Mono Line Tactics For Topwater Baits

[ChrisD46]

I am interested to know which brand mono AND line size you use for the two top water tactics below :

1 . Chuggers & Poppers : There are those with more experience than me who suggest week end anglers do not use heavy enough monofilament line for this category . A heavier 15lb. to 20lb. mono line will float higher thus better for chuggers and poppers ...Your thoughts and experiences ?

 

2 . Walk-The-Dog Baits : For Spooks , Sammys , etc. it appears many may use a slightly lighter pound test mono (10lb. to 14lb.) for walk-the-dog type baits as they want the line to have the right characteristics when  snapping their wrist  to work the bait (especially important for throwing the rod tip BACK at the bait to get it to kick off to one side) . So it appears mono line size and choice is possibly more critical in the category of walk-the-dog type baits ...Your thoughts and experiences ? 

 

I mostly fish clear water reservoir lakes so  line visibility comes into play (why I primarily skipped the possibility of braid - not sure it would be a good choice even in stained water for above top water techniques) . Lastly - I would also be curious if memory is a chief concern when working above type top water baits with a bait caster (i.e. is low memory mono line an advantage here or if it doesn't matter ) ?

 

[MarkH024]

For both applications, 12-15lb should be just fine.  I use braid on 95% of my fishing, topwater included and rarely ever with a leader.

 

I wouldn't be overly concerned with line visibility on moving baits.  You  hear guys catching fish with A-rigs with wires right? And flipping 65# braid bottom hopping in a fishes face for 20-30 seconds at a time.  Get the line that makes the bait work, don't worry about the fish being scared by it, it's not happening.  My $.02

[BassinLou]

I use the Suffix mono at 12# for those applications. For me its mainly for Spooks or flukes. Poppers I have not used in years. 

[A-Jay]

First off Welcome to BR ~ !

 

For an excellent monofilament line - Try Maxima Ultragreen.

 

A-Jay

[ChrisD46]

Thanks for the welcome A-Jay and thank you all for the replies !

Long time lurker here and wondered why I had not joined earlier .

 

At this time I am going to experiment with a few monos in the 12lb. to 15lb. range - mainly Berkley Big Game , Stren , Sufix Elite and perhaps Sunline Super natuaral in 14lb. to 17lb. range . I have heard good things of Maxima but have not seen it local in my area (if my wife sees another box show up from BPS , another site , TW , etc. she threatens to file for divorce !)

 

The braid option is something I will investigate further once I do a bit more research with mono lines ...

[A-Jay]

Here’s a few things to think about regarding line selection when fishing top water.

 

For me – there are situations and times when I’ll use Mono, times for Braid and times for Braid & a leader.  First off, I believe that top water baits react and respond quite differently on mono vs braid.  The characteristics of mono, seems to work both chugger / popper and walking / spook type baits better; something about the stretch in the line.  However, I can usually duplicate a very similar and equally effective lure action when using braid (and Braid & leader) by going to a softer (usually medium) action rod.

 

Given the clear water conditions you’ve described, long bomb cast may help you get more bites.  This is where braid could help.   Super Long distance hooks sets with mono are often times a 50 – 50 proposition at best.  Braid is the line of choice for most frog fishing enthusiasts so we know it has a place here.   I fish some clear water myself and for my top water applications for both brown and green bass, I prefer braid and a mono leader; with leader lengths somewhere between 5 – 10 feet.  This works for me. 

 

The one top water fishing application that I do use mono is when target casting (usually shorter distances) in and around very abrasive cover like rocks or trees.  These usually spell trouble for even the heaviest braid, especially when you’re on better than average or super charged Bass.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[Raul]

I´ve been fishing with Big Game for decades.

[cajunpapi]

12# or 15# green big game can't go wrong.

[papajoe222]

My two favorite top water hard baits are a Spook and a ChugBug.  I also fish some gin clear lakes and strip pits.  For years I never fished any mono heavier than 10lb. and rarely lost a fish.  The last decade or so I've switched to heavier (12&17lb.) mono and have found I can work the baits almost as well, but I haven't lost a fish and landed my PB with the heavier line.  There is a difference in lure action though, as the larger diameter line does have more drag coming through the water.  The big reasons I switched were a better hook-set on long casts and the better abrasion resistance of the heavier line.  I haven't noticed much of a difference in numbers of fish, but I believe I'm missing fewer.

[Mike2841]

The only reel that doesn't have braid on it has p line cxx 12lb. I use it primarily for topwater. I don't love it but I don't hate it. It has some give, which I like, but it's not very stretchy like some other lines. The only thing I don't like is that it does get noticeable memory, but I don't use other mono/copoly lines enough to say if it's better or worse than your average line.

[Deleted account]

poppers 12 or 15, spooks and the like 15-20. Big Game for all.

[roadwarrior]

Sunline Super Natural #12