Mono vs braid w/ mono leader?

[Slyster]

Thought this perhaps be it's own topic and not tagged on to my other one.

Do most of you use JUST mono for bass (non-slop)? Does anyone use braid with a long floro/mono leader?

To now I have always used Fireline with a 4 or 5 foot 14lb Vanish Florocarbon leader... thinking that minimizing the line stretch was KEY to sensitivity and hook set etc... and the leader would not spook the fish... but perhaps they simply saw Fireline anyway before the florocarbon portion came by...?

I think I might try 8 Lb Trilene mono for my various bass setups like suggested.. but I does one about stretch..?

Does mono line stretch so much it is hard to feel a bite and hard to set the hook? That's why I have been using the braid line with a 4-5 foot florocarbon leader on ALL my setups... maybe that was wrong?

Too many choices at the store...

[ikeslayer]

Sly i have wondered this same thing myself however i have very little to add. But there have been times where i have been fishing with a guy useing braided and he catching as many fish as i am with floro. However there have been othertimes as well where i am outfishing him just because of floro. So i would love to hear what some of these good sticks in here have to say about this. ike

[river rat316]

I really think the visibility of the line only matters when the fish are real finicky, I dont doubt they can see the braid but 90% of the time I think there pea brain cant tell what it is, if you think about it how much thicker is a hook then line? they'll still bite stuff with an exposed hook, and I'm sure they see that (tube jig for example). I'll stick with braid on almost all my setups (crankbaits and one plastic set up with floro on it) I dont think there not biting because of the line, I think they dont like what your offering them to bite, switch colors, lures till you find something they'll bite on. If you really think its the line go with a 4 foot section of floro leader!

Also I think 8 pound test is way to light for any bass fishing, I would hate to leave a trophy bass with jewelery in her mouth because I had to light a line! And Sly with your love of Ugly Sticks you might want to stick to braid otherwise you'll experience the Ugly Stick mush with mono

[Ralph Wiggum]

For bass, I don't feel it necessary to use a fluoro leader. I really don't think that a braided line is going to keep a bass off of your line. I like to use mono (Trilene XL) on most of my spinning reels and generally prefer Power Pro on baitcasters. I might try to run some 12-14 pound mono on a baitcaster this year to see how I like it. Mono does stretch, but you still have feeling. It can act like a nice shock absorber. I think you'll only run into a big loss of sensitivity with a lot of line out, and you rarely, if ever, have that much line out bass fishing, especially in Minnesota.

[Daze Off]

Here's my 2 cents....

I use braid for anything where the fish sees the bait before the line - flippin/pitchin, etc and anytime I am in weeds/pads with frogs, senkos, etc. I usually use 12 lb diameter which I think is 50# strength.

I use Trilene Sensation in 10-12 lb for almost everything else - it is less prone to stretch than regular mono and thereby more sensitive. I will go to 8 lb on spinning rods/spare spools just in case of tough bite.

I use flourocarbon (Transition 8-10 lb) for drop-shotting and as leader for Carolina rigs primarily but plan to use it on some baitcasters for both cranks (to get them deeper since flouro sinks) and perhaps even spinnerbaits. I have been known to use it for senkos as well and other finesee type situations.

Good discussion!

Daze Off

[Deitz Dittrich]

My 2 cents as well, know that I am not the expert on this as well...

I dont like to have to adjust my hook set at all.. If you have a 30lb line that has no stretch and then tie it to 8lb line that does. All the shock of a hookset goes into that small section of line. I tried it a few times and ended up brakingmy line far too often. I new either go all braid or all mono. I would say unless you are in the toughest clear water conditions that fish are not overy line shy. With that being said, I will use mono for other reasons as well.. mono is a tad stiffer and can help to keep your lure out of the weeds at times... ect, there are more reasons as well. Briad also has a lot of good qualities.

[Wayne Ek]

For what it's worth:

For slop fishing, pitching or flipping I use braid.

On my spinner-bait rod I use braid.

On my cranking rod, buzzer rod and top-water rod I use Mono as it sinks less than braid or fluorocarbon.

On the C-rig rod I use braid, with a fluorocarbon leader.

I use fluorocarbon on my tube and worm rod.

For Jig worm fishing I use braid with a fluorocarbon leader

[Superduty]

I have read/heard about a lot of pros and contributors to this forum using florocarbon leaders on carolina rigs. Personally, I have stuck with mono because of the faster sinking qualities of floro. Anybody have thoughts or experiences on this topic?

[Wayne Ek]

Superduty, I live on a lake and play with rigs of the end of my dock during the soft water period. With a C-rig I have been able to get a floating worm to lift a 18" leader of the bottom, but the second you start to move the rig forward, just like every other plastic you use on a C-rig it is pulled to the bottom. I use fluorocarbon leaders for the sensitivity and in clear water I think the bit ratio does go up a little.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I use mono for almost everything except fishing slop and docks. I dont really think that if you used mono instead of braid you would miss detecting any bites. I use braid for its durability not for its sensitivity.

If your going to try mono for bass you need to think about what you will be using it for. For more of open water tactics like crankbaits I like 10-12, you get good strength and diving depths. If you will be fishing in heavier weeds or cover or wont be trying to crank to deep you may want to bump up to 17lb.

With mono you really need to keep an eye on your line especially after catching a fish. Run your finger down the first 5-10 ft, retie if you feel any nicks.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Superdude, great question...I have done some shallow water test just like Agape, and unless you have an ultra boyant plastic like the old river city air baits it didn't make a difference. I myself do not use floro leaders anyway.. just regular mono.

[Slyster]

After distilling the information from this and other threads- I think I will switch to all mono for a few weeks this summer and give it a good workout. Then I'll have that experience, along with my braid experience, to mix it up. Sounds like a lot of personal preference going on too.

4Lb for panfish, 8Lb for bass/plastics, and 12Lb for cranks and spinners.. all Trilene Clear XL (or perhaps Sensation?)..

Mono certainly is cheaper.

What's the differnce between Sensation and XL? I imagine Sensation doesn't stretch as much, but then there must be some negative aspect to allow for that. Not as limp or tough perhaps.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Have fun with it Sly--- I know you will! You will start to get a feel for what works best for you.

If you have problems getting your crankbaits to dive deeper.. drop your line size a touch. I usually throw 10 lb on my crank sticks.