FS Digest

Hello all! I'm currently in the process of setting up my first rod which is a spinning reel. I won't lie, some of the colorful braided line is catching my eye which is why I'm leaning towards braided. Obviously performance is more important than aesthetics which is where I have a few questions. I'll mainly be fishing ponds and lakes which definitely have weeds, I've heard that braided lines get caught up a lot easier than mono lines, is this something super noticable?

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by heydoakickflip

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

Odd you would hear that braided gets caught up easier. Never had a problem with it unless you let it sink in among the weeds. Mono will do ythe same. Braid floats and stays near the top except for what ever you are tossing on the end.

As for color i have seen red used and i have used yellow. But personal pref is dark green or gray. If your vision is a reason for wanting a color go for the red. It will be easy to see while floating and you can see your hit better.

JackM Loc: North East Florida

In theory braid will cut through weeds because it is smaller. With braid you can put much more line on the reel because it is a smaller diameter for its breaking strength or much heavier line. Two downsides. 1) Unless you have a braid ready spool (like a rubber or ruff surface on the bottom of the spool) you will need maybe 20 feet of mono backing on the spool first. 2) Braid is highly visible in the water to you and the fish. You will need a leader of mono or in clear water fluorocarbon. I have used a surgeon's knot to connect the leader to the main line for years without a problem. It is fast to tie but will not pass through the guides well so I only tie a short leader, less than 3 feet. Braid is expensive compared to mono line but it also last much longer. It also can be removed from a reel after 3 or 4 years and placed on another reel which reverses the line. You should be able to get at least 5 years of service from braid.
Take a look at braid on Amazon. Bottom right of table under Lines & Connectors.
https://ameliafishbites.com/

agatemaggot Loc: iowa

Cover the first wind of braid with electric tape and your line wont slip on the spool !

bobgin

If your lake/pond has lots of grass(weeds) start with 20 lb power pro which has breaking strength of over 30 lb which your spinning outfit will not come close to obtaining. Lot of people use 10lb(I do myself) but 20lb is easier to manage.Use any color you see well and use mono or flor leader for close visibility and some stretch. with a lot of grass the braid will not matter it will blend in.

Mauwehu Loc: Norwalk Ct

Forgot that trick. The guy who taught me to fish when I was a kid showed me that.

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Hi Hey do.I've been using braid since late 80s. I have i reel with hi vis green 6lb with 6lb floro leader. I use 8 or 10 mono backing on all my reels. Never had any problems. The rest of my spinning reel have 8 to 20 lb straight braid . 15lb is power pro red the rest are power pro moss green. I tie my leader with uni to uni. I use Palomar knot on everything i tie on. Works for me. Bottom line it's all about what you like n works for you. Good luck

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Here a pic of double uni knot for joining braid n floro Heydo

Pixiedog456005 Loc: Maryland

Braided lines require strong knots like the polymer knot.
Mono line can have as much as 25% stretch. That means if you cast 100 feet out, to get solid hook up, you have to stretch your line 25 feet. You can't swing your rod that far.
Braid has no stretch and will not get line twist insuring a solid hook up. Braid is far more sensitive for finess baits like plastic worms or pig and jig. For rock jetties mono of a much much heavier line as a shock leader will take more abuse. I use 20 lb. braid which actually breaks at 30 lbs., but it cast like 10lb. I use a shock leader of 50-80lbs in a 2 foot length. Only in rough sharp bottoms do I use mono.
Braid is definitely the way to go.

FixorFish Loc: SW Oregon

"mono line can have as much as 25% stretch".....?????!!!!
I have to question where you might have "learned" that spec.
Been using mono for decades, all test weights, most every brand that's widely available. That "statistic" would render my success at setting a hook at about 1 in 100,000+, over the years....... that ain't the case.

And am also amused at using 80lb leader on 20lb mainline, as well as the thought pattern that your "problems" will only be in that first 24"......head-scratcher there.

JackM Loc: North East Florida

Here is the Berkley website with the 25% reference. Obviously you can still set the hook. It takes close to the breaking strength to get to 25%. Think about when you are hung up and want to intentionally break off. It takes a lot of stretch to get mono to break.
https://www.berkley-fishing.com/pages/berkley-ae-why-use-monofilament

Pixiedog456005 Loc: Maryland

To answer your first quedtion; I was a field editor of a large outdoor magazine for 13 years with 45 accounts and clients. I have been fishing for over 50 years myself, so I understand your questions. Some would get all their fishing info from 1 or 2 local stores, I had access to over 45 in each and every month. I was educated at a fast rate. It was part of my job to find out what fish was being caught where they were as well as the tackle they used and published that info along with photos. Manufacturers were also eager to get their information out as well. I started in the era when Stern and Berkley ruled supreme. Then florocarbon and braid started to take off and new standards were set.
Mono does stretch, braid does not. Most anglers say I was the fish that broke their line. Most of the time the loss is because of poor knot tying or unforgiving snags. I scratch my head wondering if the statistic of 1 out of 100,000 came from. Do you always max out your line until the line breaks to support that stat? Doing the math, even if you go say only a 5-10% stretch, casting say fifty feet, how far would that line stretch be?That would be what 2'-5'?? Do you drive your hook for that distance with your rod swing set? Many anglers cross the eyes with a short set then start a strong pull that really bends that rod and starts stretching that mono.
Braid doesn't stretch or retain memory coil or twist like mono.
This also brings us to the second question of heavy leaders.
If you a sharp edge rocky area where your line will come in contact with those sharp edges, mono shines best. It takes a lot more abuse than braid. The braid will be chewed up and break if not even cut.
If you're fishing rock jetti, mono of a higher diameter is required of you if want to keep your fish and gear.
Blue fish, sharks and puffer fish have such sharp teeth they cut through most lines except for wire or steel cable. This means of you do not want to use a steel leader, a heavy mono leader is hard to cut through. If you are around those smaller sizes fish like blues or dog fish, a 20# line is standard with a leader that is tough to bite through. Most serious anglers use a leader between 40-80#. Some anglers even use a long shank Mustad hook also just to stay away from those teeth. I use a 80# getting my presentation down between those rock and nasty places. I spend less time during the year changing out of making new Riggs and still fish a 20# (considered light surf). Spending time with proper gear mated for the fish your after is not something most anglers think of. They buy a cheap rod and reel from a mart store that looks nice, then use the old mono line that came with the reel which looks like a slinky spring when cast and never consider whose playing this fishing game on the other end.

Pixiedog456005 Loc: Maryland

Mono has been around for a long time and still has good and proper used over other types of line.
Braid is 1/2 the diameter of mono and will cast further. A 20# line dia. now becomes a 10# cast with the strength of the 20#.
Bass fishermen really like it because it is more sensitive than mono with a direct hook up action and the line doesn't twist.
I had to smile when a fisherman friend complained about his "new mono line he just bought from the mart store. It coiled like a clock spring. He complained he spend $2 on this brand new spool "and look at it!!"

Grizzly 17 Loc: South central Pa

Hi Pix. As n old guy I've used miles of mono in my time. Alot if it in a zebco 202 then the 33. Spinning rods n reels at best cost$10. Fiberglass that took alot of abuse. A guy gave me a graphite rod brand new. 1st hard hook set it snaped off a few ins from handle. I now bass fish n i luv braid n floro. A friend of mine tried it n now he uses it. The sensitivity is hard to beat. Many say buy hi$ gear which is fine us you have it. My guess is there's alot box store combos out there catching fish then imagined. People aren't putting $500 +combos in their kids hands. To me fishing is all about affordability personal preference n having fun. I still have my uls n lites spooled with mono. I use circle hooks on them. No hard set needed 👍👍

Pixiedog456005 Loc: Maryland

Thanks for the support. I also had a Zebco 33. Loved it to death. When I went to the Zebco spinning rod and reel, I caught so many fish I thought it was the top of the world. Caught sooo... Many fish. I now pull that rig out and look at it and think about how much of a junky set up it is compared to the new technology.
And yeah, where and when did circle hooks start taking over???? Time and technology hmmm?