Braid - Tell me the pros and cons - Could switch from Yo-Zuri

[catchnm]

I have four Citica 200Es, two H2O Xpress Mettles, one BPS Extreme, all are lined up with Yo-Zuri Ultra Soft. All but the BPS have 10lb. clear and the BPS has 6lb. green. The 10lb. has a breaking strength of approx. 15lb. and the 6 right at 12lb. Been using this stuff for about three years now. I use a polomar knot for everything, terminal tackle, cranks, plastics, even tying line together and to the reel spool on an initial fill. I usually catch fish in the 1-3 lb. range in my "honey hole" and so the Ultra Soft is more than enough for that. But my home lake has been yielding 8-9 lb. fish recently and I'd like to get into a couple. So I'm thinking of changing one or two of the Citicas to braid.

Which is the best for slinging stuff from 1/8 to about 3/8 oz. baits? Most supple, easy to work with? Leader or no leader? Best knot for a leader? Why even use a leader? Can I cover all the water column from top to bottom? Which baits shouldn't I consider braid for? Should I put some mono backing on the reel? Spool the reel super tight or just tight?

Guys this will be completely new to me as I was always using mono before I started using the Yo-Zuri. Thanks in advance for all the good info I'll accumulate form this thread. I know there's a wealth of knowledge here at Bass Resource.

[roadwarrior]

The Yo-Zuri you have on the reel can be the backing.

Cast something out in the grass, then walk to it while

releasing line. Now you have two cast links. Cut if off

there and add the braid.

I have been experimenting with Power Pro 50/12. I'm

not going to recommend the brand. Try Fireline, Dodgeguy

swears by it:

http://www.***.com/Berkley_Fireline_Braid/descpage-BFBR.html

Another that gets rave reviews is Samurai:

http://www.tackledirect.com/daiwa-300yds-samurai-braided-line.html

I have the PP on a jig rig with no leader and a weighted

soft plastics outfit with a fluorocarbon leader. After about

five months of experimentation, I don't notice a difference.

Braid has dramatically improved my jig fishing, not so much

with weighted soft plastics. I will not be using braid for any

other presentations or on any more rigs.

I hate braid.

8-)

[I.rar]

lol,

i use it for everything and love it. 50/12 power pro for bait casting and 20/6 for spinning. 6 or 10lb cxx leader and im good. the sensitivity it has compared to mono is just crazy. i havnt used any other braids besides PP but i wouldnt hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

i use cheap mono for backing. albright/alberto or uni-uni for connecting the lines. get it on the spool as tight as you can.

[OHIO]

If you try using braid, you will love it. I would recommend Power Pro over any other brand because it doesn't break the bank, it's durable, and it has a great feel to it. I use braid without a leader on all of my reels because I honestly don't think that fish care about seeing your line. I used to use a leader, but stopped a couple of months ago and have still been catching fish at the rate I was when I had a leader. The only downfall braid has is its abrasion resistance. This is why many people use a fluoro leader. It has a greater resistance to being cut up by rocks, timber, etc. Also, if you fish cranks a lot, braid is not the type of line you want; use mono instead. Overall, braid increases the sensitivity (you can feel every little thing that knocks your lure), your hook-up ratio due to the no-stretch factor, and your abitlity to muscle the fish out from any cover.

[catchnm]

I'm thinking green is the best color.  :-?

Ohio Basmaster, what knot are you using when you're not using a leader? I've noticed that a longer than usual tag end makes a difference in the number of fish break offs with the Yo-Zuri. Will this be true if I use braid with no leader?

[hookingem]

I use the uni to uni knot for braid to flouro leaders. It has worked fine for me!

[Hammer 4]

I'll have to cast a vote (pun intended) for Diawa Samuri braid, very limp, and has a small diameter compared to some others. I use a uni to uni knot to tie on leaders.

[OHIO]

I'm thinking green is the best color. :-?

Ohio Basmaster, what knot are you using when you're not using a leader? I've noticed that a longer than usual tag end makes a difference in the number of fish break offs with the Yo-Zuri. Will this be true if I use braid with no leader?

I use the palomar to tie directly on lures and I usually leave about 1/4-1/2 inch tag line

[APK62]

If you try using braid, you will love it. I would recommend Power Pro over any other brand because it doesn't break the bank, it's durable, and it has a great feel to it. I use braid without a leader on all of my reels because I honestly don't think that fish care about seeing your line. I used to use a leader, but stopped a couple of months ago and have still been catching fish at the rate I was when I had a leader. The only downfall braid has is its abrasion resistance. This is why many people use a fluoro leader. It has a greater resistance to being cut up by rocks, timber, etc. Also, if you fish cranks a lot, braid is not the type of line you want; use mono instead. Overall, braid increases the sensitivity (you can feel every little thing that knocks your lure), your hook-up ratio due to the no-stretch factor, and your abitlity to muscle the fish out from any cover.

Agree 100%

If your are throwing cranks, just use a mono or fluro leader. You will have the best of both worlds.

Andy

[BASSclary]

I use the alberto knot for braid to Fluoro/mono and its SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the uni-uni

[catchnm]

The only downfall braid has is its abrasion resistance. This is why many people use a fluoro leader. It has a greater resistance to being cut up by rocks, timber, etc.

If your are throwing cranks, just use a mono or fluro leader. You will have the best of both worlds.

How long should the leaders be in these situations?

[BASSclary]

Basically from your rod tip to your reel will be sufficient. Tie your fluoro/mono to the braid with an Alberto knot and reel it up to the rod tip then cut your mono/fluoro off at the reel and you should have somewhere around 6-7 feet. You will get many reties from it 8-)

Alberto Knot ---> http://www.stripersonline.com/Pages/Articles/article_arby_albertos_knot.shtml

It looks hard but trust me its not

[NateFollmer]

The alberto knot is awesome. I use it on any line to line situation.

For braid, I was a long time spiderwire user but I have recently switched to vicious and I really like it. Its softer and seems stronger than spiderwire.

I use 45 lb braid and a 12 lb floro leader. I hardly ever use anything else. It gets the job done!

I have never used PP or the other lines mentioned so I can't speak for those.

[Micro]

After my last discussion on braid, I've decided to give it more time. I've got three rigs spooled with it now. I have 50lb Sufix on one rig, and 50lb Stren Sonic Braid on two others.

I have two 6'8" MH/F rods with Daiwa Zillions spooled with braid. I use these for Rage Tail Space Monkeys and light frogs. And I have one 7' H/XF rod with a Daiwa Zillion that is my dedicated heavy frog rod.

I chose 50lb braid because is the smallest diameter braid that I've tried where I get consistently good performance, minimal backlashes and dig-ins. 30lb worked well, but 50lb works better and just as good as 65lb. Therefore, I see no need for 65lb braid at all.

All my rigs are backed with about 25 yards of 10lb Trilene XL. It's easy to use an albright knot to connect 50lb braid and 10lb mono. (My theory is that if you get down to the backing, you are sorta screwed anyway.)

I use a palomar knot to tie on lures that retrieve in a straight line. For frogs, or baits witha side to side action, I use a rapala knot.

For me, the strength of braid is the low stretch.  I can get solid hooksets from long distances.  The weakness is that braid doesn't have very good abrasion resistance.  And in vegetation that is above the water surface, braid settles into it more than mono or co-poly.  It will cut into soft vegetation where mono and co-poly won't - at least not as much.  It also tends to settle into nook and crannies that mono tends to ride over. 

[dodgeguy]

when it comes to braid i ahve one thing to say.

[Hammer 4]

I use the alberto knot for braid to Fluoro/mono and its SIGNIFICANTLY smaller than the uni-uni

Haha, you have never seen my uni knots.. 8-)