Braided line question

My question is about line choice for single pole jigging/Livescoping (using 10' B&M Gold and 10' Ozark Rods Xtreme).

Thus far I had been using copolymer (mono/fluoro), Sufix Advance, PLine, or Yo-Zuri, and have been pretty happy with it. However, have been reading/seeing on YT a number of people suggesting braid. I do use braid on all of my spinning rods for bass and love it there.

Respooled my two jigging poles with braid, 10# Sufix 832, and tried it out this weekend. I HATED it. Horrible problems with the line constantly tangling, especially around the tip of the pole. It was pretty windy this weekend, and seemed like every time I set the hook, the line would twist around the end of the pole, bad enough to require that I untangle it.

In casting for bass with a spinning rod, the Sufix 832 is great because it is very soft and supple, casts very well. Should I be using something a little stiffer for crappie jigging? What braid do you braid users use, and how is it on the soft/stiff spectrum?

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by plawren53202

My question is about line choice for single pole jigging/Livescoping (using 10' B&M Gold and 10' Ozark Rods Xtreme).

Thus far I had been using copolymer (mono/fluoro), Sufix Advance, PLine, or Yo-Zuri, and have been pretty happy with it. However, have been reading/seeing on YT a number of people suggesting braid. I do use braid on all of my spinning rods for bass and love it there.

Respooled my two jigging poles with braid, 10# Sufix 832, and tried it out this weekend. I HATED it. Horrible problems with the line constantly tangling, especially around the tip of the pole. It was pretty windy this weekend, and seemed like every time I set the hook, the line would twist around the end of the pole, bad enough to require that I untangle it.

In casting for bass with a spinning rod, the Sufix 832 is great because it is very soft and supple, casts very well. Should I be using something a little stiffer for crappie jigging? What braid do you braid users use, and how is it on the soft/stiff spectrum?

Thanks!

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Yes, a stiffer tip does reduce that tendency somewhat .

I usually get that type of problem from twist in the line. If I let it out across the yard or behind the boat and reel it back in clamped between my fingers the problem goes away. I have braid on all of my crappie gear with the exception of some old spinning reels I don't wish to damage.

I use Sufix 832 on all my baitcasters and half of my spinning reels. Can't remember a problem except on my 9ft and 12 ft drop shot poles. Then it wraps the tip.

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I use power pro Slick 8. I like the high vis Moonshine color

The only pro I've heard of concerning using braid while Livescoping ... is you can see braid on the screen. That may help keep track of your lure in some cases.

The only "casting rod" I use braid with is a 7' Bionic Blade IM8, that I have PowerPro hi-vis 10/2 braid spooled on a Shimano Spirex 2000 reel. And yes, braid can & will "twist" ... and will need to be "untwisted" now & again by whatever means is most efficient for you.

Twist, wind, or even the method by which you throw your lure can cause tip wrap, as can using a light lure which can create slack at the rod tip. Braid is very light and easily blown around, and when wet it can become very "clingy" to anything it comes in contact with. "Wind knots" (IMHO) are not really caused by the wind, as much as they're caused by twisted line that gets reeled back on the reel loosely (due in many instances to using very light lures). :twocents

I’ve recently tried power pro super slick 8 and like it very well. 10 lb hi vis is what I bought and it casts like nothing else I have and I’ve got 4 different lines now. I haven’t much experience with Sufix Nanobraid except the 2 lb and I like it also. If it comes in heavier test it would be an option I have to try. We used the power pro at the coast this past weekend and had no issues with tip wrap.

Somebody on here said to go up one size. from 10 to 15#. May need to add a leader then.
I just bought a spool of H20 bright green for vertical jigging only. I like it. It's not slick but it doesn't need to be. Reminds me of spider wire.

I have PowerPro hi-vis 15/4 braid spooled on one on my 11' BnM poles used for vertical jigging. I do not have as many tangles now as in the beginning but have not totally eliminated them. Still experimenting with the line and presentations.

I started with small braid and had the same problems as you.
I went to 50 lb braid and use 3-4 ft mono leader.
It’s definitely more sensitive than full length mono. It worked great during the spawn. I haven’t had much time to fish since then.



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Been using braid on spinning, spincast and baitcast reels for years. Forget fluorocarbon and mono.
Most important reasons for using braid:
1. strike sensitivity from a long distance cast
2. excellent hook sets which are started by fish that begin to panic
3. almost no line twist when using non-twist lures such as jig heads. Mepps and other in-line spins will eventually cause twist.
4. abrasion resistant. Some retie after a certain number of casts. I don't see the need and never have a fish break the line - except pickerel.
5. zero stretch which can be a problem but which is rectified using the right action rod. When a fish - especially a large fish - is hooked and fights longer than smaller fish, the hole gets larger where the hook is embedded from all the tugging. The right rod action corrects that - meaning - medium action with a fast 1/3 length end. Light action is fine but never too light along the entire rod length as with ultralights. You want to guide the fish away from snag areas and from under the boat - light action doesn't cut it.
6. as with any line attached to light small lures, a small line diameter is crucial for best lure action. Fish focus on the lure - not the line, and though larger diameter lines may be used, lure action is affected.
7. knots stay knotted.

I know that many like Power Pro, but for my money KastKing Super Power Braid is the best I've ever cast regardless of lure used and fish fished for. I don't see the need to go to 6 lb test with its 2 lb diameter. For light small lures, 8 lb test with a 4 lb diameter works for me regardless the size fish struggling to get free. In fact, I can pull my Jon boat to the snag to get the hook free which happened 8x in stumpy water and 4x stuck on tree branches.

When it comes to wind knots or tangles near the rod tip, I raise the rod tip a bit after every cast and then allow the lure to drop or wiggle or whatever to maintain pressure on the rod tip as much as possible. Too many strikes are missed by slack line at anytime after the lure hits the water!

These are my suggestions and conclusions from thousands of casts and fish caught over many years when it comes to line. The only time I might consider using a fluorocarbon leader is when I ice fish or vertical jig beneath the boat. I want the line to be a bit stiffer yet responsive when jigging light lures straight up or down. Leaders in general don't do it for me - just one more knot to fail and line abrasion that needs checking.

wait till you don't notice it wrapped up on the tip of a rod in the wind
and crank the reel handle with the drag set a bit tight
that SNAP of the rod tip is just a simply joy full sound
not sure how many rods over the years it has destroyed but to be sure a terribly high number
it seems to me that a trip with it without some major malfunction is impossible
one little foul up in the line at any point caused by anything will always result in a ever so tiny knot so tight it almost don't look like a knot
but I still know a ton of folks that use it and I run it a bit myself for those "special" occasions :Rofl

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wait till you don't notice it wrapped up on the tip of a rod in the wind

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At least once every outing! :banghead

I use different species of hi-vis mono, it's always been my preference and probably always will be. I respect others choices.Attachment 405646

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Originally Posted by plawren53202

My question is about line choice for single pole jigging/Livescoping (using 10' B&M Gold and 10' Ozark Rods Xtreme).

Thus far I had been using copolymer (mono/fluoro), Sufix Advance, PLine, or Yo-Zuri, and have been pretty happy with it. However, have been reading/seeing on YT a number of people suggesting braid. I do use braid on all of my spinning rods for bass and love it there.

Respooled my two jigging poles with braid, 10# Sufix 832, and tried it out this weekend. I HATED it. Horrible problems with the line constantly tangling, especially around the tip of the pole. It was pretty windy this weekend, and seemed like every time I set the hook, the line would twist around the end of the pole, bad enough to require that I untangle it.

In casting for bass with a spinning rod, the Sufix 832 is great because it is very soft and supple, casts very well. Should I be using something a little stiffer for crappie jigging? What braid do you braid users use, and how is it on the soft/stiff spectrum?

Thanks!

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Your results are spot on to what I have experienced. Braid will work very well for dipping/vertical jigging/livescoping as the sensitivity is unmatched. Especially around trees, you can feel the limb and work around it long before you are hung up. But if there is ANY wind at all you are in for some tangles.. and those tangles can really easily result in a broken tip with braid. Just like any other line and vertical fishing, your jig is spinning when you work it and eventually those spins work their way up the line to the tip. As soon as you give some slack line there will be a tangle at the tip, now add in wind making the slack line jump around and you are in for a rough day.

Remember you need a soft rod with braid, stiffer with mono. You need the rod to take up the impact of the hookset with braid, so you dont rip paper lips.

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Originally Posted by Kevin22

Remember you need a soft rod with braid, stiffer with mono. You need the rod to take up the impact of the hookset with braid, so you dont rip paper lips.

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Actually, Kevin ... I use a stiff rod for casting braid ... and I don't "set the hook" like I do with mono. I basically just keep reeling & pull the rod tip about a foot in the opposite direction. The stiff rod & no-stretch braid do most of the hook setting for me, so there's really no need to "jerk" the rod. In fact, there's been lots of times when pulling the rod hasn't even been necessary.

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I use a stiff rod for casting braid ... and I don't "set the hook" like I do with mono. I basically just keep reeling & pull the rod tip about a foot in the opposite direction. The stiff rod & no-stretch braid do most of the hook setting for me, so there's really no need to "jerk" the rod. In fact, there's been lots of times when pulling the rod hasn't even been necessary.

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Same here - never a cross their eyes hook set or playing the fish.
(Time to dump the 1000 yds. or so of mono...)

I have fished braid so long and adjusted the hookset accordingly that I miss fish when using mono

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Actually, Kevin ... I use a stiff rod for casting braid ... and I don't "set the hook" like I do with mono. I basically just keep reeling & pull the rod tip about a foot in the opposite direction. The stiff rod & no-stretch braid do most of the hook setting for me, so there's really no need to "jerk" the rod. In fact, there's been lots of times when pulling the rod hasn't even been necessary.

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I dont set the hook with any rod for crappies, just reel set and pull pressure on the fish or lift straight up with a fast motion when vertical fishing. Maybe "hookset" was a bad choice of word, but you need the soft rod to take the impacts throughout the whole catch so you don't pull hooks. Possibly not an issue for everyone? I have a jig casting rod with braid set up at all times (usually a st croix 6'8 ULF) and the super soft tip of this rod keeps the fish hooked. I originally tried it with a quantum 6'6 ULF and it was too stiff, kept losing fish half way in when they would take a sharp turn to the side or open their parachute mouth and create more drag, especially when they go from surface to make that last kick downwards at the side of the boat.

The braid I use for casting is 8lb power pro, the braid I use for vertical is 10# sufix 832.

One thing I just remembered which justifies using a mono or f/c leader: fish that are able to consistently yank the hook out because of rod stiffness/ braid zero-stretch. That happened to me in spring when 9" bass in an area pulled free on the jump over and over. I felt helpless not realizing the problem. Guess I'll keep some mono around for a leader though rarely has this happened and in fact never since then.

I'm not a braid fan. One broken rod was enough for me and this old country boy went back to what he knows how to use. I am now using mono on my pulling rods but my jigging rods are spooled with fluro (K9, had to try it). Line wrap is something I'm not going to deal with. Hope the braid works for you.

I have used braid for 6-7 years both on my pro angler tackle casting rods and my Huckabee dipping rods. Ain’t no doubt about it I set the hook and then swing em in the boat. No soft hook sets, reel them in hook sets or soft rods in my boat whether I’m using braid or not.

Using 8# test braid yesterday I caught what I believe was a huge carp (by the way it ran) and after fighting it for approx. 40 seconds it straightened the jig hook. 8# test mono would have snapped long before that on the first run. Other fish had to be pulled from gaps in the pads where the line wrapped around leaf stems via the fish. Got them all out with no line breaks.

braid will straighten a hook out in a heart beat and or snap it , mono about never if its the right test and the operator has the drag set accordingly for the application .
used a braid rod yesterday on a pit stop , hated it about as much as its last time in my hand 2 weeks ago , it has its place for some in the arsenal of trying to ketch a fish items and in that real deep water winter stuff it is a champ , the rest of the time , it needs to rest in my garage .
it does well for hanging things off the ceiling btw , zero stretch :Rofl

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braid will straighten a hook out in a heart beat and or snap it , mono about never if its the right test and the operator has the drag set accordingly for the application .

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Yeah but mono of the same test as braid will snap faster as well as wear faster. I leave all my reels on the boat in full sun during the warm season that have braid and there is no deterioration. No jig hooks I use have ever snapped though some bronze hooks will open given a strong fight. Forget brass hooks - the worse for gapping out.

I snapped a hook one time in a lake we hit, trying to ketch 1 of the 4 or 5 monster mohawks we know live in there , was using braid as we knew the fish were over 3 and wanted to not take any chances .
the lake is known for real big bass and my guide bud told me about the monster mohawks that were few and far between in there .
dropped said big pretty hand tie down a tree close to sunset and THUMP and set the hook and WHAT ever it was tried to pull me over the side of the boat !
drag was set tight and it did not last long , had me stretched out like a stick man when the hook snapped at the bend ,and it was brand new real nice hand tie......:banghead darnit :banghead

To each his own I guess. I would quit fishing if someone told me I had to fish with soft rods and mono again. Wish I had all the hours of my life back and money I wasted respooling mono over the years.

I've been using yellow high vis PP 10lb for YEARS! It's tuff stuff! Yes it does tangle up a little! I recently switched a couple of my long poles that I scope with to fluorocarbon because I had some concerns with the rumor of the braid making a different noise in the water and spooks the fish sometimes... Not sure if it's timing or what but I feel like I don't have near the amount of bigger crappie following my jig vs when I was using braid. I'm using 10-12 lb fluoro and really have no complaints long poling with it so far! You can defiantly get the wind loops out easier and I the sensitivity is a little lighter but still not missing bites. To each there own but that's my history so far.