I've been thinking a lot lately about switching to braided line. I've strictly used mono for years, always Trilene Big Game. I'd like to try some braids but don't know which is best and for which applications it would fit. I've talked to Fish Chris and he recommends Tuf Line.
I mainly fish swimbaits, plastics,and ripbaits. The only time I use braid is frog fishin. Do you guys think braided line is a good choice for all these types of fishing? What do you use for these applications?
The reason I am thinking of switching is that I broke off two fish that were probably teeners last year on the hookset. One on a mission fish, the other a hula grub. Help me out Rob, I know you got some awnsers.

Thanks, Jerry

I have found braid to be usful in only a few situations. I only use it now for fishing frogs or other baits in matted weeds. In those situations it excells. I do not like its abrasion resitance and the fact that I have broke too many fish off on hook sets (I do not know if it was a nick in my line, knot slippage or bad knot) I have used power pro, tuf line, and spider wire and I do not think I will buy any more braid.

I have been using floro and floro blends now for the last year and I love the stuff. P-line is the brand I have liked the most both their straight floro and their Floro-Clear (not pure floro) The line is very storng, small in diamiter--though no where close to braid, holds up well in rocks and wood, and has very little strech.

I know you will get a million different opinions and this is just mine. Hope it helps.

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

I think you are asking the wrong person about braid :) I really have not had good experiences with braid and have found no situations where it gives me any kind of advantage. If I fished frogs more I'd probably use it, but I seldom fish frogs. I know everyone who is a proponent of braid talks about the sensitivity and strength, but I really do not believe I am missing bites that I don't feel somehow because of using mono, and the unpredictable nature of braid outweighs any fabulous 'tow the boat' type strength it may have. The way braid has behaved for me, you could tow the boat on one cast with it and the next cast break off on the hookset on a 2lb fish. I can't handle that kind of inconsistency.

For swimbaits most of my rods are spooled with 25lb triple fish camo (original or camo-escent either way, they are the same line just different colors). If I'm fishing subsurface in clear water, I'll often use a 2.5 foot leader of 25lb triple fish florocarbon. I tie on the leaders with a blood knot. For tying on my lures I use an improved clinch knot for the camo line and a san diego knot for the florocarbon, always wetting the knot befor tightening it. The san diego knot is the only knot I have found that works well for tying florocarbon to the lure. I do have my heavy rod spooled with straight 30lb florocarbon and I really like the line. It's been on there for 6 months or more now with no need to change it. That stuff is really expensive though.

For ripbaits, I'd either fish 15lb triple fish florocarbon straight or 12 to 16lb triple fish camo. I don't see a huge advantage there for using the florocarbon but it is nice. I definitely like cranking with florocarbon for the additional feel you get.

For worms or small plastics, florocarbon all the way. For jigs I'll use floro in open water or light cover like tullies. For heavy cover I use the camo. I find that 25lb camo is just very very difficult to break.

Consider this also. You can go on cabelas right now and buy a 1lb spool of 20lb triple fish (2700 yards) for $27.99. If you spool a curado with 75 yards of 20lb a shot, you can respool 36 times for 28 bucks. If you buy a 300yd spool of 65lb power pro for $28.99, you can spool your reel 4 times if that because the braid is so thin. The braid will last longer obviously but in the end I doubt you will save any money buying braid.

If you put on brand new line every other trip, the spool of triple fish would last you 72 trips and honestly I don't think that with brand new 20lb triple fish you are going to breaking off on the hookset on bed fish. I set the hook extremely hard with this line all the time and it doesn't break for no reason. Every time I've ever had triple fish break it has been for an identifiable reason, and that consistency is very important to me. I do change my line regularly though! Every 2 to 5 trips depending on the use. If I flip all day with one rod and get snagged and break off a few times, I may change it after one trip even. But who cares, when you have a 1lb spool it costs less than a dollar to respool.

Rob,

Do you have a link for the San Diego knot? Thanks

Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have-yous

http://www.mytackle.net/san%20diego%20jam.htm

Here's another that isn't quite as confusing. At least to me :+

http://shoreangling4u.tripod.com/knotguide/id30.html

That SD knot is a little complicated;) .

I've been using the http://www.stripersurf.com/knot_terminal.html for a few years now and it does not slip and is rated at 90-95% strength too. It is easy and quick to tie and I'm using both 100% f/c and/or braided(for frogs, etc. only) line which are known to be 'slippery'. Before you tighten it down it looks like a $ sign or a figure 8. Give it a try Rob.

Dan

"Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less"

Deo Vindice

Do you guys ever have a problem casting with a blood knot? I've been trying to decide how long of a flouro leader to use for swimbaits. Also, how about for drop-shot or texas rigging, would you go all flouro?

asiele

I too prefer P-Line floroclear for everything, but topwater. I use to use fireline for certain applications, but no longer, for many of the reasons Rob mentioned.

I use braid for pretty much everything except crankin. It is a thousand time more sensitive than mono for wormin', and ten times more sensitive than flouro. I always use a copolymer leader which acts as a shock absorber and I can honestly say I have never broken a fish off on the hookset. As a matter of fact I've never broken a fish off period on braid. I did make the adjustment to a simple snap of the wrist to set a long time ago ( I've been using braid for 6 years), and I don't use a particularly soft rod. There are other huge advantages to braid for slobs like me who don't change line often. Braid is impervious to UV degradation. You can leave a rod strung with braid laying in the sun and never worry, unless you worry about the color (I don't). Another major advantage that's a spinoff of years of flyfishing is that braid floats so you can control the line almost the same way you mend a flyline. Every lake and the Delta in particular get currents going and a big belly in your line really reduces sensitivy. I hear people talk about not feeling Senko, or jig bites and I just figure they're not using braid or if they are they're not controlling the line.
One last thing, I've tried a lot (but not all) the different braids and for my money Power-Pro is it.

For mono, i've always used Big Game. I know alot of guys think it's junk, but years of horsing in sharks and bat rays has given me tons of confidence in it. I also fish Triple fish occasionally and to be honest, I think it fishes about the same as Big Game.

Lately though, about 80% of my rods are spooled with florocarbon. I like Seaguar for heavier applications and Yamamoto for the lighter stuff.

I tried braid, but I just can't get into it. I realize that you can put on a leader so the fish doesn't see the braid, but what about the 100ft of it that just got dragged right in front the fishes face. Seems to me that if a fish sits and watches all that white rope running through it's home before it even sees the lure, it could stimulate a negative response.
I'm not trying to start a braid vs mono war. That's just my take :) :)

Braid can be much better in certain situations I will normally use it for flippin or if the water is real dingy. Here is what I like...

Flipping braid (sensitivity is greatly increased!)

Crankin/rippin mono 10-14lb limp as possible (I like XPS 14lb best)

Drop Shot mono 4-10lb floro/mono(10lb triple fish RX spinning very thin diamiter)

Wormin 14-17lb mono/floro (yo zuri extex cobra or sliver thread excalibur)

Top Water 12lb floro

Spinnerbaits 14-20lb mono

Buzzbaits/Frogs Briad ONLY!!

Swimbaits ????

Note on braid and mono you will never break at the knot if you tie a palomar knot! I have used many others and had them fail but this one has not faled me yet!!

Taylor

Hey Bucket:

I fish braid for three techniques: swimbaits, frogging, and crankbaits. I would never use it for worms or flipping, or for dragging a jig, or for bed fishing. I use it for swimbaits and frogs because I really want to have authority when I set the hook. I use if for crankbaits because I felt I could reach deeper depths a during the retrieve, yet maintain a high pound strength, since braid has a smaller diameter. I would never use braid for a slow technique, or a close quarters technique. And dont dare use it for spinnerbaits, if you pause the retrieve, the braid always gets stuck in the blade bearing (and I like fluttering big s-baits at night, so braid sucks for this).

Heres a few things. Braid is not abrasion resistance, so if fishing in a rock area be very careful. Braid works great in weeds, like the Delta or your favorite backyard pond. If you use braid always burn the tag end to prevent unravelling. And, I always color the last 20 feet black with a sharpie. I dont like fluor leaders, the fluor cant take the hook sets (no stretch in the braid), and I dont like that knot zinging through my guides, just seems like it may be damaging the knot.

Lately I have been thinking of trying mono for swimbaits. The only reason for this is because I am looking for any little advantage I can find to catch a toad, and sometimes I worry about the visibility factor of braid. Take away the visibilty factor of braid, and I would always throw big baits on braids.

My brand of choice is power pro, but TufLine has worked fine.

You will never want to use braid for crankbaits because it has 0 stretch and that means you WILL lose more fish when you rip the treble hooks out of there mouth!! DONT USE BRAID FOR CRANKS!!

Sorry, my post is half way up the page, the question about casting with a blood knot. Just wondering if anyone ever has a problem with it getting caught in a guide.

Thanks
asiele

I never had a problem when I was doing it. I really never liked it though, so that's why i've gone to straight floro on most of my reels. If I have to spend money to eliminate one extra knot and possibly a lost fish, then it's worth it to me.

Hey guys,
What is the best line to spool a swimbait and a all around worm rod with. Let's say 20lb and 10lb, and would you recommend just going straight flouro for the 10lb worm rod?
Also, how long of a flouro leader do you usually use with swimbaits and when you cast, do you have problems with the knot catching a guide?
Thanks for the help
alex