SpiderWire Ultracast

[Randingo]

Out of curiosity, what's the rap against SpiderWire Ultracast? I picked up a spool in 30#, and it's exceptionally smooth and round--like as smooth as Super 8 Slick. I think it was the first American superline with 8 carriers, but it seems like no one cared about it when it came out, with most people trying Stealth which came out at about the same time.

Like most people, SpiderWire was the first superline I used, and back when it first came out, there were lots of problems. In all fairness, they were early to the game, and it seems that everyone had a lot to learn about the technology in those days. At this point, it seems like very few people fish this label because there are so many choices with excellent performance (and maybe because of bad early experiences), but Ultracast always intrigued me.

I'll get it out on the water soon enough, but I'm just wondering if any of you have actually tried this line and might be able to shed some light on why it has so few users.

[aquaholik]

First of all, it's quite expensive. $21 for 125 yds. Although I only pay $110 for 1500 yds, it's not my line of choice for casting distance. Initially it's smooth but it wears down quickly and for some unknown reason, tends to be sticky. I spooled the 15lb test which breaks above 25lbs on a 4000 Twinpower and paired that with an NRX. The NRX with it's recoil guide is no distance rod and it was much worst with the Ultracast 15 lbs. Now the PP Super Slick is also no distance braid. It's smooth and cast great initially but once it fuzzes up, the fuzzy parts absorbs saltwater and casting distance suffer.

So my take on the line is that it is smooth and super strong but after it wears down, casting distance is greatly reduced. Right now it's on my low gear Twinpower 4000 specifically for pulling snappers and sheepshead from bridge pilings.

[Randingo]

Good info, aquaholik. It was much less expensive when I bought it: $27.99 for 300 yards. I bought it in part because it seems so smooth but also because it doesn't have any dye--I don't believe for a second that it's "invisibraid" as it claims, but I'll primarily fish it with a fluoro or mono leader. If I ever want to try tying it direct, I'll just color the last few feet of it. One thing I will say is that it is quite a bit more difficult to get it to bite into the leader on an FG than most of the other braids I've used.

[slipperybob]

I still have the older 30# with 6 strands on my Stradic 3000 MgFB.

Works well, but I have old Fireline Braid that is a bit better.