Braid line in clear water

[cwb60]

Some people think they don't get as many bites on braided line in clear water.  What do you guys think?

What about using braid at night?  

[J Francho]

If you are worried about visibility, just use a similar diameter fluorocarbon leader.  I like Gamma Leader and P-Line CFX.  Use a Uni to Uni knot connection.

[shadyhaven]

how does the uni-uni knot go through the guides. i primarily fish braid and have clear water. i too am going to a flouro leader but was concerned about which knot will fly through the guides well. i love braid and dont want to switch. i seem to get plenty of bites on just braid but can a leader get me more? we will find out

[J Francho]

Never any issues here.

[Jig Man]

We did a braid mono experiment a few years ago in winter cold clear water.  6 people in 3 boats.  2 of us used braid with no leader while the other 4 used mono.

9 out of 10 days I can beat all but one of the people using mono but that day I got a butt waxing that still has my hiny shiny.

Since then I have been using a leader on any slow moving bait.  I have tried every knot that I have ever heard about and had failures at the knot with all of them except the Alberto's knot.  It has worked flawlessly for me for over a year.  I have it on 8 setups right now.

It is small and need no glue.  

http://www.stripersonline.com/Pages/Articles/article_arby_albertos_knot.shtml

[J Francho]

That is an exceptional knot.  I tested it out on some steelhead this past fall, and meant to commit  it to memory by practicing.

[jack1]

You get a lot of mix responses, some guys say that using braided in clear water doesn't make a difference and there are some that say that it does.  It all comes down to personal preferences, if you feel less confidence in using all braid use a leader.  

With a leader, some guys don't like having that knot fly through the tip guide it makes that tick on its way out and it bothers many guys.

I'm switching to all Hi-Vis yellow braid on all my reels with leaders, so I'm in the same boat as well.  The only way to learn for yourself is to try it yourself.

[cwb60]

Thanks for all the good replies.

No one has addressed using braid at night.  I am thinking there is no reason at all for using a leader at night.  Just adding the risk of the leader breaking  or the knot failing.

What do you guys think?

[Banor]

A little personal experience that decided it for me:

I was fishing a BFL last year on Erie.  My co-angler and I were on a solid drop shot pattern.  We were throwing identical baits, identical weights and identical leader length.  We were working the bait the exact same way.  8 hours of fishing I had 3 bites and he had over 30.  We were around fish the entire time, obviously our baits werent but 15 feet apart.   We even went so far as to drop our baits at the middle of the boat so they were about 2 feet apart.  He got bit, I didnt.  He was really getting concerned and feeling guilty because none of his fish were culling weight and I needed 2 fish to fill a limit and cash a check.  The 3 I had were over 12 lbs for 3 fish.

He quit fishing at lunch time and I never did get the last 2 fish.  For the life of me I could not figure out what the problem was.  It bothered me so much I called him up that night and we talked about it.  It finally dawned on me that I was using Power Pro braid and he was using fluoro.  I respooled immediately before going to bed, went back out to the same area the next day and had a limit by 10 am.

I took the advice RoadWarrior has always given on this site and spooled up Yozuri Hybrid Ultra Soft and havent looked back.

That's enough evidence for me.  I can't for the life of me figure it out because I was using a fluoro leader so the braid shouldnt have been a problem right?  Unexplained but I still refuse to use braid in open/clear water.

B

[Jeff H]

I am one who believes it makes a difference.  I stick to mono.

[cwb60]

Thanks Banor

I had a similiar experience fishing with my son in law.  I was not using braid, but a green mono.  He was using fluoro.  He got about 12 bites while I got nothing.  We were using identical baits and drop shots also.

If it wasn't the line, I don't know what the difference could be.

[Wayne P.]

In my experience the line type makes a difference if you think it makes a difference. If you think it doesn't make any difference, it doesn't.

[dodgeguy]

i've seen it go the other way also.the guy with braid kicks the flouro users but!!!i think it has more to do with some imperceptible difference in the way one guy works the bait over the other.i used flouro a couple of seasons ago because i thought it would make a difference.it did and i caught 3 times as many fish so i thought the flouro was responsible.last year for the heck of it i went back to braid and wound up catching just as many.so does it matter or not?not over a full season of fishing.btw,the reservoirs i fish are very clear most of the time.

[Paul Roberts]

Try the J-knot. One knot, absolutely simple to tie. Easy to seat the main reason for a failed Uni.

I use a leader, but know people that don't. I know one guy who tested day-glo yellow braid sans leader on both walleye and LM and did just fine. One day he was top rod on the boat with best fish. He's a pretty sharp angler though.

A few potential problems with braid:

-It's slippery! SO it doesn't bite into itself and knots can come undone on a big fish. Use a Uni-Knot, leave some tag, and check it for slippage often.

- Now this one needs a good scientific testing, but has been a topic of discussion surrounding braid: Because of its zero stretch, braid is the most sensitive line there is, WHEN IT IS STRAIGHT! It is so supple and thin that when it bows or folds it can create a complete disconnect in terms of feel. Wind can do this, and having a fish swim toward you can potentially do it. Other lines, being more rigid, can provide some sensitivity even when bowed. You can feel the weight as the fish moves. Thin supple braids can short circuit feel when slack is introduced.

What fluoro seems to offer is its density; it's ability to provide straighter contact with a subsurface lure. Testing has shown that fluoro does not offer lower stretch than mono.

[iceintheveins]

I always use a fluorocarbon leader when using braid. The uni to uni works great.

[Izzy3374]

I am probably wrong but I think that it has to do with fishing pressure as well.  The lake I normally fish basically has zero pressure.  Private lake for employees, and employees friends and family.  Crystal clear water.  I catch fish on braid all day long everyday.  I catch fish there like its nobodies business.

Then I will go to another lake by my buddies house and cant get a bite on braid.  It is a public county forest preserve lake.  Heavily fished, tons of pressure.  As soon as you use mono or flouro, BOOM.

I am sure there are many other factors.  One thing I am for sure about,  the fish CAN SEE braid in clear water.  Weather or not that it matters that they see it, I dont have the slightest clue.