Oddly enough, I’m asked about braided fishing line more than anything else in regards to the fishing products I review. You’d think the questions would be about high-end reels and all of the other fancy stuff on the market but nope… all of my buddies want the inside scoop on braided line of all things. After asking a lot of questions, I’ve learned that a lot of guys are very dissatisfied with many of the braided line choices out there. They’ve had a bunch of problems with breakage and from what I can tell, they’re getting sick of it.
I kept that in mind while testing the new Sufix ProMix braided line. Living in the epicenter of frogs, jigs and 65-pound braid, I’m very well aware of the importance of a solid braided line with legit shoulders to it. I beat the tar out of this line this summer and I’m coming away very impressed. Once I publish this review, you can bet I’ll be making another order.
Here’s why I say that.
It doesn’t dig
One of the most common complaints I hear in regards to braided line is that a lot of ’em like to dig into the spool. Essentially, when you set the hook or apply a lot of pressure on the line, some braids tend to dig into themselves which make for a horribly obnoxious experience, if I’m being honest. You’ll go to cast and after about 10 yards come off the spool, the rod almost gets jerked out of your hands as one of those cinches comes to the surface of the spool.
Thankfully, Sufix ProMix doesn’t dig into itself whatsoever. It’s not as thin as some other braids I’ve tested, so I was a bit concerned about digging before I started testing it. As it turns out, it’s a dream when it comes to casting. I’ve been using the 30-pound ProMix a lot lately for topwater lures and it has behaved quite nicely on the spool. Line management is the last thing you’ll have to worry about with this line.
Say goodbye to faded braid
The color retention of Sufix ProMix is nothing short of impressive. I’ve used a lot of braided line in the past that will lose its color after just an afternoon of fishing. It’ll look great in the package but once you make a few hundred casts and catch a few fish, you end up with a white-colored braid and a green thumb.
You’re not going to have that problem with this braid. I’ve made thousands of casts with it and it looks as good as it did when I took it out of the package. I’ve made a concerted effort to pay close attention to the color retention over time and not once have I had any green on my fingers or noticed any color loss.
A blend of castability and strength
You’re not going to have any problems casting all the way to your backing knot when using ProMix. I’ve been fishing a Rapala Skitter Walk a bunch with this 30-pound ProMix and the Skitter Walk isn’t really a big topwater lure. Weighing just 7/16 ounce, it can be tricky to make long casts with this lure.
I’ve been fairly blown away by how easy it has been to cast all the line off my reel when fishing with these smaller topwaters. Whether you’re running down the bank looking for a pattern or trying to get your bait to schoolers in the middle of a pocket, you’ll absolutely appreciate the castability of this line.
Strength-wise, you can set the hook as hard as you possibly can without a single worry of knot or line failure. I don’t go crazy with fancy, hard-to-tie knots. I tie a Palomar knot 100% of the time and don’t have the first complaint about the strength and durability of ProMix. You’ll bend your hook(s) before you break this line.
Final thoughts
This braided line is a bit coarser than some other braids but that hasn’t made a bit of difference in regards to its performance; I actually think the coarseness of ProMix helps it cut through vegetation better than a lot of other braided lines. It behaves well on the spool, it’s tougher than woodpecker lips and you can cast it a country mile… I can’t ask for anything more in a braided fishing line.
Sufix ProMix Braided Line is available at the following retailers:
