What applications, if any do you prefer mono for and which do you prefer fluro for?

[Ohioguy25]

Why do you prefer it in those applications? I have heard multiple people say they prefer flurocarbon over mono in almost all applications other than topwater, but I just don’t get it.
 

Are fish really that line shy? I find mono casts much smoother, is cheaper and far less brittle/prone to breakage. The ONLY application I use it for is a finesse leader with braid as a main line.

[Functional]

Mono, hybrid, floro

 

People will argue stretch and whatnot between the three, however pending the brand you can find all types of "tests" that show some or most floro is just as stretchy as Mono. Mono, when stretched recovers most of its strength after stretched though unlike Floro where now that is a weak spot.

 

Really what the difference comes down to is the density of each line from least to most dense in that order above. Mono does great for topwater because it floats and doesnt mess with the topwater baits action or resting position. Its also great for moving baits because it will recover after its shock/stretch of aggressive bites. Floro, being the most dense has less "belly" floating in the water when using bottom contact baits since it sinks. Floro should be more sensitive because of that with contact bottom baits. 

 

Besides all of that you need to consider each users position on how much weight they put in how easy their line is to manage. Floro being stiffer/denser tends to coil and need conditioners more than mono. Mono is general is easier to tame on a spool and deal with. Some may pick mono purely for this reason.

 

Personally, after using all 3 above Ive settled on mono and hybrid. Hybrid is a nice happy medium on how easily is manages on the spool and to me is more sensitive than mono. Floro so far for me has not be more sensitive enough than hybrid to be worth the trouble of line management even with conditioner. I have a spool of Tatsu to try so my opinions may change but I've had very little luck. I have more rods spooled with mono than I do anything else. If it serves a general role or moving/topwater it gets mono. Anything I know I am dedicating to bottom contact or jerk baits get hybrid. 

 

Braid is reserved for frogs and swim jigs. 

[MediumMouthBass]

I only use fluoro for leaders tied to braid when fishing ned rigs, only because i want the line as stiff and sensitive as possible. But i might just switch to YZH after fishing with it alot and it performing excellent for me.

 

Ive caught bass in very clear water on braid, mono too. They arent line shy, we arent fishing for trout.

 

I used to use fluoro on almost all my reels, spinning/casting. It got expensive and i was always breaking off line, getting backlashes, having to turn up the brakes=poor casting distance. Between the line memory, constant care it requires, i switched to mono.

 

If you think spending $30 to fill your spool with fluoro and treat it with line conditioner every trip is worth it and will help you catch fish then thats great, ill stick with my very cheap Yo Zuri Hybrid, best of both worlds.

[Reel]

I use braid with a fluoro leader on spinning tackle but I use fluoro on baitcasters for a lot of applications.  I use it for pitching, for soft swimbaits, for crankbaits and jerkbaits.  I know it's stiffer but that's the advantage.  It is more sensitive than mono.  I use mono only for topwater hard lures.  I also fish clear water and the fact that fluoro is less visible is a plus, but not the main reason.

[Team9nine]

Baitcasters: all fluoro except a few top waters (not all) and every once in a while a heavy flipping outfit. I simply prefer all the attributes of fluoro over those of mono/hybrids when I can get away with it, which is most of the time. All the supposed “negatives” can be offset with ability and proper tackle setup.

[BayouSlide]

All flouro except for ultralight and the leader for Carolina rigs.

[Mike L]

I don’t use mono for anything 

Don’t like it, don’t want it, wont use it. 
It doesn’t have a single advantage that I can point to for the waters I fish the most and my style of fishing than what a quality flouro or braid will give. 

 

I use flouro for every presentation except 2 and have for over 15 years and have no reason to think about a change. 

 

But don’t listen to me as I’m in the absolute minority on this site as you’ll soon see. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 
 

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

 

Currently I am just using mono. It satisfies all my needs for recreational ultra lite angling. I typically use 4 pound mono for small soft plastic presentations. Finesse angling works well with the qualities of mono of the lower cost bulk mono available at many of the large retailers. I'm typically not fishing any deeper than 25 feet.

 

I have explored braid in the past and eventually returned to using mono. The cost and performance were concerns. Some of those concerns no longer are an issue for me as I've gained knowledge along the way, thanks in part to BassResource.

 

Even with the additional information I am not compelled to go back to using braid simply based on cost and convenience. If things change I may consider it, for now mono works well for me.

 

Obviously opinions will vary and you can decide based on what you hold as important qualities for your angling style.

 

I will share that back when nanofil was introduced, I tried it with reasonably good success. I did have to realize the slip factor both on the spool connection and terminal knots. I did not identify that there were issues of fish being shy about striking a lure directly connected to the braid. Presentations to trout and bass on clear waters,  streams and lakes, were successful. I also explored using it as a fly line leader / tipet. Back then there were only two colors available a darkish brown and uncolored white. Tried them both and found similar fish catching success so I didn't realize any significant different in fish catching.

 

I have not tried or been compelled to try fluorocarbon lines. I usually don't use a leader, except in the case of fly fishing. Also the cost and concerns with spooling on spinning gear. I also simply prefer not having another in-line knot to contend with.

 

While it may be fun to explore, I've not found a reason to with the current information available and how it applies to my style of UL recreational angling. Just my $ 0.02 tossed in for consideration. Be well, and Cheers!

[Ohioguy25]

25 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Baitcasters: all fluoro except a few top waters (not all) and every once in a while a heavy flipping outfit. I simply prefer all the attributes of fluoro over those of mono/hybrids when I can get away with it, which is most of the time. All the supposed “negatives” can be offset with ability and proper tackle setup.

What are the positives?

[Ohioguy25]

35 minutes ago, BayouSlide said:

All flouro except for ultralight and the leader for Carolina rigs.

 

32 minutes ago, Mike L said:

I don’t use mono for anything 

Don’t like it, don’t want it, wont use it. 
It doesn’t have a single advantage that I can point to for the waters I fish the most and my style of fishing than what a quality flouro or braid will give. 

 

I use flouro for every presentation except 2 and have for over 15 years and have no reason to think about a change. 

 

But don’t listen to me as I’m in the absolute minority on this site as you’ll soon see. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 
 

What exactly do you find so preferable about it?

[Choporoz]

Over the past 14 years, I have gone from nearly all YZH, to nearly all braid, to mostly braid/fluoro leader, to mix of braid and fluoro.

    Today I have mono for topwater poppers, plugs, and ploppers.

   Fluoro for most bottom contact, where 12 - 17# seems appropriate.   I do still use braid to fluoro leader for heavy jigs, jerkbaits, and light spinning applications.

  Fluoro on cranks.  

   Straight braid for frogs.  Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits get thrown on whatever line is on appropriate rod at the time.

 

   As you can tell from varied answers, opinions are all over the map....no correct answers. 

 

    I have few strong conclusions aside from:

 

- I feel strongly that fluoro slack-line sensitivity is way better than other lines

- I come down on the 'bass aren't very line shy' side of that argument.

- braid to leader adds a knot and increases risk....however, putting visibility to the fish aside, leader still adds value in three ways: abrasion resistance, ability to break-off, saves braid on re-ties.

- I hate when line sinks ahead of topwater baits

- visibility to me can be huge when using senkos and flukes

- contrary to what I thought for years based on spool prices, braid is cheap...YZH might even be cheaper

-

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

What are the positives?

With good line selection, near equivalent knot strength; equivalent stretch (to mono); equal or better abrasion resistance; near equivalent casting/handling; better refractive index; better density; better sensitivity.

[MN Fisher]

I don't even own any mono - on my casting setups...three rigs have braid, three rigs have YZH, the final six have FC - my five spinning setups...they're all braid to leader.

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

 

What exactly do you find so preferable about it?

Pretty much everything that can be quantified except for the cost of premium lines. 

See @Team9nine response above 

Pretty much covers it 

 

The 2 lines I use exclusively (Sniper and Shooter) has much less stretch than most others

 

 

 

 

Mike

[new2BC4bass]

I would use fluoro IF I were fishing deep diving lures.

I seriously doubt I could tell the difference in sensitivity between fluoro and mono/co-polymer/hybrid with a 2-foot leader to braid.  I don't like a leader knot going through the guides.  Just me.  Others may not care.

[Jmurphy87]

They all have their time and place, use what you want really. I like fluorocarbon in the river on casting setups, I also use braid in the river. I like 8lb braid on my spinning reels, the casting distance is amazing and breaking off is fairly easy. I have used mono in the past for jigs and it works for them also. I like braid for heavy cover but you can use heavier fluorocarbon depending on cover.

 

I guess to sum it up use your favorite and have fun, if it works who can say that you are wrong.

[gim]

The only two presentations I still use mono for:

 

jerk baits

bobber fishing

 

When I am snapping a jerk bait, there needs to be some give somewhere.  Some prefer a limper rod for that, I prefer the rubber band effect with monofilament fishing line because I am using a stiff rod.

 

As for bobber fishing, well, I don't do much of it.  Essentially just toss it in and wait.

 

Pretty much all my other setups are braided line with some kind of fluorocarbon attached.

[Catt]

Berkley Big Game for everything but frogging & punching.

[Jar11591]

I use mono for all topwaters except frogs. 
I use straight fluoro on my jerkbait rig and my crank bait rig. 

[WRB]

Finesse spinning for slit-slip shot rigs copoly Maximum UG 5# because it is small dia stronger higher abrasion resistance and helps float the soft plastic.

Finesse spinning drop shot 7# Snoper FC

or 5# UG, slight advantage with FC do to less line drag.

Baitcasting jigs and worms 12# Tatsu FC, all other lures 11# mono Armilo.

Senko weightless spinning 15# Spin5 braid w/10 # Sniper FC, reason easier strike detection seeing floating braid.

Tom

[PaulVE64]

Mono leaders on everything except when I use the fly rod for streamers.

[LrgmouthShad]

After trying Sunline Sniper, I have a high regard for quality fluoro, but it comes with some drawbacks. Cost, less resistant to small kinks, worse knot strength, less manageable. Invisx is also good fluoro that improves on some

of these characteristics, but it will always be worse than mono in these areas. Overall I like sniper better.
 

I use fluoro when I can afford it, when it makes sense to have some some extra sensitivity, and when I want a little less “bow” setting the hook. 
 

Otherwise I am trilene big game all the way. People tout big game for being a “pull your truck out of a ditch” kind of line, but I have experienced the same

kind of strength fishing 18lb sniper, which is still thinner than 15lb big game. 15lb big game is actually just 22lb line in strength and diameter… fun fact.

 

What do I like most about big game? I can change out my line every trip or every other trip if I want, and it costs me pennies. Good line is great, but what beats fresh, good line?

[Woody B]

Berkley Big Game(mono)for everything except 1 combo.  I use Braid (sufix 832, 50 pound) for A-rigs and other really heavy stuff.   

 

I've tired a bunch of different lines I just keep going back to what works for me.   

 

A bunch of people catch a bunch of Bass on all kinds of line.  Use what you're comfortable with.  I think confidence makes more difference than line type or brand.

[Skunkmaster-k]

A couple of years ago I read a post wherein WRB said that nylon monofilament has superior knot strength . That stuck with me. 

Edit. I just saw his post above. 

[Mobasser]

I still use mono for ally fishing, spinning and casting gear.I like it.