be made like this, as in it’s so easy to pull some line off and then it just stays in place when you cut off what you need. Another really good fluorocarbon leader.
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Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon
What’s not to like? I have heard numerous anglers raving about this Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leader for a while now, so I had to give it a decent go - and it works brilliantly. I know Berkley lines from my bait days, and this fluoro leader just works.
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Berkley Trilene Big Game Fluorocarbon
I have been using the 30lb/0.56mm version of this Berkley Trilene Big Game Fluorocarbon, and whilst it’s not a particularly thin leader, it’s incredibly robust, great value for money on 100m spools which I think is very useful, and I really like it for my surf fishing especially.
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Sufix Super 21 FC fluorocarbon
What’s not to like? Whilst this Sufix Super 21 FC may technically be a “castable fluorocarbon”, it also happens to work perfectly as leader material - and I absolutely love how you can buy it in 150m spools which don’t cost very much at all. By all means feel free to spend a whole heap more on the “pure” fluorocarbons, but as far as I can work out, the fish we are likely to connect with couldn’t give a stuff - so I’m using this Sufix Super 21 FC, saving money, and I’m loving it. See my review here.
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Varivas Avani Sea Bass Max Power PE braid
This stuff has never, ever let me down and I trust it implicitly. I use the 20lb breaking strain which has now been relabelled as “Max 28.6lb – Average 24.8lb”. Thin, strong, casts like a dream – simple, but it is not cheap stuff.
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