Fishing with Braid

How many of you fish with braid? Do you use a leader of mono or fluorocarbon? I fish clear water now. I found it doesn't matter in stained water. What is your thoughts?

i use 10lb test spiderwire. No leader what so ever in any and all water conditions and catch ton of Crappie

I can't stand anything about braid. Crappie aren't line shy from my experience. I use high vis mono 99% of the time and have no problems catching them.

I've got one reel spooled with braid. I've been trying it for a couple months now. I've tried it with a mono leader and tied straight to the jig. I've not really seen a difference in the bite with either set up. When tied straight to the jig you have a lot higher percentage of getting your jig back when hung up. As for sensitivity, I'm sure braid is more sensitive just from the properties of having little to no stretch but once again I cannot tell the difference. It could just be my old hands. Just my opinion, a good hi-vis mono is hard to beat but I enjoy experimenting with other ways of feeling the thump.

10/12 pound straight braid (I like black) covers 80% of my fishing needs, seldom have to stop and re- tie, can horse the fish without concern, no need for a net, fish really heavy cover with aplomb...sensitivity, hookset is superior to other options...clear water is a problem for Braid on pressured crappie...hope this info helps...

Braid on all my reels and occasional mono leader or straight braid.

I started using 10 lb braid a couple years ago. I like the sensitivity as you can feel a crappie breath on your bait. I use a tangerine colored line, but the water that I normally fish is always stained and never had any issue with the fish shying away from it. It does take some practice setting the hook as there is no stretch in the line and one can set the hook too hard.

Braid with fluorocarbon leader on all my rods except dock shooters and jig and cork. I've been practicing shooting jigs w/Power Pro Slick...seems to work ok.

It is well known why you don't net fish.

Braid sucks. 4 lb mr crappie on the main lake no leader, when fishing cleared water, add a 4 lb fluoro leader.

I fish with Brad. Oh, sorry I miss read you said braid. I keep a couple of reels with braid, and use them once in a while. Most of the time I fish with Hi-Vis yellow.

I wondered what the site picture is on clear water. I have never used it and don't know anyone that uses it for crappie. I will try the straight tie of braid and then the combo of the braid and fluorocarbon combo. I will fish then exactly the same and see what happens. If all else I am on the water and not doing honey-dues.

I fish 20-pound braid (6-pound diameter) on all my vertical fishing rods, and my jig/bobber rod. Only thing left with mono on it are my dock shooters (4-pound) and my slip cork rod (8-pound).

I do not use a leader...just straight braid...and catch fish in all water types all over the country

I'll be at Bass Pro Garland again this Friday at 7pm and Saturday at 11am and 2pm. Come on out if you can. I have a section where we talk about braids for crappie fishing.

10 lb hi vis braid and no leader for me.

Six of my reels have mono. Some came that way and I am too lazy to switch to braid. I put black braid on two others and I like it a lot. But catch-wise, I have noticed no difference.

Man, if you are lazy, you are gonna LOVE Braid, only have to change it out about every 5 years or so...if it gets frayed just cut a piece off...want some new line, but don’t have time/money for a spool..tie on a two ounce sinker and cast it across the yard, pull all the remaining line off the spool and take it loose...then go to the sinker, cut off the sinker and ten foot of line...then spool it up backwards, and you got got a new spool of Braid....that will last another couple years! Cheapest, strongest, and most sensitive stuff on the market, despite the high price point.

I have seen lakes/times where a leader seems to get bit better than straight Braid..when it happens to me, I will add a mono leader...Cypress Springs was one such lake...but, otherwise it is not worth my time effort of messing with the leader issues/problems.

I use braid almost exclusively but encounter problems with longer casting situations. (almost never when crappie fishin). Almost always get my jig back when snagging brush.

power pro slick 20 lb hi vis yellow and a #12 swivel and 10" leader of 12 lb mono...great combo.iv got it on 8 reels use it for 1 year then reverse it onto another real for another year!!! and i fish about 7 days a week.

All I use is braid. The reasons are obvious.

15 lb. Power Pro Super Slick Hi Vis Yellow for me. Can't stand the spool memory of Mr. Crappie line. Tie direct to jig. Hardly ever lose a jig. Stopped using a leader as I couldn't tell any difference at Bardwell.

I love Braid! 15lb spider Invisabraid, BONEHEAD CHARTREUSE OR ORANGE. VERTICAL JIGGING, CASTING ETC I LOVE BRAID!

I don’t have problems catching with Braid or mono either...I just have problems spending a lot of time re-tying lost jigs or respooling my reels, when I use something other than Braid...small jig eyes, not so good personal eyes, and hands that aren’t quite as accurate as they used to be, make it very easy to use Braid, from a personal perspective. What is impressive is the advancements of Braid over the last ten years...it has gone from being like the old braid listed below, to something that has all the traditional benefits of Braid, with few of the traditional deficiencies of either Braid OR mono.

I started using Braid when it was new to the fishing world...well, not really, but the first time I used Braid was on a cane pole when I was six years old...I got hung up and broke that cane pole...dang minner did it to me...that was my story, anyway...really, that vintage braid must have been 185 lb test, was course, rough, hard to tie, etc., but tough as nails...I even fashioned a makeshift belt out of it at times...moreover, was the only choice offered to me by my elders, seems I was kind of expensive regarding lost tackle...which is another reason I got a cane pole!! I started using mono on my tenth birthday (got some for my birthday) and liked it...better than Braid, I mused all the time...

Fast forward 20years, I saw some spider wire on the shelf, and thought hmmm, I can catfish with small equipment with this stuff...after catching and breaking off several large catfish with Braid at the hook tie, I put it aside...until I read an article about knots that work well with Braid...so out came the Braid, different knot, no problem! Brought in a 33 lb blue after he cornered a stump and stripped off another 30 yards line plus the slack he created, on that shimano1500 spinning reel/ugly stick lite setup...sometime thereafter I hung up my Bass/catfish/offshore/inshore rigs for the oftentimes maddening challenge of crappie fishing (because of my wife)...at some point I tried Braid for crappie and hated it...that lighter test stuff, was flimsy, rough, cut rod eyes, wouldn’t cast, couldn’t thread it through slip corks, knotted up in the wind, was impossible to untangle...but man, you could fish with confidence in the heaviest tangles imaginable, no longer needed a net, didn’t lose much equipment, or have to retire every half a dozen fish, or constantly check your line for frays...absolute freedom, IMO, as it took a lot of the ancillary work out of fishing for me...

Then came Josh, sending me a bunch of mono to test out (cause I hated mono?) for some unknown reason....after hating performing that set testing procedures, but muddling through it and then giving him some harsh feedback, even by my own standards, he thanked me for my honesty then promptly sent me some braid and asked me to try it versus what I currently used...that was easy...after several more harsh critiques, and receipt of new prototypes, man I was liking that 12 lb Braid he produced over anything on the market...then all of a sudden, here comes some new offerings on the market that were just as good (better perhaps?)...I still prefer the 12, black that Josh produces, but it is hard to get at times, though I continue to use it...but, almost any braid produced today is far superior to that stuff produced ten years ago, so much so, that all you really have to do, is find a line strength you want (ie., 10 lb) and pick whatever brand is available in that line weight...and it will serve your needs, regardless of brand...I remain partial to a few brands (Bonehead, Suffix, and Power Pro), but recently spooled up some Spiderwire just because it’s been a while.

Typically, I will spool up new line every 18 months (I got gobs of it, so why not?), but really, there is no need to, because the stuff doesn’t “rot” like mono or some of the copolymers tend to do. Obviously, Some rods I have respooled much more often during that testing phase (weekly) with Josh...but some rods I use haven’t been respooled in several years, possibly longer. A couple of the guys talk about daily fishing and respooling every year...sounds accurate to me...consider this...a mono fisherman fishing daily, would likely respool at least once a month, assuming they are catching daily, because of abrasion damage, sunlight degradation, lost line from hangups and stretch related deformity and we can’t forget about the new scourge, zebra mussels. So, ultimately, you pay more for Braid, but the ultimate cost could be ten times less than mono? Sounds cheap to me and I can catch fish with confidence, that my line will not let me down...I’m good with that...do I use mono, Yes, but that is another discussion entirely.

Straight braid for me. Catch lots of fish. Can feel bite better. I use high vis yellow line and I order it off of eBay. I can get 2000 meters for about 30 bucks. Comes straight from Hong Kong. I know, I know I should buy American but I’m on a budget and I love the line and the price.

I use braid most of the time. I may get a few more strikes with a leader but not enough to mess with most times except when fishing with Guy. (I like to beat up on him when possible) (we usually break even but can't take any chances)

I fish 10lb Nanofil or Fireline on my bridge fishing and deep timber rigs. I can feel the bite much better and I typically get my jig back when it gets hung. I use litewire hooks so a steady pull is enough to straighten the hook. I use mono for my shallow water rigs.

Power Pro Super Slick is the best Braided lineI have ever used and I have tried most of them. The 20 lb line is the same diameter as 6 lb mono. It casts great with no memory or stretch. Put about four or five feet of 8 lb Fluorocarbon on it for a leader and you are set. You won't pollute the lake with that four and 6 pound stuff either.

Fish the Braid for a few days, then go back to Mono or straight Fluorocarbon and you will swear that you're fishing with a giant rubber band. JMHO

Braid is all use.It will get the job done.

Hahahahaha Dutch you ole dog! You stated the exact thought I have, every time I go back to using mono...and I get sooooo tired of breaking off, retying due to abrasion, etc., and that dang memory...hey, I found some mono that is pretty good, so far...and I have made a point to fish it hard as I do Braid....that said, I have lost some jigs, but it is low memory, with good manners, and sorta sensitive (not by Braid standards), and hasn’t rotted on me...now, I have NO plans to fish the heavy stuff with it, but for many uses it seems ok.

Hey, I thought Hogon did a fantastic job on Mrs. Dutch’s birthday writeup!

I missed that. I can't seem to find that post.

Haha he hid it from you...may have Been in the open fresh water discussion, if you didn’t find it in the crappie section...you know he WILL slip one by you occasionally....

I kicked up to the top For you Dutch...enjoy...

I like YGK G-soul braid line

It's very thin with much smaller diameter comparing to other brands.

I use 10# Power Pro Super Slick with a 10# fluoro leader. In fact, come dock shooting time, I will try SS on my shooter. I like it, and that's my story....and yes, Ernest and I (after 20 years of fishing together) have only two fish separating out total counts (and that's a wild guess), and guess who's ahead

UHH Hmmm...Ernest?

I am going to fish my braid that is either Fireline 6lb or 8lb with a 4lb to 6lb fluorocarbon leader. We will see how it works out in the super clear lake that I am fishing now.

Out of curiosity, what lake are you fishing?

I use nothing but Power Pro braid, from 12# to 60 for bass fishing. I do use fluorocarbon leader when fishing clearer water. NEVER EVER had an issue with braid, unless you can't throw without backlashing!

Canyon Lake. It is really clear. You can see about 8ft.

I found that using a leader helps with casting. I was having problems with the braid wrapping around the tip way too often. Having 6-10' of mono/flouro/co-poly helps. Using a FG Knot, I don't have problems breaking off lures.

I usually use 20LB YGK G-soul (thin as 4LB regular-brand braid) and 4/6LB leader. If I stuck on the bottom or branch, I can still retrieve the main line back and it doesn't ruin your fishing honey hole.

I guess I have never seen any of this Braid, who stocks it?

Second the leader. I use 15 lb braid and just started using 18 lb Gliss Monotex in yellow. So far it is super smooth and excellent visibility for jigging. It also has no problems with loop tips and can be found for $15 for 150 yard spool. This will fill three reels using a mono backing.
I use Vicious 8 lb flourocarbon leader tied with a surgeons knot with 6 loops and never had a problem with it.

I have to ask. If a chain is only as strong as the weakest link, why use braid at all? A 10 lb fluorocarbon leader will break before 20 lb braid so why not just use all 10 lb fluorocarbon? I’m sure there’s a benefit to this rigging so just need some help understanding. TIA!

https://www.amazon.com/YGK-Yoz-ami-Upgra...s=ygk+g+soul+x8

Sensitivity of braid. Flourocarbon less visible. Cheaper leader will break first with less line loss. Yellow braid line visibility.

Ahhh, it’s the sensitivity. Got it. Thanks.

I really like the sensitivity of the braid. I feel the bite/nibble much better

ditto

Same Here

Mhmm, good rods and braid!

I use 5lb K9 Crappie braid. Hi Vis. It's good stuff and yes the sensitivity is much better than mono or flouro. I use it without a leader.