Thread: Braid or Mono

Here's the way Todd explains the issue with braid...when braided line wraps around the rod tip and pressure is applied (maybe by setting the hook) it can cut into the graphite. Then when you set the hook on a big fish...it can break. And regarding hooks that can be straightened out, he says...he likes hooks with no flex. They can be driven into the bony part of a crappie's mouth better and not miss the bite. The reason braid is helpful on rods with very soft tips (ones that start bending mid-rod) is that the rod is absorbing the feel of the bite. Huckabee rods are designed with a great backbone and stiff tip so they don't absorb the "feel of the bite (the thump)". The thump transfers all the way to the handle. That's why many of Todd's clients say, "these fish hit harder than crappie on my lake". They bite the same, but they are feeling the thump with a stiffer rod.