Iv been using polyethylene fiber lines (braid, super line, gel spun, Spider Wire, call it what you will) for well over a decade now and its true to say its had its up’s and downs! This super fiber, originally designed to take the place of Kevlar in US army flack jackets, has had only 2 upgrades in performance (strand diameter decrease) in the last 15 years within the fishing industry. But in saying that, it has been pulled, melted, braided, twisted, spun, polymer coated and dyed all in the name of fishing. You name it, its had it done!
The fact of the matter is that the fiber is and has always been the right stuff for the job. It’s how we use it and what we do to it that’s continually making the manufactures go back to the drawing board to help over come the ‘next’ big problem!
Going from a braided polyethylene (PE) to a thermally fused PE was one of the biggest things to happen the sport of angling!
This ‘thermal fusing’ or heat treatment, gave the once ‘limp’ braided PE some memory, much like the lines we had used before like nylon monofilament (normal fishing line). The thing about nylon fishing line is that it has its own memory. It’s able to hold its self on the spool loop for loop until its time to be cast off! By thermally fusing the limp PE line it to was able to have a memory and act the same way. This allowed us to start using our thread line (spinning) reels again with out the ever-present trouble of casting tangles or as it’s commonly known ‘throwing a bunch of grapes’.
The first and still the best of the thermally fused PE lines is Fireline. It started well and continues in the same fashion today. We’ve had a couple of color changes and even a processing upgrade (XDS) but no matter which way you turn Fireline is still to this day Australia’s most popular super line.
Once you get to know Fireline and how it works its great stuff to fish with. It, like all PE lines, has it hick-ups. It’s stiffer out of the box then you would like it to be but seems to remedy its self after 1000 casts. With prolonged use (using it after it should have been changed for new line) 4lb can get to limp and start acting like no-memory gel spun PE.
These little traits we can easily put up with because of what Fireline can and does give us in returns of angling success.
But!!! There was always going to be a but!! Since fishing a tournament with an old mate some weeks back I noticed that he was fishing a slightly different line to me. When I asked he said ‘you idiot’!! How can you not know about this stuff??
The line in question is Spider Wire ‘Stealth’. After looking at it I seem to think it will be quite the line!
It’s not built the same as Fireline. Where Fireline is lightly spun then fused, this line has 4 fused lines then it’s spun! This should result in fewer tangles in casting straight out of the box and a more manageable line throughout its life. It should even tie a better knot!!
We’ll see. Iv spooled up with it and will be testing it over the next 6 months.
Stay tuned.
PS. It’s also Teflon treated which should make it cast better!!
Royter.
