Izorline 'Brutally Strong' Spectra Braid

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Braided Spectra-fiber line isn't just for battling monster tuna on long-range trips. In fact, it's got lots of uses. And, believe it or not, it can actually you save you some money.

Spectra's advantages and disadvantages have been written and argued about ad nauseum, but we'll sum them up very briefly here.
  • Spectra is much stronger for its diameter than monofilament. For example, 50-lb. Spectra is a little over 1/3 the diameter of 50-lb. mono. That means you can fit a lot more Spectra on a given reel than you can mono of the same breaking strength. It also means that Spectra creates a lot less "line drag" than mono. In other words, when you're fishing deep, it takes substantially less weight to keep your bait on the bottom.
  • Spectra has a near-zero stretch factor. It telegraphs every little tap on your bait straight to your rod. That makes bottom-fishing a lot more fun. It also makes straight Spectra ill-suited to trolling; for trolling, the stretch factor of mono acts as a sort of shock absorber, so hooks aren't as likely to tear out on the strike.
  • Spectra is opaque--as visible underwater as cotton thread--so you need at the least a few feet of mono or fluoro spliced to the end.
  • Spectra is hard to cut and hard to tie. You need very sharp nippers or special scissors to cut it cleanly, and tying it generally requires specialized knots.
So, what's it good for? Here's how we use Spectra in Baja:

As "backing" beneath 100 yards or so of mono. Why? Well, the extra line capacity is nice, but not really that big a deal for the kind of fishing we do. In fact, the main reason we use Spectra backing is to save money. Unlike mono, Spectra lasts more or less indefinitely. So if you fill your reels with enough Spectra to leave room for a 100-yard mono "topshot," that 100 yards of mono is all you have to change out. Instead of replacing a whole spool of mono every season, just replace the 100-yard topshot. Pretty soon, your Spectra will have more than paid for itself.
       As backing, we use 30-lb. underneath 20- or 25-lb. mono; 50-lb. underneath 30- or 40-pound mono; and 65-lb. underneath 50-lb. mono. Some people prefer 65-lb. for backing up 40-lb. mono. For most reels, 300 yards is a good amount of backing.
       What about special knots? Google "spectra mono knots" and you'll find about 1,000 pages worth of opinions on the best knots for attaching a mono topshot to Spectra backing. Although it's not nearly as elegant as some approaches, we've always used plain old back-to-back uni-knots and never had a connection fail. The only thing we do differently is double the end of the Spectra before tying it to the mono. Use a Bimini twist if that does it for you, but the much simpler spider hitch works just as well.

As main line for light bottom-fishing outfits. Spool a large, round baitcasting reel with straight 30-lb. Spectra finished with just 10 to 30 feet of mono. The 30-lb. Spectra has about the same diameter as 12-lb. mono, which makes it much easier to keep lures or bait on the bottom, and the lack of stretch means you can feel every bump, even 200 feet down. The drawback is that this outfit doesn't cast well; it's mainly useful for vertical fishing.

As main line for specialized calico bass outfits. Some calico bass specialists fill their baitcasters with 65-lb. Spectra as main line for fishing plastics. The Spectra, they say, is so strong and so thin it actually cuts through the kelp when a fish gets wrapped up in the stringers. The 65-lb. line is thick enough to cast reasonably well.

Izorline's "Brutally Strong" Spectra braid is widely regarded as among the very best. Note that it's made of 100% Spectra fiber. Not all high-tech braided lines are true Spectra. In truth, we've found better-casting braids, but none better for backing or vertical fishing. Again, 300 yards is a good length for backing in most sizes for most reels.


Izorline Spectra, 300-yd. Spool
30-lb: $30.00
50-lb: $33.50
65-lb: $44.00
30-lb: $24.00
50-lb: $27.50
65-lb: $35.00
(ship weight .25 lbs.)
One 30-lb. left, OUT of 50- and 65-lb.
Choose test

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