another Line Question: braid vs fluor. Which one is more sensitive?

[soopd]

I have read numerous threads about what line for certain techniques and it seems everyone uses something different.  I have been using mono line for the majority of my fishing. 

I really like the sensitivity of FC but I absolutley hate everything else about it.  I like how mono cast and feels but I feel like I miss a ton of fish because it has so much stretch.

I have braid on my spinning rig with a FC leader.  I have yet to catch a fish with it (only used about 10 cast). 

My question:  Is braid as sensitive as FC? 

Does it lose sensitivity if it is not tight?

[Mr SwimJig]

Braid is just as sensitive as fluorocarbon and no it does not lose sensitivity.  Both have their place.

SJ

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Braid:  Extremely sensitive on a tight line.  Because of how soft braid is, the more slack in the line, the greater the loss of sensitivity.  Little to no stretch.

Fluoro:  Not quite as sensitive as braid.  Because of how dense the material it's made from is, you maintain a good sensitivity through a semi slack line.  Contrary to most marketing hype, fluorocarbon isn't a low stretch line.  It's very comparable to most co-poly lines and nylon mono lines.

A Co-poly line will give you a very nice mix of regular nylon mono and a 100% fluorocarbon.  It's not quite as sensitive as a 100% fluoro while it is more sensitive than a nylon mono.  This line will also have about an equal amount of stretch as most fluorocarbon lines.  Of course, each line will behave differently based upon the resins used to make each individual product.

Nothing replaces watching your line. 

[Raul]

  I feel like I miss a ton of fish because it has so much stretch.

I 've heard this many times and it makes me wonder how is it possible that I 've fished practically all my life with nylon moslty and I don 't miss fish because it has "too much stretch."

[soopd]

Well you must be a lot better fisherman than I am. 

I am not saying that is why I am missing the fish.  I said I feel like that I miss fish because of the stretch.  It is not a fact and Confidence is everything. I do not have the confidence in mono on a very long cast because of MY experiences missing fish.  I could move in closer to accomodate the long cast problem (which I do). 

[dodgeguy]

braid is by far the most sensitive line made .it's not even close.

[B A S S E R]

braided line is more sensitive than flouro and mono. even on slack line.

[HookSetDon]

Each line serves its purpose, one excels at one where it doesn't fair so well at another. Mono is great for top water / jerkbaits, it has floating properties. Fluro sinks and has good abrasion properties and is invisble compared to braid, use it in situations that call for that, such as clear water finesse or crankbaiting to get that line down deep, braid for me is heavy cover, it saws through vegetation like a weed wacker, and helps me detect subtle jig bites.

[flechero]

Braid is often touted as the "be all, end all" to sensitivity. While the reality is that it transmits vibration much better than mono, that only tells one side of the story.

The truth of the matter is that sensitivity isn't the real issue much of the time, it's your ability to identify what you feel. For many people braid telegraphs too much "info" for them to decipher. Feeling every leaf, twig or grain of sand only adds to the amount of vibration they have to read, process and eliminate. For some this is a real hindrance. I fish with several guys that went to braid for a while only to see their catch rates fall for this very reason.

To go even further, some people have "numb" hands, and others can feel a fish looking at a bait from 10 feet away. I know people that feel less with braid than I do with mono. But for some, they need braid to feel a bite.

For roughly 1/2 of fisherman, mono is the clear winner for catching fish, even though it's "less sensitive."

There are a number of pros and cons to both braid and mono, this post was intended to only highlight the angler's own ability or inability to utilize line as a tool.

(I use mono to describe any mono, copoly or coated line)

[rubba bubba]

I 've heard this many times and it makes me wonder how is it possible that I 've fished practically all my life with nylon moslty and I don 't miss fish because it has "too much stretch."

Careful Raul - we wouldn't want you to miss any fishing time because you dislocated your shoulder patting yourself on the back.

[21farms]

I feel like I miss a ton of fish because it has so much stretch.

I 've heard this many times and it makes me wonder how is it possible that I 've fished practically all my life with nylon moslty and I don 't miss fish because it has "too much stretch."

about 25 years ago, there was an article in bassmaster or some other magazine (my memory is fuzzy) about a study done where they had scuba divers underwater watching an experienced fisherman fish. the scuba divers observed fish hitting the lures multiple times but, when they talked to the fisherman later, he said he didn't get any hits...he was completely unaware.

[MickD]

I cannot see how any line can be considered "sensitive" if it is slack.  Until at least a little tension is put on it, it can't be "sensitive."  Or not sensitive.  Or more or less sensitive.  Sensitive to what?  Many expert anglers say they discover most of their bass bites while finesse fishing by seeing the line move, not feeling it.  Hence yellow colored braid, or other high vis colors.

Even with a little tension, the differences have to be small at most.  How much can 10# mono stretch if you put a couple ounces of tension on it?

What can be said without argument is that braid has the least amount of stretch, almost zero, flouro next, and mono last (most stretch for a given tension).

The more tension you put on the lines, the more the differences will be felt, probably as differences in "sensitivity." The lighter the tension, the less differences in sensitivity between the lines.  At least that is how it appears to me.

[Georgia Jeff]

don't worry that you havn't caught a fish yet with the braid.  You will.  I made the switch to  braid a few years back and wouldn't fish mono again if you gave it to me for free.

The only advantage mono has is that it doesn't wrap around things like branches and rod tips the way braid does.  Braid is WAY more sensitive and allows you to catch fish from a long distance away even with the wind blowing due to near zero stretch.  Plus you have the added security of a much harder to break line.

In the ponds and rivers that I fish I have not see any less strikes by foregoing the leader and tying directly to the hook with braid.

[Fish Chris]

mono = rubberband

braid = fishing line

Fish

[BobP]

I think it depends on the circumstance:  what you are fishing and how the fish are biting.  Braid is more sensitive to pull as long as your line is in tension, as when fishing a T-rigged plastic, jig, or Carolina rig and the fish pulls on the line.  But if a fish picks up your bait and swims toward the boat, you have a better chance of sensing it with fluorocarbon because most braid will collapse when tension is taken off it and will not transmit a push like fluorocarbon will.  JMHO, if you fish shallow banks from a boat, many bites will be fish picking up your bait and swimming toward the boat and deeper water, so I prefer Fluoro in that circumstance.  I think fluoro is also better for unweighted plastics like Senkos, etc because braid floats and as the bait sinks, it puts a bow in braided line.  I only take braid along when I know I'll be fishing heavy vegetation and need a line that can cut through weeds.  But if you like it for other situations, hey, go for it...

[A-Rob]

I switched to from mono to braid and had an increased hook up ratio...especially frog fishing or pitching jigs.

With tension on the line, I think everyone agrees no stretch and more transmitted "sensitivity".

The nice thing with braid is if I'm fishing it on slack line it is so easy to see the line jump when the fish hits your bait (ie fishing a wacky senko in the grass, you will often see your braid running sideways). To me this is also "sensitive".

I think mono has a purpose....but if you are using techniques demanding some feel like a jig in the grass, or watching your line on a wacky senko in the grass, braid can't be beat.

I fished flouro all last year with my pitching gear....I kinda liked how it handled and my hook up ratio was decent to.....BUT I lose fish once in a while (rarely, but always at the wrong time) on flouro b/c of line failure or weak knot strength compared to braid or even mono.

I'm going back to braid this summer for pitching, frogs, spinning tackle (with a flouro leader). I will still use flouro for my glass crankbait rod and my worm rod. Mono for spinnerbaits.