Can You Finesse Fish With Braided Line?

[Weld's Largemouth]

I know that finesse fishing usually involves light, line, usually monofilament or fluro. But if your finesse fishing in heavy cover, sticks or structure, you may want the extra strength of braid. Is it still finesse to use braid or does the braid kill the effect of finesse fishing?

[Cgrinder]

Yep. My ML spinning rod has 10lb braid on it.

[Jeff H]

You certainly can use braid.  I sometimes use 10/4 Fireline  when I have to fish near heavy weeds just because it cuts through the weeds like a razor.  

[jtesch]

18# Samurai with a 8-10# fluoro leader

[aavery2]

All of my spinning reels have 10-20lb braid with a 6-8lb FC leader.

[Bluebasser86]

I switched my shakyhead rod to 10lb/2lb diameter PP super slick this year and love it so far. I use a short leader of 10lb Sunline fluoro.

[SirSnookalot]

I fish nothing but braid and spinning with any lure of my choosing for anything that has fins.  Finesse and power are cockandbull terms, put a lure on and work it the way it should be worked, nothing more to it.

[Rivers Edge]

Suffix 832 /w fluoro leader.

[Fishes in trees]

I think that finesse fishing is more about the attitude than about gear.  It had to do with how you approach any particular fishing situation.  Some bait and techniques  lend themselves more to a finesse approach than others.

 

For instance, throwing a half ounce jig/pork combo into a brush pile bouncing it once or twice, moving on is a classic power approach.  Take that same combo, throw it into the same brush pile, let it sit more than a moment or two, gradually work it through the brush pile.  Than becomes a more fines approach.  Take the same brush pile, similar gear, except you're using something that will throw a 3/16 slider head and a 4" paddle tail worm, maybe 10 lb abrazx or some line like that.  This is more of a finesse approach.  To me, if you're moving the bait pretty quickly it becomes more of a power approach.

 

A common approach down at Table Rock - throw a 3/4 oz football head  jig and slowly and carefully drag it down a drop off.   To me that is a finesse approach.  You pretty much got to use 17 or 20 lb line, minimum or you will snap off your jig on the cast every other throw or so.  Lots of guys use a braid/fluorocarbon leader for this technique - pound test mainly involves each individual fisherman's judgement.

 

You can make the same analogy with heavier or lighter braid as you can with fluorocarbon lines.  So the easy answer  to you question is - maybe - to me it depends more on the presentation attitude rather than the gear.

[Raul]

I think that finesse fishing is more about the attitude than about gear.  It had to do with how you approach any particular fishing situation.  Some bait and techniques  lend themselves more to a finesse approach than others.

 

For instance, throwing a half ounce jig/pork combo into a brush pile bouncing it once or twice, moving on is a classic power approach.  Take that same combo, throw it into the same brush pile, let it sit more than a moment or two, gradually work it through the brush pile.  Than becomes a more fines approach.  Take the same brush pile, similar gear, except you're using something that will throw a 3/16 slider head and a 4" paddle tail worm, maybe 10 lb abrazx or some line like that.  This is more of a finesse approach.  To me, if you're moving the bait pretty quickly it becomes more of a power approach.

 

A common approach down at Table Rock - throw a 3/4 oz football head  jig and slowly and carefully drag it down a drop off.   To me that is a finesse approach.  You pretty much got to use 17 or 20 lb line, minimum or you will snap off your jig on the cast every other throw or so.  Lots of guys use a braid/fluorocarbon leader for this technique - pound test mainly involves each individual fisherman's judgement.

 

You can make the same analogy with heavier or lighter braid as you can with fluorocarbon lines.  So the easy answer  to you question is - maybe - to me it depends more on the presentation attitude rather than the gear.

 

Man you know that "finesse" means fishing with itsy bitsy teeny tiny lures, hair thin line and a noodle for rod.    C´mon ! ( where the hell is the rolleyes smiley ? )

[gramps50]

I use braid on all my spinning reels, most of the time with a fluro leader. Braid is much thinner than mono or fluro, for that matter. I think I started catching more fish since I switched to braid. When switched so did my fishing buddy and he thinks the same thing. I know one thing I don't loose as many lures as when I was using mono, many times I can horse it out where with mono it would break off when I starting tugging on it.

[Felix77]

Absolutely ... All my spinning is braid with an 8lb FC leader.

[iabass8]

I think that finesse fishing is more about the attitude than about gear.  It had to do with how you approach any particular fishing situation.  Some bait and techniques  lend themselves more to a finesse approach than others.

 

For instance, throwing a half ounce jig/pork combo into a brush pile bouncing it once or twice, moving on is a classic power approach.  Take that same combo, throw it into the same brush pile, let it sit more than a moment or two, gradually work it through the brush pile.  Than becomes a more fines approach.  Take the same brush pile, similar gear, except you're using something that will throw a 3/16 slider head and a 4" paddle tail worm, maybe 10 lb abrazx or some line like that.  This is more of a finesse approach.  To me, if you're moving the bait pretty quickly it becomes more of a power approach.

 

A common approach down at Table Rock - throw a 3/4 oz football head  jig and slowly and carefully drag it down a drop off.   To me that is a finesse approach.  You pretty much got to use 17 or 20 lb line, minimum or you will snap off your jig on the cast every other throw or so.  Lots of guys use a braid/fluorocarbon leader for this technique - pound test mainly involves each individual fisherman's judgement.

 

You can make the same analogy with heavier or lighter braid as you can with fluorocarbon lines.  So the easy answer  to you question is - maybe - to me it depends more on the presentation attitude rather than the gear..

great answer

[WRB]

So flipping with 85 lb braid done precisely is finesse fishing.....better not tell that Dee Thomas, he hates finesse, but can flip a jig into a tea cut quietly.

Don Iovino, the father of finesse fishing, defines finesse as close attention to small details with precision presentations and using less than 8 lb line or soft plastics 6" or less.

Bass are not line shy when in cover, you don't need a FC leader with 10 to 20 lb FC. Try Daiwa Samurai braid, it super quite, small diameter braid perfect for your application.

Tom

[Jeff H]

Look it up in the dictionary.  Ya'll can look at it however you want, I just see it as fun, and often very effective.

[JayKumar]

Yep braid with fluoro or mono leader, fluoro is better!

[TorqueConverter]

I use a high vis braid so I don't become cross eyed line watching and pair that up to a leader made from some sort of clear plastic single filament fishing line, such as Big Game.

[NDH Fishing]

Yes you can, but it will be less effective in clear conditions because the bass can see the line. I would recommend mono in clear water, but then you need to make sure you set the hook really hard cause there is line stretch, but even then my hook set ratio is still lower. So I have decided to fish with braid even when I finesse fish because even though I get less hits, I almost never miss a hook set. But if you exclude the hook set ratio in my opinion mono is better.

[SirSnookalot]

Yes you can, but it will be less effective in clear conditions because the bass can see the line. I would recommend mono in clear water, but then you need to make sure you set the hook really hard cause there is line stretch, but even then my hook set ratio is still lower. So I have decided to fish with braid even when I finesse fish because even though I get less hits, I almost never miss a hook set. But if you exclude the hook set ratio in my opinion mono is better.

You can always use a leader for the times you're fishing clear water.  Unlike many I do not use a long leader, keep them about 18-20", at that short length there is very little stretch, but just enough for me.

[Grantman83]

15lb 832 braid And a leader is all use... Totally changes the easy of spinning gear by avoiding many wind knots etc

[Crestliner2008]

One of my finesse rods (which I use for split shotting) is filled with 6# test Fireline Crystal with a 5' section of 6# test fluorocarbon as a leader. This kind of leader just affords more abrasion resistance to the mainline. I've taken some large bass, even in cover, with this set-up. My main DS rig is 10# PP with a 6# test fluoro leader. So yes, braid can be considered a finesse line if used in proper context.

[iceintheveins]

Of course. Light braided line is great for fishing a mojo or split shot rig in grass.

[Capt.Bob]

indeed, I like 10 Sufix 832 with a 4 to 8# flouro leader, a super lightweight blank, and a smooth drag, anything from bluegill to Stealhead!

[iabass8]

I use 6# suffix 832 high vis yellow walleye fishing /w 3/32, 1/8 3/16 and 1/4oz jig + plastic. finesse fishing /w braid can be done very easily. 

[LunkerFisher]

I've been using 20# 832 lime green line on my spinning reels for wacky wormin and skipping tubes. I've also been goin with a 10# fluoro leader from 3-6' I'll change my leaders after each sesh of heavy use. I really like the visibility of the braid, and the lack of stretch lets me get away with using medium power rods for solid hook sets even when I have a lot of line out.