When and why use braided fishing line? What is about mono or fluorocarbon? Matt explains how to use each line and when to avoid it. We also discuss leader materials and how to tie connection knots. Before we use braided fishing line we must know about it as well other mono and fluorocarbon lines in detail.
Braid Lines
Probably fishing with braid have been using since long time older than monofilament and fluorocarbon lines. Although mono is much popular than others. The advantage of braid are due to its incredible strength despite it has small diameter and has no stretching. It is extremely castable in water.
The only disadvantage is that braided lines are more visible in water than other two lines mono and fluorocarbon. In low light and heavy cover conditions it does not matter. I usually use spider wire braid for about 50% of bass fishing and carry it in 3 line sizes 10, 50, 65 pounds braid only.
Normally I use 10 pound spider wire on spinning tackle and the heavier sizes for casting gears. Also I use 50 pounds and 65 pounds braid only when fishing worms and jigs with single hook lures. It is the ideal line for flipping heavy cover.
Also unlike other anglers I do not use mono and fluorocarbon leader with heavy braid, instead I use only braided line. An extra knot sometime can go wrong and I don’t use them. In my long experience of fishing I have never broken a fish off using their braid that is extremely reliable. Now you have got at least some idea about when to use braided fishing line in fishing technology.
Flourocarbon Lines
At first fluorocarbon came as a leader material and continued for the last decade. Now the fluorocarbon lines seem to be castable and limp enough as to use as main line for casting and spinning reels.
The main advantage of this line is the invisibility and does not stretch under certain circumstances. It has got the same refractive quantities like water and hard to see under water. Though it stretches in some cases it is more sensitive than monofilament.
The main disadvantage of this filament is that it sinks in water and may not be abrasion-resistant like mono. This is not suitable for floating lures and tends to use other lines when fishing heavy cover where I expect that my line get nicked up.
I use spider wire ultracast 100% fluorocarbon in different sizes 6 to 25 pounds test. I like it with treble hooked baits like jerkbaits and crankbaits. It has excellent castability and very small stretch. Sometime one pair up ten pounds test braided lines with a little fluorocarbon leader with spinning gear. That allows me a real long cast and almost no stretch.
Monofilament Lines
Monofilament has been around more than 50 years and this is the only line that most of the anglers use most of the time. It is very cartable, not easily visible to the fish and as it floats. So it is a choice for only floating baits. It stretches more than that of braid and monofilament.
I use spider wire ultimate ultracast in all sizes between 10 and 20 pounds-test and I use in a way that other anglers don’t follow as it works for me. Certainly I use this top water floating baits as because highly visible line is not desired by me.
I like monofilament for fishing certain treble-hooked lures as like diving and lipless crankbaits. The stretch offered by mono is an advantage and it makes tougher to through the lures during fight. The stretch is also helpful when it is cold. One time when I used mono with my worm fishing surprised a lot of people.
Since it has more stretch than fluorocarbon you can easily compensate it with a heavier rod. While using a mono as leader and main line I can give my baits more lift with a Carolina rig.
Wondering what the best bass fishing line is?
There are three main players in fishing line game –the monofilament, fluorocarbon and braid. Let me explain why it is best for bass fishing.
Tough line for tough condition
Largemouth bass inhabits mostly in snag-infested water. Winching them from fallen trees, under boat docks, snarls of lily pads, is a true test for the equipment but most importantly your line. It is a matter of great experience and practice to know how to fish with braided line.
Braids have virtually no stretches and no line memory, is abrasion-resistant simply cannot beat. A quick glance at my rod rack validates that point. My flipping, frogging, worm, rip jigging all are paired with reels spooled with braided line. The only times I stray from braid when tossing crankbaits and top waters or when drop shot fishing.
But what is pound test?
Next thing when you need to choose braided line according to tensile strength and here are some guides.
Frogging—65lbs
Flipping—-50lbs
Worms—–40lbs
Spinnerbaits-30lbs
Rip jigging—12-15 lbs
This line test may sound high but in terms of diameter, they are not. For example 50 lb test braid is equivalent 12 lb test monofilament. So with braid you have ability to use a stronger line that will be noticeably less visible.
What are shortcomings for mono and fluro?
It is better to use what are the difficulties with other lines instead of shortcomings. Both mono fluro have memory issues, will stretch, do not possess abrasion –resistant qualities nd diameter increases too much with line strength.
These are not all bas characteristics and truly preferred in some techniques. For tossing crankbaits and top water you need line of stretch that can be obtained from monofilament. From overall study monofilament and fluorocarbon cannot compete with braid lines.
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