Braid vs. Mono

[Mike M]

I have switched most of my saltwater reels to braid. Thinking about switching at least one of my freshwater reels to braid.
My freshwater fishing is trout fishing mostly in streams and rivers and fishing the big D for whatever is hungry.
I bait fish and use spinners and small plugs. All with spinning reels.

I would like to know what everybody thinks the pros and cons of braid are.
Also what brand and what line strength would you recommend.

[basspilot]

I personally love braided line in the fresh but not for trout unfortunately. Trout are id say among some of the smarter freshwater fish out there and are very weary to line presentation. If you were going out for pike, musky, or bass I actually find it to be almost essential now just to rip you lure through cover to induce strikes. My opinion would be to find a good quality mono you feel comfortable with and go with that. Additionally change out the mono atleast yearly to avoid bird nests and wind knots. Mono has a pretty significant memory and it can just purely be aggregating when your out their trying to enjoy a day on the water and instead your removing knots and cutting away at your spool. Tight lines.

[Skunk City]

Originally Posted by Mike M

I have switched most of my saltwater reels to braid. Thinking about switching at least one of my freshwater reels to braid.
My freshwater fishing is trout fishing mostly in streams and rivers and fishing the big D for whatever is hungry.
I bait fish and use spinners and small plugs. All with spinning reels.

I would like to know what everybody thinks the pros and cons of braid are.
Also what brand and what line strength would you recommend.

I'll chime in for what it's worth...

I switched to braid probably about a year and a half ago and haven't looked back. I can't remember having any issues with knots forming or birds nests, nor do I "think" I've had any issues setting and ripping the hooks from striking fish due to its lack of stretch. I do keep my drag a little looser though, as well as run at least 9" of flouro leader depending on conditions. I haven't tied directly to the lure or hook mostly because I go for fish with teeth or fish who get turned off easily by visible line. I plan on it though this summer when tossing scum frogs into heavy weeds.

I have a "bigger live bait" set-up with 65lb PowerPro on a 4000-series reel that I use for shiners/herring/chubs/suckers with absolutely no issues. I've also used it chucking big Muskie lures. Size wise, it is the equivalent of 16lb Mono.

For my "daily fishing" set-up, I have 30lb PowerPro SuperSlick on a 2500-series reel that I couldn't be happier with. I've landed everything from big Pike and Hybrid Stripers to LMB's and SMB's, even jigged deep water with it and landed Crappie and Walleye. It gets the most use, probably at least 3 times a week. Again, no issues whatsoever. Size wise, it is the equivalent of 8lb Mono.

For my light action and jigging set-up, I run 6lb Berkeley Nanofil. A little difficult to get a nice knot to hold without slipping, but super sensitive for finicky and light hitting fish. Bouncing jigs off the bottom, I can almost immediately feel if I picked up a leaf from the bottom, its that sensitive. I jigged up a few big Walleye up to 9-10lbs with it this winter with no problems with break-offs. I'm not sure the Mono diameter equivalent, but its basically like fishing with skinny dental floss lol.

[jmurr711]

i use it for everything except trout & philly tarpon. For trout i will stick with 2lb mono & for my tarpon i have braid as the main line but always add about 12-15feet a length of flourocarbon or 10lb mono. Bass,picks,stripers,kittycatfish i go braid but if its a clear lake i def add a flouro leader. sufix is what i like but they ain't paying me to plug em so use whatever you feeel comfy with

[Lard Almighty]

I use braid a lot, but not for everything. I tried it a few times for trout fishing, but I noticed a lot of fish pulled off. The way they hit, I think the stretch of mono helps on the hookset. However, it literally revolutionized the way I bass fish; with braid, I have no fear about chucking a buzzbait or frog back into the thickest weeds, and I have been richly rewarded by doing so. Braid is a great choice for any heavy-cover fishing. Also, braid helps detect light bites that fish like crappie and walleye are famous for.

If you're river fishing for "whatever," you shouldn't need more than 10 lb braid. Step up to 20 lb if you're targeting big river fish. I wouldn't use more than 20 lb braid on a spinning outfit.

Helpful tip: if you put braid on a spinning reel, fill it to about 3/4 the volume that you would with mono. Braid coils pretty loose on the spool, and if you overfill it can cut into itself and/or create a nasty birds nest.

[tycomps]

my two cents:

powerpro moss green for stained water (passaic river pike near me coupled with wire leader to prevent bite offs and to pull shopping carts in when snagged as well as pulling LMB from ponds along with the salad they bring with them : - )

fluorocarbon for unstained water (raritan river SMB)

mono for cats, trout, and panfish

size respective to rod/reel

[jimmythegreek]

i use powerpro on everything except my trout rods and my linecounters for trolling. I prefer superslick8 version in timber brown or green. Just tie palomar knots and u will be good to go with it. I used 832 first time this year and like it too, super sensitive and it changes the way you fish. If you worry about finicky fish just do a uni to uni or surgeons knot to a leader of flouro, no swivel needed for most setups and it goes right thru ur guides