[oneshotkill]

Before I go and re-spool my Penn 975, I want some opinions on braid. This set-up is primarily used for live lining bunker and also bottom chunking as well. [I have 20lb test trilene big game mono on it now with much success ]but the line wears after a while and I am considering giving power pro braid a shot. Does the braid spook the fish at all or does it not matter. Pros/cons any input is helpful. Thanks

 

[UltraMag77]

PM Wackemstackem aka Joe Gahrman he's the go to guy on striper fishing know how. With braids you usually get a stronger line with a smaller diameter. I don't fish that much for stripers so I'll leave it at that. If you gonna get a braided line I would suggest Power Pro

 

[kuz]

The power pro in my opinion is one of the best braids manufactured today. I use it to muskie fish, and it lasts a long time. I also use a fine diameter for jigging for walleye and the sensitivity is awesome, especially in deep water. The no stretch is great for hooksets. There are times you do want some stretch though. Livelining works better with mono, becasue the no stretch braid tends to pull the hook out and the mono also seems to let the bait move more naturally IMHO. I still liveline herring with mono. For anything that needs sensitivity, or drilling hooksets, go with the braid, and i direct tie in a flourocarbon leader for the no vis and abraison resistance. But, I'm a freshwater guy and dont know the unique characteristics of the salt arena.

 

[red65]

Livelining works better with mono, becasue the no stretch braid tends to pull the hook out

What he said..[up]


I use 30lb mono and a 50lb flouro leader...

 

[BCsaw]

The 30lb. Power Pro is too small in diameter and gets knotted up. Try 40lb. test. Remember the power pro will bleed out the color applied to it.
You should soak it in hot water. Use a leader and it won't matter. You really feel the bite on braid![up]

 

[oneshotkill]

Thanks, I was with Capt Joe on a few trips last minth and never noticed if he had braid on his live lining rods because I had my own rod with me. I may just stick w mono and try ther braid on my flounder reel instead.

 

[rayneboo]

mono all the way but what do i know..Dont fix it untill its broke.

 

[lzema]

Mono. You don't need the extra line capacity or casting distance of braid.

 

[muzzyman]

i use the same setup for all my inshore fishing. i use 7ft. med action spinning combo strung with 50lb power pro which has the same diameter as 12 lb mono. i use a 4 to 6 ft. leader of flurocarbon coated mono. i use this setup for everything from flounder to mahi. alot of the charters will tell you that they don't like mono for a variety of reasons but in reality it is because of its expense and that birds nests can be real hard to untangle. the charters are in business and have to keep the bottom line in mind at all times.

 

[hammer4reel]

ALOT of line choice depends on WHAT type rod you are using.
If your fishing a high modulas graphite stick you could use mono, as you def need some stretch,
If your using a little softer rod that has some glass in it your WAY better off using braid.

We use composite and glass rods for live lining Big bass, matched with either Suffix or Spider wire stealth in 50 pound.and 6 foot of 50 pound flouro.

Power pro braid is NOTORIUS for break offs as they have a problem with their spooling process which has created an uneven line that ends up stressing under hard running fish.(their are hundreds of pages on discussion boards like this about PP for the guys who claim they never had a problem with it)

 

[Slicendice]

You will find that mono will give you better results in getting the bass to the boat. Its not the feel, its the forgiveness in the stretch that helps out with the battle. My buddy fishes hard and he insists on his customers using mono.

 

[NJ Deer]

i use braid on all my livelining setups...30lb power pro...always always always use a shock leader to the hook...3-4ft of 30-40lb fluro...and you MUST make sure your drag is set correctly...when a bass hits one of my set ups with the braid, like everyone, i let him freespool it for a few seconds and simply engage the reel....with the braid i dont see any need to set the hook as 9/10 you will snap the line by setting the hook because there is NO stretch...when you engage the reel, the bass is moving plenty fast enough to set the hook in herself...with the braid you can feel EVERYTHING...you can feel the bunker gettin excited (or scared crazy)....braid, in this case, however is probabkly not the best choice for a beginner or someone who might not have alot of experience in this type of fishing because they will most likely lose a good deal of fish before getting used to the setup...just my opinion

 

[NJ Deer]

having the drag set at the right strength is EXTREMELY important

 

[njgunner]

Steve I think most of his poles had mono but the poles for snagging bunker had braid...

 

[jerseyhunter]

Like everyone said Mono.[up] And with mono there is some stretch in the line in case of an unexpected run, the wrong drag setting or if your drag sticks and is not working properly. Stick with the braid for bottom fishing. But it's knot written in coral. er uh stone. Ps if you go with Braid you want to have enough mono/flouro carbon top shot to go around the reel at least 3 times then hang a few feet from the rod tip depending on your rig. this will give you a little lee way on your drag. Flukeing is totally different and you would only need 3-4 as NJDeer stated.

 

[jerseyhunter]

but the poles for snagging bunker had braid...

Sounds like this is done on purpose so you don't get any line stretch and snag the bunker without missing. A pole for snagging is different than a pole for fishing.