fishing line-mono vs braid
 

I'm sure this has been discussed in great length...but couldn't find any in the search...
I've been using Maxima 6lb mono for the past year and its been great, the fish can't seem to see it and is FAIRLY universal...but...
I have been looking more closely to the braided lines mainly because I would love to use a 15lb or even 20lb test with a dia. of 4lb or 6lb. I would be willing to spend the extra money IF it worked better then the mono...

Does it last longer?
Does it spook the fish...can they see it?
Would it be sensitive enough for rainbow but strong enough for pike?

Whats your guys thoughts?

I use braid in our muddy water we get up this way and it works great. There is no stretch at all so you can feel every tiny nibble. In clear water I switch to mono.

I use nothing but braid on all my rods both ice and open water. I just attach a barrel swivel and a mono or fluoro leader. Has worked good for me and most of the people I fish with.

I use Brain on everything. Most of the time I tip with a fluoro leader. In dirty water with green Suffix 832 I caught hundreds of walleye tied direct to the hook.

In winter and summer trout or pike I use the fluoro for sure. If I can't see it on the camera then either can the fish is my opinion.

Yes lasts longer.
Can spook so tip with fluoro or mono.
Yes sensitive and strong.

this is a good way to go

ive used fireline for years, but am now spooled with 6 and 8lb trilene xl.

really can depend on many conditions. water clarity, technique etc

ive got 40lb biggame on my baitcaster, but will switch it up for a 0.28 or 0.30mm braid for next season.

line is like tires on a car put uniroyal on a aston martin it will drive like a truck.I no longer use mono. I use coated florocarbon and braid on all my reels they are just better in every way. cost is the drawback, that aside make sure if you get a 30- 10 or 20-6 braids you have a good quality out fit it will ruin your line guides in seconds but only under the pressure of a fish that u will most likely lose. all my levelwind casting reels are spooled with power pro 30lbs to which I up until recently added a 30lbs - 50lbs floro leader. this set up for the first time failed right before my eyes on a 10lbs pike that I did not even feel.now I am exploring wire you can tie by hand. I have used it on sal****er with great success in the past. my spinning reels but one are spooled with 4- 10 lbs floros of various brands the performance has been out standing I have had some line twist issues but feel that may be my own fault. my one medium heavy salt outfit has old 30lbs power pro off a levelwind. this unit I use as a surf caster for extreme distance casting and performs well beyond my expectations but have to use a finger guard to prevent cutting on my line hand.the 30 - 10 you speak of ,I use on my line counters for planer board trolling rapalas running deeper for any given set back as you can see picking the right line for the job at hand is crucial hope this helps. tight lines.

what rod and reel do you have on the salt outfit?

the rod is a shamano med heavy 10' the reel called a mako large spinning reel they are in the camper dont remember the details will know more in the light I use for throwing smelt or herring quite far with 4 odd oz of lead and once in a while large thill predator float

Flouro carbon the way to go. 4lb Braid you can see with the cam so the fish can too. Iv got 4 lb flouro on right now, gonna put some 6lb on second rod, just set your drag light. If going for pike tho you may want braid.

Wrap 25' or so of monofilament on to the arbour before you spool the braid to prevent the line from spinning. Braid does not want to grip the metal so the arbour will rotate and not wind in the line.

Attach like size line together with a double uni-knot or a blood knot. To attach dis-similar size line, like fly line to tippet, or dacron to fluoro, a nail knot works best.

I am currently experimenting with Berkely "Nanofil", and I am treating it like I would braid until I know better. One spool on my E10 is wrapped with 10# nanofil and will be used exclusively for lindy rigging. My lindy leaders are 9' long (and end with a high quality barrel swivel) so I am not too worried about any walleye seeing the mainline or the leader. There is enough stretch to fluoro and mono that looser drag settings may not be required.

The same is not true for braid. There is no stretch. If you do not use a leader with the braid, then definitely you need to ease up on the drag for hook-set. Also, put a small length of wooden dowel in your boat/pocket. This will be handy to wrap your line around to give you something to pull with when you want to straighten a hook to get you out of a snag.

Free

good point on the bit of dowel. be very careful with the small diameter braids they will take getting used to they are very sharp when cinching down knots or otherwise under tension my pinkeys bare the scars from learning the hard way.

I use heavy braid on my pike rods (30lb +), usually 6-10lb braid on my medium action rods, and I like floro on my ultralight setup. Right now I have 4lb Berkley on it...

I think braid is better in all respects until it becomes a hassle to deal with it freezing to your rod and reel as it holds water (I can't find the one that doesn't). I use braid on everything for the summer and light winter setup, but switched to mono on a heavier ice rods as I was punching a lot of holes outside the tent. If somebody found a braid that doesn't hog water, please share.

with braid you can feel every nibble, pack more on a spool, possibly provide better casting. However, it ends up ripping the lips off the fish when you hook set with that medium heavy rod your using for walleye with 30lb power pro. (you know who you are)

Those bass pro fishermen made braid popular but are in a hurry and use 50lb braid to rip the bass right out of the water. They need to get the next cast in and they usually have alot of structure out there to worry about.

fluoro is invisible and offers an advantage for walleye, etc. but it wont spool worth a *#%*.

I prefer 12lb mono for pike fishing with a leader 18"
I tie a 2 or 3 foot fluoro leader for walleye fishing.

This year im setting up an ultra light with a 500 series reel for my daughter/myself for dedicated walleye fishing, probably 6lb mono (to ease landing). I will find a very nice sensitive and light graphite rod to use. I wont have problems with feel.

Key point here: There is no stretch on braid, you have to use barbless hooks, you end up relying on the bend in the rod to keep the line tight. With 30 yards of mono out there, you have 2 or 3 feet of stretch with a heavy fish. I can fight that fish all day with one hand relaxed without worry of it spitting me off. I do however have to be careful about it running through the weeds, etc. which is why you need to size the line to your fish species and weight (12lb for me). overall ive lost more fish to a spit on braid than structure on mono. Besides, you need a bit of a challenge!

another tip: your side cutters will cut mono like butter and fight on the braid. Try pinching down and then pulling to the side, the braid then cuts through like butter..

Spiderwire!!!!! the only freezing you get with this stuff is right at the point of contact with the water (all holes freeze)but that stuff usually comes off at the guides or you just flick it off before reeling up. This stuff wont freeze to your spool like almost all other braids do.

Which Spiderwire do you use? I used Spiderwire Stealth in summer long time ado and liked it, it was a coated braid - may work, I should try

I use nothing but Mono, never ever had a problem with it.

Stay in the tent, and keep the heater going. Problem solved. :D

Seriously though, look into the suffix 837. I started using it this year and it seems to be pretty good in the cold.

got out side. so rod is a shimano FXS80 and I was wrong it is 8 ft seems longer as I remember .the reel a cheepy calipso mako good 4 300 yrds of 20lb mono so holds lots more braid and has 100 yrds 10lb mono as backing

Three things about braid vs. mono.

1: With a small ice reel you can put 150yrds. of 6lb braided vs 75 of mono

2: You won't need a steel leader for the pike, they cannot bite you off.

3: If you fish deep like at spray there is no streach in braid where mono can streach 8ft. if you are fishing deep

So I only use braided. Cost more but worth the extra.

Pike will bite through braid with no problems at all.

They can, but if you use a heavy enough braid, it becomes "less likely" that they will bite you off...

Word.

X2. I tried using just braid(50lb)without a leader as an experiment at Badger. I had a 3 lb pike cut right through it.

ya braid at 30lbs is more lightly to part than floro .pike do braid in a heart beat. flofo all day on smaller pike change every half day unless really beat up but have seen it go like nothing as well.
.

[QUOTE=it ends up ripping the lips off the fish when you hook set with that medium heavy rod your using for walleye with 30lb power pro. (you know who you are)

sorry man that out fit is a chuck it and hope just pike over 10lbs and ling abought the same so far for when I wana just sit or put out for missus to sit and read. I find a slightly lighter drag helps keep fish on heavy braid and I am fishing for big fish so wire is only way to go hope to see a 40 or sum provincial record nobody fishes my secret 5000 ha lake lol

the braid, it doesnt pinch cut but pull it sideways on your cutters and it comes free like butter. likely a similar action to the pike teeth.

i have been lucky and havent lost too many lures due to bite offs lately but my leaders get kinked bad and i go through a ton of them.

good thing is that i save the swivels and clasps and make use of them for walleye fishing or other rigging.

one advantage to the braid is like your hand it can cut through the weeds where the mono being bigger tends to ripe them out so there might be a small habitat benefit there.

im jonesing for summer already.

I use braid with a floro leader or sometimes titanium leader
but I love TECHTAN in the winter no mater how cold it is always flexable.

But you only leave your tent if it's sunny and above 0 degrees :sHa_sarcasticlol:

been using braid with a heavy flouro leader the last two ice seasons, and the last open water season for pike, havent had a problem with biteoff yet on the flouro. with straight braid the pike bite it off like nothing if they hit it right. Spooled up a light reel with 6 pound vanish and have gotten some nice big walleyes with it this winter, and lost some jigs to small pike because of the lack of a leader. Also caught some nice walleyes with a 50 pound flouro leader and 80 pound braid, when they are in the mood they dont seem to care what you are using. Just my experience