Braid

[Jonny15678]

When fishing with braid does it really require a hard hookset or can you get away with a light hookset since there is no stretch?

[jbsoonerfan]

For me it depends on the bait. I fish braid exclusively on all my rods. Jerkbait, lipless, spinnerbait, etc it's just a sweeping hookset. If I am throwing a jig or t-rig etc. it's usually a hard hook set.

[Glenn]

I only use braid for frogs or flipping/punching/pitching into heavy cover. I'm using stronger, larger, stout hooks in those applications, so a strong hookset is necessary.

 

I don't use braid for anything else.

[Scott F]

I use nothing but braid for everything I do. One of the big reasons is how much easier it is to get a good hook set when the line doesn’t stretch. Getting used to the difference can take some time. Using the same hook set you did with mono is why guys think braid rips hooks out. Shorter, firm hook sets usually get the job done even on long distance hook ups. Go catch some bass and you’ll see what works best for you. 

[Log Catcher]

I recently bought a spool of braid to try on a spinning rod. I will try it on one setup to see how it works before I try it on anything else. The guys in our local tackle shop say they love it for spinning rods but it offers no big advantage on baitcasters.

[Mike L]

3 hours ago, Glenn said:

I only use braid for frogs or flipping/punching/pitching into heavy cover. I'm using stronger, larger, stout hooks in those applications, so a strong hookset is necessary.

 

I don't use braid for anything else.

 

Ditto

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[NHBull]

11 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

I recently bought a spool of braid to try on a spinning rod. I will try it on one setup to see how it works before I try it on anything else. The guys in our local tackle shop say they love it for spinning rods but it offers no big advantage on baitcasters.

.....And they would be wrong

[BadBassWV]

5 minutes ago, NHBull said:

.....And they would be wrong

sounds to me they got that backwards.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Hooksets out past 100-120-140 feet are much easier to stick than stretchy fc mono.

[Bluebasser86]

Part of the great thing about braid is it requires no hookset for certain baits. When I'm fishing a plopper and a fish blows up, I just reel faster. If the fish is there, the hooks start to dig and I lean into it, if it not then the bait speeds up like a fleeing baitfish and often gets blasted. 

 

The hookset with braid is a bit different than with fluoro or mono though. 

[Drew03cmc]

I only use braid on a spinning rod and a frog rod. With the spinning rod, it's primarily finesse use and the extra feel is welcome. Frog rod, well, it's a frog rod. 

[The Bassman]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Part of the great thing about braid is it requires no hookset for certain baits. When I'm fishing a plopper and a fish blows up, I just reel faster. If the fish is there, the hooks start to dig and I lean into it, if it not then the bait speeds up like a fleeing baitfish and often gets blasted. 

 

The hookset with braid is a bit different than with fluoro or mono though. 

Great tip. I'm betting my hookup rate with my Choppo should improve now.

[dodgeguy]

11 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

I recently bought a spool of braid to try on a spinning rod. I will try it on one setup to see how it works before I try it on anything else. The guys in our local tackle shop say they love it for spinning rods but it offers no big advantage on baitcasters.

That's b.s.. It has plenty of advantages on baitcasters.

[Deleted account]

21 hours ago, Jonny15678 said:

When fishing with braid does it really require a hard hookset or can you get away with a light hookset since there is no stretch?

Unless one is fishing with too light a rod, or to heavy a hook, or both, a less energetic hook set is called for than with mono. I like a stout sweep set with most braid application and single hooks. With frogs and big creature baits a bit more.

[r83srock]

On 7/5/2019 at 10:45 AM, BassWhole! said:

Unless one is fishing with too light a rod, or to heavy a hook, or both, a less energetic hook set is called for than with mono. I like a stout sweep set with most braid application and single hooks. With frogs and big creature baits a bit more.

Yup same here. No need to go wild on a hookset. I was breaking ewg superlines and other strong hooks doing that. Dialing back the hookset is necessary to keep from loosing fish. Otherwise dial back the drag a bit. Never slack like a hookset with braid, just pull hard and reel. Greg Hackney has some good videos on this.

[Glenn]

So...what I'm hearing is that you must adapt to the tool (the line), rather than using the right tool for the job.

 

Got it.

 

Braid is not a universal line, nor a silver bullet.  It definitely has it's place, but it's not a all-purpose line.  If you find yourself changing everything in an attempt to compensate for using braid, you're using the wrong line for that technique.

[MassYak85]

I'm sure some will disagree but I don't think there is any technqiue in bass fishing where braid or braid to leader will put you at a disadvantage. I use it for pretty much everything. I change how I set the hook based on the bait and what rod I'm using. That's not unique to using braid though, I would still change my hooksets using mono or fluoro. A frog obviously needs a good strong hookset to get both of those thick-wire hooks in. A tiny jerbait can get it's thin-wire treble hooks bent out with any line/rod combination if you aren't careful. I just like the braid cause if I'm connected with the bait I'm getting the best feel, and I know at the end of a long cast on a day where the wind has a 10ft bow in my line I won't have any issues setting the hook. And I don't feel like I ever need the stretch of mono or fluoro. If I need to keep trebles pinned, I use a softer rod that will stay bent during the fight. If I need to worry about light wire hooks, I back the drag off. Again, I'm sure many prefer mono and fluoro for certain things. Whenever I lose a a fish I can usually point to some error in how I was fighting it or the rod choice, it's never "I should have had mono". 

 

[Russ E]

Most of my spinning reels have braid. depending on where I am fishing I also use a leader.

I am not worried about fish seeing the line. if a leader is used, it is because I am fishing around rock or Zebra mussels. 

 

The only time I use braid on baitcasters is frogs and ploppers.

I prefer a copoly, hybrid, or fluoro line for everything else.

 

[FishTank]

I look at braid as a choice for a specific task...... Topwater because it floats and fishing in heavy coverage (weeds and slop).  Other than that, I don't use it for anything else.  On hook sets, if I pull too hard with braid, I am ripping the lips out so I guess you would pull less.  

 

I tend to use FC more than anything and have gotten accustomed to pulling just enough to get the hook in.  I don't think with bass you need supper hard hook sets.  If you get the lure in a fishes mouth, it will pretty much hook itself with a little help.  I see these guys on TV and in videos pulling so hard, they look like they are hulling in a tree stump.  If you want to see hard hook sets, go tarpon fishing.