I usually fish the bays with 12 pound mono with a leader of 25 pound mono and I have caught quite a few nice trout this winter up to 27" but had two good fish break my line after a good fight
cause they got in the oysters wasn't my skill level as my drag was working fine and was tiring the fish out you will only lose a trophy fish because its a little smarter and stronger than the average fish for that reason alone I'm going to try some powerpro next time I put new line on.

That's fine and dandy, but I'd rather listen to people who make their living off of manufacturing the line. I mean, having a company spend thousands of hours and dollars testing and retesting their product and making improvements can't really be as intensive as your, what, maybe 300 hours spent testing the product? C'mon now. Once again, making comments like that get this discussion nowhere.

I have no problem with people using braid or mono, or whatever choices that are in between. It's actually pretty good to hear that some of this discussion may lead to people trying something they have not tried before. That means that the intention of this thread and website has not been lost in the middle of all this.

JP, it's good to hear that you will try braid, and hopefully, enjoy using it. It definitely is useful in many fishing applications, and hopefully, you will find it to be a great product.

Peter, it's a bit strange reading your post, but your experiences serve to illuminate one of my concerns. You state that rod breakage is not a factor for you, but then state that you have snapped the eyes from your rod. Personally, I consider the guides to be a part of the rod. Just as the reel seat and rod handle are necessary for optimum function, the guides are also integral to the equation as well. High stress like that typically occurs when you put more stress upon the rod or its components than it is designed to handle. Braid facilitates this by its higher tensile break strength, unless you use a comparable test for your rod.

Man,we've come a long way since Cat-GUT....hehe

I got a solution where everyone wins...use 10lb braid (I prefer cortland masterbraid) and add a three foot fifteen to twenty pound flourocarbon leader...you get the small diameter of the braid and the strength..plus the stretch and invisibility with the flourocarbon leader...use a uni to uni to tie it together.

300 hours? You have no clue what you're talking about. Keep on giving your comical advice based on your vast website research and dubious claims of catching Jacks on 6# mono. I need a good laugh. I'm done with this.

All I know, if you'd been with me this weekend, you'd be changing your line....

Every red was in knee deep water, in scattered shell pods and grass. Every single fish was jacked up on red bull, they'd go 10 feet to bust a lure, then turn on the jets sideways, into every shell they could find. I had two very good fishermen with me, and after five break offs, enough was indeed enough.

They both respooled and that was that. Keep preaching all you want, just don't get mad if it doesn't work.

Lets beat this Dog some more.Jeez.

Alright, guess I overestimated your time on the water. I'll go down to 200 then... You obviously have very little clue about anything concerning this topic.

My apologies, Dog...

this thread is awesome...

anyways, for inshore i have my 2500 stradic rigged with 30 suffix braid, and for surf i have my 4000 stradic rigged with 30 suffix; all on a medium action castaway 7'6" rod. i can't turn the big ones like a heavier action rod, but it gets the job done. no break offs in oyster. the 2500 stradic is my go to rig bouncing arti's in carlos bay (talk about shell). like mentioned before, if the top water bite is on and my casting rig is in the boat, i'll uni/uni a floro leader and have at it.


when i use mono, which is only on casting rigs, its 12# or 15# p-line for all my inshore fishing. surf calls for my ambassadeur 6500 with 20# mono, have yet to spool with braid.

just get out there and fish.

Whatever, you're a weekend warrior from Dallas trying to be a saltwater guru and failing miserably. There is a great thread on braid on the 2cool site, I suggest you read it. You will learn something from people who are on the water almost every day, not somebody regurgitating stuff they read on websites. Your credibilty will go up if you get some personal experience with stuff you are giving advice and opinions on.

Daaannng! You girls really should stop arguing and just go fishing! LOL!

So I am more confused than before after reading this?!? I was hoping to gain some knowledge so I could try something new. I use 20lb mono with 40lb mono leader in the surf and do just fine. I was thinking of paying the money to put braid on but seems I should just stick with what I use.

If I do go to braid should I use mono or fluorocarbon leader?

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just don't take advice from someone who has never used braid, but thinks he's an expert on it because he read a website.

It's all just tools in your box. Is there purpose for both lines? Absolutely yes. I only throw brain on my spinning rods, it lays better and works better with a jig head and plastic.

I use mono on my casting rods, I like the way it casts better, and the way it works on a top water or hard bait.

Would I *ever* use 6 lb anything? Not likely, I guess I'm just too greedy, I want to catch as many as I can.

Try it all, it's just line, you'll get your own system down that works best for you, wherever you go.

nicely said mr. goff