Berkley Nanofil - cures the pain of wind knots ( for me)

[NAGG]

Seems the old nanofil is not all it cracked up to be.

Depends what you are looking for & you're expectations - I've used the best & most expensive braids on light spin gear & I ended up with fireline ...... go figure? - However .... The Nanofil beats fireline IMO

Chris

[Mike Delisser]

Maybe my Nanofil came from the same bad batch, I tried some 6lb last w/e and it's in the bin now. Popped it off twice on snagged lures and all I did was give the rod a hard shake. I thought it must need special knots but after the 2nd time I checked the line and I could snap it anywhere easily, full of weak spots. I won't trust the sh#t again. Looks like I'm back to paying $70 for Castaway again, never had a problem with it (eccept the price).

And Berkley owe me 2 blades.

[NAGG]

Maybe my Nanofil came from the same bad batch, I tried some 6lb last w/e and it's in the bin now. Popped it off twice on snagged lures and all I did was give the rod a hard shake. I thought it must need special knots but after the 2nd time I checked the line and I could snap it anywhere easily, full of weak spots. I won't trust the sh#t again. Looks like I'm back to paying $70 for Castaway again, never had a problem with it (eccept the price).

And Berkley owe me 2 blades.

Maybe there is a shock breakage issue ........ but with all the snagged placcies i've had over the past few months - I still need to point the rod at the snag ... grab the spool & physically bust it!

Chris

[Daintreeboy]

We started using 12 lb Nanofil. It casts great. I had 15 lb Flurocarbon as a trace and was busting it instead of the Nanofil on a few snags so it gets the thumbs up from me. We were bait fishing and had a running sinker on the nanofil tied to a swivel using a Palomar knot so no bimini or anything. The flurocarbon was tied to the swivel with a blood knot and that's what was snapping. I like this set up as the line has to break somewhere and here is fine as you keep most of your terminal tackle. I'm gunna try Palomars all round so the knot is the same and let you know the results.

Also tested it on a decent Stingray and it held up very well. The rod will snap before the line if I was not careful.

[Micadogs]

I am a supporter of new technology in the fishing industry and like to read a lot about real life testing of new products. There may be something in the knots used for this new product.

I was reading an article on this nanofil on a USA forum, I wont post it here in case I'm breaching this forum's rules. I will PM Nagg with the details so he can research and post his findings.

The general story behind this is that this guy tested several knots using nanofil and lots of them failed. Just like some of the stories here, it snapped like cotton. However there were several knots were this product performed also. Coupled with the other advanatages mentioned here it seems likley it will be a great product. It was the knots that were causing the issue not the product.

They mentioned that it is it's thin diameter that is causing it to snap, i.e. the product is so thin that it "cutting" through the line and causing it to snap.

I didn't agree with some of the reasons why it was snapping due to knots. (and this is my opionion) - If I use an analogy of chain and wire rope (Chain being nanofil, wire rope being braid) - You can cut a 10mm chain link with bolt cutters like it is butter. However, with the same bolt cutters you can not cut 6mm wire rope. That throws out the thinner diameter argument.

However, it starts to speak more about the construction of the line. the Nanofil, according to Berkely, is a solid continuous piece which is unlike braid (or fuse) that is multiple pieces together. With braid and fuse the fact that it can "roll' on itself assists in not cutting through. The nanofil as a solid may suffer from this.

As stated previously, this doesn't mean the product isn't any good. Look at the real life benefits published in this thread. I think it just means, to reap all these benefits, you need to use the correct knot and you will have no issues with the product.

Regards Adam

[marzoe]

Probably shouldnt have said the line snapped at the leader. It just snapped really easily when the fish struck, no sign of leader or join. Ordinarily with braid or mono you would have a chance to play the fish. This snapped so easily the rod didn't even bend. That's right. The Nanofil was the main line, joined to the mono I found and then the leader. Everything was good until the mono ran out. Then the nano simply snapped.
i'm not sure if its all bad, but the stuff on my reel was serious sh?t

[leeroy1]

Hey Marzoe heard about your problems the other morning from one of the locals there.
Soon as he told me what happened i asked if it was Nonofil.
Have you tried taking it back for a refund?I would be.

[Si]

Probably shouldnt have said the line snapped at the leader. It just snapped really easily when the fish struck, no sign of leader or join. Ordinarily with braid or mono you would have a chance to play the fish. This snapped so easily the rod didn't even bend. That's right. The Nanofil was the main line, joined to the mono I found and then the leader. Everything was good until the mono ran out. Then the nano simply snapped.
i'm not sure if its all bad, but the stuff on my reel was serious sh?t

Thats no good at all. other forum reports are interesting too if you do a search. i think from memory i have had breakages a couple of times where there was hardly any pressure. I just put it down to something else like getting my knot wrong or something else. for the most part its been good though. still its a bit concerning.

[alleycat]

Just another word on nanofill, i have 3kg spooled on my 2000 sol and had it fishing for snapper at mud yesterday, best snap was 60cm and line went great, BUT at the ends of morning i noticed at little fluff ball on line near reel, went to pull it along with thumb nail and line just parted and looked like a length of cotton wool, might just have crystal fireline spooled for my snapper fishing from now on..

[NAGG]

Hi All

It seems like a mixed opinion on the Nanofil - Realistically though it was never going to be a line that out performs a true braid (certainly not when it comes to knot strength , abrasion resistance and longevity ) ........ but when it comes to casting & solving wind knot issues - it wins hands down & from a price point that puts it on the bottom shelf ........ alongside Fireline
I know knot selection is important - I spent some time at Somerset trying to attach 4lb to my spool but I kept breaking it (someone else finally tied it for me) ....... knots do need to be well tied & carefully selected.
I'm still to see Nanofil just snap ....... but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen - I certainly wont buy Toray Bawo , Sunline Super PE & Castaway braid for exactly the same reason ( unexpected breakages with new line on relatively small fish or just during casting .... at least on a couple of spools ).

Anyhow - good to see the feedback that is coming through because you can bet that the Pure fishing blokes read these threads.


Chris

[Apollo]

OK, I have bitten the bullet and ordered some 8lb Nano to go on the heavy spool on my Stradic 2500. Given the comments about knot selection being very important with it, I am interested in what knots are people using and what are the results. It seems that Harros knot is OK but a double uni may not. What are others using - good or bad. I am becoming more happy with my gear using a PR knot. but they aren't the easiest thing to tie on the water in a rush during a hot bight.

FWIW, I will be tying mono and FC leader from 8-35lb to it.

Thanks
Steve

[softplasticsdude79]

Hi All

It seems like a mixed opinion on the Nanofil - Realistically though it was never going to be a line that out performs a true braid (certainly not when it comes to knot strength , abrasion resistance and longevity ) ........ but when it comes to casting & solving wind knot issues - it wins hands down & from a price point that puts it on the bottom shelf ........ alongside Fireline
I know knot selection is important - I spent some time at Somerset trying to attach 4lb to my spool but I kept breaking it (someone else finally tied it for me) ....... knots do need to be well tied & carefully selected.
I'm still to see Nanofil just snap ....... but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen - I certainly wont buy Toray Bawo , Sunline Super PE & Castaway braid for exactly the same reason ( unexpected breakages with new line on relatively small fish or just during casting .... at least on a couple of spools ).

Anyhow - good to see the feedback that is coming through because you can bet that the Pure fishing blokes read these threads.


Chris

yes,all feedback will assist the consumer at the end,i like nano,also plain standard fireline and i have a 10lb spool of sunline pe that is 2 years old and still going hard.

maybe someone could put a poll up on what braid we all use !.

Adam

[MudRiverDan]

Braid snapping around the leader is really not a surprise, it gets the most friction from snapping through the runners on cast.

Also remember it gets the full brunt of any poor casts and the initial whip of the rod, the rest of the line gets less friction because the first few feet cop it and as the line feeds out there is less energy exerted on the line till it eventually stops..

Myself I have found Toray the most resilient to this, it does not exhibit any fraying after some punishment.

Though in most cases you will see thinning above the knot after a lot of casts in most braids.

Good idea to cut it back and retie with fresh section if you think your going to be in trouble.

When I retie a leader I usually cut off about a foot of braid off the end.

Also you should be constantly observing the leader and knot area in the last few meters or so as rocks, fin rake, poor knot tying, rubbing on boat or structure and any little mishaps will weaken the line while just fishing in general.

For me it is those last few meters of line that cop the punishment and I always try to keep it as new.

[Mike Delisser]

BUT at the ends of morning i noticed at little fluff ball on line near reel, went to pull it along with thumb nail and line just parted and looked like a length of cotton wool, might just have crystal fireline spooled for my snapper fishing from now on..

I spoke to a salesman at a large Brizzy tackle store today about Nano and he recons a lot of guys are having the same problem you discribed, he told me many try it once then go for the new Fireline. Personally I'll stick to braid.
Nag what are you doing that wind knots are determining which line you choose? I'll only get 1 a trip if I'm really unlucky, and if I'm using a Dyneema line it will pop out 99.999% of the time if I wet the knot and pull it tight. It must be years since I had one close up with Dyneema.
Cheers

[NAGG]

OK, I have bitten the bullet and ordered some 8lb Nano to go on the heavy spool on my Stradic 2500. Given the comments about knot selection being very important with it, I am interested in what knots are people using and what are the results. It seems that Harros knot is OK but a double uni may not. What are others using - good or bad. I am becoming more happy with my gear using a PR knot. but they aren't the easiest thing to tie on the water in a rush during a hot bight.

FWIW, I will be tying mono and FC leader from 8-35lb to it.

Thanks
Steve

I use Harros for the leader knot ......... cant fault it

Chris