Just bought braid for the first time.... What are your thoughts?

[jtrapier]

So I just bought braided line for the first time and I know there are alot of opinions out there so I wanted to hear a few... I know that only a jerk would use it in a crowded river environment, but other than that what are the downfalls? Smaller diameter and stronger is usually better in my opinion... Right?

[G-Man]

Depends on what you intend to use it for, remember it has no give/stretch. I would not use braid when fishing for kokanee without a rubber snubber and a very soft action rod. And crappie, forget about it, they aren't called paper mouths for nothing. I still prefer mono when it comes to casting with the exception of float fishing. I use it mainly for trolling applications and deep water fishing. I suppose that if you are going to be using a $20+ stickbait it would give you peace of mind to load up the spool with 50lb or greater braid.

[The Quadfather]

I switched to braid last year. Mostly I am bass fishing with it. If by chance you switch up to trout fishing, I would use a leader for sure, just to be stealth. It is nice that it doesn't have "Memory" issues also.

[Trent Hale]

Well its wraps around the end of your rod. Other than that I love it. I've lost no fish sence I switched.

[flinginpooh]

I fish braid only now. Leaders of smaller size then the braid main. I fish it in crowded areas. I used it at kennedy creek even. I only got tangled because of some freakin people that dont know how to fish. They should stick to buying fish at the market and learn to fish at a lake first. I mean if you cant cast your line without crossing over someone then pick a spot that has no one around.

OOPS I started ranting. I love braid lol.

[bcalvert]

Up until the past couple of months I have only used the heaver braid (#30 & #60) for flipping & pitching to bass. I spooled up some of the lower test braid (12~14 lb) on my spinning setup. I have noticed greater distance on casting and no line twist problems. The type of lure has been the determining factor in my choice of leader material. Tubes, senkos & shakey heads get a fluorocarbon leader of equal diameter to the braid. Small spinners, jerk & crank baits get the mono for the stretchability it provides. I have not yet used braid for any other species other than bass.

[gpc]

Braid just isnt for me......yet. I love the idea behind braid but its definitely different from mono and I have yet to have a good experience with it, but I try about once a year.

Make sure your guides can handle braid. Braid with chew up ceramic guides, but stainless guides will hold up just fine. There are more guides out there that will handle braid as well.

The main problem I have with braid is the main idea for braid, the strength. It will snap poles and burn up drag systems in a heart beat if you arnt using it right. 8# Power Pro is just as strong as 30# mono, wich is AWSOME but if your combo is only rated for 6#-12# line and you are throwing 30#....... you see where I am going.

And if you put it on a bait casting reel and you get a rats nest, dont go all crazy ripping off line, it might feel like 8# but its not it will cut through your skin way before the line will break. And if you happen to be throwing buzz bombs in the salt, well that salt dosnt feel too good on open wounds, and $30 down the drain dsent feel too good either. Yeah I am still a little soar about my last braided line experience lol

[jtrapier]

I have already rigged it with a mono leader, and also about 30 yds of mono backing to keep it from free spinning on the spool if I get low. As far as the Kennedy Creek combat scene goes, I just said the crowded fishing part cuz I know that alot of guys get pissed when their mono gets cut by the braided guys line. Also as far as the casting distance goes, I thought of that too... I bought one of the new WAVE reels just to see if it would actually work, and man that thing is AWESOME....

[fear_no_fish]

I love braid for river fishing!
i use 30# braid on my baitcaster and i feel like i could stop a horse haha

[jens]

It gets a bad rap thats for sure, I think the guys using like 80lb test is a little overkill. The past few weekends I have been fishing 2 rods. My spinning with 12 lb mono and my baitcaster with 15 lb powerpro. Hands down, the sensitivety I feel with the braid is ridiculously better.

[hookorcrook]

Up until the past couple of months I have only used the heaver braid (#30 & #60) for flipping & pitching to bass. I spooled up some of the lower test braid (12~14 lb) on my spinning setup. I have noticed greater distance on casting and no line twist problems. The type of lure has been the determining factor in my choice of leader material. Tubes, senkos & shakey heads get a fluorocarbon leader of equal diameter to the braid. Small spinners, jerk & crank baits get the mono for the stretchability it provides. I have not yet used braid for any other species other than bass.

Can you explain the reason for using braid and then using the fluoro? I understand the fluoro for the "no visibility" factor, but I don't understand the reason for the braid if you're using fluoro. If a fish wraps you or something, won't the fluoro just break or shred anyway? I haven't used braid yet, and have lost a few big fish in branches, so I'm just trying to get the gist of it. What is the advantage/reason I guess is what I'm asking (not with braid, I know cause it's strong, but with the braid/fluoro set up).

[sickbayer]

Up until the past couple of months I have only used the heaver braid (#30 & #60) for flipping & pitching to bass. I spooled up some of the lower test braid (12~14 lb) on my spinning setup. I have noticed greater distance on casting and no line twist problems. The type of lure has been the determining factor in my choice of leader material. Tubes, senkos & shakey heads get a fluorocarbon leader of equal diameter to the braid. Small spinners, jerk & crank baits get the mono for the stretchability it provides. I have not yet used braid for any other species other than bass.

Can you explain the reason for using braid and then using the fluoro? I understand the fluoro for the "no visibility" factor, but I don't understand the reason for the braid if you're using fluoro. If a fish wraps you or something, won't the fluoro just break or shred anyway? I haven't used braid yet, and have lost a few big fish in branches, so I'm just trying to get the gist of it. What is the advantage/reason I guess is what I'm asking (not with braid, I know cause it's strong, but with the braid/fluoro set up).

Ill explain why i use braid and fluoro together. This time of year trolling im about 150 feet behind my boat IMO that is a lot of stretch if using mono so i go braid and then 5' fluoro leader. It can be limp and ive wrapped it around my tip a few times, but that is my fault as i like ot use a 11' rod. Now i just recently bought a curado 207IE and I am going to load it up with mono cajun line, just to see the difference. Baitcasters rule when it comes to trolling.

[tight lines]

for river's any river throw the crap away really. all that junk does is screw up the river when you break or cut the crap. And then you have a bunch of mono guy's pissed off. Please please do us river guy's a favor and never use it. besides if you cant land a fish in a river without mono. there is something very very wrong. just my .2

[bcalvert]

Up until the past couple of months I have only used the heaver braid (#30 & #60) for flipping & pitching to bass. I spooled up some of the lower test braid (12~14 lb) on my spinning setup. I have noticed greater distance on casting and no line twist problems. The type of lure has been the determining factor in my choice of leader material. Tubes, senkos & shakey heads get a fluorocarbon leader of equal diameter to the braid. Small spinners, jerk & crank baits get the mono for the stretchability it provides. I have not yet used braid for any other species other than bass.

Can you explain the reason for using braid and then using the fluoro? I understand the fluoro for the "no visibility" factor, but I don't understand the reason for the braid if you're using fluoro. If a fish wraps you or something, won't the fluoro just break or shred anyway? I haven't used braid yet, and have lost a few big fish in branches, so I'm just trying to get the gist of it. What is the advantage/reason I guess is what I'm asking (not with braid, I know cause it's strong, but with the braid/fluoro set up).

Ill explain why i use braid and fluoro together. This time of year trolling im about 150 feet behind my boat IMO that is a lot of stretch if using mono so i go braid and then 5' fluoro leader. It can be limp and ive wrapped it around my tip a few times, but that is my fault as i like ot use a 11' rod. Now i just recently bought a curado 207IE and I am going to load it up with mono cajun line, just to see the difference. Baitcasters rule when it comes to trolling.

For the most part, the idea behind the flouro with the braid is as you expected, visibility. I use the braid because i like the way it casts and the sensitivity it provides. When i couple it with the flouro i get the casting, sensitivity and invisibility all in one IMO.

When I couple the braid with the mono it is strictly for the preference in casting. Since the mono is stretchy my hope when using this combo with a crank or light spinner baits is to get a little give when the fish strikes. Although I haven't caught many fish on crank baits, I have found that i miss fewer hookups when i do. I could just switch to the second spool loaded with mono in these cases, but i like the way the braid casts with the spin gear.

[fear_no_fish]

Braid not only gives stopping power as i like but you have more feel of what you bait/lure is doing or going threw it has a smaller diameter so theres less water drag for a more nature drift and the no stretch makes for a fast and easy hook set

I fish mono and braid in the rivers and i really do like the braid more than mono

[fishaholictaz]

I am another person who won't use braid... I had a 8 lb + lmb tie up in a tree 10' under my boat. Long story short I had to free the fish under water#-o It is a pain to tie and retie I will stick with mono have the least problems with it. Caught this today out of the river on 4 lb mono had no problem feeling the slightest tick.

[hookorcrook]

Can you explain the reason for using braid and then using the fluoro? I understand the fluoro for the "no visibility" factor, but I don't understand the reason for the braid if you're using fluoro. If a fish wraps you or something, won't the fluoro just break or shred anyway? I haven't used braid yet, and have lost a few big fish in branches, so I'm just trying to get the gist of it. What is the advantage/reason I guess is what I'm asking (not with braid, I know cause it's strong, but with the braid/fluoro set up).

Ill explain why i use braid and fluoro together. This time of year trolling im about 150 feet behind my boat IMO that is a lot of stretch if using mono so i go braid and then 5' fluoro leader. It can be limp and ive wrapped it around my tip a few times, but that is my fault as i like ot use a 11' rod. Now i just recently bought a curado 207IE and I am going to load it up with mono cajun line, just to see the difference. Baitcasters rule when it comes to trolling.

For the most part, the idea behind the flouro with the braid is as you expected, visibility. I use the braid because i like the way it casts and the sensitivity it provides. When i couple it with the flouro i get the casting, sensitivity and invisibility all in one IMO.

When I couple the braid with the mono it is strictly for the preference in casting. Since the mono is stretchy my hope when using this combo with a crank or light spinner baits is to get a little give when the fish strikes. Although I haven't caught many fish on crank baits, I have found that i miss fewer hookups when i do. I could just switch to the second spool loaded with mono in these cases, but i like the way the braid casts with the spin gear.

Thanks for the reply(s). I guess I don't seem like I would really need it. I fish from a float tube and most of my casts don't need to go very far. As far as sensitivty, I upgraded my main rod this year and am going to start using tungsten weights for my plastics. Plus, I just started using fluoro instead of P-line co-polymer stuff. I think I'll see how that goes. I usually don't have a problem feeling bites (or maybe just the ones I'm actually noticing ) and hooking them, it's getting them out of the brush. But maybe that has to do with being so low to the water, and being more aggressive getting them out from the hookset.

[Anonymous]

for river's any river throw the crap away really. all that junk does is screw up the river when you break or cut the crap. And then you have a bunch of mono guy's pissed off. Please please do us river guy's a favor and never use it. besides if you cant land a fish in a river without mono. there is something very very wrong. just my .2

Now that's about the most rediculace thing I've heard in a long time. You don't think mono junks up a river? Who cares what a mono guy thinks (mono says it all)... I use braid for plugs and spoons and you can be sure I leave a lot less lying on the bottom than anybody using mono. I may bend a few hooks but I get the gear back. If you can't cast with braid, don't snivel about others that can. Never lost a fish because of braid.....

PS if anyone wants to get high and mighty about mono, first make sure you have biodegradable line on your reel.

[Rich McVey]

jtrapier: You talking about river fishing and have a Sturgie in you pic. Is that what you fishing preference is? Rivers?

I think the species and method makes alot of difference in the choice.

I fish Musky most of the time, and trying to cast with 50lb+ mono.... No thanks. I like the Power Pro Micro Fiber Braid.

[bionic_one]

for river's any river throw the crap away really. all that junk does is screw up the river when you break or cut the crap. And then you have a bunch of mono guy's pissed off. Please please do us river guy's a favor and never use it. besides if you cant land a fish in a river without mono. there is something very very wrong. just my .2

The only thing I ever lose is the mono leader on the end of my line. Most times I dont lose that, and bring in a straightened hook. Hell, most times that I snag, and my mono leader doesn't break, I pull in a snag full of everyone else's mono main line and clean that crap out of the way. Were you fishing next to that one re-re that uses straight braid with no leader, or bought braid stronger than he was and cut it off instead of snapping the leader?