It’s been well over 30 years since the braided “superlines” became available to anglers.

While the modern braided line has seen a host of refinements and modifications since then, the core advantages include low stretch and small diameter while maintaining sensitivity.

Braided line — most recently being Sufix’s 832 and Nanobraid as well as Gamma’s Torque — has been what’s filled the spools on most of my spinning outfits. Through the years, I’ve learned a few things about braided line that you might find useful.

Braided line has a significantly smaller diameter than nylon monofilament of the same strength. For instance, 20-pound test braid has the same thickness as 6-8 pound test mono.

As I explained in a recent column, it’s wise to partially fill a spool with cheap mono, leaving plenty of space for around 100 yards of the thinner and much pricier braided line. For spinning outfits geared toward bass and walleye fishing, I’ve come to prefer 15-pound test after having used 20 for a few years. The thinner line allows for longer casts but remains manageable.

There’s a place for ultra-thin braided line, but it comes at a cost in such thread-thin diameter. It can work its way back into any tiny void within a spinning reel, creating frustration and at times the need to cut and retie.

That said, I do like using 8-pound test Sufix Nanobraid for rods geared for crappies. The extreme thinness of the line allows light jigs to sink much faster than thicker line.

Braided lines come in a host of colors, some quite subtle, others boasting high visibility. All things considered, I much prefer the attributes of the high-vis hues. Since I always incorporate a leader of around 3 feet, I’m not worried about turning away line shy fish. Conversely, the visibility plays in favor of line watching to detect hits. I’m looking for that slight twitch or unnatural tightening.

Also, most braided line float, so a high-visibility line acts as an inline strike detector when fishing unweighed lures like soft jerkbaits and soft stickbaits.

Most braided lines are quite slippery, particularly when they are new. This makes standard fishing knots such as the clinch knot, improved clinch knot and blood knot ineffective — the line simply pulls through the knot when cinching it down.

The preferred knot is the Palomar knot when tying directly to a lure or hook. It will not slip. Rarely, however, do I tie directly, instead opting for a short leader as just mentioned.

For joining braided line to leader material — typically fluorocarbon or monofilament — I’ve come to rely on the Alberto knot. It’s a variation of the Albright knot, and once you get accustomed to it it’s fairly easy to accomplish.

I’ve experimented with several braid-to-flurocarbon knots over the years and must note initially they can be challenging, more so the thinner you go with braided line and leader line. Understand that little things in relation to tying a knot — such as the size of a loop, length of tag ends, etc. — matter a lot in the mechanics of putting the connection together. Once you’ve gotten the details down and have learned the correct recipe for your particular application, it commits to muscle memory and becomes much easier.

This one is pretty simple. It’s not uncommon to have issues with freshly spooled braided line. Be especially diligent in watching for any loops on the spool the first couple times out. Once the line has been used a bit and has had a chance to pack down neatly on the spool, it tends to behave much better.

Another quick tip is to make sure when cutting braided line to do it cleanly. Quality scissors and knips will accomplish this. Nail cutters don’t cut it — literally. They will just tear the line, resulting in a frayed end that will severely complicate knot tying.

Finally, braided line requires extra care for your protection. It’s strong. If you’re hopelessly snagged and need to break off, grabbing the line with your hand can result in a cut, especially with the thinner lines. If you must grab the line, consider using a glove. A better option is to point the rod directly at the snag, reel in as much as you can, then pull directly away from the snag, holding the reel spool so it doesn’t slip. This doesn’t load the rod (which can break it). The snag will either pull free or the line will break.

One last tip: use a clinch knot to make the leader to lure/hook connection. It’s weaker than most braid-to-leader knots. If you must break off, chances are the clinch knot fails, meaning you don’t have to retie the whole thing.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.