Line selection summarized
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:23 pm
Here is my personal summary of line types, their characteristics, and when to use each one. Of course the right line also depends on personal fishing style, individual hook set, etc, but here is a general guide that may help.
BRAID Characteristics
-No stretch
-Floats
-High visibility
-High strength per diameter
-Easy casting
-Great tight line sensitivity, poor slack line sensativity
Good Applications
-Great for heavy cover, especially vegetation where strength is important and visibility is not
-Great with leader for long distance topwater applications as it casts far, floats, and lack of stretch makes working topwaters
easy
-Good if you prefer lighter rods than normal as it adds a good half power to the overall setup
-Good if you have weak hook sets, sit down, etc as lack of stretch adds power to setup
Bad Applications
-Bad for moving baits in general as lack of stretch doesn't allow bass to fully inhale the bait, really bad for treble hook
moving baits as lack of stretch prevents fish from inhaling bait and also makes treble hooks come out MUCH easier
-Can be bad for clear water finesse situations if used without leader
-Floating characteritic can hinder certain sinking baits
MONO Characteristics
-Medium visiblity, less than braid, more than flouro
-High stretch
-Floats
-Not as abrasion resistant
-Easy casting
-Good applications
-High stretch helps keep small treble hooks pinned and allows fish to fully enhale bait
-Good for top waters at closer distance
-Lack of sensitivity and stretch can help with moving baits if you tend to set the hook to soon or too hard
-If you like using heavier powered rods per application additional stretch can help compensate, lowers over setup by a good
half power
-Bad Applications
-Applications requiring sensitivity such as bottom contact
-Applications where you don't want stretch, long casts, frogging, flipping with heavy hooks, etc
FLOURO Characterstics
-Lowest visiblity
-High abrasion resistance
-Sinks, which gives greater depth and slack line sensitivity
-Controlled stretch
-Very expensive to get easy casting versions such as Tatsu that still don't cast quite as easy as mono and braid
-Good applications
-Clear water, finesse
-Bottom contact, good slack line and in contact sensitivity
-Crankbaits, sinking helps get greater depth and controlled stretch keeps bass pinned with proper rod
-Single hook moving baits, spinnerbait, chatterbait, swim jig, etc. Controlled stretch allows solid hookset and absorbs surges
to keep fish pinned
Bad applications
-Topwater, sinking characteristic can hinder action of most topwater baits
-Heavy vegetation, strength and thinness of braid cuts through much better
BRAID Characteristics
-No stretch
-Floats
-High visibility
-High strength per diameter
-Easy casting
-Great tight line sensitivity, poor slack line sensativity
Good Applications
-Great for heavy cover, especially vegetation where strength is important and visibility is not
-Great with leader for long distance topwater applications as it casts far, floats, and lack of stretch makes working topwaters
easy
-Good if you prefer lighter rods than normal as it adds a good half power to the overall setup
-Good if you have weak hook sets, sit down, etc as lack of stretch adds power to setup
Bad Applications
-Bad for moving baits in general as lack of stretch doesn't allow bass to fully inhale the bait, really bad for treble hook
moving baits as lack of stretch prevents fish from inhaling bait and also makes treble hooks come out MUCH easier
-Can be bad for clear water finesse situations if used without leader
-Floating characteritic can hinder certain sinking baits
MONO Characteristics
-Medium visiblity, less than braid, more than flouro
-High stretch
-Floats
-Not as abrasion resistant
-Easy casting
-Good applications
-High stretch helps keep small treble hooks pinned and allows fish to fully enhale bait
-Good for top waters at closer distance
-Lack of sensitivity and stretch can help with moving baits if you tend to set the hook to soon or too hard
-If you like using heavier powered rods per application additional stretch can help compensate, lowers over setup by a good
half power
-Bad Applications
-Applications requiring sensitivity such as bottom contact
-Applications where you don't want stretch, long casts, frogging, flipping with heavy hooks, etc
FLOURO Characterstics
-Lowest visiblity
-High abrasion resistance
-Sinks, which gives greater depth and slack line sensitivity
-Controlled stretch
-Very expensive to get easy casting versions such as Tatsu that still don't cast quite as easy as mono and braid
-Good applications
-Clear water, finesse
-Bottom contact, good slack line and in contact sensitivity
-Crankbaits, sinking helps get greater depth and controlled stretch keeps bass pinned with proper rod
-Single hook moving baits, spinnerbait, chatterbait, swim jig, etc. Controlled stretch allows solid hookset and absorbs surges
to keep fish pinned
Bad applications
-Topwater, sinking characteristic can hinder action of most topwater baits
-Heavy vegetation, strength and thinness of braid cuts through much better