What line do you use with which technique (crank, jigs, topwater...)

[clemsondds]

I've seen so many various recommendations lately, so I thought I would just see what everyone here is using.  It seemed like a year ago or so, alot of the major fishing guys I know, were switching to braid for everything with the fluoro leader if needed.  But now, I am seeing several of those going back to fluoro as a main line for several different techniques.  So which line and strength do you use for: squarebill, medium and deep cranking, frog, football jig, dropshot, spinnerbait, chatterbait, pitching/flipping, and finesse (ned rig, shaky head...)

 

[jbsoonerfan]

Braid, braid, braid, braid, braid, braid, braid, braid, braid and braid. No leader

[drew4779]

My personal preference is mono for trebles, braid for most top waters, and fluro for most everything else.  I've been experimenting with a braid to fluro leader for my drop shot rod but I haven't had enough time with it to decide if I like yet or not.  

[jimmyjoe]

  Cranks and spinners:  InvizX

  Finesse: Stren Original Yellow (gotta see it, y'know)

  All others: Big Game (green)

 

   I see no reason to make things any more complicated than they have to be, but I haven't achieved the consistency that @jbsoonerfan  has achieved. Maybe someday ......        jj

[MN Fisher]

squarebill - Yo-Zuri Hybrid

medium cranking - Yo-Zuri Hybrid

deep cranking - Yo-Zuri Hybrid

frog - Braid

football jig - Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Braid

dropshot - Mono

spinnerbait - Braid

chatterbait - Braid

pitching/flipping - Braid

finesse - Mono

 

let's add

swim jig - Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Braid

topwater - Braid

 

 

[clemsondds]

Has anyone seen any research or actual scientific studies to show when certain line is better?  (Eg guy who said only braid...) Or is it just by experience that you have come up with these conclusions? I’m still new to dishing somewhat so please don’t take my questions as an offense. Thanks! 

[jbsoonerfan]

Nothing scientific here, I've just found that braid works for me in 99% of the situations I fish. I threw straight braid today and the guy fishing out of the same boat was using mono. Both throwing a sweet beaver in low blow color, I out fished him 6 to 1. Not saying line had anything to do with it, but I have never noticed much difference in catching when I did use mono or a leader.

[clemsondds]

Interesting. Moss green color? Lb test? 

[rtwvumtneer6]

This is ever evolving for me, especially when I started to get into more technique specific rods.  This is what I am most confident with, or plan to have ready for next spring.

 

squarebill - 10/12# copoly

medium and deep cranking - 10/12# copoly

frog 50# braid

football jig 17# fluoro

dropshot 20# braid to 8# fluoro

spinnerbait 17# mono

chatterbait braid to mono leader (just started using braid on moving baits. This may change)

pitching/flipping 50# braid to 20# fluoro

finesse - 20# braid to 8# fluoro

[Shimano_1]

5 hours ago, drew4779 said:

My personal preference is mono for trebles, braid for most top waters, and fluro for most everything else.  I've been experimenting with a braid to fluro leader for my drop shot rod but I haven't had enough time with it to decide if I like yet or not.  

X2

[LonnieP]

Everything except bottom contact and frogs- Copoly

bottom contact-fluorocarbon 

frogs-braid

[webertime]

Jerks, cranks and topwater = Super Natural or YZ hybrid.

Jigs(shallow) = braid, braid to fluoro or fluoro.

Jigs (deep) = fluro.

Moving Single hooks = fluoro.

Frogs, flipping = braid.

Spinning gear...  braid or braid to fluoro UNLESS it's windy then it's straight fluoro.

 

 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I use braid for everything.

 

[OG Crankster]

2 minutes ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

I use braid for everything.

 

Same here.

[VolFan]

Braid for everything except ultralight (mon-4 lb Trilene XL) and big swimbaits (copoly-Yozuri Hybrid or CXX in 15 lb and up).

[ike8120]

I use braid for frogging and braid with FC leader for my NED rig. Everything thing else is copolymer. Going to try FC next spring.

[MickD]

Here are the "why's" regarding my line choices:

 

Surface: Mono, easy casting, significant stretch which softens my often too fast and hard response to the strike, AND IT DOESN'T SINK.  Fluoro sinks which screws up the action of many surface lures.

 

Finesses:  Braid with Fluoro leaders  Braid has little to no stretch so makes it much more sensitive than mono or Fluoro, easier to feel subtle strikes.  Also when the 10-15 pound test braid is used it allows very long casts and good hook sets at long range.  I like the fluoro leader to soften it just a bit and to allow a lot of lure changes without shortening my braid.

 

4 inch swimbaits on jigs, snapping of the bottom:  Braid with leader on a ML power, MF action rod.  The rod action is important to get a proper snap and fall and the ML power is right for proper loading of the 3/16 oz jigs.  The braid gives better hook sets than mono or FC.  

 

Cranks:  Mostly mono for it's easy casting and significant stretch, keeps the fish on better with trebles than braid.  

 

I don't like fluoro for a main line because it costs so much and is so fragile-a backlash with a baitcaster can easily break a $20 line in no time.  It also doesn't cast as well as braid or mono, often with the line coming off th spool, both BC and spin.  There are some recommended that are more manageable, but I don't see the advantage in paying big bucks for a fragile line that requires a lot more attention than braid or mono.

[Hook2Jaw]

I'll also give you the why of...why I use what I use.

 

First, my preferred lines are Berkley Vanish for fluorocarbon because it's a decent line as long as I apply line conditioner.  KVD Line n Lure really straightens that mess out enough to be easily managed.  I use Kastking Superpower Braid because I don't notice much difference between it and 8 carrier braids.  It's cheap and strong.  That's also my though process when it comes to mono, Berkley Big Game handles that for me.

 

Crankbaits : Various fluorocarbons.  I use 14# Berkley Vanish for Squarebills and Lipless, and 12# for Medium and Deep Divers.  It's sensitive enough to feel incoming collisions with cover, and allows my baits to get deep.  The better I become with sensing future deflections, the more I'm liable to drop down to 12 and 10.

 

Jerkbaits : I'm currently using 10# Berkley Vanish, but I'm contemplating using 30# braid to a length of fluorocarbon leader equal to or more than the dive depth to hopefully keep the buoyancy of braid from effecting the equation too much.  The memory of fluoro actually moves your jerkbait forward and I want mine to fully pause when I pause.  I think the visibility of braid will help with detecting those paused strikes.

 

Topwater : I use 15# Berkley Big Game for Topwater applications.  Braid kept getting in my front hooks on my walkers and with the amount of drag I use on treble hooked baits, there's no need for the strength of braid.  I also worry about it tearing out trebles.

 

Frogs : I use 50# braid for friggie froggies.  Haven't found some Georgia slop yet that 50# Kasking doesn't haul them on through, though I haven't been frog fishing long with a dedicated setup.

 

Bottom Contact : I'm currently using straight 12-17# Fluorocarbon for Carolina and Texas Rigged Worms in addition to my jigs, but am seriously considering braid to leader to increase sensitivity in the future.  My current rod for this application doesn't accommodate a leader very well due to the guides but I hope to upgrade in the future.  I would prefer 30# braid to 12-17# Vanish.

 

Single Hook Moving Baits : For my paddletails, spinnerbaits, and chatterbaits, I use 14# Fluorocarbon.

 

Swimbaits : I use 40# Kastking Braid to 30# Berkley Big Game for these, which are currently two S-Wavers.  I like braid to leader better than straight mono or copoly, as the cast distance gain is too great to worry with the low stretch eventual break of braid when I undoubtedly badly backlash.

 

Finesse : Since nothing is stronger than the weakest link, I really go down in braid size to sink quicker and cast farther with my braid to leader selection.  I use 12# braid to 10-12# fluorocarbon for weightless worming.  This line selection handles my lighter jerkbaits and crankbaits as well.  I also walk a fluke on braid to fluoro, as I'm twitching and popping too quickly for the sink of fluoro to effect it.  My other finesse setup is 12# braid to 6-8# fluorocarbon.  I use this setup for my drop shotting and Ned rigging.

 

I think that about covers what you asked and then some.  I'm at the sister-in-law's house and haven't been able to fish all weekend.

[FryDog62]

9 hours ago, clemsondds said:

Has anyone seen any research or actual scientific studies to show when certain line is better?  (Eg guy who said only braid...) Or is it just by experience that you have come up with these conclusions? I’m still new to dishing somewhat so please don’t take my questions as an offense. Thanks! 

I was 100% braid guy until about 10 years ago on a walleye fishing trip to Canada. Semi-clear water with light green stain.  
 

Two boats circling the same “honey hole” for 2 hours.  Three guys in our boat using 10 lb moss green braid, sinker and a leech.  
 

The other boat with two guys, mono, sinker and leech.  They caught 20 fish we caught 2 despite having the extra angler.  We circled the same spot within 20 yards of each other and even traded bait buckets at one point.  

I had one similar situation a year later with friend who was more of a novice angler, using mono... and I was using braid and we fished plastics for smallmouth.  He out-fished me 3 to 1. 
 

Ever since then I still use braid a lot but took the time to learn how to tie a mono/fluoro leader.  Also switched my drop-shot rod and Neko rig to 100% fluoro main line for invisibility and uniform sink rate (it’s denser) to bottom contact.  
 

Probably doesn’t make a difference 90% of the time, but I decided not to take a chance... 

[jimmyjoe]

1 hour ago, Hook2Jaw said:

on treble hooked baits, there's no need for the strength of braid.  I also worry about it tearing out trebles.

   Oh, yeah. I agree one million percent.  Why spend all that time, trouble and money to hook a fish if you lose him on the way back to the boat .... or worse yet, right at the end, when you're just set to acquire him? And remember - it ain't the dinks that you're likely to lose there.        jj

[swhit140]

I mostly use braid, other than that I use mono for shallow crankbaits & lipless cranks.

[clemsondds]

Im trying to get away from leaders. I love fishing with braid but just get tired of tying an fg knot and hearing it hit the guides and worrying about knot failure. What are the cons of fluoro for crankbait and finesse? 

[Mike L]

12#-20# Flouro for everything except 80# braid for punching, 50# for frogging and 30# on top. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[813basstard]

Lightest you can get away with while still having confidence you can jack them if needed....sorta like parenting 

[Fried Lemons]

I played around with many different configurations and have settled on a simple system.

 

Braid to leader for any finesse presentation thrown on spinning gear.

 

Straight braid for fishing heavy vegetation.

 

Fluorocarbon for anything dragged on the bottom.

 

Mono for everything else.