David Wei
By Dan MacLeod, Pursuit Sport Fishing Charters
It may sound like a class action law suite or a legal prec e dent from a law textbook (Braid vs. Cable) but I am referring to the debate of braided line vs. steel cable used on downriggers for fishing applications. To stir the debate a bit and shed some light on the topic for those still wrestling with their decision to load their new Scotty, Penn or Cannon downrigger this winter, I will share my own experiences, those of my colleagues and some suggestions.
Steel cable downrigger line has been around for decades aboard both recreational and commercial fishing boats. It was introduced into the commercial trolling fleet with advancements in steel manufacturing post WW II to replace braided rope. It offered superior breaking strength and durability for commercial fishermen. As the price of lead cannon balls rose over the years, steel cable became the norm for use on most commercial trollers. With the boom in popularity of downriggers for recreations anglers during the 80’s it became the only line used for over two decades and is still the preferred line of choice for many recreational anglers. It was in fact the only line used on our downriggers until the introduction of synthetic microfibre braids in the early 2000’s. Steel cable is readily available in strengths of 150lb and 180lb. and comes in packages of 200’ - 400’ rolls for recreational angling applications. Manufacturers and distributers such as Scotty and Gibbs/Delta have pretty much cornered the market for distribution.
Pros: Cost is lower when compared to the new synthetic braids its more abrasion resistance and can provide a fish attracting, electric charge when set up properly
Cons: Steel cable can rust and become brittle with age, it can be hard to handle with your hands if there are frays in the line. It has less breaking strength vs. some braids, harder to spool and prone to kinks that weaken the line strength.
Synthetic braid line was introduced to downrigger fisherman in the early 2000’s as an alternative to steel cable. Braided downrigger line is composed of a weave of multiple, strong, synthetic microfilaments. It offers superior performance in certain applications and even stronger breaking strengths when compared to steel . The smaller profile has less drag in the water, therefore less line bow giving a more true actual depth of your cannon ball compared to the counter on your downrigger. Braid comes in popular strengths of 175lb, 200lb or 250lb and rolls of 200-400’. A downrigger can be loaded with much more line with less weight and bulk as the line is much lighter and thinner than steel.
Pros: Strong, less drag in the water, less bow in the line, able to load more line on the downrigger, no electrolysis
Cons: prone to line nicks, more expensive, tough on the hands, any knots in the line become the weak point.
I personally have used both types on my downriggers both on my personal boats and my charter boat over the years and I have concluded for now, I still prefer steel. I see both used extensively on many of my friends and colleagues boats, up and down the west coast. I asked for opinions from a variety of experience levels, form rookie recreational anglers to several professional charter captains. I had some operators tell me that braid was far superior in all ways to cable and I also heard the opposite statement. Feedback such as: less line bow in the water and a more true, actual vs. indicated line depth on the counters was helpful. I was told by one of the largest operators in the province that his loss of cannon balls has gone down by 60% since switching to braid. A few operators have told me they love the fact they no longer have to worry about negative charges coming off their line repelling fish with braid. Some say they change their line far less often and can get several more seasons out of braid. I equally heard those loud and clear advocates for steel tell me they prefer the more consistent breaking strength of steel, they don’t have to worry about line nicks and some have used the steel lines ability to produce positive charger to their advantage. A few operators told me they don't like the fact that braid can jump off their down rigger as the cannon ball skips or lands on the bottom. I personally saw the loss of 260’ of new braid line, a 20lb cannon ball and a release clip due to a large loop that was created when the cannon ball hit the bottom and a loop was created by the loose braid on the drum subsequently wrapping around the base of the down rigger . It quickly broke as the line tightened. I clearly heard some say that steel was much easier to handle with wet hands and less likely to cut.
My personal thoughts and experiences over the years are that I feel steel adds a more consistent breaking strength to braid. I have never gone through so many cannon balls as I did when I was using braid and I found it also much harder on the hands. The initial expense was high and I found I was adding more line often. I also found a wide variety in the quality of lines from different manufacturers. I found that debris such as wood and plastics in the water were leaving my line with very small nicks that were often unnoticed until too late. I found I had to inspect the line too often to feel for nicks as compared to visually seeing any anomalies on cable. It is startling and expensive to watch your entire set up fall to the depths with no indication of what just happened. If I hit a sunken trap or run it on a reef, I can accept it was operator error but all too many times I lost a 15lb cannon ball, terminal gear and sometimes 2 release clips to, who knows what!
When I switched from cable to braid I neglected to inspect my pulleys for grooves or rough spots left in the wheels from the cable and I loss several cannon balls over the next few weeks. Many operators have switched out their plastic pulleys for after market aluminum ones to avoid loosing gear due to cuts from pre-existing damage on the pulley. Any knots used in tying on extra line, terminal gear and gangion lines became the weak point of the line and I often lost gear from breaks at those points over the months. If I did find myself caught on a reef or a trap or submerged cable the braid would often break immediately. Alternatively, I have pulled up many sunken crab or prawn trap with my cable line to have all my gear still intact. A taut braid line will break at even the suggestion of touching a sharp knife, rusty gaff or pliers to the line, where steel cable would not break. I also found a huge difference of quality and durability between 175b and 250lb line for line nicks and breaks. I was told that 150lb braided line was more than enough to hold my 15lb cannon balls, but I found out quickly that it was more susceptible to small line nicks. These became breaks a lot more quickly with the thinner diameter line.
I did find a clear difference in preference of lines to fishing on the west coast of Vancouver Island vs. Georgia Strait. I found the west coast to be far less hard on braid and my pocket book because of less debris and sunken hazards in the water when compared to the minefields we see in the inside. Fraser river debris and the massive amount of sunken traps and cables close to Vancouver had a big impact on my line breakage. I much prefer to use cable in the inside and can tolerate braid on the outside for this fact. I did like the fact I could add additional pieces of braided line to top-up or replace what I lost, but the connection knot then became the weak point. I agree the more true line depths were a bonus and I did not have to worry about repelling fish with a negative charge on my line. Ultimately the steel cable slightly out performs for my Vancouver based charters but we do use braid on our Ucluelet charter boats.
Recommendations for those that have switched from cable to braid or are thinking about it are advised to replace your pulleys with new ones to ensure smooth line friction. Make sure you load your braid quite snuggly, as it will dig into itself on the rigger. Be cautious when fishing on or near the bottom and letting your cannon ball hit the bottom at a fast rate as a loop may occur and wrap around the base or brake handle of your rigger causing a lot of grief once the line tightens. Choose 250lb. line vs. 150lb line for the added abrasion resistance. Add an anode or two to the terminal gear attaching your cannon ball to your line to add an attracting charge to your gear.
Either braided or steel cable is a great option so don't be afraid to try both or perhaps experiment with one type on each side of the boat like I did, to see which one you prefer. Regardless of your choice, know that both methods are effective and it is perhaps just wise to fish one type with confidence.
Pursuit Sport Fishing Charters, Vancouver, BC - www.pursuitsportfishing.ca