Trav And Fishing Line.

[Trav]

I probably took a little umbrage to the header "Don't believe the hype", and maybe didn't respond as well as I could.

I still think mono creates a rather large vacuum.

I wasn't offended..I have thick skin. It is rather amusing how things can be taken out of context on the net. I do however have a tendancy to fail to clarify every little detail. Maybe on purpose?...LOL

Maybe I am old school...I think Roland Martin won 9 AOL titles using mono as well as many of the biggeest limits of bass tourneys (Pre 1990). History tells the truth and the future has yet to be told.

I remember my Gramps before he passed away saying he had to be convinced in the 60's to go from the old nylon braid to the "new mono"...so technology has its frontlines. The market is just too big and I feel many weekend warriors tend to be intimidated by it. I want to say to them that it isn't the line that makes the fisherman.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I made the transition from Cortland Camouflage to mono, but I don't think you can compare. The lines of today simply don't resemble the first monos and the co-polymers have made mono virtually obsolete. Fireline, the original, is the mono of superlines. There are so many superlines today that its hard to keep up with the differences, which in my limited experience seem subtle. Fluorocarbon has gone from too stiff and unmanageable, for all but leaders, to a viable line in just a few years.

The bottom line is that they all have their pros and cons, but because they are so important to the end result, you can't ignore them, no matter how little you fish. It is the last link and it always affects the success or failure in fishing.

[Sam]

I've been using first FireLine and now PowerPro superbraids for a few years, except for nighttime bass fishing where I still use Stren Flourescent mono with a black light. Trout are sensitive to line that's visible but I don't fish for trout anymore, and in my experience other species don't much care if they can see the line or not.

I've tried switching back to mono a couple of times with spinning reels. I just can't do it. Now that I'm used to braided line, monofilament seems so stretchy it's like fishing with a rubber band. I can't feel a doggone thing with it, and I don't like breaking off so much either. My usual partner stuck with monofilament, and we've had trips when crappie were biting real light and I've had 3 or 4 times the bites (and fish) he has. We were using the same lures and I'm sure he got as many bites as I did - he just couldn't feel them.

With superbraids, I can troll a Roostertail for white bass, too, without the line twisting. My partner has to quit using a pole for the day after about a half hour of that. No, I like those superbraids - a lot.

[Chief Grey Bear]

With superbraids, I can troll a Roostertail for white bass, too, without the line twisting. My partner has to quit using a pole for the day after about a half hour of that. No, I like those superbraids - a lot.

Your friend doesn't have to stop. After trolling for a while, have him take off his Roostertail. Then have him spool off a little more line than what he was trolling with. Troll that for just a few minutes. Dragging the line through the water will untwist it.

I used to also do this when I used mono while wade fishing small creeks and even floating. The way to do that is when you get to a riffle, after taking off you plug, spool it out into the current and it will untwist it. But switching to Cystal Fireline has eliminated that for me.

I will add that I only use Fireline on my lite rods. I still use mono on my heavy bass rods.

[Sam]

Then have him spool off a little more line than what he was trolling with. Troll that for just a few minutes. Dragging the line through the water will untwist it.

Oh, we do that. If he catches the situation in time, he'll take off the Roostertail and let all his line out behind the boat while we run down the lake at speed. That untwists the line.

Other times, though, he'll get his line into a twisted mare's nest of monumental proportions, to where he can't strip line off the reel and the tangle has grabbed everything within a couple feet, including the reading glasses out of his pocket! It's a joke between us, and he's stubborn enough he won't spool just one reel with superbraid for trolling in-line spinners. He always brings about 5 poles on a fishing trip, so he just quits using that one and cuts the line off later at home. Ya can't change him.

I'm like you, I use mono on my bass rigs and superbraid on my light spinning outfits. I may tear up some rod guides and bail rollers in time, but I think the advantages of the line are worth it.

[Chief Grey Bear]

You I haven't cut any bail rollers with Fireline. I have cut them with mono but, that seemed to mainly one type of reel that I used to use.

As for cutting the guides, I only use ceramic eyes and haven't cut one yet. I would think you should be able to just change out your tip to a ceramic one and be ok. I have never cut any of the other guides. But I have seen the damage that can happen.

[Gavin]

I use braid most of the time...except when its well below freezing...I've been using hi-vis yellow suffix braid in 6lb on my spinning rigs for awhile know and I like it alot. It doesnt have much abrasion resistance, so I always add 6-7ft of 8lb mono or flouro leader. I used to use a uni-to-uni to connect the leader, but friend of mine got me to try a triple surgeons knot last year..Its been working great, and its a super quick tie. Cheers.

[Sam]

Since some of you guys are using superbraid, I've got a question. Have you noticed how LOUD it is when you're fighting a good fish?

I don't mean sound made by friction from coming through the guides. It just sings, loud, when it's under tension and even when it's not moving through the rod guides. It's vibration of course, like a fiddle string - but I wonder why. What are the forces that cause that?

If that vibration continues all the way down to the fish you're fighting in the water (and I don't see why it wouldn't), then it's making a real racket and I wonder if that scares other fish.

[RSBreth]

From my experience fighting Smallmouths right to the boat with the line "singing" while there's 2, 3, or half a dozen of his buddies following him right in where I can see them, I don't think it matters.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Sam I think its because of the lack of stretch. The stretch in other lines dampens them I believe.