Over the past few years I have dropped some serious cash on fishing line. I have studied all the research I can find on line and line shy bass. I have used fluorocarbon, mono, braid and even hybrids. I have tried almost all major brands. This is just one guys opinion but I would like to let you in on my findings in hope that maybe you can save a buck. We all know that each different type of line has it's own characteristics and I will not even go into to it because there are already too many opinions on the matter. Let's talk about finesse fishing. Are bass really line shy or are they simply presentation shy? Many claim that bass can see your line, and I agree, however I do not believe that line will stop a bass from eating when it is ready to eat and you present your lure properly. People swear by light 4,6, and 8 lbs. lines in mono and fluorocarbon and claim that they catch more fish. Aside from visibility lets look at what light line does. Light line allows a lure to move more naturally, there is not as much disturbance caused by the diameter of the line as you move it through the water. When you fish light line you generally do not use heavy weights which slows down the bait and gives it a more natural movement, keeps it in the strike zone longer, and finally it gives you confidence that the fish cannot see it. If you believe in the line then you will fish it more thoroughly and not be discouraged as quickly. I fish super clear water all over the Medina, Guadalupe, and Blanco rivers in TX, as well as many local lakes that have water so clear you can see up to 20ft. below the surface. My results vary trip to trip with mono, fluorocarbon, and braid, but I do not believe it is the visibility that makes the difference in success but rather the qualities of the line. If I am bass fishing then I will have braid on, I use primarily worms and jigs and rarely throw hard baits so sensitivity is key in catching fish. With mono a fish can engulf the bait and spit it back out before you even know he's there. With fluorocarbon my bait falls quicker than I like and I believe causes me to bypass some good fish, although it is not as sensitive as braid it is a great deal more sensitive than mono, but much harder to handle. With braid if a fish breaks wind while passing my lure I know. If I am cat fishing, or using a bait that has and type of treble hook then I will use mono because of the stretch factor in order to keep from pulling the hook from the fishes mouth. The only benefit I see to using fluorocarbon over braid is the fact that if you believe in clear line catching more fish then you will fish with more confidence. It doesn't have a spot in my arsenal because I do not fear that fish see my line. The benefit of braid over mono is one sensitivity and handling, but sometimes you need some stretch so do not put mono completely out of the picture. Even if you read all the articles you will indefinitely draw your own conclusions based off trial and error. If you want to try something different or are just getting started by the best of the best in each category fish each for a month and see what you think. Good luck and good fishing. Joshua D. Evans

Joshua: Many good points there. I fish mostly stained water, and at times it can be downright muddy, so I don't think visibility where I fish is a big concern. A couple of years back I replaced almost all of my mono with Fluoro. What a mistake! I am now back to a pretty much even split between mono and braid although I do still have some fluoro spooled. I fish mostly with spinning tackle and have multiple spools for most of my reels. The baitcasters are all spooled with braid as well as my trolling rigs. I still use fluoro leader, not so much for stealth as the abrasion resistance a good fluoro leader material offers. I only use fluoro labeled "Leader Material" for this, I have found it to be a bit stiffer than fluoro line but much more durable with just enough strech to make a good shock leader if need be. Tom
Fishin' fool in N.E. Illinois

both of you guys hit the nail on the head. Great report Josh.
Oklahoma Life Member Since 2009 OKARNG 45th Inf.

Hey guys. I guess I'm just old school. I use mono exclusively on my baitcast and spinning rigs. Berkley Trilene XL on all but my big catfish winch, which gets Trilene XT 60# test. On my bass/striper/crappie rigs, the ratings vary from 16#, 12#, 10#, and 6#.  I use clear color as the lake I fish primarily, Lake Pleasant, is usually gin clear. At times you can make out every detail on the bottom in 40' of water.      Happy fishing!
Phoenix Arizona

~N.A.F.C.~B.A.S.S.~BoatU.S.~N.R.A.~

After reading 45+ years of articles in mags like Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, In-Fisherman, Bassmaster and our own Club mag..and trying various lines over the years...I've pretty much come to these conculsions about line.

 

IF fish are feeding activley...it pretty much doesn't matter to them. IF you can adjust as a fisher-person to the line's characteristics....then you will do well.

 

IF you are fishing relatively clear water, a flouro leader CAN help. This will also work in waters where fish are heavily pressured. At the same time though...I've seen  folks catch fish with more emphasis on presentation variations versus line type.

 

With that being said....line types do affect presentations.

 

Braids take a little time to get used, as they CAN make a deep running crank run deeper than mono would. They also make a difference in trolling situations and in topwater presentations. And finally, you can cast further using a 10 lb rated (roughly 4 lb diameter)  braid farther than you can a lure using 10 lb mono.

 

JMHO

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Well people regurgitate marketing information...really selective marketing information. Real world applications...Always proof is in the putting...putting it to real world use.

I fish mostly muddy/stained water around my area and what i find works best is light weight braid just because the color blends in with the water and the light weight of the braid helps me feel all the bites. Hope this helps out.

Life Member.

My Take On Line is formulated through years of trial and error and talking with manufacturers, guides, and pros. After over 40 years, heres my suggesstion. SUNLINE most of the time, but watch these comparisons and then decide.


LINE VIDEOS

Northeast Bass Fishing

I have a line suggestions. A nylon/flouro coated super line. Make it and I'll be a one of the first customer in line...

Yeah I'll bet that I could have used it when I caught this new world record. It was hard to get in.



Northeast Bass Fishing

Hey there Steve, how did you get that bass in that little car with your pet Giraffe?

Put him in the trailer.

Northeast Bass Fishing

I believe that a lot of it has to do with each individual angler's ability to adjust to each line's characteristics.....and here's the main reason I say this.

 

You'll see some folks use braid for just about ANY type of application....whether trolling, casting, jigging etc...

 

Others use a variety of stuff for various applications / situations.

 

And still others swear off braid as crap....and only use mono.

 

To me....it's no different than the various brands / styles / price of rods and reels that we all use...what works for one person can be WAY different than for someone else.

 

It's the basic individuality of each of us 

 

 

Life Member David BB Linkmeister US Army '78-'85 West Central Wisconsin

Well said Dave. IMHO someone who takes the time to learn to use each type of line to it's strengths and matches it with the correct tackle will probably be more successful than someone who zeros in on one line to the exclusion of all others. Tom
Fishin' fool in N.E. Illinois