Stupid Mono

[Tuckahoe Joe]

So I missed my first jig fish today as well as my first 'pitchin' fish.  I was fishing a part of the lake that I hadn't been to since I bought my baitcaster.  I see all these pocket in the grass along the shore and I think to myself, great place to try some flippin' and pitchin'.  I've practiced in my living room a bit but this was my first time actually doing it on the water.  So I tie on a jig and pitch it into this pocket.  This pitch was textbook.  Accuracy was dead on, practically splashless entry, at least it was really good for my first one.  Feeling really pleased with myself, I hop the jig once and the rod goes THUMP!  I've never felt a fish hit so hard.  So I set the hook and pretty much at the exact same time, I realize the fist has me all wrapped up in the weeds.  So I keep the pressure on him (not reeling, just keeping pressure) hoping maybe he'll free himself but after about 3 seconds I'm broke off and the fish does a jump for me just so I can see my jig hanging out of his mouth.  Needless to say I had a few choice words for Mr. Bass.  Anyway, the point of all this...

 

I have 2 setups.  Both medium power and I've been using 12lb mono on both.  Most recently it's been Spiderwire.  One's a spinning setup that I use for lighter weight cranks, spinnerbaits, and all my worm fishing.  The other is a baitcaster that I use for topwater, heavier spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, and jigs when I fish them.  Maybe for Christmas I'll get a dedicated jig rod but for now I'm just trying to make do with what I have.  I'm mainly concerned with the baitcaster setup.  I'm trying to find a line that would work (doesn't have to be ideal, just functional) for those 4 techniques.  Something that I'd be able to fish topwaters with, but then also have the strength to muscle jig fish out of heavy cover.  Do you think that going up to 15 or 17 pound mono would solve the problem?  I was also wondering about fluorocarbon.  Is it stronger than mono and would it work for the other techniques I listed?  I know most people will say braid for jigs/cover but then I'd most likely have to use a mono leader for topwater right?  I'd like to avoid using leaders if I can help it but I'm open to all opinions and suggestions.

[0119]

I use 12# mono for just about everything including jigs.  I find with jigs I need to set the hook very fast. The instant I feel the bite, I don't wait for them to get a chance to spit it out. Maybe before you change line you just need to get used to a jig bite?  I want a line that can do many things well. I don't go for technique specific crap.  Nice when your a pro on a rich mans boat but for Johnny Shorebound it don't fly.  I don't want that many outfits with me.  12# and sometimes 14# mono has fit the bill well.

[MCS]

I personally fish with mono a lot and have felt your pain on ocassion. Here is my opinion, option one, throw topwater on the spinning and ditch the mono and go braid or flouro(flouro sinks not good for topwater) on the baitcaster. Or option two braid with a mono leader when you fish topwater. Tying leaders is not that bad, I wasn't sure about it when I started using braid on my one setup. IMO tying a leader is alot easier than tying braid to lures. I would only tie braid straight to a jig personally. Last option is avoid it, there are places I would fish but I know I just don't have the right gear. It is better than breaking off losing a lure and having a fish swimming around with one hanging out of its mouth. If the weeds are that bad, I would go with at least 30# braid or more therefore why I wouldn't up to a higher rated mono.

[Crappiebasser]

15-17 lb mono should be fine. Flouro will kill your top water baits because it sinks. I would use braid with a leader, mono for top water, fluorocarbon for everything else but if you're dead set against the leader mono will work.

[HeavyDluxe]

Disclaimer:  I fish only mono.  And, like you, my jig rod is 12lb mono.

 

That being said, if your concern is ensuring you can more consistently get fish out of cover like that, I'm betting that braided mainline would be worth testing.  The strength-to-diameter ratio is excellent, after all.  

 

In clear water conditions, you would probably want to tie on a leader.  Most people here, for jig fish, would recommend fluoro because of its low visibility even at relatively thick diameters.

 

FWIW, I still think mono is pretty good for all-around use.  And I like the 'sport' of using it in applications where other lines (science!) might be better. 

 

Good luck!  The great thing about this sport/hobby is you can make of it what you want.

[WRB]

A few ?? What rod are you using? and what knot do you like to use?

You can't force a good size bass through heavy cover, give the bass controlled slack and it may swim out on it's own, it did when you broke it off! You need heavier line and rod to control bass in cover.

The problem with FC line is knot strength, about 20% less then equal diameter mono on average. Using FC with braid means tying 2 knots that can fail! If you decide to use FC, go up in strength from 12 lb to 15 lb. Your top water lures work good with 15 lb mono and that would give you better knot strength; about 25% (3 #) increase.

Tom

[JunkYard814]

I'd go 17lb mono. My dedicated spinnerbait rod is a 6'6" MH F (casting) rod lined with 17lb mono, but I also use this for a lot of top water, shallow cranking, and jig fishing. 

[WRB]

Have you looked at a copoly yet? Less stretch than mono and stronger. Yo-zuri and p-line are good lines to checkout. Can be used for any technique

Copolymer is a nylon mono line, Yo-Zuri hybrid is nylon with FC jacket co extruded. Knot strength of copolymers and hybrid are about equal. P-line CXX is a good abrasion resistant mono, the FluoroClear a good hybrid.

The simple solution is go up in line strength when fishing cover, however you need a rod that can handle and control the bass when casting into cover.....plan ahead before making the cast.

Tom

[Fishes in trees]

I wouldn't change anything.  What really happened here?  Answer - you lost a jig fish in the weeds. IMO, 12 lb mono is a little light to go fishing in weeds with, but lots of people do it.  Back in my youth, I did that a lot.  It is called fishing with what you got.  I would wait until you had a larger sample size before I made any major gear/line changes.

 

Option B - Buy a bunch of high dollar, technique specific tackle.  You are probably already in debt now, nearly everyone else is, myself included.  What are the chances that you will eat/sleep/act any different if you were somewhat further in debt?  Something to think about.

 

p.s. - should you choose option B, you are still going to lose jig fish in weeds on occasion.  Just glad to help.

[Under the Radar]

I have 2 setups.  Both medium power and I've been using 12lb mono on both.  Most recently it's been Spiderwire.  One's a spinning setup that I use for lighter weight cranks, spinnerbaits, and all my worm fishing.  The other is a baitcaster that I use for topwater, heavier spinnerbaits, lipless cranks, and jigs when I fish them.  Maybe for Christmas I'll get a dedicated jig rod but for now I'm just trying to make do with what I have.

 

I fish here in central FLA, We have several types of heavy cover, I can't imagine pitchin or flippin with a medium power rod. My heavy rod has 20# flouro on it and the Xheavy has 65# braid.

You obviously got a decent hookup, I would suggest that the problem is in the medium power rod and as said the 12 mono. With this outfit I might consider flipping to the outside edges of the cover, but not into it.

 

Just some random thoughts.

[CPBassFishing]

Switch to 17lb straight fluoro for jig fishing. You will be able to get fish out of cover.

Don't use braid with a leader if the leader is fluoro, your knot will break a lot. (Trust me on this one, broke off a 4lber and lost a $12 swimbait because I had a 17lb fluoro leader tied onto 50lb powerpro last week)

Just throw topwaters on a spinning rod with mono.

[ChrisAW]

Switch to 17lb straight fluoro for jig fishing. You will be able to get fish out of cover.

Don't use braid with a leader if the leader is fluoro, your knot will break a lot. (Trust me on this one, broke off a 4lber and lost a $12 swimbait because I had a 17lb fluoro leader tied onto 50lb powerpro last week)

Just throw topwaters on a spinning rod with mono.

 

Not ONCE have I had a break off with a flouro leader on braid, atleast when it comes to the connection knot. I've been using leaders on one of my local lakes for years, being that it is a VERY clear lake with little weeds and a lot of docks. My skipping rod is 30# braid with a 15# leader. If you do it right, you will not have a problem. I might retie a leader 4 or 5 times a day. If you retie a lure because you had a nick in the line, you should retie your leader too.

 

You lost a swimbait because you were using braid and flourocarbon for heavy swimbaits. Braid is zero stretch, if it digs in the reel on a cast with a 2oz lure, say goodbye to it. Flourocarbon cannot take the stress of beings stretched repeatedly by the bigger lures, and everyone knows flouro doesn't like friction. Pretty much all the big swimbait fisherman use heavy mono.

 

 

If I were to make a suggestion, you don't have to go all out on buying a new rod and reel for a heavy cover combo. An in-expensive rod like the Berkley Lighting rods in MH atleast, maybe a BPS Bionic BC(Metal frame reel) if you see one on sale, and some 30/40/50lb braid of your choice. You won't break off another one of those heavy cover fish very easily.

 

Your two mediums will play a good roll in most fishing, but they cannot handle heavy cover unless you want that factor of having to play the fish, to make things more interesting.

[dodgeguy]

50 lb suffix 832.i never .use leaders even with topwater. you set the hook and reel as fast as you can and get them out of the weeds.if you play easy  they will win.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

A few ?? What rod are you using? and what knot do you like to use?

You can't force a good size bass through heavy cover, give the bass controlled slack and it may swim out on it's own, it did when you broke it off! You need heavier line and rod to control bass in cover.

The problem with FC line is knot strength, about 20% less then equal diameter mono on average. Using FC with braid means tying 2 knots that can fail! If you decide to use FC, go up in strength from 12 lb to 15 lb. Your top water lures work good with 15 lb mono and that would give you better knot strength; about 25% (3 #) increase.

Tom

I'm just using an Abu Garcia BlackMax combo (my first and only baitcaster).  The rod just says Blackmax on it so I'm assuming it's just some kind of generic Abu rod.  The knot I'm using is the improved clinch knot.  I know how to tie a palomar but I'm not quite as comfortable with it as the improved clinch.

 

 

I wouldn't change anything.  What really happened here?  Answer - you lost a jig fish in the weeds. IMO, 12 lb mono is a little light to go fishing in weeds with, but lots of people do it.  Back in my youth, I did that a lot.  It is called fishing with what you got.  I would wait until you had a larger sample size before I made any major gear/line changes.

 

Option B - Buy a bunch of high dollar, technique specific tackle.  You are probably already in debt now, nearly everyone else is, myself included.  What are the chances that you will eat/sleep/act any different if you were somewhat further in debt?  Something to think about.

 

p.s. - should you choose option B, you are still going to lose jig fish in weeds on occasion.  Just glad to help.

That's exactly it.  Money's tight and I'm just trying to make do.

 

 

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I actually thought about this a lot today.  I think my best bet is to just hold off on fishing jigs (at least in the heavy cover) til I pick up a heavier rod.  Something like a medium heavy rod with 7-1 reel.  And if I'm gonna have a dedicated jig rod, I'll probably go with braid.  A few of you have suggested 50lb test.  Would there be any advantages or disadvantages to going even heavier?  Maybe say up to 80lb test or do you feel this isn't necessary?  Also would a combo like this be able to double as a frog rod for heavy lily pad situations?

[Sam]

Jig Rods - Look for a specific jig rod at your local tackle shop, in the BPS and Cabela's catalogs or on the Internet and read all about them to have an idea of the one you think you would like to purchase.

 

Jig Lines - Many use braid with a fluorocarbon leader. I use 65-pound braid tied directly to the jig. Personal preference. If you use a swimming jig or a light jig you may consider going with 100% fluorocarbon line. Line test is determined by the waters you fish and the probable size of the bass that you expect to hit your jig.

 

As a base, go with at least 12 pound test fluorocarbon line on baitcasters. Graduate up to 17 pound test when you decide you can work that line properly and it matches your fishing expectations.

 

Mono floats and has some stretch to it so you can consider using mono for topwaters and treble hook baits. Once again, personal preference.

 

Read as many articles as you can on the different lines available and continue to ask us for our input.

 

As we said in the Army, your first goal is to KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid, and not drive yourself nuts over your line. You will try many varieties and brands of line before deciding on the ones you like best. Just remember, the pros are always selling their line as the best that has ever been made so take what they say with a grain of salt.

 

Your second goal is to be the authority on fishing lines like we all try to be. So read, read and read some more about lines to obtain a good idea of the difference and which ones you want to give a try.

 

Also consider giving yourself a spooling station for Christmas. Helps spool the line on your reels easily. Both Berkley and BPS have them. Worth the investment.

 

Good luck.

[deep]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I actually thought about this a lot today.  I think my best bet is to just hold off on fishing jigs (at least in the heavy cover) til I pick up a heavier rod.  Something like a medium heavy rod with 7-1 reel.  And if I'm gonna have a dedicated jig rod, I'll probably go with braid.  A few of you have suggested 50lb test.  Would there be any advantages or disadvantages to going even heavier?  Maybe say up to 80lb test or do you feel this isn't necessary?  Also would a combo like this be able to double as a frog rod for heavy lily pad situations?

 

TJoe, you can try spooling some braid onto the reel. tie on a mono leader if you feel you need it, and see how that performs for your jigs. Braid will help you cut through the vegetation that the fish may wrap you into. In any case, I doubt it'll be any worse than the mono you currently have; for short line jig fishing- which is what you described.

 

50# should serve you well, depending on how thick the cover is.. I'm guessing it's not very thick if you fished a jig that was light enough to fish on a medium pwoer rod?

[Bankbeater]

Were you fishing from the bank or out of a boat?  I have 15# mono on the rig that I use for jigs right now.  When I am fishing off the bank and bringing a bass in, the last place I want that fish to go is into the weeds, IMO its worse than wood.  If you can get the fish through the weeds, you'll be pulling in extra weight from the weeds you're dragging in.  Those weeds you're pulling in will also make you lose contact with the fish.  It's just like a big bass jumping and throwing the bait.

[loudcherokee]

I dont think anyone has mentioned it, so I'm going to throw it out there.

I fished with Spiderwire mono for awhile. I've grown to hate it. I had way too many unexplained breaks, snaps, etc. It just seemed way to brittle.

I switched to Trilene XL to replace my spiderwire on the reels I keep mono on and haven't had any issues like this.

My suggestion if you're going to stick with mono, is to switch up brands.

LC

[Kevin22]

Spiderwire mono sucks.

Pick up a 7 foot MH fast rod and use 17# fluoro or copoly for fishing around weeds and cover

[s freud]

Worst advice I have ever read in this forum. Frustrated with losing fish? Amplify that by losing lures you bought with your light bill money. Debt is dumb, and i've had my share. Debt for a hobby is just plain stupid. No fish you can catch feels as good as being debt free with a little extra in the bank, or, dare say, money invested in the future. That way you can retire earlier and enjoy more time fishing while dude with the nicer gear ten years ago goes to work for a few more years. Sorry, end of rant.

If you fish a lot in weeds, make sure you tie your knots often. If you lose many fish to broken line, save up for braid.

Option B - Buy a bunch of high dollar, technique specific tackle. You are probably already in debt now, nearly everyone else is, myself included. What are the chances that you will eat/sleep/act any different if you were somewhat further in debt? Something to think about.

p.s. - should you choose option B, you are still going to lose jig fish in weeds on occasion. Just glad to help.

[Arv]

I've switched all my set ups to braid. Even my cranking set up. If you need to tie on a leader, go for it. I don't have to very often.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

TJoe, you can try spooling some braid onto the reel. tie on a mono leader if you feel you need it, and see how that performs for your jigs. Braid will help you cut through the vegetation that the fish may wrap you into. In any case, I doubt it'll be any worse than the mono you currently have; for short line jig fishing- which is what you described.

 

50# should serve you well, depending on how thick the cover is.. I'm guessing it's not very thick if you fished a jig that was light enough to fish on a medium pwoer rod?

I think that when I do get myself a jig rod, 50# braid is what I'm going to go with.  The jig was 1/4 oz. with a Berkley Pit Boss for a trailer.  As for the cover, it can be pretty thick in places but most of the spots I can hit from the bank aren't that bad.

 

Were you fishing from the bank or out of a boat?  I have 15# mono on the rig that I use for jigs right now.  When I am fishing off the bank and bringing a bass in, the last place I want that fish to go is into the weeds, IMO its worse than wood.  If you can get the fish through the weeds, you'll be pulling in extra weight from the weeds you're dragging in.  Those weeds you're pulling in will also make you lose contact with the fish.  It's just like a big bass jumping and throwing the bait.

Fishing from the bank.  In this case, off of a small floating platform where the park launches kayaks.  Not much room to move around to try and get a better position on the tangled fish.

 

I dont think anyone has mentioned it, so I'm going to throw it out there.

I fished with Spiderwire mono for awhile. I've grown to hate it. I had way too many unexplained breaks, snaps, etc. It just seemed way to brittle.

I switched to Trilene XL to replace my spiderwire on the reels I keep mono on and haven't had any issues like this.

My suggestion if you're going to stick with mono, is to switch up brands.

LC

I've actually been noticing this as well.  Actually, after I broke this fish off, I tied on another jig and on the first cast I got snagged and broke off again and I had barely pulled on it at all.  Seems like it frays really easy.  I've used Trilene in the past and liked it ok.  Definitely don't think I'll be buying Spiderwire Mono again.  But what about Spiderwire braid?  On the one hand, if their mono is like this, I'm wary about buying another one of their products.  But on the other hand, mono and braid are 2 very different things.

[MCS]

Joe if you want a really good mono Sufix Siege or Berkley Big Game are the two toughest IMO. I use sufix and it is great and my buddy likes the Big Game very much.

[J Francho]

I can't see you going wrong trying P-Line CXX in 12 or 15 lb. size.  You aren't going to break it easily, and it work fine with the applications you mentioned.

[indianabasshunter]

 

Stay away from Spiderwire braid. I broke off more than a few fish using it. I switched to Power Pro and haven't lost a fish due to broken line since and I target the thickest/nastiest cover you can find with jigs and frogs. I only fish one lake that demands the use of braid and when i have a tournament there i will rig up multiple reels with it. After the tournament I can take the braid back off and put it on the original spool. Been doing this for two years without an issue. You can't however do this with mono, at least I haven't found a way to do it.

 

Big Game mono has a pretty good reputation and is cheaper than most others.