Braided Line vs Mono

[kpdpga]

I use spinning rods and the braided line works a lot better as it does not stretch like mono and get tangled in the bail. Does the use of braided line over mono truly affect ones ability to catch fish one way or the other?

[SeaRay]

I think most use a fluorocarbon leader with it if they are crappie fishing. The perch I caught in my post with the Flexit Jig was tied directly to a snap swivel with 12# braided line. I like it when jigging cause it is so sensitive.
I believe it depends on the fish. Crappie can be finicky eaters so light line and small jigs are required sometimes and others they only want live minnows. A White Perch is a voracious eater and does not seem to care what he hits. I have caught two at a time on a rig when only one hook was baited. The other one hit a bare gold crappie hook.

[OpiemusRex]

I really like braid for vertical jigging for white perch but I,m waiting to see how it will effect crappie. I have rods rigged with hi-viz yellow and braid to test them out. The question has been posed here before with mixed results.

[stumpjumper]

mono ---- or co-ploymers. like searay said florua carbon for leaders. I really don't like the braids but I haven't tried any in @ 6 yrs though.

[dignlevel]

I started with braid fishing for grouper tightlininng a Carolina rig down around 100' deep. We put mono on one rod and braid on the other. We caught 10 to 1 over mono because of the stretch over those depths affect sensitivity and you miss fish when you do not feel them. On crappie, I am convinced you will feel more with braid especially when your tightlining down deep, but getting hung without a leader that will break away is a real problem.

[STUMP HUNTER]

I use some 10#, 20# and 30# braid and like all three weights of braid but also use a leader. I tried pulling cranks one time without a leader and got a crank hung in a underwater tree and it turned the boat around. Had to cut the line because the braid wouldn't break. Did a little perch jerking with the 20#, works very well.

[sinkermaker]

I have half of my tight linning rod with mono and half with 20 lb braid. The catch ratio is not any different. I catch just an many fish on braid as I do mono. I have also used braid on my pulling rod and there is no difference than using mono except you can pull a lot more jigs free saving retying time. I do not use a leader and tie directly to the line.

[clfarms1]

I fish with my wife and so I tie on the hooks and jigs for 2 instead of just one. I don't know if it makes a difference on catching fish but it sure does on getting back your hooks, so I use nothing but 10 and 8 lb fireline crystal. I seldom break off a hook as they will usually bend out. we spider rig most of the time so I never use anykind of leader and use 10 lb lines on my c&c rigs. I wouldn't use anything but braid.

[gcromer]

I also use Fireline bright green for my swamp fishing and wouldn't use any mono anymo... I use 8 pound, size of 3 pound, no memory and no twist, sensitivity is great. I have to carry a 1" wooden dowell in the boat to wrap around the line when I'm hooked up on a stump so that I can straighten out the hook, cause the line isn't going to break.

[CrappiePappy]

Been using PowerPro 10/2 hi-vis yellow braid for several years, now. Tie it directly to the jig, Roadrunner, Whirly Bee, or whatever ... and fish in lakes that are generally only slightly stained. I've seen Crappie chase my bait right under the boat, come up and grab the bait just before it came out of the water (under docks), and hit the bait in all depths from 20ft deep & up. They ain't skeer'd of it, one bit ... which is why I don't bother adding a leader.

Gerald is correct ... good idea to have a wood dowel to wrap the braid around, when trying to free a snagged lure. Braid will cut you !! (been there, done that) It's also a good idea to have a pair of Child Size Fiskar Scissors to cut braid with. They do a better job of leaving a blunt tag end, which makes it easier to poke the tag end through small jighead line eyes. You can usually find them in any of the "-Marts", in the school supplies or crafts sections, and they can be found on sale for $2-$3. Clippers/cutters/knives can leave some of the fibers sticking out of the tag end, and because the braid is so limp, those fibers can make it frustrating to get the line through a small jighead eye (been there, done that, too).

I can't say that braid affects ones ability to catch fish, one way or the other ... but, I can say that I'm more likely to get my baits back, feel or see the slightest of taps, get a good hookset with the slightest of rod jerks, and hoist a Slab over the side of the boat without thinking about the line breaking. SO ... well, yeah, maybe it does affect ones ability to catch fish, after all

... cp