Is it Really Necessary?

[ukefish]

Do you really need 50 lb. braided line to get in the weeds to catch bass? Why can't a standard 10 lb. monofiliment(sp) work? If you set the drag you can catch these fish..what do y'all think?

[live4chrome]

Do you need it? No

It helps a ton though. You can set the hook and drag in a 5 pound fish with 12 pounds of weeds attatched. When a fish wraps the heavier line around a Lilly pad you can cut through it with out breaking off, and its about the same diameter as 8 lb mono

[CAMAN]

Try it and tell me how many fish you actually get into the boat.

The mono will not slice through the weeds like the braid will. It will get wrapped up and you will need to go in after the fish, or break the line.

[Wanderer]

AROUND the weeds 10 lb mono is fine but IN the weeds/slop/wood/docks you should use at least 30 lb braid if you care about getting fish in the boat or your lures back.

[tunrevir]

Lets also remember that there is an abundance of toothy slimers in our lakes that enjoy eating bass baits. The braid will save you a fair amount of lost baits due to bite offs as well.

Tunrevir~

[JohnMickish]

Keep in mind that when you're watching it on TV is more than likely a tournament where missed fish can be huge, and if there fishing in the south the fish are bigger than we have here with more dense weeds.

[Search Function]

Try it and tell me how many fish you actually get into the boat.

The mono will not slice through the weeds like the braid will. It will get wrapped up and you will need to go in after the fish, or break the line.

+1

[Raider4ever]

I believe that "Yes" pretty much covers it. Let everybody else expound upon the reasons. One guy using 50lb 832, one guy using 10lb XT/XL. As someone once told a judge: "Nolo Contendere".

[cylinder]

Try it and tell me how many fish you actually get into the boat.

The mono will not slice through the weeds like the braid will. It will get wrapped up and you will need to go in after the fish, or break the line.

+2

You don't need it if you don't catch fish, but if you want to get the fish into the boat, you need more than 10# mono

[delcecchi]

Do you really need 50 lb. braided line to get in the weeds to catch bass? Why can't a standard 10 lb. monofiliment(sp) work? If you set the drag you can catch these fish..what do y'all think?

Pay the extra 5-10 bucks and buy the braid. If you want to save a few bucks, only put 50 yards of braid on and the rest mono. That way you can do three reels with one spool of braid. And braid doesn't need to be changed every year like mono.

[20lbSloughShark]

Reading the posts, It seems to be my opinion alone that you don't need 50# anything for MN bass. IF you're worried about bite offs, a 30# mono leader will do more than any braid. One of the weaknesses of braid is under tension, anything can cut it. Most bass size reels have drags that max out at something like 10#. I doubt you will break a line. I use braid on all my reels, but I have not noticed it cutting through weeds any better than mono. Its my opinion a stiffer rod will do better to muscle fish in better than stronger line. That said, if you don't already have mono line, braid has many other benefits. I would personally look in the 15#-20# range, but it really won't hurt to go higher. Bass are not line shy in open water. In weeds keep your rigs simple. No swivels or weights, just tie right to your lure.

[CAMAN]

Reading the posts, It seems to be my opinion alone that you don't need 50# anything for MN bass.

Sometimes my 80lb power pro isn't enough to pull a fish out of the thickest of MN weeds

IF you're worried about bite offs, a 30# mono leader will do more than any braid.

Any size mono is worse than any size braid when it comes to abrasion/cut resistance. Mono is a plastic, and most plastics have a property that once they get a slight nick in it it separates very easily at the point of that nick. Example: a chip bag, have you ever tried to open a bag of chips and found it nearly impossible to open, but the moment you find that tiny little slit and start separating it it falls apart in your hands? That is exactly how mono reacts when faced with a nick and any tension. The only positive mono has is a great shock absorber when that is needed like for crankbaits

One of the weaknesses of braid is under tension, anything can cut it.

Not true, braid is designed like a rope, you can cut a couple strands on a length of rope and it will still hold together, it will lose some of its strength, but will still hold together unless it is cut fully or exceeds it's new strength. Braid does have bad shock resistance, but very rarely will you need to test that while bass fishing

Most bass size reels have drags that max out at something like 10#. I doubt you will break a line.

Many times to pull a fish out of the weeds you have to lock the spool with your thumb and pull with the rod, that will most certainly break any 10 lb mono

I use braid on all my reels, but I have not noticed it cutting through weeds any better than mono. Its my opinion a stiffer rod will do better to muscle fish in better than stronger line.

If you have a stiffer rod that usually requires stronger line. You're not gonna put 8 lb test on a musky rod are you? Same as your not gonna put 50 lb test on a crappie rod. For best results get equipment that is correctly matched

That said, if you don't already have mono line, braid has many other benefits. I would personally look in the 15#-20# range, but it really won't hurt to go higher. Bass are not line shy in open water. In weeds keep your rigs simple. No swivels or weights, just tie right to your lure.

Agreed, except for the line shy in open water part where they can be spooked if they are not on an aggressive feeding mood

[20lbSloughShark]

I agree with you on most parts, however, I don't think very strong braid is necessary. Very helpful, yes, but plenty of people do just fine with less. With abrasion, any line can be unpredictable. Everything can be cut at some point. Braid can grind against wood and docks all day and be fine, but a knot in the line reduces its strength to almost nothing. In my experience, braid is terrible against anything sharp, from a knife to a pike's tooth. The way I look at it is mono of any strength can be cut with scissors with ease, but the stronger ones are nearly impossible to cut with a knife. Braid is almost impossible to cut with scissors, but cuts like butter with a knife. Also, I find any lure meant for shallow water and weeds rarely get taken deep. I doubt you will get cut off on a spinnerbait or buzzbait. As far as line shy, I agree, any species depends on the day.

[JakeJ_Mn]

I have done a fair amount of bass fishing over the years both in heavy cover/reeds and open water. I have tried many different types of line and although a pike or muskie will cut off the braid occasionally(I'm sure it would cut any mono also).

For me, I prefer braid in the weeds/heavy cover/reeds. I personally use 30# PPro on 7' MH bass rods.

In open water I use 8# Berk Fluorocarbon on 7' Med rods. I tie everything direct.

Experience, price, and personal preference always plays into line/rod/reel combos.

[ukefish]

Thanks for the info guys. I would like to point out that I used 5 year old 10# mono that has been used A LOT and had no trouble bringing in a 32" pike last year. But, I will definately look into some braided line seeing as though it cuts the weeds better and needed for extra strength. Now, that being said, should I also get a stiffer rod? I just have a walmart one from a cheap combo. I fly fish as well and it is crucial to match line weight with the rod, is it the same here?

[Raider4ever]

Medium Heavy with a fast or extra fast tip will work. You don't need a "broom handle".

[CANOPY SAM]

All I ever use is 10-12 lb Stren clear blue monofilament. If I have to, I'll just carefully go in and retrieve a fish, or a lure. No problemo.

[thatoneguy]

Reading the posts, It seems to be my opinion alone that you don't need 50# anything for MN bass. IF you're worried about bite offs, a 30# mono leader will do more than any braid. One of the weaknesses of braid is under tension, anything can cut it. Most bass size reels have drags that max out at something like 10#. I doubt you will break a line. I use braid on all my reels, but I have not noticed it cutting through weeds any better than mono. Its my opinion a stiffer rod will do better to muscle fish in better than stronger line. That said, if you don't already have mono line, braid has many other benefits. I would personally look in the 15#-20# range, but it really won't hurt to go higher. Bass are not line shy in open water. In weeds keep your rigs simple. No swivels or weights, just tie right to your lure.

Come visit me this August and we'll fish in the wild rice on Leech for bass. You use 10lb mono and I'll use 60lb braid. We'll count em up at the end of the day I say that in all seriousness - I think it would be a fun experiment.

[Wanderer]

Thanks for the info guys. I would like to point out that I used 5 year old 10# mono that has been used A LOT and had no trouble bringing in a 32" pike last year. But, I will definately look into some braided line seeing as though it cuts the weeds better and needed for extra strength. Now, that being said, should I also get a stiffer rod? I just have a walmart one from a cheap combo. I fly fish as well and it is crucial to match line weight with the rod, is it the same here?

ukefish,

I hope you find a combo that works for you. If you've been doing most of your fishing with the outfit described, I'd say you'll probably not need to go heavier than 30 lb braid, and possibly 20 lb for the types of fishing you're used to. A medium heavy rod should be plenty, as mentioned.

You're asking the question to an audience of anglers who routinely may not hit the water with less than a half dozen specialized rod/reel combos. There is a very different mindset involved. Honestly, in my opinion, you'd probably do very well with a 6 1/2 ft med heavy spinning rod with 20 lb Power Pro to start. Get used to that and see what you think.

Changing just the line on your current combo won't do much for you and may actually damage the eyes of the rod. You should have guides that are hard enough to handle braided line; it can cut into softer materials.

[20lbSloughShark]

Come visit me this August and we'll fish in the wild rice on Leech for bass. You use 10lb mono and I'll use 60lb braid. We'll count em up at the end of the day I say that in all seriousness - I think it would be a fun experiment.

I'd be willing to go, but all my rods have braid on them right now. If I do make it up that way, I'll be sure to put one rod with mono just for fun.

[Nick Kuhn]

The resst of your gear is a lot weaker than 50 lb braid. You probably have it on a reel with 17 lb max drag, and who knows what the rods load maxes out.

I personally don't believe in using line that heavy. If you asked me about the reasons I've lost a bass when fishing: line strength would be dead last on the list. I use 30 lb braid to prevent backlashes, and even that seems overkill to me. And pike will cut any strength braid like a hot knife through butter so heavier line isn't going to help against the toothy ones.

[ukefish]

Soo..if I used the reel I have now(a shakespear that came with 10#line) and tied 50 yards of 30# braid on the end of the 10# mono, would that work? Also I have really cheap rods so I'm not worried about ruining them.. If y'all can't tell I don't like spending much money..

[Wanderer]

You'd gain nothing by doing that.

The best money you could spend on line is to put fresh 10# mono on your preferred rig and get back to fishing.

[BoxMN]

FWIW, before the days of superbraids, we just used 17# XT mono for our "thick cover" baitcast reels. That worked much better than even 12#. But casting distance went down. If you keep mono, I would suggest 12# and do like Wanderer says Will work for about anything.

I use braid now for my weed rods, and the 30# just because I prefer that thickness, it just feels better and casts nice. And honestly, on a couple rods that get used every weekend, I have the same braid (some Fireline and some PPro) for several to many years. I have rotated it (reel the bait end of one reel to the reel end of another) on a couple, and I see no weakness. I am not tourney guy though. You can get many years of use from braid easily. Good luck.

[ukefish]

Okay, makes more sense. Any particular brands? Or brands that you'd never buy for braided line?