Grew To Hate Monofilament, But Need To Spool Up A Dedicated Cranking Reel.

[desmobob]

After getting into bass fishing and discovering the wonders of braided superlines, I started to really dislike monofilament.  I love mono's easy knot-tying qualities, slack line feedback and cost, but that's where it ends.  The stretch is the deal-breaker for me.  I love the sensitive rods I've invested in and using them with braid lets me feel everything going on at the end of the line. I've even spooled my light and ultralight spinning set-ups with braid.

 

But for cranking, knowledgeable fishermen recommend mono (or fluoro?).  I tried using mono on my nice new Kistler KLX Crank, Rip and Twitch rod and it feels like I'm fishing with a rubber band.  I'm sure the slack-line feedback of mono would be an advantage some times, but I crank a lot more than I rip or twitch.  

 

Should I just try to get used to mono again?  What are your opinions on the very best non-braided line for cranking?  Does anyone crank with braid?

 

Thanks for any insights and advice,

Bob

[Bruce424]

The deal breaker with stretch is what you hate but what's great for treble baits

[IDUTBass]

I used braid on my cranking rod last year. I had no problems with it. I switched this year to mono just to try it. I don't mind it. I'm using Sunline super natural and it's been working great so far. I'd say try both and see what you like. It seems like people use all different types of line and do fine as long as they have the right rod and set their drag right.

[Dwight Hottle]

I believe your Kistler is rated as moderate fast action. That & a lighter drag setting should work fine with braid. The smaller dia. braid will give you better depth than mono or fluoro. Try it.

[long island basser]

I've been using braid with crankbaits for a few years now, I love it.

[desmobob]

The deal breaker with stretch is what you hate but what's great for treble baits

 

That's why I bought the slower action Kistler... for treble hook baits.

 

I believe your Kistler is rated as moderate fast action. That & a lighter drag setting should work fine with braid. The smaller dia. braid will give you better depth than mono or fluoro. Try it.

 

You're correct Dwight, it's a Moderate-Fast.  I guess if I step down to 30lb. braid, the small diameter will offset the buoyancy of the line and keep the crank baits running somewhere near where they are rated.  I fish primarily in shallow water and getting lots of depth has never been an issue for me anyway...

 

Thanks for the replies, gentlemen!

Bob

[new2BC4bass]

I believe your Kistler is rated as moderate fast action. That & a lighter drag setting should work fine with braid. The smaller dia. braid will give you better depth than mono or fluoro. Try it.

 

Should work ok.  My brother-in-law in Florida fishes spinning rods only, and spooled with 40# PP only.  He doesn't seem to lose very many.  A worm and #11 Floating Rapala are nearly the only baits he uses.

 

EDIT: Can't say for sure, but I don't think he has a MH rod.

[Mike2841]

Since switching to braid I don't like the rubber and feel of mono either. That said I do use it in my cranking rod, the stretch doesn't bother me because I'm not slamming home on the hook set. With cranks I use mono for the extra give, I don't even set the hook once I feel the weight of the fish I just lift the rod and put some pressure on it

[bigbill]

I use nothing but copolymer way less stretch over plain mono. Excalibur Silver Thread Copolymer line has served me well for decades now. No one encounters more abrasions from the bottom, rocks than a shore fisherman.(me).

I use other brands of copolymer line but use more Excalibur silver thread. They had a test of bending, abrasions on there website against other lines at that time and Excalibur excelled.

The only difference between Excalibur silver thread and the other brands of copolymer line is I find the others are stiffer and hard to tie knots.

[PourMyOwn]

Until I started using fluorocarbon, I used Silver Thread on everything but my frog rod. It has less stretch than mono and I think it casts/handles great. Btw, I fish in really clear water.

[flyfisher]

I use 8lb diameter braid on my kistler helium cranking rod and have no issues.  I actually seem to lose less fish than when i used mono or flouro on it.  

[Catch and Grease]

I use braid, its hard to use lipless and lipped crankbaits with stretchy line with all the grass around here braid helps you rip it free.

[poisonokie]

if you're using a cranking rod, especially glass or composite, braid will work just fine. Better to have give in your rod than in your line, especially on a long, cranking stick cast. You get better sensitivity and depth than with mono. Braid doesn't float, it suspends underwater.

[poisonokie]

I don't think line visibility makes any difference with cranks. Maybe jerkbaits, in which case tie on a few feet of fluoro leader. If you're cranking around rip rap, tie on a few feet of fluoro leader. Other than that, straight braid is where it's at, especially for pricey baits with upgraded hooks, etc.

[Evan K]

My knowledge on the matter is solely limited to internet research, but I do have a new cranking rod coming with a reel already in my possession, and I plan to use P-Line CXX co-polymer. From what I've read it seems like a good compromise; a little stretchier than braid, but not as much as mono, and not as prone to memory problems as fluorocarbon.

[WRB]

After getting into bass fishing and discovering the wonders of braided superlines, I started to really dislike monofilament. I love mono's easy knot-tying qualities, slack line feedback and cost, but that's where it ends. The stretch is the deal-breaker for me. I love the sensitive rods I've invested in and using them with braid lets me feel everything going on at the end of the line. I've even spooled my light and ultralight spinning set-ups with braid.

But for cranking, knowledgeable fishermen recommend mono (or fluoro?). I tried using mono on my nice new Kistler KLX Crank, Rip and Twitch rod and it feels like I'm fishing with a rubber band. I'm sure the slack-line feedback of mono would be an advantage some times, but I crank a lot more than I rip or twitch.

Should I just try to get used to mono again? What are your opinions on the very best non-braided line for cranking? Does anyone crank with braid?

Thanks for any insights and advice,

Bob

1. What is the average casting distance you make using braid?

2. What rod are you using?

3. How much force is required to stretch 15 lb test big Game?

1A. Casting deep diving crankbait require long cast to achieve maximum diving depth, at 100'.

2A. Crankbait rods are moderate action, usually heavy for big deep divers, MH for smaller deep divers.

3A. A heavy moderate action crankbait rod can apply about 4 lbs of force before it bottoms out of power. 15 lb big game yield strength is greater than 5 lbs before it can begin to stretch.

What many anglers think is line stretch is more than likely line drag coefficient going through the water do to it's larger diameter and higher drag pressure creating a bow in the line.

I used 12 lb Big Game mono for years on crankbaits, works great, casts very well and is inexpensive enough to change it often.

Tom

[Bass newb]

I never liked mono to start and once I used braid I was set. 3 rods of mine have braid, one has fc.

[MIbassyaker]

Something I'm trying to understand better:

 

Rod action, drag, and line stretch -- most advice i see about recommendations for particular lures or techniques (especially crankbaits and other treble lures) seem to treat these three factors as compensating for each other. That is, while they are not the same thing (they originate from properties of the rod, reel and line, respectively) they are treated as having similar practical effects on hooking and fighting fish. So i hear: "braid is fine for crankbaits if I loosen the drag and use a moderate action rod." Or, "a faster action rods is fine for cranking as long as there's some stretch in the line and looser drag." I hear this sort of compensatory argument a lot -- is it really the case that these three factors are as interchangeable as they are made out to be? 

 

I'm skeptical of that, although I do treat them that way -- for crankbaits I most often use braid on a mod-fast rod with the drag pretty loose, and the rest of the time mono on a fast action rod with the drag a little tighter but still somewhat loose. Many people seem to express a preference for softer action in the rod, rather than looser drag or using stretchier line, but I can't tell if that's a true preference based on Reasons, or if it's the downstream effect of a very effective marketing campaign to get me to buy a shiny new moderate action cranking rod.

[Bigguy1]

I am a braid fan but on cranking I go fluro mainly so less stretch than mono but also I am usually looking for max depth out of my cranks.

[roadwarrior]

Try Sunline Super Natural, I think you will like it for cranking.

[Montanaro]

Sunline reaction FC. Some stretch, small diameter, sensitive and abrasion resistent.

[smalljaw67]

I use mon except for heavy flipping and frogs which are the only techniques that I use braid with. That said, I've tried a bunch of lines and Big Game is one of my favorites but if stretch concerns you, try Spider Wire Ultimate Mono, the stuff is as thin as fluorocarbon and it has very little stretch, I 'm with WRB in that Big Game requires a lot of force to make stretch but this ultimate mono feels like it has almost no stretch. Great knot strength, abrasion resistance, and strength with less stretch than any other mono I ever used before.

[The Fisher]

I use nothing but copolymer way less stretch over plain mono. Excalibur Silver Thread Copolymer line has served me well for decades now.

This ^^^

[thehooligan]

I was a huge braid guy that's almost entirely switched to copolys. Try some 8-12lb yozuri hybrid, awesome line.

[stkbassn]

I use 10# Sufix Siege for my cranking. I might try Senshi next season as I'm using it on some reels with good success. I don't break off often but do re-tie often. A trade off but I like lighter line for getting baits down deeper.