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Braided Line vs. Mono: Which One Really Wins?

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2.5K views 36 replies 21 participants last post by  twaskom  
#1 ·
Alright, let’s settle this once and for all, braided line or mono for tough fishing conditions? Are there certain situations where you absolutely swear by mono, or does braid really give you the edge in every scenario?
 
#4 ·
That's just it! Nothing wins nor gives you an edge in every scenario.

Braid is more sensitive, lighter but stronger, no stretch, cast farther, less drag due to smaller diameter, no memory, and give greater line capacity on smaller reels.

Monofilament is cheaper and more abrasion resistance.

As for me and my house we use braid for main line and mono leaders.
 
#11 ·
We switched to braid years ago I also use monofilament for leaders on the braid... I'd rather fight a monster can fish with 80lb braid I'm 30 or 40 lb mono.... Reel holds way more line with braid.... Plus you also have an advantage when you're dragging planer boards... Braided line don't sink like monofilament does
 
#13 ·
I HATE catfishing with braided line! I started with mono and over the years of guiding have tried braid and always went back to mono. I like the stretch for inexperienced people, I like the abrasion resistance, I like the fact that if I get six lines in the wrong snag I can actually break it off, and I like that I can spool all six reels for about $20.

I do understand that braid has a place for situations listed above. If I was a bait walker I would use it for that no question.
 
#14 ·
Braid or mono? Yes
There can be many applications where each will stand out as superior
I have reels spooled with both
If i am fishing under a sliding float with mono i use a better grade mono like ande when fishing on the bottom with mono i like berkley big game very tough but tons of memory available anywhere and cheap
When line capacity and casting distance becomes important then braid is a good choice
Although always pay attention to areas where braid may come in contact with rocks
Its kinda like whats the best gun for hunting
What are you chasing and where are you chasing it
My favorite shotgun is the A-5 perfect for something not so much for others
It weighs 7 lbs
My benelli weighs 6 lbs
That does not sound like much difference
When you get old and you been carrying one of them in the field 6-8 hours there is a huge difference
 
#24 ·
When I first started I went with Braid. For me it worked well until I started dragging planer boards. It seemed like it came out of the clips a bit too easily due to the small diameter and typically slick coating. I now run heavy mono, 30-40lb on my dragging and bottom roads with braid only on my suspended rods due to the less water resistance.

Really the only other thing I didn’t like about braid was that if a couple of lines got tangled up, or the fish really rolled in the line, I usually had to cut it loose and re-tie everything. Getting knots out of braid on the boat is a practice in extreme patience. Mono is usually quite a bit easier to untangle.

I do like braid and am often tempted to go back to it. In order to do so I would likely have to switch to the captive clips that you have to release manually and I just don’t like those so I keep going back to mono.
 
#29 ·
I mainly fish open river, braid hands down. the big positve is the smaller diameter, equals less drag in the current, less weight to keep in place. 80lb mono leader and 30lb mono to hold the weight if not using a no-roll

Buddy gave me a reel loaded with 50lb Ande mono, have to put twice as much weight to hold it in place and keep the bait down..
 
#35 ·
I will use braid on bait casting reels. I have lost fish because it doesn't take abrasion well. I do not like it on spinning reels at all. Especially for surf fishing with an in the face wind. Or at any time there is an in the face wind actually. I hate having to tie certain knots for putting mono leaders on it. That said I have four bait casters loaded with 65 pound braid presently.
 
#37 ·
There are several things that will make one option better than the other. Nothing says you couldn't use the weaker option and still catch fish but just that one is better than the other.

The two main things that make a difference between the two (to me) are current and abrasion resistance.

If you have ever fished in a swift current river, you will have found that the current will push your bait way down stream. The current is pushing on the bait but also on the line. Since braid is much smaller in diameter than an equal strength mono line, the current has much less effect on it. Now you don't always have to be in a river to get the same effect. If you are dragging baits in a lake, you pulling your line and bait thru the water causes the same effect as current from the river. It has the ability to lift your bait up off the bottom. Maybe not to the surface but much higher in the water column, taking your bait out of the typical strike zone.

Now braided line, has a much higher breaking strength, so you get a much higher tension strength with a much smaller diameter line. But one of the weaker points of braided line is that it does not stand up to abrasion well. Rubbing on anything abrasive will cut it much quicker than it would mono line. One of the big issues on rivers that have been dammed up is that the original river bank is now way out in the water so when you cast your line from the bank it goes out thru the shallows but then sorta drops off of a cliff, as it goes over the original river bank/ledge. Here in eastern Tennessee, we were blessed with an abundance of rocks so when you reel your bait back in, you are forcing it thru all those rocks at the crest of the ledge. That is very abrasive on your line but mono line will stand up to it better.

It is not as much of an issue when fishing from a boat because you often fish parallel to the ledge so it is less of an abrasive problem.

Now if you have ever had a big cat clamp down on your hand or finger when you were trying to be so kind by removing a hook, and because he bit down you yanked your hand/finger out , you will have an idea on how abrasive a catfishes sandpaper teeth are. That is why some folks just use mono line or at least a mono leader. It is also why the mono leader is usually 50lb test or higher.

There are reasons like one line will cast farther than the other or one lays straight while the other twists up into knots but I will leave that for another day.

tight lines all