Over the last couple of years I have been targeting a large gravel pit, which calls for fishing at extreme range at certain times of the year. I had been happy with my 12lb Pro (Carp) for a lot of the time; but as time progressed and I found that I had to fish more snaggy swims, at even longer range during the autumn, so it was time to bring out the braided mainline! Not only does this give much greater bite indication, but the low diameter really helps getting the necessary range.
I had been using 25lb Whiplash for a long time, but the next time I re-spooled I decided to try the Gardner Kinetic Braided mainline in the 15lb breaking strain. To be honest I hadn’t been aware that Gardner did the type of braided mainline I needed (Lewis was nagging me!).
Once loaded onto the reels I was impressed with the un-obtrusive green colour, and the thin, smooth, round profile braiding that overall looked perfect for distance casting.
I paired it up with a 50lb braided shock-leader and headed down the lake for some testing! After a few casts (to bed the braid in) I wound up for a few big casts, and with a slight overhead wind I was able to comfortably put a hinged-stiff rig 175 yards to the clip on my reel spool. I was instantly very impressed, as this was actually slightly further than I could go with 25lb Whiplash.
In a fishing situation I have managed two fish up to 27lb from the pit in the relatively short time I have been on the Kinetic, both have dragged me through weedbeds and over a steep gravel bar, and I have had no problems showing the excellent abrasion resistance of this line.
I would recommend this 15Ib Kinetic braided mainline to anyone looking to load their reels up with a pure Dyneema braid with extreme distance in mind!
**Footnote by Gardner Tackle**
It’s a funny thing, the rating of braided mainlines that is! Most braids sold appear to be rated on linear strength alone (without a knot!) and their diameters are measured by crushing the braided strands. When was the last time you went fishing without a single knot in your line – swivels, hooks, leaders all need a knot don’t they?
We rate the strength of our braids like we do our copolymer mainlines; by using commonly used knots like Grinners and Palomar knots. We take a realistic measurement of diameter without crushing the fibres together. This means our braid appears thicker for a given diameter! In actual fact nothing could be further from the truth!
We simply give ‘honest’ ratings to our braids. If more anglers learnt how to tie dedicated braided line knots, such as the Biminis Twist, they would easily attain 25Ib plus from 15Ib rated Kinetic because braids lose about 40% of their strength when knotted using knots better suited to monofilaments…
Leave A Comment