Old dog- new tricks...finally swapped to braid

[OmegaDPW]

I have been basically a mono guy for 40 years. With a few exceptions, I've been fishing the same ponds for 20 of those years. One of my favorites is full of downed trees, weeds and is normally chocolate milk colored. I usually fish light line and finesse baits. I'm all about the "catch" and fish for anything- bass, bluegill or crappie. This pond was always a thorn in my side because the bass are big but I'd lose numerous lures trying to catch 'em. A buddy gave me a small spool of spiderwire and I tried that and it planted the seed. The line frayed easily and wasn't great but I was finally able to bend some small hooks and retrieve a stuck lure. That was the turning point. Now, I'm trying some different brands of 10lb braid to see what I like. 

 

 So, I'm not using a leader and tying the braid directly to the hook. I have not noticed any difference in fish being line shy and have gotten two large bass this week on a weightless KVD Ocho 5. Also, caught some panfish on Beetle Spins, etc. This pond is only fished by a handful of people and the fish aren't pressured at all. Do you think that's the reason I'm still having luck with braided line? Maybe it's the chocolate milk color of the pond? I was always told it stood out like a rope in the fish's eyes and needed a leader. Same with catching the smaller fish- I'm assuming they don't care or they're just reacting to the fast moving spinner and hunger/aggression beats seeing the line. 

 

Any thoughts? It sure is nice not losing these spinners like in years past...

 

  

[r83srock]

Welcome to the dark side. We will patiently wait for our leaders Tbilly and Dodgeguy to show up to this revolution you are experiencing. 
 

I do use some mono, but that’s it. I’m mostly braid. I use 10 or 15lb for wacky rigs, 30 lb for general purpose, 40 or 50 for frogging/light flipping, and 65 for punching. I’ve even gone straight braid on neds, just set your drag a bit looser. 

[PaulVE64]

Spinner baits seem to work.

 

[casts_by_fly]

If the water is stained or dirtier (1’ visibility or less) I’m not worried about fish seeing braid. 

[Scott F]

Bass don’t have the brain power to reason, to figure out that fishing line should be avoided. If they are that smart, how come they can’t figure out hunks of wood or plastic aren’t real food? I’ve been using straight braid in clear water for many years and have caught a lot of bass. 

[12poundbass]

I was a straight braid guy for years with no issues. It’s nice using a heavier test and not worrying about losing lures except when the toothy critters show up! If there’s any doubt whether the fish can see your line, give Seaguar TactX a try. It’s braid and is camouflaged. The best of both worlds! 

[T-Billy]

I like Sufix 832 for bottom contact. It's the most abrasion resistant braid I've found. Fins Infinity and XS Big Game are my favorites for chucking and winding. They're both very smooth, strong, durable, and MADE IN THE USA. 

 

[Catt]

Before monofilament, braid was all there was.

 

I've fished braided Cotton, Dacron, Micron, Suture Material (Silk), Micro Dyneema®, Kevlar, & Spectra.

[Koz]

I’m a braid angler. But if the water is clear or I’m using finesse type baits I will add a flouro leader.

[new2BC4bass]

I think any 10# braid is going to fray easily.  You may want to consider going higher.  I tried 5# braid and it frayed on wood quicker than an alcoholic can drain a can of beer on a hot day.  20# braid is approximately equivalent to 6# mono.

[bulldog1935]

While this conversation always begins at visibility, that's rarely the issue.  

Lining a fish is touching him with the moving line (same thing would make your skin crawl, too).  All waters contain natural stringy fibers.  

 

The purpose of a leader is to have some measure of shock-absorbing elasticity in your rig.  

[gim]

6 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I like Sufix 832 for bottom contact. It's the most abrasion resistant braid I've found.

 

I tried that once and the zebra mussels chewed through it in about 10 casts.

 

If pressured fish in clear water don't see any fishing line, why aren't all the pros using straight braid?  Seems like they wouldn't even bother with using a fluorocarbon if that were the case and yet there's not a single one on tour doing it.  How odd.

 

None of us are fish.  We're fisherman.  Whether we think fish can see the line and have learned to avoid specific lures over time is irrelevant.  The point I'm trying to make here is that it's a variable that can easily be controlled, so why not control it.  You could fish with dull hooks and rusted lures too since fish are too dumb to realize what they're biting.

[dodgeguy]

i have this mental block in my head that keeps trying to tell me that i would catch more fish on flouro. as a result every year i put it on a few rods. i cant say that on a slow day with braid that the flouro made any difference but that little devil keeps popping up on my shoulder and wispering in my ear. i have yet to find a way to kill him . as far as which braid i use its vicious no fade braid. the stuff is amazing and does everything i want it to do and dont need to color it.

[Maggiesmaster]

I’ve gone to 30 lb yellow braid with a 5’ flouro leader, tying on another leader when it gets down to about 3’ long. Yellow braid fades, but still is really easy to see. Braid casts a lot easier than mono and doesn’t have memory. I use a Shin knot to tie the braid to flouro.  I still have mono on rods I use for surface lures & crankbaits.