Hey guys, i recently wrote this review on Invisi-Braid during a trip to Belize - thought you may be interested. Keen to hear your feedback if you have used this stuff or any of the other 'invisible' lines on the market.

Since the dawn of the superline revolution I have used Fins PRT and Tuf-Line XP exclusively, depending on which one was available in my time of need. Both lines are very reasonably priced, have the right mix of memory and suppleness and have fairly low diameter for their test. I have even heard more than once that they effectively come out of the same factory but I cant find any evidence of this.

So it came as a surprise to me when I went against the grain a brought home a spool of Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid to fill the new Stradic CI4. At almost twice the price of Fins and Tuf-Line this stuff had to be great!



While it may be called Invisi-Braid, Spiderwire actually promotes this stuff as being translucent which is a long way from invisible. Most mono-filaments are translucent but yet we still rely on fluorocarbon for an extra edge in the visibility stakes. It is loose weaved which may help to push it to the invisible end of the translucent scale when wet but with loose weave comes some other issues. If anyone has managed to accidentally hook their own fishing line they will know what I’m talking about. Light test loose weave superlines also have a tendancy to float in the air following the cast and can be a nightmare when trying to fire in precise casts with a lot of obstructions around and a light breeze blowing.

Loose weave also effects diameter and 20lb Invisi-Braid comes in at 0.24mm diameter compared to 0.19mm for for Tuf-Line XP. That 26% extra diamater really counts when you are loading small reels with heavier class lines and hoping for a few scorching runs. Interestingly, 20lb Fins PRT comes in at 0.254 mm so maybe I should cut Invisi-Braid some slack.


20lb Spiderwire Ultracast Invisi-Braid above (0.24mm) | 20lb Tuf-Line XP below (0.20mm)

To give Invisi-Line some credit, it does feel like the real deal and is not overly stiff nor limp, I have heard good reports on how it casts and expect the loose weave to assist with abrasion resistance. Enough speculation however, it was time to put this visibility challenged line through its paces.

Spooling Up with Spiderwire Invisi-Braid
First observation, this stuff ties really well! It is a little more supple than Tuf-Line which is helpful when trying to manipulate it through tight wraps and turns typical to most superline knots although in high winds this may be a hindrance, especially with lighter classes. The combination of soft line (loose weave) and waxy finish also really helped to pull knots up nice and tight, not once did a knot lock up halfway which is something I occasionally run into with other superlines.
Loading the spool did not go quite as well… Aware of the larger diameter I went lean on the mono backing but still hit spool capacity well before I expected for 20lb superline. Admittedly this was the first time I had loaded the Stradic Ci4 however I have been playing with very similar stated spool capacities for a long time and never got things so terribly wrong – even with the larger diameter Fins PRT. I would be interested in measuring this stuff up under a microspope to see if the stated 0.24mm diameter is really accurate – my gut feeling is it will come in slightly wider.
Upset with my wastage, I pulled the Invisi-Line back off the Stradic, removed all but a light layer of mono for it to bite into and re-spooled. This helped somewhat but I was still left with significantly more line on the Spiderwire spool than I am use to for this size reel/line combination – even withstanding the fact that I deliberately overfilled the spool.


Stradic 2500 loaded with 15lb Tuf-Line (left) and Stradic CI4 spooled with 20lb Spiderwire Invisi-Line (right)

First Cast with Spiderwire Invisi-Braid
I fully expected to throw loops and cut-off a significant amount of line on my first cast having overfilled the spool and using a jerky retrieve style that really increases the chances of winding on line not under tension. I was amazed 1000?s of casts later when I realised I had never once had to sacrifice any line or “pull and hope” on a casting knot. Perhaps it is the perfect mix of memory and suppleness or maybe the loose weave.. either way it is a big win for Invisi-Line.
Casting distance was unremarkable. The increased diameter and loose weave definitely limited my reach but not significantly, this was most noticeable into a stiff winf and I can also foresee lighter classes floating a little too much for my liking. Distance aside, Invisi-Braid casted very smoothly and I never encountered any issues with it.

Invisi-Braid – Now you see me, now you…….. still see me
To be fair Spiderwire never said this stuff was invisible – just translucent. In gin clear water this stuff stood out as well as high-vis Tuf-Line from where I was standing. Visibility (or invisibility) is a complicated science and I do not doubt that Invisi-Braid has a lower refractive index when compared to other superlines – but does this translate to better performance? Fish also see the world through a different set of rules than we do and I’m not even going to speculate how they interpret this information.


While the water may appear Gin clear from up above, down below it is a different story. A good length of fluorocarbon may be all the ‘masking’ we need in many situations

In some situations Invisi-Braid may just provide you with the edge but in other situations the same fish wouldn’t care if you were using a piano wire or 50lb monofilament. At the end of the the day we should all be using fluorocarbon at the business end and I will always standby the fact that lure selection (size, colour, profile, action) is going to have a far bigger impact than line visibility on whether or not you convert that follow into a hookup or a heartbreaking swirl behind your lure as your quarry hesitates and heads for the safety of deeper water.

[img:center]]http://www.piscatus.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Spiderwire_invisiline_visibility_1.jpg[/img]
In skinny crystal clear water the colours and action of this lure were the only thing this Snapper ever noticed

The other trade off we must consider is line diameter versus visibility. There is going to be a point where a smaller diameter high-vis line is going to be less visible to a fish’s eye than near translucent but larger diameter line. I am also not convinced that Invisi-line is significantly less visible than other superlines to warrant its use based on that alone. After all, plenty of people use high vis yellow, green, pink and red or multicoloured superlines with good result.

Hookup!
During my time in Belize this stuff endured many thousands of casts, and played with all manner of Lutjanids (Snapper) and Carangids (Trevally or Jacks) without issue. The real test came in the form of a few 60lb Tarpon and Invisi-Line performed as one would expect a superline to. The one standout feature was the notable lack of abrasion or “fuzz” following a long drawn out fight with a fish that far exceeded my leader length. After a week of hard fishing the line still looks like brand new with no burrs, loose strands, or signs of damage – not even loss of colouration. I am used to regularly trimming a rod length off my line each new day, even from just the wear and tear from casting – not once did I feel the need to cut off the last few feet of Invisi-Line, it always looked brand new.

This Tarpon was no match for a Shimano Stradic Ci4 spooled with 20lb Invisi-Line and mounted on Nitro’s 007 Viper travel rod

The Verdict
I arrived in Belize with a spare spool of Tuf-Line and fully expected to change lines on the Stradic Ci4 following the first days heavy use. In the end however I never even considered this option – this stuff aint that bad! The only caveat is that I was a little disappointed with the diameter – it felt like I was fishing with 30lb superline, not 20lb. This was not an issue really as I never knew what was going to turn up of the edge of the reef and I had another lighter outfit for the finesse flats fishing. If I only had one outfit I would have probably preferred the Tuf-Line - its diameter and stiffness makes me feel like I’m pushing the boundaries with a microline – it reeks of finesse compared to the diameter of the Invisi-Line. The other issue as predicted was with the loose weave, twice Owner trebles penetrated the line while the lure was hanging off a guide, once removed however there were no noticeable signs of damage. It did not handle attack of the needlefish so well (did I mention my dislike for needlefish) which resulted in the one required amputation after the weave was spread open.
I definitely won’t be removing the line anytime soon and in the absence of Tuf-Line or Fins PRT I would definitely use it again. The price however is its biggest downfall. At $38 for 300yds of 20lb it is definetly priced as premium line, hard to stomach when comparative spools of Tuf-Line and Fins can be picked up for $25 and $22 respectivley.
The next test is longevity, how will the line stack up 12 months down the road after heavy use and sun exposure? I will have to get back to you on that one but in the mean time I look forward to hearing your thoughts and experience with Spiderwire Invisi-Line.

I've been using it for a while. This is the first I've heard of the "loose weave" aspect. I thought it was woven just as tightly as PowerPro. The 30 lb. test I'm using claims to have the same diameter as 8 lb. mono. I certainly haven't had any problems with it getting fouled in hooks. I did end up with some really "loose weave" braid once, and hated it.

I went with this because it was the only highly visible braid I could find "off-the-shelf." I troll a lot, and I was straining my eyes trying to see where the green braid was running, above water, behind the boat. Crucial, particularly on turns. I think that, underwater, it is harder to see than the green braids. Not a big issue with me, anyway, since I use a long, 20 lb. test mono leader. This way, I never have to "break off" my main line.

I also do a lot of casting and jigging with these rods, and really can't tell any difference from PowerPro or the green Ultracast.

I've never used powerpro so cant compare. It is definitely much looser weave than many of the other superlines, it is very easy to tease apart while the others are compressed and fused togethor.

I agree with you on visibility, it is certainly easy to see and I bet it would go great on trolling lines.

If you can tease the strands apart with your fingers, perhaps something went haywire in the production of the lot you ended up with. I'm looking at a spool of 65 lb. test Invisi-Braid I bought the other day when I couldn't find the 30 lb. test I prefer. I just made a fresh cut in the tag end and tried to get the strands to separate by working the end between thumb and index finger. It won't separate. I can get some separation by inserting a needle into it, but I doubt that's what you're talking about. I note on the reverse of the carton the claim "Patented cold-fusion process." The term "fusion" would be grossly inappropriate for a loose-weave line, seems to me. The illustration seems to imply that the individual strands have a covering or coating of some sort on them. This line definitely does not try to "float" in the wind. The 65 lb. test has a diameter of .40mm, claimed to be the equivalent of 14 lb. test mono.

Actually, I bought this product when I couldn't find that yellow braid shown in your photo. Is it widely available?

Was there not 30lb in another brand available? 65lb is a big step up if you wanted to fish 30.

I can pull the line apart with my fingernails a few feet from the tag end and you can compress and flatten the line markedly. It certainly could be tighter. Perhaps a bad batch but there is a few reports on the net regarding the loose weave

from http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29393

"The braid is very loose and I had trouble with hook points snagging in the line when two rods were side-by-side on the deck etc. Because of the loose weave the line is quite large in diameter for it's weight,..Perhaps twice that of thirty pound Power Pro."

"the weave in this line doesn't seem as tight as other products SpiderWire has out."

The loose weave isn't necessarily a bad thing however and by loose I mean loose relative to other superlines I commonly use.

I would doubt 65lb would float in air - I was referring to the lighter classes (i.e. sub 15lb)

Many companies make yellow braid - the one photo is Tuf-Line XP and as far as I know it is widely available (I have purchased it at stores in Australia, New Zealand and US (California & Arkansas)

Fishing line is a lot like wine, you like what you like. No doubt this stuff is a good product and I could, and have, happily used it. it does however have some traits that rightly or wrongly I steer away from.

I am reluctant to pursue this much further, because I frankly have minimal interest in the subject. I will note, however, that your Complainer-in Chief bought his line in 2007. He claims that the line frequently breaks for no reason at all, and pronounces it utterly unsuitable for fishing. The claim that it has twice the diameter of Power Pro is patent nonsense. But tell you what: shoot me a mailing address by PM and I will send you a couple of lengths of my 30 and 65 lb. test Invisi-Braid. If you can separate it with your nails, you must have very sharp nails indeed.

I Agree the "twice the diameter" claim is a wild exaggeration. Perhaps we have differing views over what constitutes loose weave, or we are seeing product variability.

Either way it is a nice fishing line and I would buy it again, but it hasn't won me over.

I was going to say never mind with the samples but.... on second thought you have got me interested now in comparing weave between brands....

Cheers

Samples on the way. I neglected to mention what I see as one of the primary advantages of this line: ease of marking. I mark mine at intervals of 20, 30 and 50 feet with indelible markers. (It's quite difficult to get a highly visible mark on the green stuff.) These marks are most helpful in controlling the depth of a slab or jig. Unless you would find this helpful, though, or need to see your line above water, I don't see much justification for the higher price of this product.