Mono v Braid which way to go? HELP!

[Jim Roper]

I imagine a through action rod would be best suited for casting a braid line but, as I have never used braid, that is speculation.

The thought of getting tangles out, alone, puts me off using it.

[spanner]

I use 20lb braid on a fixed spool for spinning and plugging. Lovely, the ability to feel every movement of the lure is a revelation after using mono. PowerPro and TufflineXP are my preferred braids, Fireline was OK but went 'fuzzy' a bit too easily.

 

I also have 50lb braid on a 6500csMag which I use with a Julian Shambrook Rubber Shark for light beach work, gilling for pollack, and feathering for mackerel. If you keep a steady and regular tension on the retrieve, and use a smooth cast it is absolutely fine. Depending on where I am and how I am fishing I may or may not use a shockleader. With a smooth cast, not trying to belt it out to the horizon, I have never had a crackoff casting it without a mono shockleader. Repeated casting to 100yds no birdies no problems. I use a cs mag to help keep a regular line lay and to avoid finger cuts.

 

I have screwed up a cast a few times, mostly at night, and yes the knot is harder to untangle than in mono, but overall the superb bite detection and 'feel' make it so much more enjoyable.

 

As to the expense, it typically lasts much longer than mono so while there is a much higher initial outlay, in the long term it isn't actually that much more expensive. I'm still on my first spool of PowerPro after 3 yrs.

 

I use it spinning, plugging, gilling etc around rocks, sometimes the extra strength lets you pull out of a snag that would have snapped mono but it is easily damaged in contact with rocks so I would not bottom fish in rocky ground.

 

The abraison resistance is higher than mono when measured in a lab, but in the real world it is much lower than the same BS mono as it is so much thinner. 15lb mono compares to about 50lb braid in diameter, so while the 50lb braid will probably have a higher abraison resistance, in rocky ground you will have have losses, fact of life, and with braid they will be expensive losses, so stick to mono. I would never fish 15lb mono in rocky ground, I go for 35lb or 40lb mono on the rocks. If you tried the equivalent abraision resistant braid, based on diameter, you would need a very fat wallet and just imagine pulling for a break without a tactor!

[Kieran Hanrahan]

Hi Snatcher,

 

I switched to braid about two years ago, thanks to Alan and others on the forum.

 

I've used it in boat and rock fishing only, feeling that it would be too much of a challenge to go with it off a beachcaster, for the moment at least.

 

There's some excellent advice here. I use an ancient 30 lb class "broomhandle" for the boat fishing, allied to a Diawa SL30SH and 30 lb braid. I put mono on to protect the reel first and stop the braid nesting and always use a 3-5 metre shockleader of mono, around 25 lb b/s. I'd rather have the mono at the end break than the expensive braid, and it does give a little stretch or forgiveness to the system if you happen on a big fish down there. We fish mostly the reefs around the west of Ireland and the odd wreck, so it's fairly rough and nasty stuff and in seventeen outings (approximately 8 hours each) I have never had the braid break and I do not recall having had a fish pull out although as you can imagine, its not possible to be certain on that point. The rod has no through action or soft tip at all - none - so the mono acts as the shock absorber and its works really well. I guess with a softer rod you could dispense with the mono on the business end...

 

I always use rotten bottom links and junk leads because of the foul sea beds we fish over, and it is usually just a lighter (and older!) mono line. No casting, just downtiding you understand.

 

The point about tension is important, not only in loading the line but also if you are bringing up your line from a long way down without a fish and without a weight on the end... it happens! I find that you have to run under something to give it a bit of tension and stop in lying in loose coils on the reel - it can be a problem even if you are only downtiding. If you run it through your fingers, you run the risk of a cut if some mackerel happen onto to rig in mid-water (guess how I found that out!) - but let's face it (except if your hunting leviathans with davy) these cuts are not amputations, they're just cuts! You've probably had worse reading a paper, and mono can cut too.

 

A great tip I got from this forum - on multipliers thumb the spool rather than the braid line to avoid cuts. I also use a thumb on the spool instead of setting a drag - very useful in big swells when you are fishing over a rocky bottom or wreck, as whether it is a fish or a snag, it gives you a chance to react suitably. The set up above works really well and I still get excellent bite detection from 50 m plus, even from nibblers like haddock and whiting. Why not try with something like this and refine it over time to suit you and your local conditions?

 

As for the rock fishing, I am considering a return to mono. Braid frays awful quickly, even PowerPro 30 lb. The superb bite detection is less important in that you are in shallower water (usually). I have lost several decent fish from breaks in the braid and I suspect that similar b/s mono would not have been so brittle. Over cleaner marks from rocks I would still use the braid.

 

The smaller diameter does reduce bowing in the wind true if you are rock fishing you probably don't need to cast to the horizon and there's not much line in the wind anyway - I guess that's a location specific issue.

 

I hope this helps, I'm like yourself a beginner with braid and no more than that...

 

FWIW...

[AThong]

From the shorecasting and beachfishing aspect....

 

I use braid only on reels with a line guide....

at the moment, I have 2 abu6500C3 filled with 30lb fireline just to test out the properties and practical fishability. These reels are coupled with my pair of Daiwa Emblem Interline carp rods which I am using to bottom fish at distances at up to 100m with 60gm (homemade)gemini breakaway leads.

Braid allows me to fish very light on clean beaches, and feel the fish when reeling in.... especially when big bass bashing... whew !

I spool it with about 30 m of mono backing on the reel and use straight through to the clip where I put my traces on... as my interline rods won't allow knots to go through if connected to a shockleader.. so that suits me fine.

 

I am still using mono on my heavier distance casting shorefishing outfits.... on my two 6500ctmags and my SL30SH....

these have no line guidews for distance work ... so would not want to use the fingers to guide the braid when winding in .....

as braid digs in at the point where pressure is applied.... there would be at certain points of the winding in that would have the braid digging in during practical fishing situations.... and this would be bad if I were to try and give it a wellie on the next cast .... birdnest on braid is a no go situation....

 

Will still stick to 0.35 or 0.40 mono when shorefishing at above 120m on ct multis with 5-6 oz leads and normal beachcasting rods... with 0.80 mono shockleaders.... as the cons out weigh the pros... unless someone enlightens me ?

[spasor]

Just a thought on tackle dealers, quoting braid being abbrasion resistant.

Gerrys of Morecambe, Advert in Sea Angler June `04.

Penn Dyna-Braid. "Round, thin and very tough"!

 

Maybe it`s only me that thinks they`re implying abrasion resistance?