Got rid of the braided line back to mono

[King Bait Co.]

I switch my line for Stren Microfuse to Stren Original. Now it seem I catch more fish I can fell the soft bite agian. Maybe the fish were spooked by the microfused white line that never seem to disapear in the water. May have been a bad batch of braided line it did come apart further up the line and felt real rough or you can say it came untwisted. It is my first time with braided line. Any tips if I should switch all my reels back to mono or is it my head. I mainly do largemouth fishing.

Edited May 9, 2008 by King Bait Co.

[diemai]

I would not change from braid to mono , only braid lets you feel , what is going on with your lure , bumping bottom , shy nibbles , etc.......!

Also you can't work certain type of lures well without the almost zero stretch of braid .

But I see your argument about the fish getting spooked of a line , that is too visible in the water .

In German angling magazines I read about combining the advantages of the two kinds of line by connecting 5 to 15 yards mono to the end of the braided main line with a special knot, not so much for visibility reasons , but to get a sort of "shock-absorber" for some kinds of non-predatory fish , that are likely to tear the hook out of their lips , when played too hard .

Maybe , this could be an issue for you as well .

Greetings , diemai

[livelybaits]

I switch my line for Stren Microfuse to Stren Original. Now it seem I catch more fish I can fell the soft bite agian. Maybe the fish were spooked by the microfused white line that never seem to disapear in the water. May have been a bad batch of braided line it did come apart further up the line and felt real rough or you can say it came untwisted. It is my first time with braided line. Any tips if I should switch all my reels back to mono or is it my head. I mainly do largemouth fishing.

A couple of things.

One, if the line has dings on it check your guides. If there is a bad guide, it will possibly cut up your line

Two: As for catching more fish with the mono- are you tying your lures directly to the braided line? The braided is very visible compared to mono. I use a lot of braided line down here in the Florida Gulf Coast waters. A two to two and a half foot leader line tied off to the braid adds the "invisibility" back to that last section of line leading to the lure

I have some spools of mono that I pull out when I have inexperienced folks or kids that I take fishing. It's more forgiving. But otherwise the braided line is the way to go down here. The "memory" on mono is a real problem when you're catching big fish. One or two decent size redfish or snook and the line gets "the twisties". Conversely, I have three reels where that braided line has been on there for over two years (probably just jinxed it).

Also, the braided line casts further and the zero stretch makes hooksets much more successful.

Believe me, there is nothing wrong with mono. I like the stuff. But you might want to try out the "leader" with the braid and see how it works for you

Neil

[MTfishingrods]

My opinion for what its worth, hehehe. They both have there place. I am a huge spider wire fan. Nothing better than being able to rip a big ol pike right out of a nasty azz weed patch without worrying about snapping off your line. Also when jigging for Lake trout in 200 feet of water I get way better hook sets with spider wire as opposed to mono. Do you know how much strech there is when setting a hook with 200 feet of mono out? Enough I had to set the rod as high as possible reel up all slack and do it one more time just to make sure it was set. Now I can set the hook by raising the rod tip approx 4-5ft and I feel fish. Another spot when fishing for rainbows we can not catch them on anything but 2 or 3 lb test mono. And 2lb test mono is the best. Spider wire no matter the diameter just wont fish there doesnt matter the color or anything. It just will not catch fish. We have sat side by side with that being the only difference and one caught fish, the other didnt. So i guess my advice is to maybe have both setups and use whichever fits the situation your in.

[King Bait Co.]

See now I am wondering if I got some bad braided line. I got mine when it first came out before the tackle shops and scheels had it here in town. I got mine from BPS almost the day I got my catalog. I have compared it to the one's sheels has now with the same weight. Mine seems real rough right off the spool theirs is smooth compared to mine. The other thing is mine filled four baitcasters off a threehundred yard spool each baitcaster holds onehundredfifty yards someone else has the same line and reels. Theirs only filled two off a threehundred yard spool. Thats way I am wondering if I got some bad line now.

[Spike-A-Pike]

My personal line of choice is Stren® Super Braid Lo-Vis Green, 20 lbs test for bass and pike tied directly the lure and the flat green color doesn't seem to affect either of them. For musky, it's Stren® Super Braid Lo-Vis Green, 50 lbs test with a wire leader. I still a couple of pan fish rods with the old Stren® Original Clear/Blue 8 lb test usually with a slip bobber for minnows, meal worms, or night crawlers.

[IamSpartacus]

Yeah I had my braid (14lb Fireline Crystal) snap on three hooksets in a row... I was fishing a zoom salamander weedless and three times in a row id set the hook and it would snap instantly. I should have learned after the second time, but apparently I'm not the brightest of the bunch. I looked at my line and it appeared fine each time... Not really sure what was happening. I cut off like 15ft of my line and tried it then, it worked and haven't had any problems since. Anybody have any idea what might have caused this?

[Spike-A-Pike]

I cut off like 15ft of my line and tried it then, it worked and haven't had any problems since. Anybody have any idea what might have caused this?

It could have deterioration by UV or just fatigue. I'm always worried about how long ago was the manufactured and where was it stored since? I've seen hot and cold have strange effects on different materials, not necessarily fishing line. I think the fishing lines today are a heck of a lot better than when started fishing in the 60s.

[Braided Line]

Braided line is the only line(IMO) for fishing weeds of any kind. I flip a lot of pad/hydrilla fields, along the egde and way back in and with out the strength of braided controlling bass (no muskies in Fl) would be more problem then results. Plus one major feature is Braided line has no stretch.

The need to controll a fish is "right now" in this type of situation. Get his/her head up and your half way home. Some parts of the country may not have these types of conditions to contend with so mono may be somebodies first choice. Different strokes for different folks.

One other "major" feature about braid is it will "cut" through pad stems like a hot knife through butter! Mono ? I don`t think so.

Just my $.02.

[Coley]

Yeah I had my braid (14lb Fireline Crystal) snap on three hooksets in a row... I was fishing a zoom salamander weedless and three times in a row id set the hook and it would snap instantly. I should have learned after the second time, but apparently I'm not the brightest of the bunch. I looked at my line and it appeared fine each time... Not really sure what was happening. I cut off like 15ft of my line and tried it then, it worked and haven't had any problems since. Anybody have any idea what might have caused this?

The Crystal Fireline snaps at the knot alot. I paid $33 for

a large spool an took it all off my reels and threw it away.

I went back to using the smoke Fireline and have had no trouble.

I use 1oz jigs for Sauger in 30'-50' of water.

[nova]

I would not change from braid to mono , only braid lets you feel , what is going on with your lure , bumping bottom , shy nibbles , etc.......!

Also you can't work certain type of lures well without the almost zero stretch of braid .

But I see your argument about the fish getting spooked of a line , that is too visible in the water .

In German angling magazines I read about combining the advantages of the two kinds of line by connecting 5 to 15 yards mono to the end of the braided main line with a special knot, not so much for visibility reasons , but to get a sort of "shock-absorber" for some kinds of non-predatory fish , that are likely to tear the hook out of their lips , when played too hard .

Maybe , this could be an issue for you as well .

Greetings , diemai

I've always added mono to the end of my superline. It didn't make sense to me that the fish could see the line. I don't know about 5 to 15 yards though; I add about 10 feet. The more line you add; the more stretch you have. I still have great feeling with 10 feet, plus the lower visibility and the shock factor.

www.novalures.com

[Bterrill]

Yeah I had my braid (14lb Fireline Crystal) snap on three hooksets in a row... I was fishing a zoom salamander weedless and three times in a row id set the hook and it would snap instantly. I should have learned after the second time, but apparently I'm not the brightest of the bunch. I looked at my line and it appeared fine each time... Not really sure what was happening. I cut off like 15ft of my line and tried it then, it worked and haven't had any problems since. Anybody have any idea what might have caused this?

You need to use a palomar knot. Many traditional knots slip with braid, OR your hook eye was partially open and the thinner diameter line slipped through, OR something on your rod or reel was cutting it like the line clip on a spinning reel catching on the cast.

Been through all of these. There is a learning curve. But once you learn it, you'll love it. I don't fish with anything else. PP 15/4 for SMB and rivers.

No leader needed. At least for river bass.Trust me.

Edited May 9, 2008 by Bterrill

[thedude]

for braid i use power pro - 30lb on my crankbait rods and 50-60lb on my flipping & frog setups.

Don't let people con you in to the whole "braid is best" montra... it certainly excels in heavy cover and weeds. In some scenarios it is great for light line/sensitivity... If i'm not using a "moving bait" presentation, i typically use 6' of florocarbon for a leader. I'm used to clear water lakes and have noticed significant drops in catch rates when using braid w/ no leader on my t-rigs and jigs.

Another thing to consider is the rod you are using. Braid has zero stretch... and with today's ultra-fast action rods, it is very easy to pull the hooks. in my opinion, braid has no business on a rod with an action over moderate - in which case, Gamma and PLine make virtually indestructible co-polymer lines which i highly favor! 12lb gamma is pretty stout, pline is very strong as well with a little more stretch - both excel in low-memory and castability.

[livelybaits]

I'm just curious: How many of you are talking about baitcaster reels with the braided line?

I ask because most of what I do in my saltwater fishing is spinning reels. And my buddy who likes his baitcaster for tossing lures in saltwater (kind of a rarity in this part of Florida) has had the line breaking on the cast, inside the spool

It's funny actually. On my baitcasters, I prefer mono or fluorocarbon/fluorocoated lines.

One other thing that occurred to me: Are you fishing around a lot of rocks? If your line is walking on the rocks, it will get some weak spots

[King Bait Co.]

I use baitcasters. Your buddy's line may be braking because as I was told When you set the hook hard enough that it can dig deeper down in the line or further underneith the line below it. If that makes any since. Or he could have kinked it some were in the water and made a weak point.

[IamSpartacus]

You need to use a palomar knot. Many traditional knots slip with braid, OR your hook eye was partially open and the thinner diameter line slipped through, OR something on your rod or reel was cutting it like the line clip on a spinning reel catching on the cast.

Been through all of these. There is a learning curve. But once you learn it, you'll love it. I don't fish with anything else. PP 15/4 for SMB and rivers.

No leader needed. At least for river bass.Trust me.

Good advice, been trying the double palomar knot for a cumulative of 20 hours fishing without fail. Sure is nice catching the fish I set my hook into.

Thanks,

Mike

[Bterrill]

I do use a spinning rod and braid. I fish mostly medium sized or smaller rivers and creeks. Braid is superior for topwater where the no stretch and long casts mean more fish.

Also, the line doesn't ever break. I keep drag loose and almost never lose a Smallmouth once they are hooked. No knot failures, no fish getting tangled in wood and lost.

Just last Saturday I threw a tube into a log jam surrounded by 5' of moving water on 3 sides. An almost instant thump and almost instantly the good 18" Smallie was hung on some wood. I was able to keep the pressure on the fish in current, backreel to shore de-vest, throw my waders up chest high and wade across and up onto the log jam while keeping that bass in place. I landed the fish. No way I land that fish on 8lbs test mono or fluro. Let alone all the pigs I've yanked out of wood with Sammies in their mouths.

Now the creek fish in crystal clear water that I have caught on paused hard jerk baits, tubes, and flukes didn't have the problem with seeing braid. Caught close to 2000 Smallies last year all on braid.

If Smallmouth and Largemouth in moving water are line shy, I've made up for it by losing less fish and hooking more.

If you are fishing on a clear lake- that's beyond my experience. Fish with that much time may be line shy.

Spartacus- yeah, I have been tying the double. Don't think your line was breaking as much as the standard mono knots slip free when snapped.

Check those hook eyes. any opening is heartbreak time!

Edited May 15, 2008 by Bterrill

[IamSpartacus]

Yeah I agree with the braid in rivers though. I don't know how many times I would of lost my favorite buzzbait yesterday if I wasn't using the 14lb braid. The stuff is tough. Plus it does make the hook setting from distance much more successful.

[RipLip]

I use Spider Wire stealth for all applications from jigs, worms to real finesse type of fishing. The Stealth works great because I fish some real thick lily beds and it can pull them out fine. As for feeling the fish my opinion is the line is a factor but not a huge factor. I have tried many differents lines and rods and I believe the type of rod is what depicts the feel. Like right now the bite up here in NH is real lite. You have to get the line just about tight and your rod lets you know if something is going on. If you get the line too tight and the bass that is swimming aimlessly with your bait trying to figure what to do with it he could drop it in a heartbeat. So right now my feeling is the rod is the important factor on feeling a lite bite. I use 20lb stealth for baitcasters and spinning. Hope this helps somebody.

[fish devil]

I have braid on 2 rods, 1 with 50lb suffix for weeds and other thick stuff and the other one is for saltwater bottom fishing. I just changed from power pro to suffix. Power pro kept breaking on me, when I cast, or when I set the hook. Suffix is much better in my opinion, no break offs, easier to cast, and makes less noise.

[spnrbatr]

I have never liked braid. The only time I use it when I am fishing the grass mats on lake Guntersville. The rest of the time I use 15 lb Big Game exclusively. I know that alot of people like it but it is not for me.

[Zbass]

I have been using stealth as my main line and putting anywhere from a 2' to 7' leader of either flouro or mono. I like the sensitivity of the braid/flouro combo, but you have to be careful to back your drag off just a tick so you don't snap the leader.

Zbass

[King Bait Co.]

I still have braided on one pole its for cutting weeds. I use either a Strike King Rage Tail Frog or a Spro Frog with it. Works great for thta kind of fishing for me.

[willie525]

use power pro. ive never had any trouble out of it. but if youre fsihing high pressure id use a 3 foot leader of 15 pound invisx. but if you could go without the braid id got to flourocarbon(Seagaur, Trilene 100% dont get vanish it sucks) or a GOOD mono or co-polymer(most p-lines, sunline stuff like that, premium). i can tell someone gonna not agree with me, but you dont really need braid around here except one lake where you might lose a buzzbait via muskie. there really isnt a reason for braided lines here so ive just messed around with 30 PP and 65 PP

Edited June 26, 2008 by willie525

[BassAddict]

I use both braid and mono, I use PowerPro for braid and am very happy with it. If I am fishing stained water I mostly use braid but some types of fishing I prefere mono.Braid makes everyone get the "feel" for what is happening under the water but if u put enough time on the water u can get the "feel" with mono too! Fishing spinnerbaits and jerk baits I prefer mono for the stretch less ripped out hooks from big hook sets, thick weed I prefer braid as it cuts the weeds off itself well, fishing docks and wooden structure I prefer mono as I can break the line off easier if I need to.