Mono

[NIB]

Originally Posted by JoeP

Knowing Mike a bit he's a pretty straight shooter in my opinion. I highly doubt he has alteriors motives. I've spoken to him about this and he said he has lost too many fish on braid in the rocks. I'd take him for his word...

U know i never met him. I would like to.I have been in swe 4 or 5 times an amazingly he was not there.As I understand he spends a little time there.The guys who work there, who are top notch in my book speak the world of him.They say he is nothing but a straight shooter.I can't help but to think like he was endorsing something though.Yo Zuri hybrid line kinda caught me off guard to be honest..the article did sound like a who endorses what thing but i guess thats what happens when u ask pros what they use, they tell ya.Alberto just said anything with high capacity spool when asked about his reel.I would guess that means he is not endorsed at the moment.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by NIB

U know i never met him. I would like to.I have been in swe 4 or 5 times an amazingly he was not there.As I understand he spends a little time there.The guys who work there, who are top notch in my book speak the world of him.They say he is nothing but a straight shooter.I can't help but to think like he was endorsing something though.Yo Zuri hybrid line kinda caught me off guard to be honest..the article did sound like a who endorses what thing but i guess thats what happens when u ask pros what they use, they tell ya.Alberto just said anything with high capacity spool when asked about his reel.I would guess that means he is not endorsed at the moment.

NIB:

There are guys here who know Mike better then me (PeteG...) but all I can say from my conversations with him is that he is straight shooter full of knowledge and always has a smile on his face.

Joe

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by JoeP

NIB:

There are guys here who know Mike better then me (PeteG...) but all I can say from my conversations with him is that he always has a smile on his face.

Joe

That's cuz he is drunk.

[tlapinski]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

That's cuz he is drunk.

I was thinking the same thing...

Anyway, I really like Yo Hybrid. Started using it a few years ago in 30# on my conventionals. Super durable and cast pretty well. Lots of guys think it is too stiff, but I'll deal with that to not loose a good fish in the rocks. The only reason I started to look for a replacement for it is that it is hard to score locally. I spooled up some 20# back country to try on my smaller conventionals this year. It seems good so far, but I have only used it to test cast some plugs and a new rod I wrapped.

I use braid on my spinners and mono on all but my jigging conventionals. Just how I like to fish. They each have there place in certain situations.

[LeCounts1099]

I fish the Rocks! I live at & for Montauk & like places! I hate any & all braid-- never touch the stuff! And I don't lack for casting distance, believe me! (Though I feel I need distance only 10% of nights/ situations anyway!). Big Game 20 lb., and 25 lb. on my VS300 for the craggiest spots: never lets me down! (But I'm obsessive about cutting- back & re- spooling-- way more than most! You should be too!

Of course though if I fished the Canal often... or deep- jigged Inlets often, then I'd use braid for that! But I don't-- I'm primarily a plugger... then an Eeler! Mono for me in the surf! Just carry that bulk spool of 20 in the vehicle & use it often! (Hopefully VERY often!

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

That's cuz he is drunk.

\

[tattoobob]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

That's cuz he is drunk.

Well at least the last 3 times I saw him, nothing wrong with that

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by NIB

U know i never met him. I would like to.I have been in swe 4 or 5 times an amazingly he was not there.As I understand he spends a little time there.The guys who work there, who are top notch in my book speak the world of him.They say he is nothing but a straight shooter.I can't help but to think like he was endorsing something though.Yo Zuri hybrid line kinda caught me off guard to be honest..the article did sound like a who endorses what thing but i guess thats what happens when u ask pros what they use, they tell ya.Alberto just said anything with high capacity spool when asked about his reel.I would guess that means he is not endorsed at the moment.

He's definitely not getting any endorsement deal as I buy his bulk Yozuri spools of line for him. Other then a few test reels he has which are technically Van Staal property (but I doubt they'll ever get them back ) he's also ordered most of his reels through the shop.

Personally I found the stuff kind of cranky when I tried to use it. Yet for all the time I spend standing next to Mike I can't seem to remember a bird's nest falling off his VS, so who knows. I have used it as leader material and it is without question tough. I have seen a weird behavior (usually after encountering something that pulls REALLY hard for an extended period of time such as a tuna) where the outer layer of the Hybrid literally starts peeling. Probably that's just an indicator I need to change my leader.

As for mono, the only thing I notice being behind the wheel of the line winder is how many monos are out there and how many different favorites people have. Suffix, BG, Yozuri, Ande, Silver Thread, it's all over the map. This season's hotness is definitely the Ande BackCountry. But like anything pushed by the "pros" it of course will sell well.

I love my braid but mono clearly gets the job done for many people who have caught a lot of quality fish. I too will be spooling up a few spools with mono this year. The people who still use it and the fish they have caught using it is too much to ignore for me.

[NIB]

So Pete which mono will u use.It's funny u say that about mono as we had a similar train of thought about Pure fishing braids.geeze there has to be 15 different braids to choose from.I remember when choices where extra loopy XL or extra twisty XT.
I guess different lines are a tackle shop owners nightmare.Them filler spools eat up alot of space an 7 lb spools can be expensive when u have to consider all the different colors an Pound test's.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by NIB

So Pete which mono will u use.It's funny u say that about mono as we had a similar train of thought about Pure fishing braids.geeze there has to be 15 different braids to choose from.I remember when choices where extra loopy XL or extra twisty XT.
I guess different lines are a tackle shop owners nightmare.Them filler spools eat up alot of space an 7 lb spools can be expensive when u have to consider all the different colors an Pound test's.

Haha, trust me, I can't win when it comes to mono. No matter what is on the wall someone will come in looking for something else. I'm just carrying the popular surf monos for the moment; BG, Yozuri, and Ande in several flavors, especially BackCountry. Then some of the popular offshore monos.

Most common question lately is always in regards to the BackCountry and is it all it is being pushed as being. I don't have an answer since I haven't used it. I'll probably start the season with that stuff so I'll have an opinion on it when I get that question.

[Mike P]

Couple of things. One, I can't ever imagine using mono to jig the Ditch with, ever again. Braid is superior in every way. I used to run 30# or sometimes even 40# mono for jigging. Try breaking that off when you hang a jig---and you do hang much more often with mono due to not feeling the jig in trouble soon enough to rescue it. 65# braid, 40# mono leader, and I rarely have to climb more than 10' up the bank to snap the leader. With heavy mono, it'd be up to the service road, walk a couple of hundred feet, and even then, you couldn't thumb down on the spool tight enough to get 30# to break. I know more than one person who broke their fingers by slipping them between the spool and the reel frame to break off. Using braid lets me use a lighter jig, and reduces hang-ups even more as a result. It also lets me get down and actually feel the bottom during those 25-30 kt SW crosswinds. Mono for jigging the Canal? Never again. I'd go back to nylon squidding line first

For plugs and eels, it really depends on where I'm fishing and the type of plug. It really helps to use a softer rod, like an Arra 1204 (the "new" 1203), or a GSB 120 1L, or even better, S-glass. It also helps if you don't try to horse a fish, or fight it by"hi-sticking". If I'm fishing places where I have to really lay on the lumber, I use mono. 20# Big Game has always been my "go-to" line for spinning reels. I've never had a problem with it. I bump it up to 25# for conventionals. And I always use mono for throwing surface poppers--in the Canal or anywhere else. You get too much loose line with braid and that spells trouble.

Pete, I also have never had a wind knot or birds' nest using any kind of line on either on my Van Staal reels. Whether it was mono, Fireline, or even Whiplash when they made it. Don't know whether its the reel, or just the fact that guys named Mike have the horseshoe when it comes to avoiding tangles

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Couple of things. One, I can't ever imagine using mono to jig the Ditch with, ever again. Braid is superior in every way. I used to run 30# or sometimes even 40# mono for jigging. Try breaking that off when you hang a jig---and you do hang much more often with mono due to not feeling the jig in trouble soon enough to rescue it. 65# braid, 40# mono leader, and I rarely have to climb more than 10' up the bank to snap the leader. With heavy mono, it'd be up to the service road, walk a couple of hundred feet, and even then, you couldn't thumb down on the spool tight enough to get 30# to break. I know more than one person who broke their fingers by slipping them between the spool and the reel frame to break off. Using braid lets me use a lighter jig, and reduces hang-ups even more as a result. It also lets me get down and actually feel the bottom during those 25-30 kt SW crosswinds. Mono for jigging the Canal? Never again. I'd go back to nylon squidding line first

For plugs and eels, it really depends on where I'm fishing and the type of plug. It really helps to use a softer rod, like an Arra 1204 (the "new" 1203), or a GSB 120 1L, or even better, S-glass. It also helps if you don't try to horse a fish, or fight it by"hi-sticking". If I'm fishing places where I have to really lay on the lumber, I use mono. 20# Big Game has always been my "go-to" line for spinning reels. I've never had a problem with it. I bump it up to 25# for conventionals. And I always use mono for throwing surface poppers--in the Canal or anywhere else. You get too much loose line with braid and that spells trouble.

Pete, I also have never had a wind knot or birds' nest using any kind of line on either on my Van Staal reels. Whether it was mono, Fireline, or even Whiplash when they made it. Don't know whether its the reel, or just the fact that guys named Mike have the horseshoe when it comes to avoiding tangles

I can't imagine havin to use mono in the canal.what did u use for jigs 6 oz.??I rarely get the windknots with the braid.just with needles.
So in this thread Nylon squidding an linen line have been mentioned. How bout King Neptune line anyone remember that. It was a nylon fishing line the precursor to monofiliment.Used to get it at a place called Two Guys.

[Mike P]

Depending on the location and the tide--5 to 6 most places. Or 3-1/2 or 4 and throw way the eff upcurrent. You'd finally feel it touch in front of you and you'd lose the bottom at 10 or 2 o'clock.