Kevin Van Dam Forums

iv been using power pro for years but im getting tired of respooling every other trip due to the line fading . is the any other line that will hold its color better ?

I’ve yet to find a braid that doesn’t fade & fade rather quickly after hitting the water. If fading bothers you, you might might to look into taking a marker with your or Vicious makes a slotted marker specifically for coloring braid.

Thats an expensive line switch out like that. There are a couple options that may help you get some more use out of your line. If you take another reel and tie the faded end to a backing, then remove the line from one reel onto the other by just reeling it off. This essentially takes the faded line on the inner part of the spool and exposes the fresh line.
Another option is to use a black sharpie and color the first 3-5ft of your faded line. A lot of the pros use this to save braid.

Thanks . I actually do both of those but I fish nearly every day and 65 pound is not cheap . I’m going thru a spool every 2 days in my flipping rods . I been debating in trying fluorocarbon but in fishing Okeechobee and not sure if it will hack it in the reeds and mats down here.

Fading has nothing to do with the line strength. When it starts to feel like cotton, that is when it needs to be changed.

All braided line will fade, its just the nature of the beast. I dont even worry about it.

I actually do both of those now . I fish nearly everyday and I’m going thru 65 pound every few days . I’m debating in going to fluorocarbon just don’t know if will hack it in the reeds and pads of Okeechobee.

Suffix 832 is the best at keeping its color..At least for me

I’m not worried much about the strength but the bites seems to slow when the lines starts turning . I spoiled up with spiderwire florobraid to gone try it out tomorrow

Take a Sharpie & color your line…braid should last you for years.

I think vicious has a green marker you can buy to restore the color of the braid, but yeah fading does not effect the strength of the braid….if you choose to replace your braid each time it fades, do me a favor, put it on a empty spool and send me the old braid. I’ll use it

FLbassman - 06 March 2012 10:05 PM

iv been using power pro for years but im getting tired of respooling every other trip due to the line fading . is the any other line that will hold its color better ?

No, not really.  Certain braids may hod their color longer, but they all fade down here.  They all fade.  Do whatever ever gives you more confidence.  I can care less about line fade., but other anglers swear by coloring the line with markers and such.  There are braided line fishermen that never leave the house without their colored sharpie kit.

Most of the pros talk about using a sharpie and coloring the line when it fades.  I started doing that and I don’t change out my braid but once a year.  I know KVD carries a big Marks alot marker and cuts a v shape in the tip and he will color about 3-4 feet of line a couple times a day.

Stren sonic braid seems to keep it’s color longer than most. i think they are getting better at finding the right dyes to slow down the fade. i just bought a bunch of sharpies and go that route. at the end of the year i will spool the braid on another reel like Twitch said and be ready to go the following year with new braid and doesn’t cost me anything but my time.

Going thru a spool every 2 days sounds like something is wrong. you re-spool just because it’s fading is not needed. actually with the fade it might give the braid a camo effect. use different colored sharpies for about a foot of line the first 5 feet. Or just cut off the faded part. unless you are cutting off every ten minutes, a spool should last you more than 2 days. Buy Braid in bulk.

I just bought a 1500 yd spool of Stren sonic Braid 40 lb off of Amazon for $91 bucks, that’s about $6 per 100 yards, pretty good price if you ask me. All the braid i have now should last me at least 15 years, if it doesn’t rot on me.

How will fluorocarbon compare to braid as far as flipping and pure strength in the jungles down here in south Florida ? I hear a lot of people using leaders 3 foot long it so . It’s tough pulling abig fish out of a hyacinth may .

FLbassman - 07 March 2012 09:36 AM

How will fluorocarbon compare to braid as far as flipping and pure strength in the jungles down here in south Florida ? I hear a lot of people using leaders 3 foot long it so . It’s tough pulling abig fish out of a hyacinth may .

Since you are already are using 65 lb braid, i would stick with that. if you are fishing the thick heavy stuff, line visibility isn’t an issue and you need the line strength.

Just buy Bulk spools of braid and do some shopping around for better prices, ie: Amazon, Ebay, Outlet and overstocked stores, (check them all. you should be able to find a 65 lb braid for at least $10 per 100 yards somewhere), and you will save a lot of money.

Line can be really expensive, i think braid is needed but there are ways to get longer use out of it. i have braid on some reels going on my 3rd year without respooling. line fading doesn’t bother me, and i use the Sharpie trick and when it starts to fray a little or get mushy like cotton like BBK said, i cut it off. I tie good knots so i retie seldom with braid, only when it looks like it is frayed. Good Luck

I personally don’t care if my braid gets faded. All I do is take a sharpie and cut a small slit in it and then run my braid through the slit and it will darken back up