line type vs casting distance

[Jonas Staggs]

all things being equal, which type of line would cast the farthest? braid, mono, or flouro?

 

My understanding is that the thinner the line, the farther the casting distance. Wouldnt that mean braid would cast farther? as my understanding is that 10# braid, is thinner than 10# mono or 10# flouro.

 

Also can someone explain to me why people fish braid, with mono/flour leaders, rather than just  a whole spool of mono/flouro? What is the advantage of doing it this way?

 

I have always fished spinning rods my whole life, im looking at grabbing my first baitcaster, and it seems most people fish braid with their baitcasters?

[Hammer 4]

Oh boy, this could get a gazillion different answers...I'll wait to see how this goes.

[The Bassman]

Speaking from experience, braid is the hands down winner with spinning tackle. I use casting gear less but it seems to be a toss up there. Leaders help in the abrasion dept. and for some it's a confidence thing with visibility. Also, it saves money in that you don't keep shortening the braid when retying; just redo the leader much less often. All that said, I fish straight braid since most of my fishing is in water lacking hard cover. I also use a small snap for most of my lures so it reduces line waste.

[nascar2428]

For your first baitcaster I would recommend inexpensive mono. Takes a lot of practice with a baitcaster, which means birds nests along the way. Once you are confident with using a baitcaster then you can decide which line to use. There's plenty of info on this site, to guide you on the pros and cons of each type of line.

[new2BC4bass]

What Bassman said.  However, I take offense that most people use braid on baitcasters. 

 

Thinner line (of the same type) will cast further.  I can't say if braid will cast further than mono.  I've made some pretty long casts (for me) with both.

[jimmyjoe]

   It depends on what you mean by "casts farther".  I'm a shorecaster. I put more "OOMPH" into my long casts because 1) I need to and 2) I can. I say "I can" due to the fact that I step into my casts on shore, at least if I'm on hard ground. It's hard to do that in a boat the size of a bass boat.

   Boaters usually don't use that kind of technique because they rarely need to. Most of the boatmen I see classify  distance as whichever line gives them the particular distance they need with the least effort and greatest consistency. That's not the opposite of my situation, but it's pretty different.

   In other words, they don't grunt or move, and I do.

   For distance that I need, monofilaments, either nylon or fluorocarbon, reign supreme. They're much more consistent and feed off the spool better. They also don't "dig in", but braid does. That last little ultimate effort of extreme acceleration that shorecasters find useful means you're going to break off your lure with backlashing braid. Braid knots won't take that kind of shock. OTOH, boatmen don't need that acceleration.

   The info that I needed to do what I wanted to do I got from surf fishermen. Then I modified it to my everyday needs, as I had lighter rods and lighter lures. The principles were what were important, not the details. If you're a shorecaster, you'll benefit to one degree or another going the same route.

 

   The things is, if you're a boater, then none of this applies to you. Your casts are different, your requirements are different and the line you think is best might be totally different.

 

   Isn't fishing wonderful?  ???   ???      jj

 

   P.S.  If all other things are equal, greater tip velocity equals greater distance. However, other things are never equal.

[Bandersnatch]

Imo on a casting reel braid is superior. I can certainly cast 50lb braid much further than 20lb braid. On a spinning reel 12-15lb braid is best for me. 

[MickD]

7 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

Also can someone explain to me why people fish braid, with mono/flour leaders, rather than just  a whole spool of mono/flouro? What is the advantage of doing it this w

Improved feel of finesse lures, increased casting distance with similar strengths, more line on spool (only a factor in salt, IMO) with similar strengths, line lasts much longer without need for replacement. 

By the way, I've never found backlash knots to present problems with braid, but I have with that fragile FC.

[OnthePotomac]

Braid with leaders depends on the type of water you are fishing.  For instance, there are anglers on the Tidal Potomac when confronted with water visibility of 6" to 1' just go straight braid and no leader.  And then there are Potomac anglers who will have a rod with a flouro leader "just in case" they can find clearer water.  I only use braid on my frog rod, which doesn't make any difference.  Everything else is spooled with mono and flouro for me.

[Jonas Staggs]

4 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   It depends on what you mean by "casts farther".  I'm a shorecaster. I put more "OOMPH" into my long casts because 1) I need to and 2) I can. I say "I can" due to the fact that I step into my casts on shore, at least if I'm on hard ground. It's hard to do that in a boat the size of a bass boat.

   Boaters usually don't use that kind of technique because they rarely need to. Most of the boatmen I see classify  distance as whichever line gives them the particular distance they need with the least effort and greatest consistency. That's not the opposite of my situation, but it's pretty different.

   In other words, they don't grunt or move, and I do.

   For distance that I need, monofilaments, either nylon or fluorocarbon, reign supreme. They're much more consistent and feed off the spool better. They also don't "dig in", but braid does. That last little ultimate effort of extreme acceleration that shorecasters find useful means you're going to break off your lure with backlashing braid. Braid knots won't take that kind of shock. OTOH, boatmen don't need that acceleration.

   The info that I needed to do what I wanted to do I got from surf fishermen. Then I modified it to my everyday needs, as I had lighter rods and lighter lures. The principles were what were important, not the details. If you're a shorecaster, you'll benefit to one degree or another going the same route.

 

   The things is, if you're a boater, then none of this applies to you. Your casts are different, your requirements are different and the line you think is best might be totally different.

 

   Isn't fishing wonderful?  ???   ???      jj

 

   P.S.  If all other things are equal, greater tip velocity equals greater distance. However, other things are never equal.

 

Yeah I am in a similar situation as you untll I finally get enough cash saved up to buy my d**n kayak, then ill have to get another pole lol. I got a nice big spinning rod to cover a lot of water on large lakes, I got a "standard" size spinning rod for the smaller lakes or ponds, and a UL spinning rod for my micro fishing spots. next up is my yak and a new baitcaster!

 

thanks for the input everybody

[jimmyjoe]

   Kayak, eh?   Neat.   Let me give you a piece of advice, since I don't know how big you are or which 'yak you'll get:  put on a swimsuit, get in the 'yak, go out and dump it. That's right, I said dump it. Roll it. Fall out deliberately. Very first thing. Then get back in.  It's rare that any yakker will ever need that skill and experience, but if you're the one that someday will, it may save your life.      jj

[Jonas Staggs]

2 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   Kayak, eh?   Neat.   Let me give you a piece of advice, since I don't know how big you are or which 'yak you'll get:  put on a swimsuit, get in the 'yak, go out and dump it. That's right, I said dump it. Roll it. Fall out deliberately. Very first thing. Then get back in.  It's rare that any yakker will ever need that skill and experience, but if you're the one that someday will, it may save your life.      jj

 

im gonna have to wait for things to warm up before i try that lol

[wisconsin heat]

15 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

all things being equal, which type of line would cast the farthest? braid, mono, or flouro?

It depends, but BRAID is the short answer. When you say "all things being equal" I am going to interpret the line's diameter as being the same, versus would test. LB test varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and isn't reliably an accurate way to compare lines. But, even among the different line types, braid should still cast the "best" because it is more limp than other line types.

15 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

My understanding is that the thinner the line, the farther the casting distance. Wouldnt that mean braid would cast farther? as my understanding is that 10# braid, is thinner than 10# mono or 10# flouro.

Yes, but let's use line diameter as the factor to compare lines. So you should be comparing say 40 or 50lb braid with a 10 or 12 lb Mono, 

15 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

Also can someone explain to me why people fish braid, with mono/flour leaders, rather than just  a whole spool of mono/flouro? What is the advantage of doing it this way?

Multiple reasons. Braid's biggest advantages are that it is very strong for it's size (diameter) leading to easier casting and line managing without sacrificing breaking strength. It also does not stretch at all, which helps in setting the hook whenever you need the help ( hollowbodied-frog fishing, fishing in heavy cover, long casts).

 

Braid's main disadvantage is thought to be that it is very visible to the fish, unlike Flourocarbon which is "mostly invisible" underwater, and monofilament or copolymer lines which are still clear. Using braid with a leader of flourocarbon/mono/copolymer lines aims to 'get the best of both worlds' by still getting the advantages of braid as a mainline, but having the last few feet (what's attached to the lure) be much less visible to bass.

 

Mono, and Flourocarbon especially also are thought to have a better abrasion resistance than straight braid, which can fray overtime fishing through hard cover such as rocks and wood. Whether it is "much better," I'm not sure, as I use braid+leader for the previous reason.

 

1 more reason I can think of is that some anglers prefer to use a mono/flouro leader when using braid to ADD a little bit of stretch to their line when fighting fish. I have no experience in this and I'm not sure how much stretch a 3 foot piece of mono will add, or if it will matter - but some anglers follow this belief, and I won't dismiss that it may have it's uses in certain applications.

15 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

I have always fished spinning rods my whole life, im looking at grabbing my first baitcaster, and it seems most people fish braid with their baitcasters?

Depends on what you are using it for. I see that you are going to be fishing out if a kayak- I prefer braid in both my bait casting and spinning setups when fishing from a kayak because it helps with setting the hook. (Setting the hook in a kayak is more difficult than from a boat or on shore because your kayak can literally slide multiple feet towards the fish when you set the hook, reducing the pressure you get to put on it)

[jimmyjoe]

9 minutes ago, wisconsin heat said:

Setting the hook in a kayak is more difficult than from a boat or on shore because your kayak can literally slide multiple feet towards the fish when you set the hook, reducing the pressure you get to put on it

    True. First-time yakkers seem to underestimate this.          jj

[Jonas Staggs]

5 hours ago, wisconsin heat said:

It depends, but BRAID is the short answer. When you say "all things being equal" I am going to interpret the line's diameter as being the same, versus would test. LB test varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and isn't reliably an accurate way to compare lines. But, even among the different line types, braid should still cast the "best" because it is more limp than other line types.

Yes, but let's use line diameter as the factor to compare lines. So you should be comparing say 40 or 50lb braid with a 10 or 12 lb Mono, 

Multiple reasons. Braid's biggest advantages are that it is very strong for it's size (diameter) leading to easier casting and line managing without sacrificing breaking strength. It also does not stretch at all, which helps in setting the hook whenever you need the help ( hollowbodied-frog fishing, fishing in heavy cover, long casts).

 

Braid's main disadvantage is thought to be that it is very visible to the fish, unlike Flourocarbon which is "mostly invisible" underwater, and monofilament or copolymer lines which are still clear. Using braid with a leader of flourocarbon/mono/copolymer lines aims to 'get the best of both worlds' by still getting the advantages of braid as a mainline, but having the last few feet (what's attached to the lure) be much less visible to bass.

 

Mono, and Flourocarbon especially also are thought to have a better abrasion resistance than straight braid, which can fray overtime fishing through hard cover such as rocks and wood. Whether it is "much better," I'm not sure, as I use braid+leader for the previous reason.

 

1 more reason I can think of is that some anglers prefer to use a mono/flouro leader when using braid to ADD a little bit of stretch to their line when fighting fish. I have no experience in this and I'm not sure how much stretch a 3 foot piece of mono will add, or if it will matter - but some anglers follow this belief, and I won't dismiss that it may have it's uses in certain applications.

Depends on what you are using it for. I see that you are going to be fishing out if a kayak- I prefer braid in both my bait casting and spinning setups when fishing from a kayak because it helps with setting the hook. (Setting the hook in a kayak is more difficult than from a boat or on shore because your kayak can literally slide multiple feet towards the fish when you set the hook, reducing the pressure you get to put on it)

 

 

Thanks for the informative post.  

[islandbass]

23 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

all things being equal, which type of line would cast the farthest? braid, mono, or flouro?

 

My understanding is that the thinner the line, the farther the casting distance. Wouldnt that mean braid would cast farther? as my understanding is that 10# braid, is thinner than 10# mono or 10# flouro.

 

Also can someone explain to me why people fish braid, with mono/flour leaders, rather than just  a whole spool of mono/flouro? What is the advantage of doing it this way?

 

I have always fished spinning rods my whole life, im looking at grabbing my first baitcaster, and it seems most people fish braid with their baitcasters?

Braid is the last line you’ll want to use learning a baitcaster. Choose a good mono anywhere from 10-14#. 
 

Yes, generally speaking, a thinner line can cast farther, but there are other factors to consider. 
 

last piece of advice. Do not use a braid (after you’ve gained experience) less than 30# braid for your bc reel. Just don’t. Remember when I said other factors to consider? That same trait of being thin casting, does not always translate with very thin braid on a casting reel. That same thinness can make the line on on your spool “dig into” itself and can actually hamper your casting distance. You make a cast and all of a sudden your lure stops mid flight, lol. 
 

choose a worthy reel

learn with mono 

learn to use the rod to load to cast your lure. The poor mechanics of whipping your rod forward without loading the rod, which you can get away with spinning gear ain’t gonna fly with casting gear. 
 

take It from someone who was where you are now. 
 

BTW, I love using both reel types. You will ask why you didn’t try learning it sooner, lol. 
 

I currently don’t have braid on any of my bc reels and actually haven’t used it in quite sometime but it is a good line. You’ll be blown away at how it transmits info to your hands and amazed at what near zero stretch really means.