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With clients not having a clue how dangerous braid line can be if one chooses to grab it to pull and hang-up loose, I use strictly mono for longlining. For my crankbait trips I use Trilene Big Game 12 pound solar collector green. For my longlining with jigs, I mainly use Vicious 8 pound high-vis. I typically set all my equipment up for the mindset of a client who probably has no idea how to set the gear up. My client gear and my tournament gear are the same gear.
I pull cranks 90% of the time from my kayak. I use 15 Lb. braid Fireline with a barrel swivel to a 4'-6' fluorocarbon leader of either 8 or 10 Lb. with a coastlock snap to make changing baits easier. The heavier leader keeps bass or cats from breaking the line. I used to run mono, but lost too many fish once the line got saturated and became more stretchy. I also changed out all the hooks on my cranks to Gamakatsu hooks, just because they're sharp enough to catch if a fish looks at it too hard.
I think the ebb and surge of paddling makes the cranks dart slightly because the power of the stroke isn't constant like what a trolling or gas motor delivers. Since the braid doesn't stretch, that energy transfers to the lure. With mono, the stretch absorbed some of that stroke surge and the lures ran more of a constant depth & rhythm. Either way catches fish, but I lose fewer fish on braid and fewer spit the hook on the way to the boat than with mono. I have to stop paddling most of the time to play a fish. I had to use a more forgiving drag setting to keep bigger fish from pulling lose, but I rarely lose a lure that way either.
This is what works for me. Everybody has their own system & preferences.
Jim
I’ve been using Cajun 8lb to troll and I’m amazed at how easy it is to untangle a mess when sometimes the turn was tighter than expected. Also think the kvd line conditioner may be helpful.
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Years back I tried a spool of BPS’ Offshore Angler Tight Lines, a store brand. I’ve used it from 4 to 10 lb with very good results. Less memory than some name brand lines and hi vis for the same money. Like 3600 yards on a 4 lb spool for about $8. I trolled cranks with 8 lb and lost very few baits, but I turn around and get em loose when most just crank down the drag and hope for the best. Lighter split rings is another way to get your cranks back. Regular on the bill and lighter on the hooks. Known a few that tied braid direct to the bait and they caught as many as I did.
Kastking 8#/2# diameter braid and sometimes adding a 2' fluoro leader of 6# test Kastking for good crankbait vibration and depth accuracy. No point in using thicker line or a line with stretch. The length of line behind the boat is usually 50'.
The biggest problem is catching dead black algae on the crankbait killing its action, but more important repelling fish from its strong odor/taste. Fish senses detect that crap immediately !
I have trolled for many years, on the Great Lakes, bays, and connecting rivers. Used 10# Berkley Big Game, works very well.
Berkley 10# for me too, matches the line on the precision trolling app on my phone and the (10# line) for other trolling charts I've seen.