Sufix Nanobraid

August 10, 2015 By Ned Kehde

DSCN0822

In April, Dan Quinn of Hudson, Wisconsin, and the Field Promotions Manager for Rapala, told the Finesse News Network that Sufix was about introduce NanoBraid to the American anglers. And he thought that Midwest finesse anglers would like to know about it.

Sufix introduced to European anglers in 2013, and since then, it has been trumpeted as the state-of-the-art line for finesse applications.

Sufix describes it as being a 100 percent Dyneema braided line that is constructed with what is called Wide Angle Braiding Technology, which consist of a combination of extremely tight weaving and high tension as it being manufactured. The end product, according to Sufix, has a higher pick count than other braided lines, or in other words, it has it has an extremely tight weave. And from one end of the spool to the other a consistent quality, uniform diameter, and greater breaking and abrasion resistance than other braider lines. It is touted to be three-times stronger than of lines of the same diameter. What's more, it said to be silky smooth and soft. These two features allow it to traverse through the guides on a spinning rod extremely efficiently, which helps increase the distance an angler can cast a finesse bait.In addition to its casting abilities and breaking resistance, it is exceptionally sensitive, which allows an angler to quickly sense that a fish has engulfed the lure.

What's more, it said to be silky smooth and soft. These two features allow it to traverse through the guides on a spinning rod extremely efficiently, which helps increase the distance an angler can cast a finesse bait. In addition to its casting abilities and breaking resistance, it is exceptionally sensitive, which allows an angler to quickly sense that a fish has engulfed the lure.

Unlike many other braided lines, anglers are not limited to using only one style of a knot when they are affixing a finesse bait to NanoBraid, and the knot strength cannot be matched by the other braided line.

As of July 1, anglers could purchase a 150-yard spool of Aqua Camo NanoBraid for $24.99. It is available in two-, three-, four-, six-, eight-, and 10-pound-test spools.

Dan Quinn suggested that we should garner the insights from anglers who had field tested the Sufix NanoBraid this past spring. Quinn put us in touch with Jeremy Smith of Brainerd, Minnesota, who is the Sales and Media Director of Lindner Media Productions and co-host of Lindner's Angling Edge, and Mark Fisher of Nowthen, Minnesota, who is the director of field promotions at Rapala.

We talked to Smith on the telephone on July 2, and we exchanged emails with Fisher on July 17 and 27.

Here are the questions we asked Fisher and Smith and their answers:

Q. What size or pound test of Sufix NanoBraid have you used?

Fisher: So far this spring, I have fished at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on Lake Michigan and Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota. Both systems have zebra mussels present on the rocks, and the line preformed beautifully. Not that it's impervious to being cut by these mussels, but that I still am fishing the original line on two rods without fail. The line is strong, and it has my confidence.

Smith: When I was fishing for spawning bluegill and crappie, I used the six-pound-test NanoBraid around bulrushes and patches of dead wild rice, and it was marvelous. When I hooked and battled a pesky bluegill, which can engender a whale of a donnybrook for its size, the NanoBraid cut through the vegetation like a knife. I was amazed with its toughness.

Q. How does it work around rock- and boulder-laden lairs?

Fisher: As I noted above, it performed well around the zebra-mussel infested boulders and rocks at Mille Lacs and Sturgeon Bay.

Smith: Around here, the rock and boulder lairs that I have fished this spring are covered with filamentous algae. Therefore, I have to use a slow swim-glide-and -shake presentation that allows the hair jig to swim an inch or so above the algae rather than allow it to hop along the rocks and boulders. But once I get to the Lake of the Woods in Ontario this summer, there will be plenty of rock and boulder lairs that I will be dissecting.

Perhaps we can do an update later in the year that focuses on rock- and boulder-laden applications with NanoBraid.

Q. What depth of water does it work best in, and what depth of water is it least effective in?

Fisher: I have found no limitations. The line is as sensitive on a long cast as it is on vertical presentations in 12 to 20 feet of water.

Smith: I have not had a chance to use it in deep-water. But I will be doing it soon. I will use it on a drop-shot rig. From my perspective, it looks as if it will be a great asset for employing small soft-plastic baits that are rigged Texas-style for largemouth bass that abide in relatively deep-water lairs, as well as live-bait rigs for walleye. Perhaps this can be part of the update, too.

Q. How does it work in current situations?

Fisher: I have not yet tested it in the rivers. However, based on a recent trip on Rainy Lake in Ontario, Canada, where I battled strong winds, the line laid and tracked perfectly with good feel and constant control of the jig.

Smith: The Mississippi River around here, which is where I spend a lot of time chasing smallmouth bass, has been high and muddy this spring and early summer. So, I have not had a chance to work with it in current situations. But as summer and autumn unfold, I will be using it, and perhaps this can be part of the update, too.

Q. How does it affect your casts?

Smith: I can cast a 1/16-ounce hair jig about 20 feet farther than I can cast with the same size of Sufix 832.

Fisher: Jeremy nailed it. I can cast it at least 20 feet further.

Q. How does it affect the way you present or retrieve your baits compared to monofilament, fluorocarbon, and regular braided lines? What kind of retrieves do you use?

Fisher: NanoBraid is the perfect finesse line. Casting distance is paramount for smallmouth bass whether an angler is fishing shallow or mid-depth areas. It allows me to make long casts and cover more water with a light-weight jig and present it more effectively than I can with an 1/8-ounce jig on eight-pound-test monofilament line. NanoBraid has much better feel than monofilament, fluorocarbon, and regular braided lines.

Smith: Before I began field testing NanoBraid, I used Sufix 832 Advanced Superline. Because the cast is longer, the retrieve is longer. When I am using a hair jig around piles, ridges, or reefs of boulders and rocks that are covered with filamentous algae, I hold my rod at the four to five o'clock position or even lower if the wind is blowing, and then before the hair jig plummets into the algae, I begin to implement the retrieve, which consists of making three slow rotations of the reel handle, then a short pause that is followed by several subtle shakes of the rod, and I continue this reel-pause-and-shake routine with the hair jig until it is back to the boat or out of what we call the strike zone. But other than the distance of the retrieve, I can't detect any significant differences in the way I retrieve with the NanoBraid compared to Sufix 832.

Q. Do you have other observations and insights that we failed to cover with the 11 questions above?

Fisher: Just that it's a great handling line that performs stronger than it feels.

Smith: It is a finesse angler's jewel. And on top of that, it is hard as nails and soft as silk.

Q. Do you find that during the retrieve that Nanobraid cuts through the wind better than other lines, and therefore the bow in the line is reduced a touch?

Fisher: When I have been casting into the wind with the right spinning rod and reel, I definitely have noticed that with a snap cast that the line lays quickly even with a 1/16-ounce jig.

Smith: I think it probably does, but I can't say it's something I have noticed.