Downrigger line change

About to purchase a downrigger for my Outback and have read some information about people changing the traditional wire cable to a braided version.  Has anybody made the switch, and do you recommend?  Ive read that it tracks smoother in the water and you get less vibration.

Thanks for your thoughts.

B

Pretty much everyone I've talked to uses braid including me.  I think mine is 65lb braid.

Runs very smooth.

I kept the wire in the spool and connected 80 lbs to it

It works great. Keep in mind that braid chafes and can twist to the point that it breaks so Do regular inspections of your termination and retire when needed.I have found this to be the case even with 100 pound PowerPro.
Amos

Braid is also a safer choice. Should your DR ball become snagged in the bottom, you have a realistic chance of cutting the line before the next swell rolls the boat. Or have a chance of righting the boat in the same condition.

i use 150# braid.

I switched to braid. I think I have 250lb. Every few trips I'll re-tie the knot to the weight, and will probably strip some line off this coming season.
The wire gets kinked and I just don't trust it as much.

i bought a big spool of 150lb braid on amazon. Cheap stuff but it works great and is thick enough to where it wont cut my hand if i use the line to lift the weight.  Havent had to retie yet but probably will for this season. its color change every 5 feet too which is very convenient.

The most important reason to switch braid is to cut down on noise and vibration. One try and you will know and switch instantly. Cuts down on drag too. This is what I use... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-Pro-Downrigger-Cable-150lb-300-feet-Green-NEW/293203373302?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I use Scotty 175 pound low-drag spectra braided downrigger line. One reason I switched to braid was to get rid of the irritating hum from steel cable.  Another was to obtain less drag than steel cable, so I can troll deeper. 

When you raise your downrigger weight, try to avoid slamming it into the pulley, as that puts stress on the knot at the end of the braided downrigger line.  I've never broken my downrigger line, but as a precaution, once or twice a year I cut the weight off the line and tie it back on with a palomar knot.

It isn't safe to downrigger troll near the bottom if there is a lot of current or waves.  If you manage to snag your downrigger weight on something when your kayak is in current or waves, don't cut your line. Just immediately release your downrigger's brake or clutch so line can pay out, which you can do a lot faster than you can cut your downrigger line, and you won't lose an expensive downrigger weight.  Then turn around and kayak back in the direction you came from, and try to pull your downrigger weight off the obstruction.  Although I do a lot of downrigger trolling within a few feet of the bottom (in lakes with no current), I rarely snag my weight, and I've never lost a weight.

Shown below is a picture from an odd situation in which I snagged my downrigger weight.  I was downrigger trolling, and my kayak ground to a halt, but my weight was clearly above the bottom.  I winched up the obstruction, which turned out to be a water skiing rope which a motorboat had lost.  A loop of the rope was apparently sticking up above the bottom, but wasn't visible on my fish finder.

The most important reason to switch braid is to cut down on noise and vibration. ...

Braid does reduce noise and vibration, and it'll enable you to troll deeper with less blowback. But, by far the most important reason to use braid is safety. And, you need to have a knife that you can access instantly, iso that you can cut the line, if necessary.

A few years ago, I was DR trolling at Moss Landing when a whale suddenly appeared about 4' below my kayak (imagine looking over the side of your kayak and seeing a greyhound bus...). The whale ran into my downrigger line and the line started peeling off the DR spool at an incredibly high rate. I cut the braid within 2 seconds, max. If that had been wire instead of braid, I would have surely been dumped out of the kayak, and the kayak could easily have ended up far away from me. I'd rather lose a DR ball...