With this angler, braided lines no longer make the cut

Because everyone is an angling expert, I suspect a good friend and several acquaintances will take issue with me.

I have never claimed to be an expert, but rather a print and broadcast communicator who has been exposed to expert techniques that I have chosen to include in my fishing bag of tricks.

I suspect one if not more of the tackle/line manufacturers will go daft if and when they read what I have to say. Thankfully, to most of the gear manufacturers, I am a mere speck of sand with highly opinionated views on fishing, the angling lifestyle and the American way.

I have invested more than 10 years of fishing time on lakes and rivers searching, finding, and catching fish of various species.

With all that said, I hereby declare I am through using the various brands of super lines and high-tech super braids.

And here's my rationale:

Fishing rod technology has come a long way since my early days of putting words to paper and speaking into microphones.

The first time I used a Loomis rod and a Grandt rod, I instantly knew there was something special about those rod blanks I held in my casting hand. St. Croix rods are fine tools, but in my book they lack a certain sensitivity factor.

To this day I still have enough rods in the racks to equip a small army of anglers, starting with ultralight models all the way up to the blue-water ocean sticks.

When the super-lines appeared on the scene, we were told the problem of hooking fish with a line that stretched (monofilament) was no longer an issue because the high-tech lines were designed to do away with the stretch factor.

We were then tutored on which knots to use with the new stuff. We were also told we would be able to more easily detect strikes. The saga doesn't stop there.

The so-called "pro staffs" connected to different line manufacturers never explained to us how to overcome the problem of hooking submerged trees and boulders while being able to free the lure and line without damaging or breaking the rod, let alone winding up in a hospital emergency room having someone sew our fingers into place.

In other words, some anglers wound up destroying rods while trying to free a super braid line from an underwater obstacle. And to make matters worse, I know a handful of anglers who came close to losing a finger or two when they held the line in their hand while trying to clear the obstacles.

Because the new lines were inherently stronger than the old common mono, it was like putting your hand in a meat slicer. In my opinion, the super lines were like the old Ginsu knives advertised on television - the ones able to cut through a tin can.

Some genius suggested we use either mono or fluorocarbon leaders tied to the braids. They (the experts) told us how much easier it would be when we found ourselves hung up, to just break the leader. To add even more grist, some of us used heavy gloves or towels wrapped around the super lines to help the cause.

I have stripped all the super-braid lines from my reels. Probably 90 percent of my rods are the Grandt super-sensitive models, and by using ultra-sensitive rod blanks I found I didn't need the added heartburn that the super-braids bring to the party.

I'm not breaking any more rods, nor do I need an E.R. doc asking questions as to why my hand looks like fresh-cut meat.

Outdoor notes:

National Marine Manufacturer's show gurus will have added responsibilities in the coming months. The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) announced that NMMA has acquired the rights to ASA's four consumer shows, including the Chicagoland Fishing Travel & Outdoor Expo in Schaumburg.

• Local fishing: After visiting several trout fishing spots in the Cook County Forest Preserves last weekend, I noticed a slight downturn in the number of anglers, especially at Busse Lake's north pool. Even Axehead Lake fishermen were apparently not willing to tough out the higher wind conditions.

• One of the better bets right now is the bluegill angling on Bangs Lake. Crappies running to 12 inches showing uip on Pistakee Lake.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at www.mikejacksonoutdoors.com.