One huge advantage of trolling with super-braid lines is the ability to use lighter tackle for maximum sport and fishing fun. Photo by Pete Barrett.

Tired of dragging heavy wire when trolling for striped bass and bluefish, or frustrated from dealing with cumbersome planers and heavy trolling weights? Then it is time to switch to super-braid trolling, a terrific alternative technique used by savvy inshore anglers and charter skippers.

Nearly all striped bass and bluefish trollers use traditional wire line techniques because they have to, not because they want to. Although time-tested and proven, wire line also feels heavy, requires rods with special guides and backlashes quickly if you aren’t careful while paying out line. Other techniques, such as downriggers, planers and trolling drail weights, also have their own unique quirks and drawbacks.

Super-braid lines offer an effective alternative and can be used to present lures high near the surface, at mid- range or down deep where trophy-sized game fish are often found. Keep an open mind and be ready to do some experimenting because the rewards are well worth the effort.

SUPER-BRAID ADVANTAGES
Trolling with super-braid line is simple and requires no special tackle. You can scale down and employ reels that are small in size and light in weight, so the trolling experience becomes much more sporting and enjoyable. Matched to braid-capable rods with sensitive tips and powerful butt actions, the combination delivers the knockout punch required for battling trophy bass and big bluefish. As an example, I’m fishing a Shimano Tekota 500 level-wind conventional reel filled with 300 yards of 50-pound braid and mounted on a 7-foot Lamiglas BL-7030C. It is light in the hand, very comfortable to fish with and weighs about one-third of a traditional wire-line outfit. There are dozens of similar outfits available.

Like wire line, super-braid lines have no discernable stretch, so you feel the fight of the fish with a sensitivity that is remarkable. Unlike wire, super-braid lines are virtually weightless, so the tackle can be scaled down for a more pleasurable angling experience while fighting a fish.

Unlike monofilament, super-braid lines have extremely small line diameters along with exceptional line strength. A super-braid line of 50- to 65-pound-test has a diameter similar to 12- or 15-pound-test monofilament. This fine diameter allows super-braid lines to slice the water like a razor. When trolling a 4- or 6-ounce lure, super-braid lines will run at almost the same depth as wire line.

CALCULATING THE DEPTH RANGE
The big-lipped, deep-diving plugs from Mann’s, Tsunami and Yo-Zuri are excellent choices when trolling for striped bass and blues. Seductive actions and lifelike color schemes match virtually any local bait, or present bright attractor colors, which are especially liked by bluefish. Each lure is named for the particular depth that it trolls. The Mann’s Stretch 25 trolls at 25 feet. Other models are available to troll at depths from 8 to 50 feet, including the Giganticus G-50 that is a killer for big striped bass.

Other lures can also be trolled on super-braid lines, including the popular six-arm shad rigs, but you must accurately get the lures to the exact feeding depth of the stripers and blues by marking the line every 50 feet. A permanent-ink Magic Marker is a handy way to mark the braid.

Most super-braid lines sold on the East Coast are dark in color, so line marks are hard to see; but these same lines are also available in white and high-visibility yellow, and these colors are easy to mark. After several fishing trips, the marks will fade and will need to be retouched for maximum visibility. They can also be color-coded with red, blue, green or black to help determine how much line is out. As an example, black is 100 feet, blue is 150, red is 200, green is 250.

If you troll at night, visual markers are useless. Night trollers rely on the feel of the marks slipping through their fingers to determine the amount of line needed. Stretching a small rubber band alongside the braided line and then applying several half hitches of dental floss or Gudebrod’s Bait Rigging Floss around the super-braid line and the rubber band make a “feel good” mark. When the tag end of the rubber band is clipped off, the rubber relaxes and is jammed against the braided line so the mark is tight to the line and immovable.