Braided for soft plastics?

[Andrew Coleman]

is it a good idea or should i get flourocarbon?

if braided: power pro or spider wire?

[Joel W]

I use 30 lb Power Pro for pitching wt'd plastics. If the water is stained, I don't bother with a leader but just use a permanent black marker over the 1st 4 ft of line. If the water clarity is basically clear, then I usually use a 4 ft 8 or 10 lb test mono leader.

[Andrew Coleman]

well i dont like tying learders, just more knots to be broken. why do i need a leader or a sharpie anyways?

[zelmo]

I use 30 lb Power Pro for pitching wt'd plastics.  

That seems to be a popular size for many applications.  Why?

[Joel W]

well i dont like tying leaders, just more knots to be broken. why do i need a leader or a sharpie anyways?

As for knots. I've been using a Albright knot forever, and never had one fail.  Like all knots they don't last forever, so you need to retie every so often.  

The black sharpie makes the line harder to see.

I also use a leader with Braid when dragging lures over rocky structure that could fray or cut it.

[alger319]

honestly IMO i'd use fluro, unless your flippin heavy/dense vegitation., then i'd use 50lb braid -nothing less..(i use suffix, but power-pro would be next option)

[Jig Man]

is it a good idea or should i get flourocarbon?

if braided: power pro or spider wire?

I fish Power Pro hi vis yellow so I can see it.  I fish clear water so I use a leader.  My leader is fluro tied with the Alberto knot.

6 of us did a little experiment one day.  4 used mono and another guy and I used braid with no leader.  We all fished in the same area and were fishing shallow.  My butt is still slick from the waxing it got.  So now I use a leader with braid unless I am fishing deeper than 30'.

[Sam]

Andrew,

Welcome to bass fishing from the pros on this site.

The Sharpie is a trick the pros use.

The leader is so that the line cannot be seen by the fish but you have the power of the braid to bring those fish out of the cover.

You can use Flourocarbon as many of the pros do and that is fine.  Just be mindful of knicks and abraisions on the line.

As for the knot, I use a Palamore and it has performed excellent for me.  Just be sure not to burn the line around the hook's eye when you clinch down to tighten the knot.

Try using a wacky rigged Senko or finesse worm when flipping and pitching. A jig and pig works great, too.

Let us know how you do.

[Joel W]

honestly IMO I'd use fluro, unless your flippin heavy/dense vegetation., then I'd use 50lb braid -nothing less..(i use suffix, but power-pro would be next option)

So many fisherman including the pros opt for 50-65 lb Braid for fishing heavy vegetation. That just never made much sense to me. The braid one uses should be no greater then max test your rod can handle. What's the sense of snapping an expensive rod with 50 lb Braid when the rod was only rated for 20-30 lb test line?  I've been using 30 lb Power Pro for years, and I've never, ever, been broken off in the real nasty stuff by snapping the line.  I've ripped hooks out of the their mouths, had them throw the hook, and wrapped me around so much wood that I couldn't budge the Bass. The bottom line is that you just don't need more then 30 lb braid period.

[Wayne P.]

Andrew, the Sharpie is to re-color the braid when it fades to a white color. Most braids will loose their color over time because the material the braid is made of will not absord a tint and it's natural color is white.

[RoLo]

I use braided polyethylene for all soft plastics (PowerPro).

No reason comes to mind, why I'd want to switch to fluoro (I hate that wire).

Roger

[Guest avid]

Power pro all the way for ole avid.

I will use a leader for some applications but not flippin or pitchin.

[Catt]

I use Berkley Big Game 15# test but then again I aint no Pro