Monofilament line=Dinosaur tackle?

[steve]

I use mono and have been since the beginning. I tried braid ( Power Pro- 30 - 40- and 50 lb. test) for 2 seasons and hated it. I went back to mono and have been problem free. Last season a close friend of my got me to use 50 lb. Suffix braid and I used it for 1/2 of the season on and off. I must say that I liked it. I'll continue to experiment with it this year but I'm not sold yet considering the awful problems (lost fish from knot and abrasion problems)I had with Power Pro.

[BigFish]

Last season I only changed the mono on my most used reel 2 times.....for start of season and when fall approached. I tried a friends rod a few times with braid and thought it was ok. Definitely casts great! However I have watched my fishing buddies struggle with braid.........and I keep on fishing. I also feel a better connection to the plugs I fish (which I fish plugs exclusively) particularly when fishing topwater plugs I feel a better response to the action I impart.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Last season I only changed the mono on my most used reel 2 times.....for start of season and when fall approached. I tried a friends rod a few times with braid and thought it was ok. Definitely casts great! However I have watched my fishing buddies struggle with braid.........and I keep on fishing. I also feel a better connection to the plugs I fish (which I fish plugs exclusively) particularly when fishing topwater plugs I feel a better response to the action I impart.

This is Your Year Larry..I feel it..Your the man.
Yes mono is way more friendly with needles.I still carry that spool of mono...I think I have over come them problems...For all other types of fishing.Braid is King..
You will reach fish you only dreamed of with braid.
Try some on a extra spool..Give it a few trips.You think you connect well with mono now the braid will blow your mind.It's so sensitive you can feel a fish fart with it.There will be a bit of a learning curve.New knots,No stretch, means you have to take it a little easier on em.You'll figure it out.Trust the NIB.I would never steer ya wrong.It ain't like your taking a puff of anything.
It's just fishing.
Change can be good. You can do it big guy I have faith in ya..

[BigFish]

I tried one of Gary Soldati's conventional rigs on Cutty a couple seasons ago as we were having fun with plugs and I was amazed at the casting distance I was achieving with the braid and a 2.5 oz. pencil! I still think about those casts! NIB I think I will spool one of my 6500 Abu's with braid and give it an honest shake this season! Having a new conventional rod built too so......give it a shot I guess.....at least part time!

[BigFish]

Yeah I notice you have to go easy on the hook set or you pull the lips right off the fish...as you say...let the fish set it as it does not stretch! I do like how forgiving mono is for sure!

[NIB]

Originally Posted by BigFish

Yeah I notice you have to go easy on the hook set or you pull the lips right off the fish...as you say...let the fish set it as it does not stretch! I do like how forgiving mono is for sure!

All you need is a quick snap for a hookset.It's nice with the graphite rods.Thats not where your going to have a problem.
It's fighting the fish.I fish a light drag.It will zing just a little when I set the hook.IMO you need the light drag to keep the hooks in the fish when they make their sudden movements,head shakes or runs.Especially when they get close to land and make that last ditch effort for freedom.I might even back the drag off a touch at that point.Especially when I see it is a good fish..I see so many good fish lost at that point.You can't horse em.Just take your time.Of course there will be times when you have to put the brakes on em.You can always thumb or cup the spool..I fish spinning.It is way easier to stop a fish while cupping the spool that it is to thumb it.Thumbing a spool just leads to less thumb skin in them situations.

[Striper_Haven_03]

Well I dont normally respond to questions like this because everyone has an opinion but will state my case for mono.

I actually use Yo-zuri Hybrid 25lb (mono-flouro hybrid) and have only lost 10 or so out of an estimated 300-400 fish from break-offs in the rocky areas/points here in Plymouth. And have to say the break-offs were my fault, not the lines. I tried braid in 2000 and was broke off in the rocks on my second hook-up of a large bass while using it. After visiting a few friends in NC that were using Yo-Zuri Hybrid fishing the OBX I never looked back.

I guess it all depends what application and enviornment you are using the line in. Rocky Shorelines - MONO.....Sandy Beaches - Braid....Jigging - Braid.

I did see the video from SWE and its pretty interesting. Needless to say I will fish mono until I find something better for the nasty stretch of shoreline I fish.

Fireman

[ecduzitgood]

Just 'Big game' mono because of the stretch, when I load up the rod using a pricey 3+oz. plug and my thumb dosen't do the job of controling the spool and a birds nest shows up I don't lose my plug. I only use conventional reels so I don't know about spinning gear. I'm not knocking spinning gear I just have a middle finger that dose not bend and the bail would hit it. I have tried some of the new lines and lost a couple plugs doing so, which is something I don't enjoy; so for me if it aint broke don't fix it.

[t.orlando]

Mono is useless for me in the surf except for leaders. In real life experiences I have found braid to be far superior in the rocks. I used to have to respool very often(sometimes every nite) with mono. Now I put on a ton of braid, as it gets down I strip it, and add to backing to even out the spool. I can get just about every fish out of rocks by just dragging them thru, or freespooling them until they free themselves. Check out this pic: Got hung up with a fish on, tried everything to get him loose(friend had just taken a 40#, so was being extra careful). Finally couldn't get him, so just ripped him outa where he was. Ended up having 2 seperate clumps of mussels my braid had gotten stuck in and a 12# blue on the hook.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by steve

I'll continue to experiment with it this year but I'm not sold yet considering the awful problems (lost fish from knot and abrasion problems)I had with Power Pro.

Steve,

I'm surprised to hear you had problems with the PP. One of the benefits I've found with braid is when a fish goes deep into your spool in a rocky area(canal,for example), the line remains intact and strong. With mono many times I had to respool immediately due to a nick deep into the line. I always thought braid worked much better "damaged" than mono.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Steve,

I'm surprised to hear you had problems with the PP. One of the benefits I've found with braid is when a fish goes deep into your spool in a rocky area(canal,for example), the line remains intact and strong. With mono many times I had to respool immediately due to a nick deep into the line. I always thought braid worked much better "damaged" than mono.

You know thats funy I have recently learned that braid has a breaking point also.Not so much a snap off on the cast thing.Just overall strenght in general..Braid can be comprimised while appearing to be just fine.
I do quite a bit of jigging.I use the same set up at home for jigging as I do everything else.One thing I have found,when you get hung down your basically taking the line almost to the breaking point.After a while of this, the amount of pressure you can apply to bust off a leader of lesser material will deminish..
When New 20 lb fireline will bust off 40 lb leader.After a few trips it will no longer break the 40 lb leader material. It will break in a spot I have no control over.So I pretty much use 30 for most of my applications.Till later in the spring when I move to surf only..I can only assume what is happening is some sort of breakdown of the fibers.It's not obvious like a abrasion..Thats another one of the reasons I change it more than most.
While I can't think of any fish it has cost me.I see it happen to others..I don't like to leave things to chance..

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by NIB

You know thats funy I have recently learned that braid has a breaking point also.Not so much a snap off thing.Though it can be comprimised while appearing to be just fine.I do quite a bit of jigging.I use the same set up at home for jigging as I do everything else.One thing I have found,when you get hung down your basically taking the line almost to the breaking point.After a while of this the amount of pressure it takes to bust off a leader of lesser material will deminish..When New 20 lb fireline will bust off 40 lb leader.After a few trips it will no longer break the 40 lb leader material. It will break in a spot I have no control over.So I pretty much use 30 for most of my applications.Till later in the spring when I move to surf only..

Some of my experience likely has to do with the fact I fish a sissy drag. Some of the best fish I've taken in recent years have been on account of me opening the bail once the fish gets hung up as opposed to horsing it out of the rocks and compromising the line.

[Steve K]

Rocks and braid don't mix. I use braid in the canal and on the sand; mono in the rocks.

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

Some of my experience likely has to do with the fact I fish a sissy drag. Some of the best fish I've taken in recent years have been on account of me opening the bail once the fish gets hung up as opposed to horsing it out of the rocks and compromising the line.

I think you'll find most better or more experienced anglers fish that way..Not sure where I fit in that equasion.it's just a natural progression.Young buck thinks tight drag, 45 lb fish, 200 lb strong man it's a no brainer..
You learn from your mistakes.

[Nebe]

both have their place.

plugging- braid only

eeling- mono all the way- it floats so I can pretty much dead stick an eel where I know the bass may be. Dead sticking 50 lb cortland master braid is asking for disaster.

[BigFish]

This is how a thread is supposed to be.....lots of great information and technique! None of that "your way is wrong, my way is the only way" crap! Very interesting to hear other folks thoughts on a subject like this....always learn something new! Thanks guys!

[NIB]

Originally Posted by Nebe

both have their place.

plugging- braid only

eeling- mono all the way- it floats so I can pretty much dead stick an eel where I know the bass may be. Dead sticking 50 lb cortland master braid is asking for disaster.

I don't really dead stick eels much.Fireline in 30 lb is more like mono in that aspect.I have used it to what I call float jigs in the current..A technique I have come up with out of the necessity of using the stiffer/thicker braid..The hits can be bone crushing..

[Flaptail]

Every kind of line type has some inherent defincies either in it's construction or it's use.

Braid for instance on a spinning reel, in my humble opinion, sucks for popping plugs on open still water like a beach, no problem in a waterway or inlet opening where there is enough current to keep the plug moving and thus tension on the line but in an open water situation like a long expanse of beach, that milisecond where there is a small amount of slack, your bound to have issues especially with a pencil popper that is zipping along waving it's head like a warning finger.

Barnacle covered rocks like those found at Cuttyhunk and the Elizabeths or the ledge and rock shores of Beavertail and Newport can be lethal to braid as well. The canal is different in that your rock issues are in close proximity to where your feet are planted, your most likely to have problems with kelp strands attached to the bottom rather than the rocks along it's steep banks.

Some braid brands need time to get to know. I had this problem with Power Pro but persistence paid off and now I know what I can do with it and what I cannot. I use Power Pro 80% of the time.

Also, some reels behave better with some brands of braid than others. I have a Cabo PT60 ( The poor man's VanStal) it absolutely hates power pro but lay on Fireline and it purrs like a kitten. Conversly on my conventionals I use nothing but Stealth by Spiderwire. The 50lb in the canal is just about perfect.

Once you get to know it's ideosyncrasies (spelling?) there is nothing like it though. Just like anything it's a learning curve to master.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Every kind of line type has some inherent defincies either in it's construction or it's use.

Yes. The biggest benefit from using braid besides distance is the control/feel you get on a long cast. Your spool also depletes more slowly with lower diameter lines and gives you added distance. Fishing in close there's no benefit, IMO.
Mono works well when line stretch is minimized via short casts...I actually love it for fresh water.
As for braid being bad in rocks, I completly disagree. Its equal or better than mono of the same diameter, IMO. We're talking 40# power pro just for reference.

[Back Beach]

Originally Posted by NIB

Not sure where I fit in that equasion.

You're simply awesome if you ask me...

[HESH2]

braid most of the time unless if i'm fishing very rocky area then ande backcountry.braid in cold weather as stated ices up pretty good,mono probably better choice.

[Al in Westport]

I guess I'm just an ol' fashion guy, I've tried braid a couple of times, went back to mono. The only rig I have braid on now is a conventional jigging rig. With my stiff old hands conquering the braid to leader knots was hard for me.

Al

[gone fishin]

This subject comes up every now and then. I learn something every time. I use conventional reels only and have settled on braid. The first line I ever used was linen and if I remember correctly it was made by Assinippi line. Used on a squidder, it would out cast any line at the time. Mono was introduced, but was a bear to use as it was stiff and had memory like nothing out today. I like power pro on my 7000 series abu's 65 or 50 lb test. On my 6500 series I use 30 or 40 lb. test. I tried suffix last season and really liked the line, it is soft and smooth, unlike power pro. I used it plugging all last year and the only problem was I found it susceptible to weakening after a backlash. (we all get em!) I lost a good fish due to a break off because of that and I didn't want to stop and check it.
The one thing I do is use a long leader (16 to 20 ft.) of mono. For that leader I use ande back country or any mono that will tie well using a crazy Alberto knot for smooth running through guides etc. Usually after a night of fishing I end up with a 5 or 6 ft leader. The long leader gives me back some degree of stretch allowing a cast without the snap of braid. Especially eeling or using floating plugs.
Great thread guys..............

[MikeToole]

Have switched almost completely to braid when surf fishing. Fish mostly rocky areas and often need the extra strenght of braid to keep the fish out of the rocks. Being able to stop them has increased the number of fish I land. When eeling and jigging you just can't beat the stuff. Have had no problems using 50# Sufix.

While the braid on my cod rod is 5-years old and still in great shape I normally have to change out the line on my surf reels at least ones during the season.

[DZ]

Tried braid a few years ago. Found that I didn't gain any advantage using it except for distance which is not important in 90% of my casting. Went back to mono.

DZ