Thursday, June 7, 2007

Not an Advertorial – I

I had hoped that this would be a rave on one of the unsung parts of fishing – the line. I was ready to say all kinds of good things about Spiderwire Stealth, the braid with the Teflon coating, how it can extend your cast by 10-15 feet.

Unfortunately, it has a severe problem, both with baitcast and spinning reels; it pinches on itself, to the extent that your great cast ends at your feet because of the line becoming wrapped on itself. Here I had been recommending, not only braid, but Stealth braid, and if it had been light enough, show you a photo of the worst birds nest I have ever had on a baitcast reel. Like Alexander, the only solution after 20-30 minutes of picking, was to cut the Gordian knot. Of, course, the one time I did not have a knife.

When it works, it is a beauty. I feel so confident with it, I will cast well past sundown, knowing it will go just as far as I want it to, with no trees to stop it. But like the little girl with the curl, when it locks, it is horrid.

So while it can work brilliantly on a bait cast, I balk at recommending it on anything other than spinning, if only because the damage is so much less. A line has to be in the water to call it fishing, not on the bank or in a tree while you pick and respool.

Yes, it is easy to knot (it is visible and soft), and can make some awesome casts, I won’t recommend it anymore to anyone but an experienced angler.