Mono?

[BigAL]

I was wondering with all these nu skool lines out does anyone use mono anymore?

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I still use mono but that's mostly cuz I'm still pretty new to bass fishing and its just what I started out with.  When my tax money gets here I'm planning on buying my first baitcaster and spooling it with braid and if I like it, Ill probably spool my spinning outfit with braid as well.

[Jigfishn10]

I switched to copolymers from mono a couple of years agao. I like PLine C21 and CXX. I got in the free spool of Tuf-Line Supercast recently (just pay shipping), and will be using/trying that next month.

[flipin4bass]

I use braid for the soft boddied frogs, but mono is still my line of choice for all other top water baits.

[Oldplug]

I use mono. The cheap Pro Bass brand at that. I fish almost everyday 9 months a year. It is about as good as anything else. Only difference is I like 8 lb fire line on my light crappie rod. But it s not my favorite by any means. Mono shows you signs if wear. I have a habit of running my fingers down my line frequently feeling for the tell tale nic etc. With fire line and braid you cannot feel wear most of the time. In over 60 years I cannot say for certain I have ever had a instance of mono line failure due to the lines material construction. I have had large fish like catfish chew up a line and get off. But they can chew up any line. I have caught 48 lb blue Catfish on 10lb test mono. I am not a regular catfish fisherman but there are certain situations that larger catfish fall sucker to a spoon and I do dearly love to try and catch them on light light tackle at those times. Most line breakage is from wear and knot failure. All the rest of this stuff about line I think is mostly malarkey.

I have only been on this forum a short time but I cannot believe all the money being spent on alleged superior tackle.

[BigAL]

I hear u im only 45 but I still use old skool baits also I totally agree with everything u said,there is alot of great marketing going on which is fine u got the money go for it, i had an old timer i use to fish with that made his worms from old tore up tires when he was a kid,btw i also use that bps line n never had a problem with it n have caught plenty of fish on it.

[BrettD]

I have found braid is cheaper then mono in the long run. The biggest complaint I have with mono is line stretch if it had no stretch I would still use it.

[.RM.]

100% mono user 33 yrs.  

[Blues19]

I've used braid and ive used floro, but most of the time I prefer Mono. I have braid on one reel, for Frog fishing. Everything else is mono, or Yo Zuri Hybrid. Bass Pro Excel and Trilene Big Game get alot of use by me

[MCS]

I use mono almost 100% of the time. No complaints here.

[MarkH024]

I use mono for topwaters withe trebles. Braid on all froggin setups.

I've recently tried Trilene Armor Coated for jerkbait fishing and it perfomed very well. Im not a big mono guy but that stuff felt really nice. It was 8# in case anyone is wondering.

[0119]

Only use braid on spinners and I hate using spinners so its about 99% mono.  I dont notice stretch except when Im fighting a fish and then it helps to keep the trebles in their mouth.  Why use a line that requires a leader and extra knots. Why use a line that requires a special tool to cut it. 

[The Next KVD]

I still like to use mono for a few situations:

 

1. Cold weather- fluorocarbon just gets too stiff in the cold to handle decently.

2. Jerkbaits -  like the stretch mono has to help keep fish hooked up.

3. Topwater baits - mono floats so this is an obvious choice

4. Flippin/Pitching into trees and brush- I keep two flipping rods with 25lb Trilene Big Game just because I have seen times where braid rubbing against the branches can spook fish at times. I have yet to try fluorocarbon for this application mainly because I still got about 900 yards of Big Game to use up.  My other flipping rods are spooled with braid.

[The Next KVD]

Only use braid on spinners and I hate using spinners so its about 99% mono.  I dont notice stretch except when Im fighting a fish and then it helps to keep the trebles in their mouth.  Why use a line that requires a leader and extra knots. Why use a line that requires a special tool to cut it. 

Never knew braid needed a special tool to cut... My pair of scissors from wallyworld seems to cut through it just fine.

[flyfisher]

I used mono for around a month when I got back into fishing a few years ago and then switched to braid and never looked back.

You also don't have to use a leader, I rarely do unless water is super clear and catch plenty of fish. I also think braid is cheaper in the long run, I have one rod that has braid that is 3 years old and is doing just fine where if I was using mono I would have probably respooled 15 times by now.

And as far as technology goes yeah you can drive to work in a smart car just fine but a corvette is so much more fun

[aavery2]

Get in where you fit in.    There is a line and price point for everyone, use what you are comfortable with, but don't hate on the other guy because he uses something different.

[WRB]

Mono means one or single filament; monofilament. Nylon a polymer that is extruded into a single filament line has become ther Oldschool term for mono. Copolymer is a blend of 2 more polymers or co extruded with 2 polymers; inner core polymer and outer jacket polymer, sometimes called a hybrid when Nylon has a fluorocarbon jacket. Gets confusing because fluorocarbon is simply a polymer like Nylon therefore is also a monofilament line like all the other single filament line; FC, copolymer, Nylon and hybrid.

The advantage of mono line (Nylon) is the fact it has been produced for over 60 years and is a fine tuned process and very consistant, good casting, good knot strength and lower price. What some angler don't like is mono floats on top of the water, like braid does.

The advantage of FC or fluorocarbon line is lower refraction of light reflection, better UV protection, wider temperature range, less coeffient of drag in water and slightly less stretch under pulling force.

Abrasion resistance between mono and FC is equal, however some copolymer mono line has better abrasion resistance.

Down side of FC line is knot strength compared to equal diameters of mono line. FC is water proof, does not absorb water, mono does, so FC line needs to have added lubricant to aid in casting and knot tying.

Braided line has been around for over 100 years and has changed as new yarns has become available.

Today's (super) braids use high strength mircdema fibers like Spectra to make very small diameter high strength fishing line. Today's braid has Teflon lubricant added to prevent the fibers from cutting through reel parts and rod line guides because the yarn is very abrasive. Super braid is very strong compared by diameter to mono or FC line. It's very small diameter is difficult to handle on some reels, so angler use braid by diameters equal to the mono or FC line the reels are designed to cast; 65 lb test braid is about equal to 15 lb mono for example.

I rarely bass fish with braided line, don't need to in clear deep structured lakes. I do fish with both mono copolymer line for everything except bottom contact lures, then I use FC line because of the lower water drag allows me to feel the lure better.

Tom

[HeavyDluxe]

I fished mono exclusively on my only two combos last year (UL/M and M/F spinning).  This year, I'm adding a MH/F spinning combo also spooled with heavier mono.

 

I find mono to be a  good 'jack of all trades'... It works for me because:

1. I fish a lot of very clear water, and so the visibility of braid makes me squirm.
2. I can't tie leaders for a darn (though I'm going to work on learning), so I would just be tying onto my mainline.
3. I fish spinning gear exclusively, and so I'm frightened a bit by potential handling issues (and price) re: fluorocarbon.
4. I've never had problems with feeling a bit or setting the hook with any amount of line out.
5. It's comfortable... grew up fishing it and it feels like home to me.

I did experiment with braid last year, but that experiment went poorly.  I will try again, though, just give braid a fair shot.  I'm working on jig fishing as a technique this year, so I figure I'll start the year with mono and then switch to braid.  The difference there ought to be really clear/definitive.

[TNBassin']

I used to use mono, but have since switched over to Yo Zuri Hybrid which is a co polymer. Love that stuff.

[backcast88]

I use mono for my jerbait/squarebill/lipless/shallow crank and deep diving crank setups. 

 

I used 12 lb Trilene XL for a long time and recently switched to 12 lb Sunline Super Natural Mono and prefer it in every aspect.  Very thin diameter, very soft and handles great, good abrasion resistance (so far), and feels to have slightly better sensitivity. 

[iceintheveins]

I use almost exclusively mono still because it's so much more versatile than braid or fluoro. For hard jerkbaits braid is much better because you get better action, and of course for hollow bodied frogs braid is key, as well as very thick vegetation for punching. Orginal stren is great stuff. 

[Nick49]

I use Trilene XL for crankbait fishing, but braided and P-Line for everything else.  I am not a fluorocarbon fan, except for leaders with some of my braid setups.

[Deleted account]

I fish 12 lb Big Game 90% of the time (10 and 15 too). I use heavy braid for frogs, I don't use flouro, I don't have time to worry about knots and hate retying all the time, but to each his own.

[new2BC4bass]

Grew up using mono and it is still on the vast majority of my reels today.  I have braid on my frog rod, and on my STX-L that goes to Florida with me every year.  Have 10# 832 on my panfish spinning outfit.  Am trying fluorocarbon on one b/c reel.  Three of the used reels I bought came with braid on them.  For sure the Zillion PE will continue to have braid on it although I will be replacing the old braid that came on it with some 20# Tuf-Line SuperCast.  The other 2 b/c reels that came with braid will probably get mono when it becomes necessary to put new line on them although I am considering fluorocarbon on one because it will be used mainly for crankbaits.  However, it would be 8# line, and I don't like what I read about fluorocarbon knot strength....or should I say lack of knot strength with fluorocarbon lines?

 

BTW, I have fished mono that was a lot older than 3 years old with no problem.  My biggest fish (a 35# carp) was caught on 8# mono that was several years old.  I keep a lookout for bad spots and retie as necessary.  No doubt I should have replaced my line sooner in the old days when it got kind of low, but didn't know better in those days. 

 

Mainly I use 12# mono on my MH rods, and 8# mono on my Medium rods.  Will be putting 6# mono on a b/c reel that will be used for finesse fishing.  Each kind of line has it pluses and minuses.  Price is a definite plus of mono plus it works well for me.  I could make a mortgage payment with what it would cost me to switch all my reels to braid or fluorocarbon. 

[A-Jay]

I just spent a week on Lake Baccarac in Mexico.  The guides recommended and use 17-20 mono line as the rock and wood cover there is brutally abrasive.

 

I have been a braid/mono leader user for the last several years.  While there I used 20lb Maxima and Big Game exclusively.

 

Both handled very nicely and did there part to land some of the biggest bass I've ever caught. 

 

I'll admit that I am rethinking my line choice after this experience. 

 

A-Jay